Camping lantern buying guide – What to Look For

A light source is an essential item to have in your camping kit. Nature with its beautiful starry sky can’t really do that much for you during nighttime, so you have to come prepared.

There are a lot of types of camping lights out there, so you have to know exactly what to look for, depending on your needs. Even though we are going to focus on camping lanterns, we are going to tell you a thing or two about other types, too.

The main types of camping lights are:

• Lanterns: they provide a 360-degree light and you can opt for gas lanterns or LED lanterns, with the latter being safer and easier to use
• Head lamps: they are helpful because they go on your head with an adjustable headband and they leave your hands free. This way you can have light and do something else at the same time
• Spotlights: unlike with lanterns, they give a more concentrated and powerful light, on longer distances
• Tent lights: as the name implies it, these types of lighting devices are usually hung up inside your tent

There are several things to consider when choosing a camping lantern. Here are the most important ones:

• What will power your light. There are several options you can choose from: batteries (various types), rechargeable batteries, gas or oil, solar lanterns
• Incandescent bulbs or LEDs. Well, the first ones have been around for a long, long time and offer a warm, steady beam of light. They also reach their full level of brightness really fast. LED lights on the other hand are way more efficient. They use extremely little power, they last forever and rumor has it they also keep insects away
• The run time of the lantern is another important aspect to consider. You’ll want, of course, a lantern that lasts for as long as possible. If you go for a battery powered lantern, you should buy something with a large battery capacity, which translates into a longer run time. For gas powered lanterns, you want to go with a large gas tank
• Good old lumens are always an important aspect in any lighting source. The general rule is: the bigger the number, the brighter the light. Lanterns and flashlights range between 1 lumen and thousands of lumens, although you’ll most likely never need that many. However, you have to also be aware of the fact that more lumens also means a higher consumption, hence a shorter runtime
• How portable is the lantern? The weight and dimensions of the lantern can be an important aspect especially if you are a backpacker and carry everything with you in your backpack. You want something as lightweight and portable as possible. A collapsible model may be the best solution, as it takes up less space in your backpack
• Water resistance and shock resistance. If you want your lantern to be durable, you should pay attention to the materials in it. A shock resistant model is another aspect to consider, in case of any unforeseen impacts. Waterproofness is also important in an outdoor device. Check out the IP rating of the lantern to find out if it’s just splash proof, water resistant or fully waterproof.