I believe its fair to say that anyone who has spent some time camping in the great outdoors has found the trusty camp lantern to be a valuable tool. Stumbling through the dark, trying to find things with a flashlight or the light from your phone isn't fun. The low rushing sound of that trusty gas camp lantern is not an unfamiliar sound I'm sure, nor is opening up the camping tote to find the glass housing smashed to pieces, or the batteries in your electric lantern dead or massively corroded. Times have changed of course, there are a lot of rechargeable options now, LED technology has washed away all the incandescent bulbs, and solar power is getting better and better. This awesome little, lantern encompasses all these benefits, and shines! -punny
The Luci Lantern by MPOWERD is an inflatable, waterproof, solar charged LED camp lantern that weights just 4.4oz. When its not inflated it squishes down to under 1 inch thick and it's about 5 inches in diameter. On the top is a solar cell and two push buttons. as well as a small strap that acts as the handle. One button is the power button, turning it on and off cycles through the lanterns modes, (low, medium, high, and pulse). The second button shows the charged level when held. Three small lights on top indicate full, medium and low charge. To inflate the lantern for use, there is a standard air valve on the bottom that you pinch and blow into with your mouth. I do find that it can be sticky sometimes and you need to help it a little by gently pulling the top and bottom apart while inflating it. The light is emitted from 10 white LED's that put out up to 75 lumens. It currently sells on Amazon for about $18.
This is the best camp lighting tool I've used in a very long time and it instantly became my favorite as well. I first stumbled across it in a discount store. I thought, "This looks neat, and its pretty cheap might as well try it.". I'm glad I did! My first use for it was for backpacking, nothing else I had seen was this light weight and compact and it puts out excellent light especially for its size. It's performed excellently. Now side by side the output is not going to be on the level of your old gas lantern, but we are talking about something much smaller, handy, and doesn't require fuel or batteries. In fact it's so small, compact and affordable, you buy several of these, pack them all up, and still take up much less space than that old lantern anyway. The amount of light it puts out is perfect for sitting at the camp table, hanging in the tent, or in my case now, I light the interior of my Subaru Outback when the dog and I are sleeping in it.
Keeping the lantern charged isn't too difficult, particularly if you have a spot to store it where it can catch some sunlight all the time. MPOWERD says it takes 7 hours of direct sunlight to fully charge the battery, and on a full charge it will last for up to 24 hours. When backpacking I would tuck it into one of the mesh pockets of my pack, and it would have plenty of light for the evening. Currently I leave it hanging in the back of my car next to one of the rear windows so it can charge up without me having to think about it. Now, you might be wondering, "How long will it stay charged if I leave it in storage?". That is a great question, and I don't have a super technical answer, but I left my Luci lantern in my backpack for nearly a year (the backpacking off season) and I pulled it out of the pack and it lit up bright as ever. That was the moment I was completely sold. It is also worth mentioning that MPOWERD has released a new model Luci lantern that allows you to also charge the battery via USB if you do not have the time to wait for a full charge on solar. That model is called the Luci Pro : Outdoor 2.0 + Mobile Charging and sells for about $25 on Amazon. Still a fantastic deal in my opinion, and that model has double the working time as well at 50 hrs.
This fantastic light is perfect for so many applications, camping (obviously), emergency kits, go bags or bug out bags. They even have different models like the Luci Candle that imitates a flickering candle, different colors and textures, you can have fun decorating your home with them. It really is the last lantern I will ever need! I'm in love with mine. And after my puppy decided it was a good chew toy, I immediately ordered an new one. Try it out, I think you will love it too!
Watch the Video Review Here!