When the lights go out, are you prepared? Having adequate lighting for emergency and leisure activities is paramount. After my father passed away in 2015, one of the ways I wanted to make sure my mother was taken care of was just in case there was some sort of an emergency. One of the items I ended up getting Mom was one of these Etekcity Camping Lanterns.
An easy illumination option
I caught the pair of lanterns on a whim. I wanted to have something that was easy to use, not heavy, and portable enough for a woman with mobility issues. I got a set of these lanterns, gave one to Mom and another to my sister. Sadly, the lantern I got Mom ended up returning to me in 2017.
I’ve kept and used the Etekcity Camping Lantern for the last several years and I’m pretty impressed by it. There are a whole slew of small, light weight, LED lanterns for sale online, this just happens to be the one that I purchased.
Features
The lantern boasts having 30 LED bulbs and puts out an advertised 130 lumen of light. This is not a “stare into the sun” amount of light, however it’s enough to brighten up a small dark room, or the inside of a tent.
In order to turn the lantern on and off, this is achieved by pulling on the handles when folded up, while holding onto the base. The lantern lens and light fixture will extend from the housing, and will turn on when fully open/extended.
Per advertising, the lantern will run for 50 hours prior to needing to change out the batteries. The unit runs on three AA batteries. As always, it’s a good idea to keep spare fresh batteries on hand in case the ones being used need to be changed out.
Perfect for emergency use, work, and or outdoor activities
Besides being a great companion for emergency purposes and outdoor activities, the lantern could be handy in occupational settings where there might be no or limited light. Would be good to use when working in crawl spaces, attics, or when doing electrical work and lighting is secured.
The quick and dirty
Pluses: Easy to use. Inexpensive. Portable. Reasonably priced. Bright enough for most purposes.
Minuses: Runs on disposable batteries. Not designed to completely light up an entire space.
The Etekcity Camping Lantern has become a good little companion that’s lasted me several years. Would I buy this lantern again? Yes. I’d get another one for myself and or for a family member or friend. They are reasonably priced enough to have several on hand to loan out during youth or group outdoor activities like campouts. This is a product I’d recommend to people to have around “just in case,” and for any other times it might be needed.
Product information from the Etekcity product page on Amazon:
About this item
- Bright & Dimmable：Equipped with 30 bright LED bulbs, this lantern can get as bright as 140 lumens with a 360° lighting effect to dispel the darkness during emergencies like storms, power outages, etc.
- Long Lasting: Powered by 3 well-charged AA batteries, this lantern can be used as a emergency light which provides up to 50 hours of bright light
- Compact & Lightweight: With its collapsible design, the lantern is portable like a smartphone which makes it an ideal camping supply and it’s lightweight; Easily pack it in your backpack while camping or hiking
- Durable & Water Resistant: This LED lantern is constructed with military-grade ABS material which provides it the capability to survive from dropping and getting wet; This lantern is FCC certified and RoHS compliant as well.
- Extra Storage: Store keys, change, or spare batteries in the convenient storage compartment at the top of the lantern
