The odds to hop into darkness nowhere amid the woods are high when you are left in nature’s wilderness. That’s when a lantern becomes an inevitable part of your backpack. It has got a substantial role in aiding you in places without streetlight lights, to cook, using bathrooms in the middle of the night and a lot more. This article will provide you the review of 10 best backpacking lanterns.
Quick Comparison: Top Best Camping Lanterns
| # | Preview | Product | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Etekcity Camping Lanterns for Power Outages 4 Pack, Flashlight for Camping... | 24,888 Reviews considered | CLICK FOR PRICE |
| 2 |
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Gold Armour 4 Pack LED Lantern Camping Lanterns for Hiking, Emergency,... | CLICK FOR PRICE | |
| 3 |
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Rayovac Sportsman 3D LED Camping Lantern, 305 High Lumens, Water Resistant,... | 3,239 Reviews considered | CLICK FOR PRICE |
| 4 |
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Coleman 2000024041 Quad LED Lantern Special Edition Ultra Bright 190 Lumens, Red | 1,631 Reviews considered | CLICK FOR PRICE |
**Below, you'll find our expert's reviews, but you can also click the links above to see current prices or read customer reviews on Amazon.
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How To Choose The Best Camping Lanterns?
There are two types of lanterns. Gas-powered lanterns and electric lanterns. And the two sorts of available gas powered lanterns are those which use liquid fuel and propane. Lanterns which use liquid fuel give more light and provide the option of adjusting the brightness compared to the latter, but they are cumbersome and costly. The primary drawbacks of these are the high chance to explode if the gas is not properly pressurized, difficulty to light, are bulky and hefty.
Whereas the electric lanterns are made of LED bulbs that need electric power. It could be of alkaline batteries, rechargeable batteries or external power sources. These are lightweight, have compatible design and are affordable compared to gas-powered lanterns.
There are a couple of other important features you need to consider before choosing a lantern.
They are lumen, size, weight, batteries, and durability.
Lumen
It is the measure of light given out by a lantern, and that’s directly proportional to the brightness of illumination delivered. Though lumen ranges from 40s-700s, most of the lanterns available in the market have lumen range around 150-350. Choosing the lumen would depend on your requirement. If it’s to light up a tent, then a lantern with 100 lumens is the best while to illuminate a whole campsite you would need a lantern with more than 300 lumens.
Size and weight
The size and weight of the lantern is another important factor because carrying a weighty one would make it difficult for you to move around and a bulky one would gobble up a lot of your rucksack space.
Batteries
Alkaline and lithium batteries are the two options. Among this, lithium batteries are rechargeable and can be used in any weather conditions. Whereas, if the temperature is underneath 20 degrees, alkaline batteries will lose half of their capacity if not kept in a warmer place.
Durability
As we are looking out for backpacking lanterns, obviously it will be roughly used. Thus, it’s suggested not to look for exceptionally durable lanterns as it would only make the lantern costlier.
Review of Some of The Best Camping Lanterns
Our #1 Rated
Our #1 Rated
Rated 4.8 out of 5
Features
- It’s a battery powered outdoor lantern
- The set is made of exceedingly durable military grade
- It includes 30 low powered LEDs which save energy
- The lantern can be collapsed when not in use
- Can be used for continuous 12 hours with if the battery is full
- It weighs 9.1 ounces with a dimension of 7.4 x 5.4 x 7.2 inches
- The power source is alkaline batteries
- Has a voltage of 1.5 volts
- Provides 360 degrees of luminous light
- Has integrated folding handles for hanging
- The brand Etekcity offers a warranty of 10 years
- Requires three AA batteries
Pros
- It’s a portable outdoor LED camping lantern
- The collapsible feature saves space
- Low energy consumption
- Lights up everything encompassing it due to the 360 degrees light produced
- High lifespan
- High run time with just 3 AA batteries
- Affordable
Cons
- Has only 60 lumens of illumination
- Doesn't have a choice to diminish the light
- Many customers have reported about the low quality
Our #2 Rated
No products found.
Our #3 Rated
Our #3 Rated
Rated out of 5
Features
- It’s a set of four LED lanterns, and each lantern contains 30 individual low powered LED bulbs
- Has 360 degree 135 lumens of illumination
- Each lantern is made of military-grade plastic
- These lanterns can be used both indoors and outdoors
- The manufacturer offers 15 years of warranty
- The lanterns run on twelve AA batteries
Pros
- Water resistant
- Small and lightweight
- Compact and collapsible design
Cons
- Only three out of four have been reported working
Our #4 Rated
Our #4 Rated
Rated 4.3 out of 5
Features
- It’s a 240 lumen LED lantern
- Each LED is of 4 watts and goes on for 1,00,000 hours
- It has a 240-lumen illumination with 4 modes-high, low and strobe
- It has a green LED which blinks every 5 seconds when the lantern is off
- The power source is 3 D batteries with a run time of 40 hours and 90 hours on the high and low mode
- Each lantern weighs 13.6 ounces with 3.4 x 3.4 x 7.3 inches measurement
- Has foldable hanger attached
- Peak beam distance is 15 m
Pros
- Has lifetime warranty
- Durable
- Waterproof
- Rustproof
- Dust resistant
- Scratch resistant
- Affordable
- Its multiple light modes
- Has an easy to find the green light
Cons
- Batteries are not included
- High lifespan
- Water resistant
- Too small
- Not too bright
- Bit heavy
Our #5 Rated
Our #5 Rated
Rated 4.6 out of 5
Features
- It’s a set of one lantern made of four individual light panels
- The lantern runs on 8-D cell batteries for a runtime of 75 hours and panels run for 1.5 hours
- Each panel is 47.5 lumens, and the lantern is 190 lumens
- Each panel can be switched on and off
- Limited warranty of five years
- The lantern weighs 2.15 pounds and has a dimension of 7.7 x 7.8 x 12.9 inches
- A voltage of 0.211 volts
- Required battery cell type is NiMh
Pros
- Attached handles
- Waterproof
- Light panels are removable
- Delivers bright light
Cons
- Batteries are not included
- Lacks diffuser
- Lacks night light feature
- Bit weighty and bulky
- Brightness cannot be adjusted
- Individual panels cannot be switched on
- Hard to replace batteries due to its tight base
Our #6 Rated
Our #6 Rated
Rated 4.7 out of 5
Features
- This lantern consists of two super-bright, Cree Xlamp XR-E LED bulbs
- Beam covers 9.75 m of distance at maximum brightness and 5.79 m at low brightness
- Runs for 85 hours continually if set in maximum intensity and 299 hours continually if set in minimum intensity
- The power source is 8 D-cell batteries
- Manufacturer provides 5-year limited warranty
- Delivers 390 lumens of light, if its set to the maximum intensity
- Has a light dimmer switch
- This lantern gives you diffused light
- The lantern has a dimension of 7.1×7.1×1.3 inches and weighs 3.5 pounds
Pros
- Brightness can be adjusted from high to ultra-low
- Weather resistant
- Delivers soft light
Cons
- Batteries are not provided
- Bulky and heavy
- Doesn’t provide a sufficient amount of light
Our #7 Rated
Our #7 Rated
Rated out of 5
Features
- It’s made of military-grade rubber and plastic
- This lantern runs on a premium 6000mAh Li-ion battery and is rechargeable
- Delivers 400 super bright lumens of illumination for 16 hours and 100 lumens of illumination for 200 hours
- The battery is capable of holding a charge for 9 months if not in use
- Comes with two emergency features- SOS beacon light for 265 hours and red hazard flashing for 526 hours
- Capable of handling a drop from 5 feet
- Manufacturer provides a 2-year warranty
- Comes with a built-in hanging hook, utility hook, two USB charging cables, and a power bank
- Has a dimension of 3.5x.3.5×7 inches and weighs 1.3 pounds
Pros
- Water resistant
- Drop resistant
- Power bank can be used to charge mobile phones in emergencies
- Battery is rechargeable
- Lightweight and compact design
- The battery lasts long
Cons
- A charger isn’t included
- Little expensive
- The charging port has been reported with flaws
Our #8 Rated
Our #8 Rated
Rated out of 5
Features
- This lantern is made of long-lasting ABS body
- The three 48mm COB strips deliver 360 degrees of illumination
- Provides 300 lumens of light
- It comes with a wide-angle flashlight in the base with a separate button
- Manufacturer provides a 5-year warranty
- The lens is made of tough acrylic
- The power source is 3 AA batteries
Pros
- Weather resistant
- Shock resistant
- Compact design
- Uses cheap AA batteries
- Two times brighter than the normal LED lanterns
- Can be collapsed to smaller size making it easier to carry
Cons
- Battery lasts for only 8 hours even when fully charged
- Comes without a diffuser
- Low quality
Our #9 Rated
No products found.
Our #10 Rated
No products found.
Why is it necessary to carry a Lantern while camping?
Lanterns give you more spread of light compared to the flashlights most of you will have, subsequently helping you to set up the camp effortlessly. The latest lanterns consisting of LED lights deliver more light, cover more area, and have options to adjust brightness, saves power and a lot of benefits. Unlike normal flashlights, most of the lanterns have diffusers that make the light soft. There are also several other specifications as mentioned for the above products. Thanks to technology.
You might have to carry a lot of things in your rucksack while backpacking, but lighting is the most critical among them. That’s where the importance of lanterns arises. So it’s vital to choose the best lanterns from the immense accessible number of choices suiting your prerequisites.