How to Choose a Solar Camping Lantern? The Complete Guide

So you’ve made the brilliant decision of buying a solar lantern to make your camping experience fabulous? You need to know what to look for when choosing a good one.

A bright, sturdy, weatherproof, and user-friendly solar lantern would make a perfect choice for camping.

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Factors such as size, weight, light quality, and ambiance, charging and running time depend on how you intend to use your solar lantern.

Whether you’re are caravanning, tenting, or just staying out in the open, you can rely on a solar camping lantern for all your lighting needs.

A solar camping lantern is something you can set on a picnic table and play card games, read a newspaper or enjoy your favorite drink catching up with friends, effortlessly.

What is a Solar Camping Lantern, and How Does It Work?

A solar camping lantern is a product that uses solar energy and converts it into the light to be used for various camping lighting needs. The lantern is made up of three main components:

A solar cell (can be at the top or bottom of the lantern).
A battery (usually integrated into the lantern)
Lighting element such as LED bulb(s)

The working principle is a simple 3-steps process:

The solar cell collects sunlight and converts it to a current
The current charges the integrated battery
The battery powers the lighting element

How to Use a Solar Camping Lantern?

To use a solar camping lantern, you must:

First, charge it by placing it in an area where there’s plenty of sun. You can do this during the day when you’re not leaving your camping site
Usually, it’ll take 5-7 hours to fully charge the lantern using solar energy
During the night, you just need to switch the lantern on and use it to illuminate the area as you do your night camping activities
A good solar lantern should last at least a whole night when fully charged.

Charging a USB Solar Lantern

If you have a solar lantern that supports USB charging, you can plug it in and fast-track the process of charging with wall charging, it’ll take around 2 hours to charge fully.

If the USB ports are two-way, you can connect your mobile phone and charge it when you’re off-grid.

Types of Solar Camping Lanterns

There’re 3 main types of solar camping lanterns: compressible, fixed, and string lights.

Let’s discuss each briefly:

Compressible solar lanterns: Also called inflatable solar lanterns, these are highly flexible models that can be compressed all the way down. Compressible lanterns are the most common and they stand out for their great portability.

Fixed solar lanterns: Most traditional camping lanterns are ‘fixed’, meaning that they can’t be compressed in any form.

While these may take more space, there’re compact options that you can go for, especially if you’re a backpacker.

String lights: These are the new add-on to the scene of solar camping. They’re literally strings of small LEDs that you can use to surround your entire camping site.

Solar Camping Lanterns Vs. Gas-Powered Camping Lanterns

Factor	Solar camping lantern	Gas-powered camping lantern
Source of power	Powered by the sun	Powered by fuels such as propane, kerosene, or white gas
Portability	Lightweight and compact	Heavier and bulky
Sturdiness and durability	Sturdy and very durable	The mantles can easily break
Initial cost	Higher if extra batteries are needed	Relatively cheaper
Long term cost-effectiveness	Highly cost-effective. Uses a free natural resource	Costly since you have to keep buying the fuel
Safety	Safe health-wise and to the environment. Suitable for all forms of camping	Can pollute the environment. Can’t be used in tents due to ventilation and flammability issues
Light or warmth	Provides only light only	Provides both light and warmth

If you compare solar and gas-powered offers, you’ll clearly understand why people are shifting from using propane lanterns to solar lanterns for camping.

What to consider choosing a good Solar Camping Lantern?

To get the best solar camping lantern, you first need to evaluate your camping lighting needs. Ask yourself the following questions:

Do I need task lighting for, say, 30 minutes of cooking or reading, or a bright lantern to keep me all night long?
How often will I need lighting when camping?
Do I need an all-in-one unit with a good deal of additional features or just a basic model?
How do I usually go camping? Backpacking, or do I use a caravan?
How’s my camping? Tent or open air?
For how long do I go camping on average?
What’s my budget?

With the answers to these questions in mind, you can evaluate the following specs to know the kind of lantern that’ll entirely address your needs.

What specs to focus on choosing an ideal Solar Camping Lantern?

Size and Weight

If you’re a backpacker, choose a compact and lightweight solar lantern. On the other hand, if you are a caravan or van camper, size and weight should not really bother you.

Collapsible solar lanterns weigh even less than a pound.

Batteries

You have several options, including:

NiMH cells
NiCd
Lithium-ion

Lithium-ion batteries are preferable since they offer steady/ balanced charging and a smooth USB experience.

No one wants to keep a solar panel setup at the campsite to try and get the batteries charged each and every day. Therefore, invest in several batteries and charge a couple before you hit the road.

Quality of Lighting

Solar camping lanterns are configured to produce a specific type of light. Some have sharp light, while others have soft and cold light. The choice here will depend on your preference.

Charging Options

Most solar camping lanterns sold today have multiple charging options. The standard charging option is through a solar cell embedded in the lantern itself or sold separately.

The other options are USB charging from a plug or adapter charging from a car power outlet. A solar rechargeable lantern with other charging options is highly convenient to use.

Charging Time

This depends on the panel size and the current it produces. Even so, most solar camping lanterns will require around 5-7 hours to charge with solar and 2 hours to charge with USB.

For best results with solar charging, keep the lantern strategically outside (in an open area with no shade). If you must cover the lantern, use a transparent bag.

Running Time

This is the time a solar camping lantern will stay on while on its highest brightness or battery setting. For the best camping experience, choose lanterns that run all night long.

Thanks to improved manufacturing technology, there’re solar lanterns that can last even two days with a single charge or with a new set of batteries.

Waterproof Property

A solar camping lantern will stay outside most of the time, so there’s a need to choose one that’s waterproof.

Sturdiness

This is the ability of the lantern to withstand harsh outdoor conditions. Go for a nice compact solar lantern, preferably one with a metal build.

LED

If you want to improve your camping experience, pick solar camping lanterns that you can change colors. Yellow-orange colors blend well with campfires, so you can consider buying a lantern with this form of lighting.

Brightness

Night time is very crucial for all types of campers.

Choose a bright outdoor solar camping lantern that offers at least a 5-10’ radius of brightness. It’ll give you the best experience camping at night.

Portability

Just like most camping equipment, a solar lantern should not take much of your space.

As mentioned above, a collapsible model is an excellent choice for a solar camping lantern.

Extra Features

Automatic lighting

A solar lantern that switches off at night and during the day will improve your camping experience even more.

Mobile charging capabilities

While this feature is not offered in all models, a solar lantern that can charge your mobile phone when you’re off-grid is superb. A solar camping lantern with two-way USB ports and standard charging capabilities will significantly perk up your camping experience.

Various light options

You can also consider a solar lantern that you can change the brightness level (brighten or dim) or set to flashing for a camp party. These seemingly little details are what will improve your overall camping experience.

Common Ratings Used for Solar Camping Lanterns

Rating	Description	Recommendation
IP (Ingress Protection)rating	This is the measure of the protection the solar lantern will have against solid objects and liquids (mainly water). The rating shows the suitability of the solar lantern for camping.	For outdoor lighting, choose solar-powered lanterns rated IP65. It shows that the lantern is perfectly protected against outdoor elements
Lumens	This is a measure of the actual brightness of a solar lantern.	100 lumens (around 20 W) is considered enough for outdoor lighting and can be applied for basic camping tasks such as cooking, reading, and setting up a tent. If you want high brightness and clarity when running your night camping activities, a 200 lumens solar lantern will be more than perfect for you.

Cost Considerations

The cost is the last factor that you should focus on when choosing your perfect solar camping lantern.

Obviously, you wouldn’t want something that’s too expensive that it’ll hurt your budget. Similarly, there’s no need to go for a too cheap model that’ll likely fail you either when charging or when you need to use it.

Most solar lanterns for camping fall at the $20-$40 price range. The exact amount you’ll spend will depend on the features we discussed above. The more features you get, the more the lantern will cost.

For the rechargeable solar batteries, expect to pay around $12 for a 12 pack of 1000mAh, 1.2V batteries.

Lifespan and Maintenance of a Solar Camping Lantern?

A standard solar camping lantern will serve you for at least 10 years. The batteries may need replacement halfway through the lifetime of the lantern, but still, the cost-effectiveness of using a solar camping lantern is superb in the long run.

The exceptional longevity offered by solar camping lanterns really gives them an edge over other conventional camping lanterns.

If you pick a sturdy outdoor protected model, it should be maintenance-free. Even so, it would help if you did the following to increase the lifespan of your lantern:

Clean it regularly with a soft cloth.
Inspect the lantern severally and ensure that everything is intact
Replace the in-built battery when its efficiency is insufficient

Benefits & Drawbacks of Solar Camping Lanterns

Benefits

Wondering how good solar camping lanterns are? Here are some of their benefits:

Lightweight, compact and portable
Can be used to charge other devices such as a mobile phone
Highly durable
Very cost effective in the long run
So many options to choose from
Many outperform their size for brightness
Safe to use as they are flameless and use clean solar energy

Drawbacks

Here is the flip side of solar camping lanterns:

Short battery life compared to the lantern’s lifespan
Collapsible models are not satisfactorily long-lasting
Solar charging takes a long time and hence a USB charging option or extra batteries are always needed
The USB ports of some models may get damaged with time

Are solar camping lanterns chargeable from the plug? or automobile?

Nowadays, solar camping lanterns support multiple charging. They can be charged directly with solar from a solar panel or USB from the plug. Some can even be plugged into a car using an adapter.

By choosing these multi-charge support models, camping lighting becomes highly convenient.

For how long can a solar camping lantern produce energy per full charging?

Expect at least 5 hours to a whole night running time for a standard model. If you choose the premium ones, they can clock even 50 hours of running time.

Conclusion

Camping is extremely good for your health. You’ll enjoy the fresh air as you connect with nature and your mood will be significantly elevated.

A good solar camping lantern will improve your night camping experience and allow you to enjoy these benefits optimally.

Regardless of the model, the best solar camping lantern is the one that fulfills all your camping lighting needs comprehensively. There you have it. Happy camping!