In these dark times, a little extra light never goes amiss. Here are five illuminating products guaranteed to add a little light to your night-time activities, whether you're stumbling back to your tent after a hard night partying or gazing up at the night sky in search of distant galaxies.
Although it’s not immediately apparent, some significant changes make this SUV stand out from its predecessor. For a start, it has night vision. There’s also a 3D LED strip that stretches across the entire rear, plus headlights featuring four futuristic LED dots. Its interior, meanwhile, has a 12.3-inch touchscreen located on the dash that acts as a central hub, with two 7-inch displays ahead of the driving seat to show information such as navigation and vehicle diagnostics. Notable features include adaptive cruise control with traffic-jam assist, while the Offroad Precision App allows rough-terrain drives to be monitored and played back, so you can review and improve your driving skills. Starting at $66,750 from Porsche
Ever tried to pitch a tent in the dark or lost your way back to your temporary festival home? If so, these illuminated 23cm stakes should be an essential part of your camping kit. A simple yet effective idea in the “why has no one done this before?” category, its LEDs provide 17 lumens of light for up to ten hours around your tent. An on/off switch glows in the dark to make turning them on a cinch, and there’s no need to worry if the weather takes its toll, as they’re water-resistant. So, if it pours down, your tent’s roof is more likely to cave in before your StakeLights give out. $19.99 from Ucogear
The new Sea-Dweller reference 126600 contains many improvements from its predecessor. Its Caliber 3235 movement features 14 new patents, the most important of which is the Chronergy escapement, where the escape wheel is skeletonised to reduce inertia. There’s also the addition of a magnifying glass – the Cyclops – above the date. Components are made of a nickel-phosphorus alloy, which is more resistant to magnetism, and a bigger, 43mm case size means an increase in its Chromalight lume is also required to assist in low light conditions. This version glows for up to eight hours, twice as long as the traditional SuperLuminova, and the blue hue makes it easier to read in murky waters. £8,350 from Rolex
Offering up to 150x magnification, the eVscope’s Enhanced Vision technology uses a Light Amplification setting to give you ultra-vivid images. This works by using low-light sensors to accumulate light through a series of short exposures. The images it picks up – such as colourful galaxies and nebulae invisible to the naked eye – are then projected into the telescope’s eyepiece. Its Autonomous Field Detection system is also worth noting. This will recognise objects in its field of view and compare what it sees with its database of stars to give you astronomical stats. You can also connect the eVscope to a network of star-spotters and help scientists make sense of infinity and beyond. $999 from Unistellar
This winter-sports jacket is inspired by the Blue Morpho butterfly, which has microscopic scales on its wings that shine an iridescent blue hue when hit by sunlight. To mimic this effect, Vollebak has embedded two billion blue glass spheres into the resin coating the surface of the jacket’s fabric. When light hits the spheres, it reflects so brightly that it appears as if the jacket itself is shining. Its fully seam-sealed and waterproof design – with an ocean-racing style marine hood and high collar – should keep the worst of the winter elements out. Also, not only will the reflective nature of the Blue Morpho be attractive on the slopes, it could aid search-and-rescue operations, should an emergency arise. £495 from Vollebak
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
