I am terrible, I mean TERRIBLE with the old school camping lanterns.
Every time I would take one camping I would need to replace the mantles and possibly the glass as well. I haven’t used my Coleman lantern for years. Since getting into backpacking I’ve ditched it in favor of headlamps, but they have their own drawbacks.
While great for strong directional light they don’t offer much in the way of ambient light. It can be hard to hang out in close proximity to other people because you blind them whenever you look their direction.
While picking up some last minute items for a recent camping trip I decided to give the MPOWERD Luci Lux a try.
It’s very small, which would be beneficial for either backpacking or car camping
and only weighs 4.4oz!
No batteries or heavy propane canisters are required since it’s solar powered.
It has a charge indicator so you can see how much battery power it has left and three different settings.
A dim light,
a brighter light, and a flashing mode.
It was a great option for hanging around camp and playing cards, but it does have its limitations.
It only puts out a moderate amount of light, you defiantly still need a flashlight or headlamp to get around once it’s dark.
It’s difficult to charge. It needs 7 hours of direct sunlight to get a full charge, which isn’t going to be available for most people in a wooded setting. Mine died on my camping trip last weekend, when I got home I placed it on a windowsill, but one week later it still isn’t fully charged.
For $19.95 it’s a pretty cool gadget, but certainly, cannot be depended on as your only light source.
Awesome product. Love that it’s solar powered, even if it requires a lot of sun to charge.