Best Bivvy Lights

If I were buying one light for regular overnighters, the Vault Lite IR180 is the one I would take. The floodlight covers the bivvy, while the 180-lumen torch gives you a proper beam for finding the landing net or walking up the path.

The floodlight switches between white, red and green and can be dimmed rather than forcing you to choose between dark and full glare. An infrared remote means you can change it from the bedchair, although it still needs a clear line to the light.

RidgeMonkey fit a 5,200mAh rechargeable battery with a USB output, so the light can also put some charge back into a phone. The quoted runtime runs from 10 hours in torch mode to 240 hours with the floodlight turned right down.

The IP67 casing is the important difference over the cheaper lights. Magnetic fittings, a hanging cord and a bankstick adaptor are all supplied, which makes this the most complete lighting kit in the group rather than simply the brightest.

Choose the NGT when battery capacity and value matter most. Its 10,400mAh cell is paired with 21 white LEDs, six red LEDs and a dimmer, giving you a broad light for the bivvy rather than a narrow torch beam.

At full output it reaches 500 lumens and NGT quote 11.5 hours of runtime. Turn it down to half and that rises to 32 hours, while the lowest quoted setting stretches to 75 hours.

That large battery can also charge a phone through the 5V USB output, although the light itself needs about 7.5 hours for a full recharge. There is no published IP rating, so this belongs inside the shelter rather than hanging out in heavy rain. Choose it when capacity matters more than minimum size or weather sealing.

A strip light spreads the LEDs along the roof instead of putting one bright spot above your head. That makes the Fox a good fit for a larger bivvy, a social shelter or anyone who dislikes working in a pool of harsh light.

White, red and green modes are controlled either from the body or the supplied remote. Each colour can be dimmed, so there is enough adjustment for tying a rig without leaving the bivvy lit like a kitchen.

The standard model carries a 4,800mAh rechargeable battery. Fox quote 20 to 100 hours in white, with longer figures possible in the coloured modes, although the 8.5-hour charging time means it wants plugging in the night before you fish.

A magnetic plate hangs it from the shelter and the camera thread lets it sit on a tripod or suitable bankstick adaptor. That second mounting job is the reason to choose it over a conventional hanging light.

If you only need a small pool of light over one bedchair, the simpler Fox Halo takes less room and uses replaceable batteries.

The Base Lite IR puts plenty of light into a compact body. Its maximum output is 400 lumens, and the rotating magnetic ends let you aim it across the bivvy instead of accepting whichever angle the roof gives you.

There are warm and cool white settings as well as red, green and blue. Warm white is easier to live with when you are sitting in the bivvy, while cool white gives a clearer working light for a fiddly job.

The smaller 2,000mAh battery is the trade-off. RidgeMonkey quote 1.5 to 12 hours depending on brightness, but the USB-C recharge takes about two hours with a suitable charger.

Take the Base Lite when you want strong, adjustable light without the size of the Vault. Buy the Vault instead if multi-night runtime, a torch beam or the powerbank output matters more.

Choose the Nitelife for its amber Bug-Less mode. Trakker use a 610nm amber light that is less attractive to mosquitoes and moths, which is a useful option when the bivvy door is open on a warm night.

White light runs at three levels, with separate red and amber modes and a directional torch available on a long press. That covers ordinary bivvy jobs without making maximum brightness the whole reason to buy it.

The larger 200-lumen version uses a 4,000mAh rechargeable battery and has a USB output for emergency phone charging. A power indicator shows what is left, while built-in magnets and a steel backing plate handle the usual shelter mounting. The older Micro USB input is the drawback, but the amber mode gives this light a clear job that the others do not copy.

The Nash rolls up when it is packed and inflates into a 60cm strip when you need it. That soft body takes very little room in the bag and removes the rigid lens or housing that normally gets knocked about in the barrow.

At full output it produces 250 lumens, spread along the length of the light. White, yellow and blue modes are available with variable brightness, but there is no red setting.

Nash quote 10 to 45 hours from the 4,000mAh battery, depending on the setting, and a full USB-C recharge takes about three hours. Magnetic plates, hanging loops and adjustable straps give you several ways to fix it inside the shelter or around a bankstick.

This is the one for anglers who value a flat pack and a broad wash of light. A conventional hard-bodied light is the simpler choice if you want red mode, a torch beam or powerbank output.

Keep it inflated where hooks and sharp end tackle cannot catch the body; packability is the point, not puncture resistance.

The HEROX light makes most sense as part of a Sonik alarm set. Pair it with up to four HEROX alarms and it can switch on when a take comes, using the colour assigned to that alarm channel.

There are six colour channels and three brightness levels, and it can still be used manually as an ordinary bivvy light. The automatic mode is the reason to buy it, especially when the headtorch is not the first thing you grab on the way out of the door.

At 75g and roughly 74mm across, it adds very little to the bag. A magnetic plate or elastic loop handles mounting, while three AAA batteries mean you can carry a spare set instead of waiting for a recharge.

Compatibility is the hard limit: the alarm link only works with Sonik HEROX alarms. If that is not your alarm system, one of the independent rechargeable lights is a much better buy.

The basic Fox Halo is for anglers who want a small light without another rechargeable battery to remember. It runs from two AA cells or one CR123A, so a fresh set gets it working again immediately.

Nine white LEDs and two red LEDs give four white-light levels plus a red setting. That is enough choice for cooking, sorting tackle and keeping a low light on without paying for a remote or alarm pairing.

The body weighs 60g before the batteries and comes with a hanging loop and magnetic base plate. Fox quote seven hours on the highest setting, enough for an overnight if it is not left burning at full power. It is a sound occasional-use or backup light, while anglers out most weekends may find a rechargeable model easier to keep running.