UST 30-day DURO LED Review

COMPLETE REVIEW

UST, which stands for Ultimate Survival Technologies, is a survival equipment company with an experience of more than 80 years on the market. It is based in Florida and in addition to lanterns, designs and produces survival and first aid kits, all weather fire starters, signal mirrors and more.

The 30-day DURO LED lantern is part of their DURO lineup, which consists of several models: 7-day, 14-day LED lanterns, 30-day, 45-day and 60-day, with the latter running continuously for no less than 60 days on the low setting, which is quite impressive.

We are going to focus here on their 30-day DURO LED lantern, which comes in several colors: Glo White, Orange, Titanium. One of the versions is the 30-day DURO LED GLO, which looks white during the day and it will glow in the dark.

Here are the main specifications for the 30-day DURO LED lantern:

• Dimensions (H x W): 7.2 x 3.75 inches
• Weight: 1.13 lbs. including the batteries
• Output: 700 lumens on the high setting
• Lifetime LED that never has to be replaced
• Uses 3 x D-cell Alkaline batteries
• Runtime: 22 hours on the highest setting
• IPX4 rated

Design

The 30-day DURO LED is mainly made of high-impact ABS plastic and it has a rubberized housing which makes it durable, more stable and resistant to impacts.

The lantern feels solid and while it’s not very small or collapsible in any way, it is not that heavy to hold in your hands. However, for backpacking purposes you might want to go with a lantern that doesn’t use D-cell batteries, as those weigh a lot.

The DURO LED has a handle and a hook on the bottom, although the latter doesn’t feel that sturdy. The globe is removable and the lantern uses 3 Nichia white LEDs (1.4W) which are lifetime guaranteed, doesn’t require replacement.

There is just one power button on it which accesses all modes of the lantern.

The lantern is IPX4 rated, meaning it is not waterproof, but it is water resistant, more like splash proof. While some rain won’t do too much damage, you should avoid heavy water jets or to submerge it in water.

How it works

The 30-day DURO LED uses 3 D-cell batteries which are not included in the package, you have to purchase them separately.

There are 4 lighting modes available and you can switch between them by quickly pressing the power button. You’ve got your high setting, your medium, low and the flashing SOS mode.

In the high mode the lantern puts out 700 lumens and can last for up to 20 hours. In the medium mode, it has a power of 140 lumens and has a runtime of 106 hours. In the low mode, of 30 lumens, it lasts up to 30 days (hence the name of the model). In the emergency strobe mode the lantern lasts for 15 days.

The 30-day DURO LED lantern is a good option for camping purposes and not only, but not the best for backpackers who need to keep their backpacks as light as possible. This is not a collapsible lantern, nor is it the lightest or smallest. It is not completely waterproof, only IPX4 rated, but it does compensate through its impressive battery life and the fact that it has several lighting modes, including the emergency strobe. It is also an affordable lantern so it won’t break the bank.