Camping Light.

Looking for a camping LED lantern that is compact and does not brake the bank… I saw the Nitecore LR10, Its perfect… Not the price :stuck_out_tongue:
Recommendations?

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BLF Thorfire Q8 with Fenix AOD-L diffuser. Best used tailstanding.

BlitzWolf BW-LT5 Led Lamp ,3350mAh . You can have 2 for the price of NitecoreLR10 ! I do have 2 of them for camping and they are excellent quality , long run , rechargeable , power bank capabilities , water proof...

Maybe the UCO LESCHI LED LANTERN

I see that you live in the US

GoalZero “Lighthouse Micro”
http://www.goalzero.com/p/378/lighthouse-micro-flash-usb-rechargeable-lantern

So small
Provides a lot of light
Ramping light levels (set it where YOU want it)
USB chargable
Will run for nights and nights on the mid-to-lower light levels

Might want to specify what kind of camping you are doing… RV, Car, bike / motorcycle?

I have been pleasantly surprised with the Harbor Freight freebie… YES that free one you get with the coupon and any in-store purchase. We have several of these in my sons boy scout troop, when we are on backpacking adventures these have been great. We tree-hang them and use the magnet to hang them up around camp.

CONS:
>Not water resistant so I keep a zip lock freezer bag handy
>Need a philips head screwdriver to replace the 3AAA, so a leatherman / multi-tool needs to accompany it.
>Pale white tint… seriously ugly as sin.

PROS:
>Price… Its FREE with coupon and any harbor freight purchase in store. One light per purchase I believe.
>Reliable… no problems with any of several lights after several camp outs.
>Hang hook and magnet
>Light weight (might not be important if you are RV / car camping)
>Two modes, HI = the big LED array shown, LOW = 3x LEDs on the side.
>The switch requires a FIRM press to turn on. I have not had any problems with accidental turn on in my pack, although I make sure not to bury it deep in my load out under heavier items.
>No PWM
>Area flood lighting, no hot spot

Those UCO lanterns are really nice. I have used those before too.

The other light we have several of is the Luci light. We have several scouts who backpack these all the time. Lightweight, water resistant, solar re-charge, very compact when deflated. They will run for hours on a charge. FWIW, I have never seen one go dead… so a little afternoon sun goes a long way.
https://www.amazon.com/MPOWERD-Luci-Original-Inflatable-Solar/dp/B00DQ1RDWS/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1518797352&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=luci+light&psc=1

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So far both the UCO and the BlitzWolf BW-LT5 caught my eye… That BlitzWolf though… Very nice for the price… I wonder if banggood has a code :smiley:

BLF Q8 Light Sabre / Happy Camper Model

I have one! Mhhhhh I need about 3 so I can use this one and maybe other options.

I am doing camping by the lake with the family… The kids want to experience the tents :smiley:

Interesting… :+1:

You should also strongly consider headlamps for the family.

Seriously, If I need to ditch gear and reduce my pack weight… the 18650 / 26650 flashlights and lanterns get left at home and I do an entire trek with only my headlamp and a small EDC light. I reduce down to the 1-14500/AA format with a thrunite TH20 headlamp and UT01 EDC as a backup. I have done entire backpacking trips using only my TH20 headlamp.

Hands-free lighting for me is the way to go if size and weight are a concern, or even in a car camping scenaio…. I have never found it necessary to illuminate whats behind my head at any given moment.

Biggest drawback to headlamps, is you blind other people when you are talking to them. So I hang mine around my neck, and make sure not to point it at people.

A lantern is nice for inside the tent though… but thats when I take my headlamp off and just hang it inside the tent.

Awesome advice. Thanks!

Pretty sure that Blitzwolf light is a re-brand of Sunjack… Lukes review here:

Looks like an excellent choice. Biggest drawback for me would be the sealed internal battery. Thats a deal breaker for me, I need to be able to replace batteries in the field.

Someone above mentioned goal zero. I don’t have any first hand experience with their products, from what I have seen they are a bit pricey. But you can get their stuff at REI, so buy local from a well respected retailer. Some REI stores have gear on display too so you can really evaluate it.

Thats years of backpacking and camping experience speaking… not me. Unless you have 3 hands to prepare your food, set up a tent, build a camp fire or administer first aid, a hand held light in all honesty is darn near useless.

I have seen some scouts do the policemans Maglite armpit hold, but that only goes so far and you need a big 2-3 cell mag for that to work.

The BlitzWolf® BW-LT5 is on sale right now on Banggood for half price but does not ship to the US, probably because of the internal Li-ion battery. https://www.banggood.com/BlitzWolf-BW-LT5-IP68-Waterproof-LED-Lamp-Light-2600mAh-Powerbank-Emergency-Camping-Light-p-1030512.html?p=CB1422049448201201OE&cur_warehouse=CN At 2600 mAh it is a decent size for a light with a 100 lumen max output.

My favorite camping light for tent camping is this 60 LED light that you can hang from the center of the tent Outdoor Portable 60 LED Camping Wandern Licht Zelt Nachtlampe wiederaufladbare Licht Sale - Banggood Deutschland sold out-arrival notice-arrival notice. It is cheap at $6.54 and uses either one 18650 Li-ion battery or three AAA cells. Some tents come with a loop at the top and you can hang it from that loop. If no loop is present all you need to do is to use a binder clip to hang it from the tent seam. It has 3 lighting levels for different size spaces.

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BlitzWolf is coming in 2 variants , 2600 and 3350 mAh . Mine were 2600mAh , but after I changed the battery with a Panasonic NCR18650 B (3400mAh) I realized that , as Kramer 5150 said , not be able to change the battery during the long journeys in the mountains , or fishing 3-4 days trips , was not a good option sooooo.., I 've " improvized" a battery carrier ( from a one slot one , cutting the base , leaving the sides , to keep the battery sitting flat on the plate ...) Was not a easy job , were needed a lot of tries to be able to fit it back in the cylinder , but finally , when was done , I just used a two component resin to glue it in place... Now , if I want to change the battery I just need to unscrew the upper side , slide out the plate with the "carrier" , change the battery , screw it back , and that's all !... I have to admit that is taking a little more time to change the battery than to a normal light, ( maybe a minute or so ) , but worth it...

My 2 BlitzWolf had hard times outside the tent , in heavy rains during the nights , temperatures close to 32F and they done it thru , with no problems !!! they are not the best , the UI could have more levels , or a ramping choice , but in real life they do the job...

At their actual price , worth every penny...IMHO...

You can buy the same light under a different brand name on Amazon. Like so many other’s, who know’s who actually makes them. Search around on Amazon, and you’ll probably find them cheaper

Went camping about a month ago and had to pack for travel via plane to the destination so my loved coleman white gas lantern was a no go. Have used a mix of tail standers and dixie cups and they kinda work for table and area lights. I thought I’d play and bought the SparkLED mini camp lamp from Amazon. It has a silicone diffuser, angle foot and hook. The hook worked great for clipping on an over head branch so you weren’t staring at it. USB recharge off a power brick ever couple nights. I was impressed enough for it to stay in the pack now that we’re back. Paid $19 so thought of it as essentially disposable (recyclable) if it failed me.

Suaoki - Suaoki 2 in 1 LED Lantern and Torch Light - YouTube

Luci - Luci Solar Lantern - One Year Later - YouTube