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The Black Diamond Apollo is a great lantern to take with you when you are backpacking. It has a great, collapsible design, with folding legs and a light weight. It can put out up to 250 lumens and on its lowest brightness setting can last for up to 90 hours. Aside from the fact that it is not waterproof, we can’t really find anything to dislike about this lantern.
The Apollo camping lantern is produced by Black Diamond Equipment, an American company based in Utah. The company founded in 1989 and specializes in outdoor equipment, from mountain sports and activities to skiing products and more.
The Apollo lantern was especially designed for camp use although you can benefit from it in other scenarios as well.
The lantern comes in several colors: red, blue, gray and can put out max. 250 lumens.
Here are the main specifications of the Apollo:
The Apollo lantern has a collapsible design and it looks no bigger than a soup can. It has three foldable legs, tripod-style, with rubber on the bottom, for a better stability. The lantern is encased in a plastic case and has a double-hook loop so that you can hang the lantern and free your hands.
The Apollo lantern is small, light and compact and thanks to its collapsible design, it is easy to pack and fit in your backpack.
Apollo has a rechargeable internal battery but in case you need to, you can also use 3 AA batteries to power it up. This lantern is not just a simple lighting device, but it also acts like a charger for your electronics, because it is equipped with an external USB port. You need around 3 hours and a half to fully charge your phone. There are also LED indicators for the battery level and for showing you the charge status.
The lantern has only one button that is multifunctional. If you simply press it once, it will just turn the lantern on, by default, on its brightest setting. If you hold the power button, the lantern will dim and if you take the finger off the button, it will remain at that specific setting. The longer you hold the finger on the power button, the more the Apollo will decrease in brightness, down to its lowest setting. On its highest setting, Apollo can put out 250 lumens.
The power button activates a strobe mode, too, if you shortly press on it for 3 times.
You can squeeze up to 90 hours of use out of the Apollo, when you are on the lowest setting.
Unfortunately, the Apollo lantern is not waterproof, it is just splash proof, as it only has an IPX4 rating. This means that the lantern will be okay if it rains on it for a short while, but you can’t submerge it in water.
The 250 lumens are more than enough for camp activities such as cooking or to simply light up your tent. It may not be sufficient to light up the entire campsite, unless it is a smaller area. The light is pleasant, not tiring for the eyes and glare-free, as even they claim in the description. And thanks to its dimming feature, you can just use it as an ambient light as well, by simply choosing a lower setting.
Overall, the Black Diamond Apollo is a great value for the money. It is very efficient, packable, compact and light.
You can buy the Apollo lantern for $60. The 3 AA batteries are not included in this price.
Phone: (800) 775-5552; Monday – Friday, from 8 am to 5 pm (Mountain Time)
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Our editorial staff evaluates products and services independently, but Best Review Guide may earn money when you click on links. Read our advertising disclosure.
By: Cristina | Last updated August 16, 2018 
