Originally in my personal journal, Aug 2003:
I grew up with station wagons. My parents bought an armada of consecutive green and blue Chevrolet wagons - some with wood paneling, some with custom green & white checked curtains made by Mom, even one with a rear-facing back seat during the brief spell in the early 80s when that seemed like a good idea.
As an adult, I drove a pickup and a sedan for a short time, but migrated back towards the key feature of the wagon - the hatchback. I’m not a big fan of trunks. I’d rather see the back of my car, keep it clean, let the dogs play there, stow my snowboard over the back seat head rest. And I developed the habit of keeping a headlamp and flashlight in my cars.
While the dome lights are OK for getting in and out, and grabbing a bag at night, they always fall short of providing really useful work light. And I don’t mean power-tool wood-shop work lights, just sufficient light to pack and unpack, setup camp, cook a dinner on the side of the road, or transfer your load of Costco crap in clear view.
How about multi-purpose LED lighting built right into the hatchback door?
- Rotatable floodlights to see inside and outside clearly.
- Adjustable gooseneck spotlights for focused rucksack rummaging
- Removable flashlights with legs and/or gorilla-pod to setup on demand nearby
I grew up with station wagons. My parents bought an armada of consecutive green and blue Chevrolet wagons - some with wood paneling, some with custom green & white checked curtains made by Mom, even one with a rear-facing back seat during the brief spell in the early 80s when that seemed like a good idea.
As an adult, I drove a pickup and a sedan for a short time, but migrated back towards the key feature of the wagon - the hatchback. I’m not a big fan of trunks. I’d rather see the back of my car, keep it clean, let the dogs play there, stow my snowboard over the back seat head rest. And I developed the habit of keeping a headlamp and flashlight in my cars.
While the dome lights are OK for getting in and out, and grabbing a bag at night, they always fall short of providing really useful work light. And I don’t mean power-tool wood-shop work lights, just sufficient light to pack and unpack, setup camp, cook a dinner on the side of the road, or transfer your load of Costco crap in clear view.
How about multi-purpose LED lighting built right into the hatchback door?
- Rotatable floodlights to see inside and outside clearly.
- Adjustable gooseneck spotlights for focused rucksack rummaging
- Removable flashlights with legs and/or gorilla-pod to setup on demand nearby
All LED, long-lasting, and recharged continuously by the car’s electric system.
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