Baja Designs: The Scientist of the Best Off Road Lights

Sporting a stock lighting system may be enough for some people who are used to going outdoors but mind you; the entire overlanding experience changes whenever an auxiliary off-road light is added to our rig. And for a renowned brand that provides the additional illumination we need for every outdoor adventure, Baja Designs is one of the most trusted suppliers of lighting accessories in the aftermarket. 

Baja Designs is proudly USA-made and has been in the industry for 25 years, imparting us their knowledge and expertise about off-road LED lights. The California-based company gathers the best materials and components to produce the best LED lighting accessory to mount on our overland ride. With every innovation and product development they offer, Baja designs assure their patron that their LED system stands out and illuminates every step of the way.

Baja Industries specializes in different LED lighting for off-road use. Whether you want something to light up your path fully or to guide you through narrow off-road trails, they’ll offer you the best option. But before we discuss each light type, it’s best to understand your vehicle's different LED Lighting Zone. 

• LED Lighting Zone and Different Types of Baja Lights
• Baja Designs Fog Lights
• Baja Designs LED Lights
• Baja Design Rock Lights
• 6 Best Baja Designs Lights
• Baja Designs LP9 Pro LED Auxiliary Light Pod
• Baja Designs LP6 Pro LED Auxiliary Light Pod
• Baja Designs LP4 Pro LED Auxiliary Light Pod
• Baja Designs Squadron Sport LED Auxiliary Light
• Baja Designs S2 Pro Auxiliary Light Pod
• Baja Designs S1 LED Auxiliary Light Pod
• Baja Designs FAQs
• Baja Designs LED Collection

LED Lighting Zone and Different Types of Baja Lights

Before we discuss the different types of Baja lights, it is best to understand every use and coverage for each kind of off-road light. Knowing these types of off-road lights thoroughly makes us effectively utilize our resources well and equip the right accessory depending on our preference. Baja Design created this LED Lighting Zone infographics, explaining the use of each type of lighting accessory. We’ll discuss the most common LED lights as we go along. 

Baja Designs Fog Lights

A fog light or dust light is one of the most common LED auxiliary lights you can easily mount on your off-road ride. They are often strategically placed on the front-side end of your vehicle or bumper, with coverage extending a few meters in front of your vehicle. Baja fog lights are installed to help you cut through several particulates such as fog, rain, dust, or snow that can cause low visibility on nearby tracks. 

These Zone 1 LED lights have a horizontal orientation projecting a fan-like pattern with a minimal vertical field. The close ranged illumination of fog lights eliminates the glare that reflects at you while providing visibility to objects you may easily hit. Usually, they are also low-powered, enough to cover the close distance in front without blinding anyone on the opposite side. 

Installing a Baja Fog Light is essential, especially when cruising on unfamiliar territory or trails with more than the usual dust particulates. They provide extra gleam within a 100-meter range and alert us to nearby trail tracks.

Baja Designs LED Lights

There are other common LED auxiliary lights that you can mount on your off-road ride, usually made to illuminate mid-range to the far extended distances from the trail beyond. Baja Design LED lights are essential for safe and worry-less cruising at night when most of the track relies on clear visibility to prevent accidents. 

Here are the two of the most important Baja Design LED Lights that you can quickly mount on your off-road trucks: 

Baja Designs Driving and Combo LED Lights

Driving Lights are considered the most important LED auxiliary light that serves as the basis of other lighting accessories. The Baja Design Driving/Combo LED light should have a relatively high-powered output, brighter than the fog light but just enough to be distinguished from the far-reaching spot light. Usually, driving lights are placed on the middle of the bumper or below your off-road hood line for better functionality. 

Baja Headlight Driving and Combo LED provide enough visibility to your path. They have enough power to reach out the mid-level distance from your bumper. Zone 3 LEDs can have a combo pattern, enabling you to have a wider range of coverage or have the right amount of illumination on a certain spot ahead. 

Driving lights from Baja Designs are the best fit to light up the primary and important zone while driving. They are projected to give visibility towards the center of the road while extending to a few inches wide.

Baja Designs Spot Lights

Spotlights cover Zone 4 or a few meters beyond your driving light coverage. They often provide long-range visibility, allowing you to drive faster than usual, making you comfortable seeing past the usual driving light area. The Baja Design Spot Lights usually have a slightly higher power output than the Baja Driving/Combo Lights. 

As for its placement on your rig, off-road LED spot lights are installed on your truck’s roofline or the A-pillar. However, they are recommended to be easily regulated as they may cause inconvenience to the opposing traffic. Another point to remember when using spotlights is to use them only when necessary, as they are heavy in power consumption and may cause fatigue to our vision.

Baja Designs LED Light Bar

LED Light Bars, like the Baja Designs S8 Light Bar, provide a great addition to the LED system you'll have on your off-road truck. This type of auxiliary light provides better illumination to zones that aren't covered by the spotlight or driving light. It goes further beyond, keeping you alert and safe when driving through unknown off-road trails.

The Baja Designs S8 Light Bar is usually mounted on top of your roof rack and usually has a separate switch to conserve energy and prevent over-heating. These high-performance LED light bars come in different light orientations and sizes, so be sure to have to check your rig's capacity and requirement before getting one. 

Baja Design Rock Lights

When your off-road truck isn’t optimized with skid plates and other protective equipment on your undercarriage, Baja Design’s Rock Lights may get you to be more cautious while cruising on off-road trails. Rock Lights are directed toward the wheels of your vehicle, usually extending down to have a better view of your under-chassis or around your truck. 

Baja Design Rock Lights can be placed inside the wheel well and typically come in sets of four. These LED light accessories are usually waterproof and heavy-duty due to the location they are often installed. Strategically placing them on your car’s undercarriage provides additional illumination, especially when you are in tight spots. 

These Rock Lights aren’t supposed to be as bright as Baja Design LED lights, but they should be independently vivid in case you have to cruise on technical terrains or when repairing under your off-road rig.

6 Best Baja Designs Lights

Now that we already have a glimpse of the most commonly used LED light, here are some of Baja Design’s Best LED Light systems that you may choose from depending on your preference. You need to know first the purpose of your off-road light, the amount of power it will emit, and where your aux lights will be placed. Knowing these conditions can help you determine the right Baja Design Light for you. 

Baja Designs LP9 Pro LED Auxiliary Light Pod

The 9-bulb LED pod is a reliable lighting accessory to mount on your off-road truck. Overall, the Baja Designs LP9 produces a total of 11,025 lumens at 105 watts, suitable for driving/combo auxiliary light or spot beam light. This LED pod uses an advanced Integrated Peripheral Technology (IPT) that gives off an astounding 200-degree spread of illumination, giving an ample amount of light on your off-road trail. 

Aside from the LEDs' overtly extreme power output, another great feature of the Baja Design LP9 Pro LED Auxiliary Light Pod is its Direct Ducted Cooling which is a self-sufficient cooling technique developed by Baja Design to avoid overheating. This advanced feature utilizes the LP9 design, allowing air to travel from the LED’s front housing to its rear.

Baja Designs LP6 Pro LED Auxiliary Light Pod

A six-inch LED accessory that provides lesser illumination than its predecessor, the Baja Designs LP6 Pro LED Light Pod has a total brightness output of 10,300 lumens with 200-degree spread of usable light. Housing the same technology as the LP9 Pro Aux Light Pod, the 6-LED version also has the same cooling technique and durable casing with fewer LED bulbs. 

But don’t get me wrong young lads. The Baja Designs LP6 Pro LED Auxiliary Light Pod may also be used as a Zone 3 or Zone 4 lighting accessory. The Baja LP6 gives enough output to serve as your Combo/Driving Light or Spot Beam in case you need one.

Baja Designs LP4 Pro LED Auxiliary Light Pod

Don’t be fooled by the size of this 4-bulb LED light pod. The smallest entry on the Baja Designs LP line-up, the LP4 Pro LED Auxiliary Light Pod boasts the same features, design, and functionality as the other LED Light Pod. The Baja Design LP4 Pro casts around 8,750 lumens of brightness whenever used and gives up to 200-degree of usable light spread. This LED accessory is enough to serve as your all-around city drive light for everyday use. 

The smallest light pod available from Baja Design, the LP4 Pro Led, has two available variants. The Combo/Driving light provides you enough beam to cruise safely on your path, and the Spot LED variant gives a much farther light reach, just right to illuminate forward tracks in the distance.

Baja Designs Squadron Sport LED Auxiliary Light

Baja Designs Squadron Sport is an all-around light accessory that can be used depending on your preference. The 4-LED bulb light pod produces only 3,150 lumens making it a perfect auxiliary light that can serve as either Driving/Combo Light, fog light, or rock light. However, depending on the number of Squadron Sport you’ll mount, the Baja Designs LED accessory can also serve as a Spot Light, illuminating far-distant trails whenever needed.

The all-around Squadron Sport can be a great addition to your off-road lighting system. This lighting accessory is equipped with a durable and heavy-duty casing with waterproof and submersible features, enough to get you through the toughest weather.

Baja Designs S2 Pro Auxiliary Light Pod

When searching for the right LED accessory, you can consider installing this 2-bulb light pod that illuminates quite strongly. The Baja Design S2 Pro is considered the brightest LED light ounce for ounce in the aftermarket, requiring 24 watts of power while producing 2,450 lumens. 

The S2 Pro Light Pod can be placed wherever you see fit while performing its best. Baja Designs S2 Pro Auxiliary Light Pod is housed on a 3-inch by 2-inch case with a two-piece natural color bulb, preventing eye strain on its user. The S2 Pro features a weatherproof design that protects your auxiliary light in the toughest weather. 

Baja Designs S1 LED Auxiliary Light Pod

The Baja Designs S1 LED Light Pod may be the smallest aux light on this list, but this lighting accessory can undoubtedly do wonders. The S1 LED produces bright output through the help of a highly specialized reflector and LED combination that augments illumination capacity. With this fantastic feature, the Baja Designs S1 LED light pod can comfortably serve as your rock light, cornering light, or even as a spot LED.

S1 LED Auxiliary Light Pod doesn’t always serve as a driving vehicle light, as it can be used as a “scene light” as well. This lighting accessory can be comfortably used during outdoor camping, projecting up to 40 feet distance on a smooth 120-degree circle. 

Baja Designs FAQs

How to Install Baja Designs Rock Lights on a Toyota Tacoma Truck?

After deciding that you’ll be needing a Baja Design Tacoma LED lighting system, you’ll receive a complete installation kit for your Rock Lights. This includes a hardware installation kit such as bolts, nuts, wires, zip ties, and the tube mount you’ll use to secure your rock lights.

Assembling the rock light can be done quickly. You just need to mount the auxiliary light to the tube holder and connect them with the provided nuts and bolts. You decide where to put your Baja Design Rock Light, whether on your wheel well or your roof rack. And lastly, don’t get worried too much about the wiring connection; a separate installation instruction is included for you to utilize. 

How Good are Baja Designs Off-Road LED Lights?

Baja Designs are known to be the scientists of lighting. They produce and innovate auxiliary lights to suit the needs of their patrons, especially for overlanding. Their continuous research and product development enable Baja Designs to catch up with the current trend for outdoor adventures. 

They have provided us with numerous LED lights with multiple functions and features that can withstand extreme conditions. Baja Designs have ensured that its LED products are optimized to perform at their best on off-road trails. 

Where are Baja Designs LED Lights Made?

Baja Designs trace its roots back 25 years ago in San Diego California. They have started building auxiliary lights for Baja 1000 motorcycle racer by creating a dual sports kit, thus paving the brand's name. After extensive research and outsourcing of the finest and best components for outdoor LED lights, they have remained true to their works and become the Scientists of Lighting. 

Baja Designs LED Collection