Do Camper Shells Need Brake Lights

There are various sorts of campers out there. You can either be a camper who goes camping just out of curiosity. Or you can be the one who treats camping as a passion.

For you, camping is more than just a hobby. You may find the meaning of your life through camping in various places.

If you are a regular camper, you know every nook and corner of camping. You might always be prepared to set off on any possible camping trip. You most probably have camper shells in your car too.

Now you can ask do camper shells need brake lights or not. It depends on the place you are camping and your security.

 

Do camper shells need brake lights?

Camper shells are custom made for the regular campers. This gives you extra space in the back of your car to get in the camping equipment.

Now if you are thinking of getting brake lights for a camper shell, you should know that it is different for different situations. It is mandatory in some places and doesn’t matter elsewhere.

 

What is a camper shell?

The camper shell is a very familiar figure to any camper. It is a small utility chamber at the back of your car or pick up.

A camper shell is like a small housing or rigid canopy. It is used as a pickup truck or coup utility accessory.

This housing is generally made of fiberglass or aluminum. It can also be made of wood or canvas.

If you think where this shell thing is kept, the answer is that it is kept in the pickup truck’s rear bed. It can cover the entire foundation of the pickup truck. And it comes very handily for the campers.

You can find the top of the camper shell even with or above the truck cab’s top. The primary use of such a space is for camping, but it can also be used for utility and storage purposes.

 

What are brake lights for?

The brake light is a very common part of any vehicle. It is usually the two lights placed on the back of a car to indicate the car’s static motion.

This brake light is essential for driving purposes; this symbolizes when the car is on a halt. It is a red light that lights up when the brakes are applied. This warns the other drivers about the motion of the car.

The brake light is a huge safety measure whenever in a vehicle. It turns on automatically whenever the car stops. This warns the other drivers about when to pass by and when not.

But this brake light is also necessary for camping purposes. Campers are most likely to have camper shells at the back of their vehicles. It is a common concern, do camper shells need brake lights.

It is useful if you attach a brake light at the back of your camper shell. This will be working as a third brake light. It will ensure that you are having a safe stoppage wherever you want to camp.

 

Can it cause a problem if you do not have a brake light on your camper shells?

Having brake lights ensure a safe passage. Especially when you are camping outdoors, and your car plays a huge role to tuck in all the equipment you brought, brake lights are necessary on your camper shells.

If asked about do camper shells need brake lights, the answer would be that it is a good thing but not mandatory. Brake lights on camper shells make it more understandable that there will be no moving forward in this vehicle.

But campers usually look for places with fewer people for camping. And obviously, they look for places to park the car where there are no other vehicle intervention chances.

Yet there are some places where it is made mandatory for campers to use brake lights on camper shells. Such a rule is made clearly out of security issues. Suppose the camping site is near any busy road. In that case, the authority might want the campers to have brake lights for safety enhancement.

 

Where to put the brake lights on camper shells?

If the authority is strict, they will want you to put on the brake lights on your camp shell when you turn in for inspection. You better be ready for any such situation if you’re going to avoid any unnecessary trouble.

Once you figure out that you want a brake light on your camper shell, you will be looking for a place to fit it. There is supposed to be a bracket at the top center if the brake light. This space is made for the brake light.

There are various sorts of brake lights available in the market. You can find customized brake lights for this purpose.

 

How to wire a third brake light?

Once your answer is yes for the question, do camper shells need brake lights, you need to know how to put them on.

Brake lights need a little wiring to put on. This is easy if you know the simple procedure. The third brake light has to be connected with the rare two. This is important for synchronization.

To set up a brake light, first, open your tailgate. Now you need to identify the factory hole in the driver side bed body next to the taillight lens.

The driver side taillight lens can easily be removed for easy access by removing the two eight-millimeter bolts and pulling the lens free.

You need to be careful while doing so. This is all plastic structure. You should not over-tighten when replacing the bolts. And don’t break off the two push and post when removing.

Next to the spare tire, feed your two wires down through and under the truck and identify the brake light wire next to the driver side frame rail. This is located inside the six pole pigtail.

Pull the pigtail free from the frame and identify the light green wire inside the protective plastic wire shield. This is where you will connect your hot wire, the red wire, using a quick connector.

After doing this, reattach the pigtail back on the frame. Then rout the black wire, your ground, to the right part of the truck frame for a solid foundation.

You should be finished underneath the truck now so you can proceed back to the upper side by the tailgate and pull the remaining slack out of the wires, backup though the bed, and insulate and tie it off for the later wiring to the camper third brake light.

A volt ohmmeter is frequently very helpful in doing this job. It helps you identify and recheck your work for the hot leads and your ground.

 

Which third brake light should you choose for camper shell

Do camper shells need brake lights? The answer relies on the sort of security you want. Having a brake light on your camper shell ensures the topmost security.

The third brake light you want to choose highly depends on the camper shell type or the vehicle you will be using it on. There is a list of such products available in the market. You can choose from the different designs and performance types.

Here are some suggestions from which you can choose the perfect third brake light you need for your camping shells.

1. Your first choice for a third brake would be Kaper II L15-0018 Red LED Third Brake Light. It can draw low energy, so you get extended battery life. It comes with 6 inches wire lead, and 2 terminal ends. The product is from China, and the package dimensions are 24.637 L x 3.81 H x 2.54 W (centimeters)
2. Or you can choose Kaper II L15-0027R Red LED Third Brake Light. The whole package weight of the product is 0.090 kilograms. It also draws low energy. So, the extended battery life is ensured. The package dimensions of the work are 24.637 L x 3.555 W x 2.286 H (centimeters). And it includes LED lights.
3. Alpinetech 11.5″ Red Truck Camper Shell/Truck Cap LED 3rd Brake Light is another good option for you. It is a product of the Alpinetech brand. The bulbs used in this product are also LED. The product dimensions are 11.5 x 1.5 x 1.3 inches. And the total item weighs 7.2 ounces. But this brake light is non-foldable.
4. Universal 14-LED Car Rear Window High Mount is a total set of brake lights. The product is built with 14 pieces of super bright LED lights. It is easy to plug and play. It will not require any modification, either. And the product is DOT SAE approved.

There are various other third brake lights available in the market. You can easily choose from one of those to fit your camper shell.

 

Conclusion

Then there are issues of authority. You cannot set camp just anywhere you want. You have to follow specific rules. At many places having brake lights on camper shells is mandatory.

And having brake lights is not any troublesome task. You can easily install any brake lights on your own.

There is a comprehensive list of brake lights available in the market. You can choose from them the perfect one you need. So if you are considering whether do camper shells need brake lights, then you should get one.