A recent trip away camping gave us the opportunity for review to test out a little lantern that my wife had for review purposes. Normally I would not give my views on a product that she was testing, however as this was relevant to my usual subject matter and also something of a revelation, I decided this should be an exception to the rule.
Basically what we have here is a small inflatable, solar powered lantern, which struck me as a recipe for disaster, however I was in for a shock. Possibly my lack of enthusiasm could be put down to experiences of solar powered lights of a few years ago, apparently though things have advanced rapidly.
The lantern itself is about 10cms square on the top and around 12cms high when inflated, pull out the plug and it packs flat for transport. As the picture shows it comes with a hanging strap and a small solar panel on the top. It weighs about 100g which combined with its small size would make it ideal for backpacking, although on this occasion it was being used in the family tent.
The real question is though, how well does it work. Embarrassingly, considering my preconceptions, it is brilliant.
The lantern was charged during the day and supplied a bright light throughout the evening, due to being inflatable it is also quite robust, ideal for carrying around at a festival or out in the wilds. It is easy to inflate, although tricky to get the stopper in without losing some air, not a problem that impacts on its use at all though. We did find that the switch could be a bit hit and miss on occasions, but generally speaking it was fine.
Would I recommend it, absolutely, in fact this little lantern has made me a real convert, it can obviously be used for camping, great for fishing and I suspect you could float it in the bath if the electric was out, not that I tested that however. It seems very robust, light and is ideal for keeping in a rucksack or jacket once charged, smashing little bit of kit quite frankly.
Andy
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