Electroluminescent wire as a "tacky light"

Also known as EL wire and glow wire.  We used "tacky lights" for years on our popup but only used them a few times on our 'pod.  A few years ago we bought this EL wire from IKEA on a closeout but never found a good use for it - its too dim to use as a primary light and we didn't have anything that needed an accent.  On our latest trip we decided to try it on the 'pod.  We like it so much I'm considering buying more, this time I'll get a brighter version.

There are 9 or 10 colors available depending on the site you visit online, it comes in various thicknesses and brightness.  It is waterproof so you can leave it up in the rain, but I've read that some of the colors use a secondary coloring in the outer sheath that can fade in the sun over time.  It is very low power so it can be run from AA battery packs if you are dry camping, from your 'pod's battery if you buy a model that can accept 12 volt input, or from an AC power adapter.

This is how ours look right now.  We have two lengths of about 42 feet each, enough to circle our 10 X 10 EZ-up and also outline our Dome.  Note that everything in this picture is brighter than it looks in person - the sky is dark and that is not the sun but the full moon.  The EL wire is much darker too, I couldn't read by this but the stuff I'm going to order next I think I could.  Sorry for the blurry picture, I was handholding my camera on a long exposure here...

If you decide to buy this stuff, unless you are handy with a soldering iron make sure you buy it pre-soldered.  Many places sell it - especially in bulk lengths - in its raw form if you aren't careful.  Here is just one place that has it, I haven't bought from here but they have some pictures of the various colors.  Mine is a cool blue almost white.

http://www.elbestbuy.com/