![]() ![]() Sometimes when it was calm and warm, we would row late into the evening, two Luci lights hung around the boat or camp allowed us to easily cook while afloat and set up our tent in the dark. ![]() The lanterns all provide a broad area of diffuse white light.ĭuring our three-month river trip, we always kept our lights easily accessible so that we would remember to leave them out to charge while we traveled during the day. All three lights we own are lightweight and compact, allowing easy storage in small lockers or bags. Their warm light is diffused evenly, creating a broad illuminated area that makes it easy to cook, play games, and read. When using our inflatable lantern inside our boom-tent, we use a line tied fore and aft to hang the light above us. The LuminAID PackLite Max Phone Charger topped up my smartphone battery from 50 to 100 percent in two hours and lost three of its four battery-level indicator lights when in direct sunlight.īoth the LuminAID PackLite Max Phone Charger and the Luci Pro Series: Outdoor 2.0 have handles that snap open and closed, making it easy to hang them from trees, on a boat mast or boom, or on a stick propped up over the camp fire. As with the Luci lantern, LuminAID states theirs will charge in 14 hours of direct sunlight or one to two hours via USB port. The material is PVC-free and made from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) which is translucent, providing notable diffusion of its eight LED lights. The lantern has five light settings: turbo (150 lumens), high, medium, low, and flashing. It weighs 8.5 oz and measures 6″ x 6″ x 1″ when collapsed. The LuminAID PackLite Max 2-in-1 Phone Charger is a 6” cube when inflated. On the river, we found that our Original 2.0 always had a useful charge as long as we remembered to set it out every day or two for a couple hours in the sun. When the lantern was fully charged and in direct sunlight, it topped up my smartphone battery from 50 to 100 percent in two hours and the battery level went down from four to one indicator lights. In Florida at this time of year the sun isn’t shining in clear skies I left the Luci out for a couple of partly cloudy days and that worked to top off the charge. When away from home, the built-in solar panel will, according to the manufacturer, fully charge a depleted battery in 14 hours of direct sunlight. The two-way USB port charges the lantern’s battery in just two hours. ![]() The inflatable PVC cylinder provides great diffusion for the 10 warm-white LEDs. The lantern has four modes-high (150 lumens, twice as bright as the Original), medium, low, and flashing-as well as a four-LED indicator that displays battery level. It weighs 5.5 oz and when deflated is a compact 5″ x 1.5″ disc. Luci’s Pro Series Outdoor 2.0, like the Original Outdoor 2.0, is a 5″-diameter, 4.25″-tall cylinder. We’ve been using the LuminAID Packlight (upper left), the Luci Pro Series Outdoor 2.0 (upper right), and the Luci Outdoor 2.0 (bottom, deflated and showing LEDs). The lanterns we used on the Mississippi were Luci Original Outdoor 2.0s without USB ports for charging themselves or other devices, so we recently added two new lanterns with charging ports: a Luci Pro Series Outdoor 2.0 and a LuminAID PackLite Max 2-in-1 Phone Charger. The latest models of inflatable lanterns have the ability to top-up batteries on electronic devices via a USB port. The diffuse light they create is ideal for cooking, working on a boat, or playing games in a tent-a great advantage over the small beam of light created by a flashlight or headlamp. These inflatable lanterns have some common features: they float and are waterproof (rated IP67, submersible to 1 meter for 30 minutes), compact for storage, and self-supporting when in use. There are two popular brands of inflatable lanterns: Luci and LuminAID. ![]() They proved to be reliable and durable, and we used them every single night both around camp and in the tent. Kyle and I used a pair of inflatable solar-charged lanterns during our three-month Mississippi River trip. When we’re camp-cruising, anything that requires electrical power can pose some questions: How can I charge my phone, camera, or iPod? Did I bring enough batteries for my flashlight or headlamp? Solar panels are quickly becoming more compact and efficient, and provide some intriguing solutions. ![]()
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