Camping at Pretty Beach - Why My Somni Light Always Comes With Me

GUEST BLOGGER: BAILEY

Camping at Pretty Beach - Why My Somni Light Always Comes With Me

This week, we’re handing the keyboard to Bailey - a long-time camper who knows Pretty Beach better than most.

Every time we head down to Pretty Beach on the south coast of NSW, the ritual is the same. Zip up the rooftop tent. Load up the pillows and the food. Settle into our old 80s LandCruiser. And slip my three Somni lights into the side pocket of the door where they always live.

We’ve tried a lot of camping lights over the years. Hardwired setups, battery packs, amber lights, strip lights - you name it. For a long time, we relied on an LED strip on the tailgate running off a secondary battery. It worked, but the glare was harsh. Then there were our old HARDCORE amber battery lights. They kept the bugs away, which was great, but they weren’t dimmable. They also needed four outlets and constant charging, and half the time we ended up using a phone torch because something was flat.

Now we keep it simple.
We use our new Somni lights.

Warm white for cooking. Pink for inside the tent. Red for stargazing or winding down. All fully dimmable, all calm, and far more pleasant than anything we’d been using before.

Since we usually head down just for the weekend, I charge them at home before we leave and don’t think about them again. No batteries, no random dimming, no “where’s the charger” moment. They easily last the whole trip, which makes the whole weekend smoother.

The thing I love most, though, is how portable they are. Properly portable. They follow me everywhere: from the rooftop tent to the car, from the camp kitchen to the loo block at night. Light in the hand, easy to carry, and never feeling like more gear than needed.

And brightness control? Quietly brilliant. When we’re relaxing by the fire, a soft glow is perfect. But if someone drops something under the car or we’re sorting gear in the dark, I just turn the brightness up. It adapts to whatever’s happening without blasting the whole campsite.

The magnetic base is its own little camping hack. When the light’s fading and we’re racing to get food sorted, I stick one to the side of the Cruiser and it instantly becomes a hands-free work light. It frees up everything: packing, prepping, organising. Inside the tent, it clips easily to the frame. At the table, it sits exactly where you need it.

At night, I switch between warm white and red. Warm white is great for reading or winding down. Red is perfect for moving around camp without waking yourself up or lighting up the whole area. Just enough visibility, nothing overpowering.

Pretty Beach has become a reset spot for us. Waking up to the sound of waves, gum leaves overhead, and that soft coastal glow makes everything slow down in the best way. Having a light that works with that calmer pace matters. No harsh glare, no buzzing, no fuss - just something steady and reliable.

Rechargeable, portable, adjustable, magnetic, and water-resistant—nothing exaggerated, just the simple things that make a weekend away more comfortable. That’s why I bring them every time. They make camping easier, calmer, and genuinely nicer.