For a good camping experience, campers require all the necessary camping items including camping tents, sleeping material, lighting, food, water, and many more. Lighting equipment is one of the necessary camping essentials to include in your arsenal. Honestly, going camping without lighting equipment is like camping with no tent.
It may not be an easy task for campers to pick the best lighting equipment to suit all their needs. We highlighted the top six solar camping lanterns below. The best thing about solar lanterns is that they are portable, safe, and easy to charge. As time went on, technology advanced and improved lighting equipment to better serve all your lighting needs.
1. ROCAM LED Camping Lantern, Solar Hand Crank Emergency Lantern
It has two light modes, the adjustable main light has 2.4 watts and the flashlight has 3 watts at the bottom. This ensures you can see all around your tent or camping site.
If you are going hiking, exploring, or experiencing an emergency like a hurricane or flood, this is the ideal lantern. This is because it is not only sufficiently bright, but it is also waterproof and can handle a severe fall.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: ROCAM
- Dimension: 4.96 x 3.19 x 3.11 inches
- Weight: 0.66 pounds
- Type of light: LED
- Color: Green
- Power source: Solar panel, USB port, hand crack
- Operating time: 30 hours for the flashlight and 35 hours for the main light
Pros
- Ability to charge in three convenient ways
- Lantern is built to last and can handle severe falls
- Waterproof, making it extremely useful in the event of a hurricane
- Hook features that allows effortless hanging in places to provide light to a big area
- Collapsible and is easy to store
- When fully charged, it can provide light for up to 35 hours for the main light and 30 hours for the base flashlight.
Cons
- Can be pricey, based on budget
2. MPOWERD Luci Outdoor 2.0: Solar Inflatable Light
When fully charged, this lantern can last up to 24 hours. The device has an indicator to notify you when the charge level is low. It provides up to 75 lumens of light with 4 lighting options in high, medium, low, and one-second flashing.
It is fitted with a strap at the bottom, which enables you to hang the light in your tent or anywhere else easily. You can also hook it on your backpack when you’re on the go.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: MPOWERD
- Dimensions: 5 x 5 x 4.25 inches
- Weight: 125 grams
- Type of light: LED
- Material: Plastic
- Power source: Solar panel
- Operating time: 24 hours
Pros
- Lightweight
- Can be hooked on a backpack and is ideal for hiking and other activities
- Waterproof and built with durable material to overcome impact
- Compact and doesn’t take up much luggage space
- Ability to float on water in case of a fall
- Collapsible and easy to store
Cons
- Longer charge time by the sun
- Strap does come off at times
3. TANSOREN 4 Pack Solar USB Rechargeable 3 AA Power COB LED Camping Lantern
The handles are foldaway and allows convenient hanging inside the tent. The lantern provides sufficient and longer-lasting 360-degree light for reading and working. This lantern is energy saving and can charge android tablets and mobile phones.
Because the lantern has 4 strong magnets at the base, it adheres well on metal surfaces and doesn’t require an extra hand to prop it up while working.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: TANSOREN
- Package Dimensions: 7.3 x 7.3 x 5.8 inches
- Power Source: Battery and solar panel
- Color: Black
- Material: Plastic and metal
- Weight: 3.09 pounds
- Switch Style: Magnetic
- Wattage: 10 watts
Pros
- Charge in three convenient ways without the use of sunlight
- Ability to charge android tablets and mobile phones
- Collapsible and is easy to store
- Lightweight and compact
- 3 attachment options: the magnet base, the top foldaway handles, and the metal loop
- Ideal for emergency cases, outdoor activities, hiking, and many other instances
- Top handles can be adjusted to desired brightness
- Comes in a set of four, maximizing light coverage
Cons
- Not compatible with Apple mobile devices
- No charger indicator to notify the user when it is fully charged
- Cannot withstand a severe fall
4. Kizen Solar Powered LED Camping Lantern
It has a power bank that can charge your mobile phone. The lantern has 3 lighting options: SOS, high, and low. It can also be transformed into a flashlight when it is folded.
To avoid instances of overcharging, the light is outfitted with fail-safes. It is able to withstand harsh weather conditions and is handy for hiking and other outdoor activities.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Kizen
- Color: Blue
- Power source: Solar panel and USB port
- Type of light: LED
Pros
- Best collapsible light as it can collapse up to 2.4 times its actual size
- Beautiful and stylish design
- Affordable
- The buyer’s investment is risk-free because the manufacturer offers a lifetime warranty
- Ability to charge two ways via solar power and the USB port. This is convenient in the event that there is insufficient sunshine
Cons
- Handle easily comes apart
- Light emitted unevenly covers a small area
- After fully charging, the light does not last long compared to others.
5. TANSOREN 2 PACK Portable LED Camping Lantern with”S” Hook
These lanterns can last up to 8 hours when fully charged. The emitted light will provide enough light to cover your campsite evenly while saving energy. The handles are designed to enhance light adjustment to the required user amount. It can also be used as an emergency power bank to charge your android mobile phone or tablet.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Tansoren
- Package Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.5 x 3.8 inches
- Weight: 1.5 pounds
- Power source: 3 AA batteries, solar panel, and an in-built battery
- Color: Red
- Material: ABS
- Type of Bulb: LED
Pros
- Light weight, good size, and collapsible
- Built with quality and strong ABS material
- Waterproof
- Ability to withstand harsh weather
- Provides sufficient light that is not harsh to the eyes for reading and working
- Useful for hiking and other night outdoor activities
- Pair is quite durable as it can last a life span of more than 100,000 hours if well maintained
Cons
- Not compatible with Apple mobile devices
- No indicator to tell the user when the lanterns are fully charged
- The charging cables are so short
Buyers Guide
The above products have been carefully researched from customers who actually bought and used the lanterns.
An informed buyer is a better buyer. All this information will be effective in providing you with enough insight on the best products to choose from. Below, we have a buyers’ guide with additional information on the lanterns. Each product has its own unique features that will help with decision making.
Most Versatile Camping Lanterns
The Tansoren 4 Pack lanterns stick out as the most versatile lanterns for camping. They have 3 charging options through the solar panel, the 3 AA batteries, and the USB port. They also feature 3 attachment methods: the metal loop, handles, and the 4 magnets on the base. The light can also be adjusted using the handles.
The package comes with four lanterns offering a good light supply, which ensures sufficient lighting to keep your dark nights bright. The 4-Pack is built to be more resourceful for a camping trip and fulfills your camp lighting needs better compared to other lanterns.
The Best Lantern That Saves Space
Kizen LED camping lantern is the ideal lighting device if you are limited with space. This is because of its collapsed feature. It folds up to 2.4 times its actual size.
When new, it comes in an unbelievably small box that can fit into your palm, which is ideal for a limited luggage space. This compact size makes it easy to carry in a smaller bag. Interestingly, it can even effortlessly fit into your pocket without dragging you down.
The Camping Lantern That Lasts The Longest
When fully charged, the Rocam LED Camping Lantern provides sufficient light for up to 35 hours of 2.4 Watts of the main light. This main light is adjustable by the folding height. The flashlight at the base has a lighting power of 3 Watts, for up to 30 hours. This feature makes it more attractive to campers all over the world.
Best Camping Lantern That Provides Efficient Portability
The inflatable MPOWERD Luci Outdoor 2.0 is easily collapsible. When deflated from the air outlet, this camping lantern becomes foldable up to 1.5 inches its normal lighting size. It is fitted with a fixed top strap and an adjustable base.
This ensures that the lantern can be hooked on to a backpack. It weighs only 125 grams and is extremely portable. It will not drag you behind and it allows you the freedom to easily move around.
Most Durable Camping Lantern
The 2-pack Tansoren LED camping lantern can last for a longer period of time. This is because of its raw materials as well as its extended lifespan. It is made of materials of a high standard that ensure the lanterns’ durability. The lanterns are manufactured using military-grade plastic.
Compared to other kinds of plastics that use standard grade materials, military-grade plastic is resistant to heat, radiation, water, friction, dirt, amongst others. It is also known to be the strongest and most long-lasting plastic. It makes these lanterns the best option for the toughest weather conditions. The camping lanterns also have a long lifespan. They will serve you for more than 100,000 hours if properly maintained.
Conclusion
A good lantern should serve you longer and provide good value. All the lanterns we reviewed fit these requirements because they are made with high quality materials and designs that offer efficient lighting.
The lighting equipment that stands out to me is the 4 Pack Tansoren lanterns. The collapsible set comes with more lanterns to ensure longer lighting hours and easy storage. The 3 charging and attachment options are convenient for hanging and in case there is no sufficient sunlight.
With little knowledge, a camper may invest in a lantern that may become a huge regret down the line. We hope that the information we provided is sufficient with picking a lantern that will serve you best in your camping adventure.
The buyers’ guide is an additional reference to help you choose a lantern based on your favored features.
If you are looking for more information to help with your final purchase decision, do not worry. We have other product reviews with related products that can be of great help too. Feel free to go through the reviews.