Lanterns

What lanterns are

The enclosure was first meant to keep wind and rain from putting out a candle or wick, and to contain sparks. Modern lanterns put an electric light inside a translucent case.

• Light all around: A lantern lights a space rather than a spot; CleverHiker says the LuminAID PackLite Max casts 360° diffused light.
• From flame to LED: Lanterns once burned a candle, an oil wick or a gas mantle; today most run on batteries and LEDs.
• Solar lanterns: An LED lamp, a solar panel, a battery and a charge controller in one unit; daylight charges it for the night.
• Collapsible designs: Inflatable or folding shades pack almost flat: Luci Original Clear collapses to 1 inch, Crush Light Chroma to 15 mm.
• Lantern and flashlight: Some add a beam: Goal Zero’s Lighthouse Micro Flash pairs a 150-lumen lantern with a 120-lumen flashlight.
• Who makes them: LuminAID, BioLite (which now owns the Luci line and Goal Zero), Black Diamond and Coleman are among the makers reviewers test.

How they work

By day, a small solar panel or a USB cable charges a lithium battery. At night, LEDs draw on that battery, and a frosted or translucent shade spreads the light.

• The solar cell: Light striking a solar cell makes an electric current; the Crush Light Chroma’s built-in monocrystalline cell is rated at about 0.12 W.
• The battery: Small lithium cells store the charge: 3.7 Wh in Luci Original Clear, 9.62 Wh in the Lighthouse Micro Flash.
• USB is faster: BioLite says USB charging is about six times faster than solar; Luci takes 3 hours by USB-C and 7 in the sun.
• Lumens: Brightness is rated in lumens, a measure of the total visible light a source gives off.
• Color temperature: Light color is given in kelvins: 3000 K on the warm Crush Light Chroma, 5900–6500 K on the cool-white LuminAID Max.
• Power lanterns: Some add a USB output, so the lantern’s battery can also charge a phone; LuminAID calls these power lanterns.

Types

• Inflatable solar lanterns: You blow or twist them open; Luci Original Clear and LuminAID’s PackLite range fold flat between uses.
• Folding solar lanterns: Collapsible shades that need no air, such as Goal Zero’s Crush Light Chroma.
• Power lanterns: Collapsible solar lanterns with a power bank: the LuminAID Max, Titan and Survivor charge phones over USB.
• Lantern-flashlights: One small light that does both jobs, such as the 2.4 oz Lighthouse Micro Flash.
• Tabletop lanterns: Rechargeable models like Goal Zero’s Lighthouse 600 or BioLite’s AlpenGlow 500 are brighter; reviewers call them too heavy or bulky to backpack.
• Fuel lanterns: Propane and dual-fuel models, long made by Coleman, burn gas; Switchback’s favorite weighs nearly 5 pounds.

What to look for

• Lumens: Switchback finds 25–150 lumens enough for general camping and small spaces, and warns that the top setting drains the battery fast.
• Runtime, low and high: Makers quote the longest figure; the Crush Light Chroma runs 35 hours on low but 3 hours on high.
• Charging port: Luci Original Clear and Crush Light Chroma charge by USB-C; LuminAID’s phone-charging output is USB-A.
• Water resistance: IP67 means dust-tight and able to survive immersion to 1 m; IPX6 means powerful water jets, with dust untested.
• Packed size and weight: Flat models fold to an inch or less; the Micro Flash weighs 2.4 oz, the LuminAID Survivor 14.5 oz.
• Phone charging: LuminAID rates its 2,000 mAh Max at about one phone charge and its 4,000 mAh Titan at two to three.
• Red light: A red mode, on LuminAID’s Titan and Survivor, is meant to protect night vision.

On the plane and on the trip

• Carry-on is best: The FAA says devices with lithium batteries should travel in carry-on bags, and asks passengers to tell the crew if one overheats or smokes.
• If you check it: In a checked bag, a battery-powered device must be fully off and protected so it cannot switch on by accident.
• Small batteries: TSA allows lithium batteries of 100 Wh or less inside devices; Goal Zero rates the Micro Flash at 9.62 Wh and the Crush Light Chroma at 1.85 Wh.
• Power banks: Power banks and spare lithium batteries are banned from checked bags; the FAA notes many airlines set stricter power bank limits.
• Fuel stays home: TSA bans propane in carry-on and checked bags; Canada’s CATSA allows a fuel lantern in carry-on only if emptied and cleaned of all fuel.
• Charging on the road: These lanterns charge from 5 V USB, the same as a phone; LuminAID warns not to leave them in a hot car or in direct sun indoors.
• Flashlights fly: TSA lists flashlights as allowed in both carry-on and checked bags.

Limits and care

• Solar is slow: The Crush Light Chroma needs about 20 hours on its own panel versus 2.5 by USB; the LuminAID Max needs 16–20 hours of sun.
• Clouds slow it more: BioLite says Luci still charges under cloud, only more slowly.
• Phone charging drains it: Switchback and Field & Stream found that charging a device empties the LuminAID’s battery quickly.
• Inflatables wear: Field & Stream questions how long inflatable materials last; Switchback found the LuminAID strap not secure on a pack.
• Modest brightness: OutdoorGearLab rates the 60-lumen Crush Light Chroma low for brightness and notes it has no SOS mode.
• Heat: LuminAID says not to use or store its lanterns above 113 °F (45 °C).
• Storage: Goal Zero says to keep the Micro Flash plugged in or charge it every 3–6 months; LuminAID cites a storage life of 2+ years.

A short history

For centuries, lanterns shielded a candle, an oil wick or a gas mantle. William Coffin Coleman began selling gasoline pressure lamps in Wichita in 1902, and lanterns became one of Coleman’s best-known products.

• 1954: Bell Labs introduces the modern solar cell; the first solar light patent is filed the next year.
• 2010: Anna Stork and Andrea Sreshta invent the inflatable LuminAID light in response to the Haiti earthquake; their company follows in 2011.
• 2012: MPOWERD is co-founded; it becomes best known for its Luci inflatable solar lanterns.
• February 2015: LuminAID’s founders appear on ABC’s Shark Tank and take a deal with Mark Cuban.
• June 2024: BioLite acquires MPOWERD; from January 2025 the Luci lanterns carry the BioLite name.
• April 2025: BioLite acquires Goal Zero, maker of the Lighthouse and Crush Light lanterns; both brands stay on sale.