
Best Camping Lantern For Outdoor Adventures
Publushed by:
George CummingsLast updated:
November 13, 2021
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Ledlenser Camping Lantern
- Integrated magnetic base
- Long-lasting light
- Three switches
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EDITOR’S CHOICE
UST Duro LED Camping Lantern
- Removable globe
- Water-resistant
- Various lighting modes
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EDITOR’S CHOICE
Streamlight 44931 Siege Compact
- Ergonomic handle
- Easy battery replacement
- Removable cover
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Camping in a secluded spot in nature can be rejuvenating and fun, but it’s not fun when it’s completely dark and you can’t see your hand in front of your face – especially if you can hear creepy sounds around you.
A camping lantern can help you to stay safe in the outdoors, but it also has other uses, such as enabling you to see your friends’ faces during conversation and see what you’re cooking on your new grill.
What should you look for in a camping lantern? When shopping for a camping lantern, make sure it’s highly portable and compact, with a decent battery life so it doesn’t let you down when you need it.
Once you’ve covered those basics, there are other important features to look for in a quality camping lantern. We’ll discover these in our reviews of the best camping lantern for outdoor adventures.
Read on to learn about their pros and potential drawbacks before you spend your hard-earned money.
Best Overall: Ledlenser Camping Lantern
Short summary
This sleek, handy Ledlenser camping lantern is an outdoor lamp that makes use of Micro Prism Lens technology. This prevents annoying glare, while ensuring greater energy efficiency.
Both of these features make this lantern perfect for nights outside enjoying the good company around a picnic table.
This best camping lantern is portable and lightweight. It provides you with a variety of modes so that you can choose the strength of the light that you need.
Put it on high for cooking tasks, and then dim it for more comfortable vision during social events.
Since it’s lightweight and small, this lantern is easy to pack in your backpack when you want to go for a hike or walk.
For increased convenience, it comes with the lithium-ion battery that you need to use it.
Quick Facts
- Weight: 15.2 ounces
- Lumens: Up to 750 lumens
- Power source: Battery
Pros
- This best LED lantern for camping comes with an integrated magnetic base with a swivel hook. This means you can use it anywhere you are.
- It gives you long-lasting light, with up to 70 hours of light at 20 lumens. This makes it ideal for long camping trips in remote areas.
- It comes with three switches for more intuitive and user-friendly operation.
- It takes just five hours to ensure this lantern is 100 percent charged.
- This best lantern for camping can be used as a power bank so you can charge your devices via its USB port.
Cons
- Some people who have purchased this best camping lantern have said it might be a bit too large for long backpacking trips.
- Others have said it’s difficult to use and takes some time to become acquainted with.
- The bag it comes with doesn’t accommodate the base of the lamp, so you have to remove the base whenever you want to put the lamp in its carry bag.
Runner-Up: UST Duro LED Camping Lantern
Short summary
This LED camping lantern provides more than just a way for you to illuminate your tent at night. It offers various lighting modes to accommodate different tasks.
You’ll be able to make use of high, medium, and low light. You also will be able to use this as an emergency lantern, thanks to its SOS flashing mode.
Its “high” mode, which makes use of 1000 lumens, will last for up to 12 hours, while its “medium” mode that uses 400 lumens will last for 30 hours.
If you choose “low” mode, you will have 30 lumens of light for up to 30 days. This makes this camping lantern one of the best and most useful lanterns on the market.
This lantern also comes with different colors of light, which is convenient. For example, “high” mode has natural light, “medium” mode has cool white, and “low” mode has warm light.
Quick Facts
- Weight: 1.9 lbs
- Lumens: Up to 1000 lumens
- Power source: Battery
Pros
- This best camping LED lantern has a recessed hook built into the base so you can hang it upside down.
- You can remove the globe of this lantern if you want to use it as an area light, which makes it practical.
- It comes with a glow-in-the-dark power button to make it easier to use at night.
- This lantern’s rubberized housing makes it resistant to impact and water. It’s the perfect rugged camping lantern to pack in your bag.
- Its LED bulb is said to last for a lifetime as it’s unbreakable and will never need to be replaced.
Cons
- This camping lantern requires three D alkaline batteries that aren’t included with its purchase.
- People who have purchased this lantern have said that it would be nice if the on/off button glowed brighter so it would be visible in pitch dark.
- Other people have noted that the battery latch of this lantern is not user-friendly.
Alternative: Streamlight 44931 Siege Compact
Short summary
This best camping lantern is so much more than a light – it has features that show great attention to detail which you’ll find useful when camping outdoors or if you find yourself in an emergency situation.
One feature that’s worth noting is that the lantern has a convenient battery level indicator that’s built right into its on/off button.
This best-LED camping lantern has a removable cover that provides 360-degree light distribution which is soft on the eyes and reduces any glare.
This means you can use this lantern comfortably when you’re in close quarters with other people, without having to shield your eyes.
When you have the cover of the lantern in place, the lantern can even float!
If you accidentally drop the lantern in a body of water, you’ll be able to retrieve it without it suffering any damage.
Quick Facts
- Weight: 14.1 ounces
- Lumens: Up to 540 lumens
- Power source: Battery
Pros
- This camping lantern has a variety of light modes and it can shine red or light LEDs, which is a nice touch.
- It has D rings on both the top and bottom so you can hang it in an inverted or upright position. You can also lock it in those positions.
- It comes with an ergonomic handle that’s comfortable to hold, so it’s perfect for long hikes.
- If you have to change the lantern’s batteries in the dark, you’ll love that it has a keyed battery door which enables quick and easy battery replacement.
- It is waterproof up to one meter and resistant to impact by up to two meters. This makes it capable of handling the rugged outdoors.
Cons
- This camping lantern requires three D cell alkaline batteries that are sold separately.
- Some people who have purchased this camping lantern have said that it could have been more affordable.
- The white LED light of this camping lantern can be a bit harsh on the eyes.
Alternative: Goal Zero Lighthouse 600 Camping Lantern
Short summary
This best rechargeable camping lantern is built on convenience and user-friendliness. You can recharge the lantern’s battery via any USB port, or you could recharge it by putting it out in the sun, if you have a Goal Zero solar panel.
When it’s lit up, you’ll love that the lantern gives you 360 degrees of lighting, which makes it perfect for conversations around the campsite or garden parties at home.
This lantern goes the extra mile to make your camping trips more comfortable because its powerful lithium battery has 5200mAh that you can use to charge your phones, tablets, LED flashlights, and headlamps.
It’s therefore the perfect survival lantern to have in your backpack at all times.
Quick Facts
- Weight: 1.1 lbs
- Lumens: Up to 600 lumens
- Power source: Battery
Pros
- This rechargeable LED camping lantern has an adjustable LED light that offers up to 600 lumens of light.
- It has collapsible legs that work as a stand to help you better disperse the light. These legs fold up for convenient storage.
- It comes with a built-in handle that makes it easy to hang the lantern or carry it around.
- This best solar camping lantern battery can be used to power up your devices, such as your cell phone, which is convenient.
- While you need to recharge the lantern for about six hours via USB or solar power, you can hand-crank it for one minute to give you 10 minutes of emergency lighting.
Cons
- Some people who have purchased this lantern have said that the hand-cranking doesn’t work well to charge the device.
- The lantern design makes use of a USB cable that wraps around it, but this could wear away and become damaged over time.
- This lantern contains a useful red emergency light right but it doesn’t work very brightly.
Alternative: LE LED Camping Lantern
Short summary
This camping lantern can be used to see better at night, cook, and even read when you’re outdoors because it has four light modes. These are daylight white, warm white, full brightness, and flashing for emergencies.
It’s convenient because you just need to use one button – the on/off button – to toggle through all the different light modes.
When you long-press the button, you can adjust the brightness to reach up to 1,000 lumens. When you short press the button, you can choose between the different light modes, such as flashing or warm white.
You’ll love being able to dim down the lights, such as when you’re in a small tent and don’t want very bright light at night.
The lantern’s user-friendly design makes it easy to change its batteries when required.
Quick Facts
- Weight: 14 ounces
- Lumens: Up to 1000 lumens
- Power source: Battery
Pros
- This is the brightest camping lantern on our list. It offers up to 12 hours of brightness and 1,000 lumens.
- This lantern is water resistant so it won’t get damaged if you get caught in a rainstorm while hiking.
- It comes with a hanging hook so you can hang it up easily, such as on a tree branch, during use or store it away.
- This lantern comes with a removable cap. This means you can also use it upside down, such as for emergency use.
- The design of this camping lantern means you can enjoy 360-degree lighting, which is perfect for outdoor use as it ensures better light distribution in your surroundings.
Cons
- Some people have said that it can be difficult to insert the batteries into this mini camping lantern.
- Others have battled with the dimming feature of the lantern, which they say is not user-friendly.
- Unlike some of the other top-quality camping lanterns on the market, this one is not rechargeable.
Camping Lantern FAQ
To ensure that you use a camping lantern safely and in a way that it will provide you with the best experience during your next outdoor adventure, you should read our FAQs.
Let’s explore everything you need to know about camping lanterns, like how much light they should be able to provide.
How many lumens are good for a camping lantern?
The amount of lumens you need for a camping lantern will depend on when and how you intend on using it. If you just need enough light to be able to see around your campsite at night, 100 lumens will be enough.
Similarly, if you want to light up your tent, a lantern with around 200 lumens will be enough.
If you want to be able to make nights around the table more engaging, you should ensure you have 300 or more lumens. This is also the case for more intensive tasks, such as reading at night, as having at least 300 lumens will be sufficient.
To make it easy to estimate how many lumens you’d need, it’s good to note that approximately 900 lumens is roughly the same amount of light that gets produced by one incandescent bulb.
That should give you a good idea of how many lumens you’ll need in the next camping lantern you purchase.
Do you need a lantern for camping?
After reading our reviews of the best camping lanterns on the market, you can see why a lantern is very convenient to have. It also makes your stay in the outdoors a bit more comfortable and practical.
While you might think you can rely on flashlights and batteries, these are not practical. Camping lanterns are small and lightweight enough so you can pop them into a backpack and have them with you at all times.
Many can be taken apart so that they can provide even more light if required. If your camping lantern can be recharged by solar energy, you won’t have to worry about packing extra batteries.
Lanterns come in handy when you want to illuminate a larger area, and many provide you with different lighting modes so that you can also dim them when required. This gives you greater flexibility and means you’ll have light for various tasks and activities during your camping trip.
There are also many lanterns that come with emergency features that can help you in a survival situation, such as water resistance, long battery life (in some cases the batteries can last up to a month), and flashing lights.
You can also find some red LED light features that will help you draw attention to yourself in an emergency.
Are propane lanterns safe in a tent?
If you want to use a propane gas lantern in a tent, you can – but you need to be very careful. Anything that’s fuelled by propane carries the risk of releasing carbon monoxide, which is poisonous.
This is why it’s important to ensure you don’t use lanterns in a closed area.
When setting up a propane lantern in a tent, the fuel that’s burned in the appliance replaces the oxygen inside the tent with CO2, which is dangerous to your health and can even cause death.
This is why propane lanterns in tents are considered to be dangerous and why it’s important to use a gas lantern in a tent that’s very well ventilated.
This might not always be practical, such as on cold nights, which is why it will be safer to use an LED lantern instead.
Whenever you use a propane lantern, make sure you check its flame. If it burns in yellow color, this is a sign that the lantern isn’t burning the fuel effectively, and it can be a sign of carbon monoxide being released by the lantern.
Do lanterns give off carbon monoxide?
If your lantern uses gas as fuel, it will definitely be releasing carbon monoxide. This is why some gas lantern manufacturers state that their products are only safe for use outdoors where there’s sufficient ventilation.
The fumes that are released by a gas lantern are similar to those that a car gives off in an enclosed garage.
The danger of carbon monoxide is that it’s colorless and odorless. Yes, you should pay attention to the color of your lantern’s flame – if it’s yellow, that’s a bad sign it’s releasing carbon monoxide – but you can’t always tell when your lantern is releasing this toxic gas.
This is why carbon monoxide is the silent killer. It can make you sick without you even realizing it at first.
Inhaling carbon monoxide can cause weakness, dizziness, headaches, vomiting, confusion, and chest pain. Some people describe the feeling as being flu-like.
If you breathe in a lot of carbon monoxide it can make you faint and it could even be fatal. What further makes carbon monoxide dangerous is how it can build up indoors or in enclosed spaces.
This is why you should always tread carefully whenever you use a gas-powered appliance and only do so in well-ventilated, open places.
Conclusion
You can’t go camping without good lighting, and using your torch just doesn’t cut it as an effective light source. Its batteries run out quickly and it’s not a viable way to light up your cooking area, picnic area, or tent.
A camping lantern is a much better way to have the light that you need, and as we’ve seen in our best camping lantern review, many of these camping lanterns come with different lighting modes for increased versatility and comfort. No more glare that hurts your eyes!
The next time you hear a weird noise coming from the woods, you want to cook food on the grill after dark, or you want to enjoy reading a novel in your tent after everyone has gone to sleep in theirs, reaching for a camping lantern will ensure you can achieve your task with greater ease and enjoy your time outside.
Resources:
Ledlenser Camping Lantern
Integrated magnetic base
Long-lasted light
Three switches
George Cummings
George Cummings enjoys connecting with nature, meeting new people, and making friends from all over the world. RVing and camping create the perfect opportunity for [him/her] to take part in these activities. After spending several years on the road and exploring the great outdoors, George Cummings shares some of his best pieces of advice on how to make the most of your time while camping. TourTheOutdoors is his way of helping outdoorsy individuals like [him/her] start on a right footing with amazing recommendations and buying guides.