It’s magical and passionate to spend an outdoor summer night with friends. But, the darkness of the night can be an issue on your way. A camping lantern is designed to illuminate a large zone, like your living place in a tent, or outdoor campground to defeat the darkness confidentially. It’s a crucial piece of gear for the night campers.

Nowadays, outdoor lanterns come in different forms to light your way. The classic gas-powered lanterns have been transformed into electric models to provide you a similar impact. They also provide bright light and are compact enough for easy backpacking.

So, how to choose a camping lantern for your needs?- This article provides you all the necessary information, like their types, advantages, and disadvantages, that will make the deal easier for you.

Guide on Choosing a Camping Lantern

• Advantages

Flashlights or headlamps tend to burn out quickly and are not sufficient to light a larger space. That’s the reason for having camping lanterns while camping outdoor.

Outdoor lanterns are lightweight enough to be carried out anywhere easily. They play a vital role when you are outdoors at night. It can illuminate large or open places that are too much needed on that occasion. Shop it now!

Camping lanterns can light all-around and don’t require to be held. It can stand itself or hang to light your way better than flashlights or so. Moreover, a few lanterns can support as your flashlights do.

They are also available in different sizes to meet your requirements. The larger camping lanterns are perfect for car or RV camping, whereas smaller models are for hiking or backpacking.

• Precautions

It’s not likely to have any downsides to camping tent lights. As the lanterns tend to be used outdoors, they should be able to survive the bad weather conditions. Perfect camping tent lights should be waterproof and impact-resistant.

Types of Camping Lanterns

• Gas-powered lanterns

Fuel-burning lanterns provide the brightest light comparing any other type of lantern. But, they are bulky and too hot to touch accidentally. This is the best camping tent lights type to consider if weight is not a concern. Gas lanterns run on two different fuels.

• Liquid fuel lanterns

These are the most expensive and heavyweight models that provide the highest brightness to light up the entire campground. The brightness is adjustable to keep it on your way.

Downsides: The liquid-fuel lanterns require pouring fuel and occasionally pumps to pressurize the gas. They are large, heavyweight, and expensive.

• Propane lanterns

The brightness is a bit lower than liquid-fuel lanterns. Propane lanterns come in less weight and money as well. They are easy to set up and use, unlike the liquid-fuel versions. A fuel canister requires to attach to the lantern to light it up, and that’s it.

Tips:

Both the gas-powered camping tent lights use durable mantles that produce the light. It’s better to have one or two extra mantles if you are planning an outdoor trip. Choosing the same fuel as your stove for your lantern saves you from dealing with multiple fuel types.

Gas-powered lanterns are not an Eco-friendly option to choose from and are recommended to use in well-ventilated areas only. They produce excessive heat as well. Keep them apart from kids and pets as well as any flammable materials.

• Electric lanterns

A rechargeable camping lantern requires an electric power source to light an LED bulb. They come in compact size & weight and run on battery power. They can be powered by the following:

Rechargeable batteries:

The batteries can be recharged when dies. So, you don’t need to worry about replacing with new batteries. This is the rechargeable camping lantern.

Alkaline batteries:

Alkaline batteries are the most popular power source for an electric lantern. Although they are inexpensive and easy to replace, you need to carry some extra pieces of batteries for backing up the source of your night light.

The only downside is the disposable battery.

Electric outlet:

It required an electric outlet to light up the camping lantern, not perfect for camping or hiking outdoor.

Tips:

It’s better to consider rechargeable batteries, just rechargeable camping lanterns, so you don’t need to worry about buying new ones certainly. Most rechargeable camping lanterns can recharge from multiple power sources. Also, there are a few high-quality versions that allow replacing with alkaline batteries for emergencies.

Advantages:

· Long-lasting, durable, lightweight, and inexpensive

· Eco-friendly

· Different lighting modes

· Available sizes for more brightness

· Safe for kids and pets

· Impact-resistant

· Quiet and exhaust-free

Most Important Buying Factors Of Camping Lantern

1. Lumens

Lumens are the measurement of light that is provided by the lanterns. The more the lumens the more the brightness of the lantern. It also determines the energy level that consumes the lanterns.

A brighter camping lantern requires more power from the source that may consume the batteries faster. So, it’s a must to have multiple lighting modes while choosing a camping lantern.

Most camping lanterns offer between 150 to 350 lumens range for your convenience.

What are the sufficient lumens you need?

· Below 100 is enough for lighting inside a tent

· 100 lumens are sufficient to poke around the camp at night

· About 200 lumens will be fine for the tent site

· 300 plus will be best for lighting a large open space

2. Size & weight

The size & weight determines the brightness level of the lanterns. It’s better to consider smaller lanterns for backpackers, where they will provide low light and weight lesser. Lower brightness is enough for reading in the tent or having a trailside meal.

On the other hand, larger models weigh much but can light up a huge campground.

So, consider the size & weight according to your needs.

3. Water resistance

Your camping tent lights should survive the rigors of nature. They must be waterproof or equipped with water and splash resistance. Make sure, the camping lantern comes with an IPX-4 rating at least that is sufficient for casual outdoor use. It protects the lantern from splashing in any direction.

If you get something better like a lantern with an IPX-8 rating, it can be submerged up to 3 meters. So, the decision is yours.

4. Batteries and Charging

A few models allow both alkaline and lithium batteries, which is important to look at while choosing camping tent lights. Lithium rechargeable batteries work well in wet or colder conditions where alkaline loses power quickly in below 20 degrees F temperatures. So, it’s recommended to use rechargeable batteries in a cold region.

If alkaline batteries are the only options for you, keep them in a hot place like an inner pocket or sleeping bag to prevent them from getting colder.

5. The maximum light output of a camping lantern

A rechargeable camping lantern should have a maximum light output between 1000 and 2000 lumens, which is completely obscure due to the need for different lighting around the camping space.

6. Light Duration

It depends on the types of camping tent lights you have chosen first.

Gas-powered: On a single canister, a large double-mantle camping lantern with a higher setting lasts up to four hours, while a single-mantle lamp will last close to 12 hours.

Electric: It depends on the battery power that how long it will light up your territory.

7. Additional features to consider

There is no time to cheat with small knobs to do your light work. So, make sure it has large and simple buttons to work quickly and with ease.

The hanging lanterns should feature a quality loop, hook, or clip. It helps to hang the lantern trouble-free and risk-free from a branch of a tree or inside the tent.

If you choose a standing lantern, make sure it features wide, adjustable legs that provide the highest stability.

It’s better to have different light modes, multiple charging options, and portability in a rechargeable camping lantern.

Conclusion

This article reveals the types of camping tent lights along with their buying tips, so anyone can easily pick the right one. The first thing is to determine your purpose for using lanterns for outdoor camping. Now, choose the power source, lumen output, and features according to your needs on Hokolite.com.