Being a landscape photographer on the side, auxiliary lights were a welcome addition originally. I've spent a lot of time on the way to or from a photo spot prior to sunrise or going back to camp after it sets. It can get dark at 12,000' on a shelf road with no moon. So, I added lights—lots of 'em! Too many, originally. I've since backed off and have the PIAAs and lateral lights discontinued.

Since these lights have always been used on slow roads, I don't have a need for the long-range, pencil beam variety.

My original configuration is as follows:

The PIAA fogs mounted on the bumper have been discontinued (I've never gotten around to add more current pictures on this page).

The front four rack-mounted KCs have the driving lenses. Having four allows them to be aimed to cover a nice spread looking ahead and a bit of light off to the sides as well. They also help to open up the dark forests.

The two lateral ones use the fog lenses which provide even illumination to the side and to the front of the vehicle. They were initially used to scan for campsites in the forest and general lighting, but I've had them discontinued for a number of years and they now sit tucked inside the rack.

The rear pair utilize flood lenses which allow for a tall, broad, even illumination for backing up, and are also great for setting up camp.

For a description and pictures of my wiring, click here.

Taken at Oh! Point (12,850') near Engineer Pass out of Ouray. This picture was back taken my first year with the 4Runner, and since then, the bumper got replaced, so the fog lights don't exist any longer, the PIAAs have been removed, and I've discontinued the lateral lights and they are tucked inside the rack. I admit I went a bit overkill originally.

The rear lights make setting up camp a breeze, though I haven't used this tent since 2004 when I started sleeping in the 4Runner. The lights have defintely helped backing up shelf roads.