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A lantern must be brought on every camping trip. A strong light source is necessary for cooking after sundown, as well as any other time you want to have both hands free in the dark or illuminate the path while out on a nighttime adventure. Numerous camping lanterns also feature additional practical features like power banks or color-changing options that can set the mood.
The best lanterns to bring camping are these.
Pick your portability level wisely.
If you're going on a backpacking trip and will be carrying all of your gear, size, weight, and collapsibility are especially crucial. If you plan to car camp and portability is less of an issue, you might want to select a larger lantern with additional features that make it useful for on-site use, like stylized light modes.
Think about the duration and the power source
Always check the runtime and ease of recharging your lantern's power supply. At the very least, a good lantern should be able to keep you going for one night in the woods. Some of the lanterns we looked into were able to operate for up to 300 hours at a lower lumen setting. We advise choosing a lantern that can be recharged using solar energy if you plan to backpack.
Learn the benefits and drawbacks of using a gas lantern.
Gas-powered lanterns can be useful for producing heat as well, but be aware that they can be bulky, expensive, and challenging to operate. For instance, I tested the Coleman Northern Nova Propane Lantern because it can cast light over 100 feet away and produces 3000 lumens, but I found the design to be challenging to use and was concerned about using this propane lantern around my children and in areas where fires are likely to start. We focused on electric lanterns powered by alkaline or rechargeable batteries, USB power packs, or solar panels instead of any gas-powered lanterns in this roundup. But if you insist on using a gas-powered lantern, make your life easier by picking one that uses the same fuel as your stove.
How many lumens will I need?
Depending on how you plan to use your lantern, you'll need a certain number of lumens.
A tent that is 60 to 70 square feet in size or less requires lumens.
It takes 200 lumens to sit outside after dark.
For an entire campsite to be lit, 300+ lumens are required.
Lanterns are they waterproof?
Some of the lanterns examined are floatable and waterproof. Lanterns typically have one of the following International Protection Marking ratings and are at least water-resistant:
No water ingress protection, IPX-0
When tilted at 15 degrees, IPX-2 devices are protected against dripping water.
IPX-3 stands for water-spray protection.
IPX-4 stands for splash-proof.
IPX-5 stands for water jet protection.
Maintains functionality both after and during complete submersion, IPX-8
Do lanterns function in the winter?
Electric lanterns struggle to function in the cold because the chemical reaction that creates electricity in batteries struggles to function there. Low temperatures cause alkaline batteries to lose half of their capacity. In contrast, lithium batteries function better when it is cold.
The market is flooded with excellent lanterns. To get the most out of your purchase, think about where and how you intend to use your lantern because different lights perform better in various environments. We were pleasantly surprised by how useful these products turned out to be besides serving as light sources throughout our testing. In some cases, we began to prefer them to our cherished headlamps.
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