5 Affordable Rechargeable Lanterns For Your Next Camping Trip

When you go camping, whether roughing it solo in the backwoods or taking a glamping trip with your closest friends, there are certain items you'll want to bring for a better experience. Of course, camping safety is necessary, and a power source to keep your electronics charged should be up on your list, but there are other smaller essentials as well. For example, a reliable light source so you're not trying to use your phone's small flashlight while it's pitch black outside.

However, sometimes the problem with a light source like a lantern is that you'll need to bring batteries if it dies — just another thing to drag out into the woods with you. But with today's technology, many lanterns can hold a charge for many hours and are rechargeable. Some even come with smaller solar panels attached to them. Based on a variety of reviews from users, here are five rechargeable lanterns for your next trek out into the wilderness. A more in-depth explanation of this approach can be found at the end of this list.

Are you looking for a lantern that won't take up much room and has more than one way to charge? The LuminAID Solar Camping Lantern has two rechargeable options. You can either use the solar feature, which takes about 10 hours to recharge while in direct sunlight or use a micro USB to recharge your lantern in one to two hours. The lantern has a charging cord, so no need to worry about spending extra money. This lantern runs for $30 on both Amazon and the LuminAID website.

This lantern comes in three colors: bright white, warm white, and multicolor. Each color is 75 lumens of LED light, which can light up an area of up to 125 square feet. It is also extremely compact because it collapses flat, so it won't take up any room while not in use. Additionally, it is waterproof, so no worries if the weather gets to it. On both websites, this lantern received raving reviews from thousands of users. With that being said, one of the biggest complaints is that it wasn't bright enough for what the user needed. If you need something with more lumens, though, LuminAID offers brighter lanterns.

With over 1,400 Harbor Freight locations in the United States, sometimes it may be easier to head to your local tool store before a camping trip to get last-minute items. Harbor Freight sells Braun, a lighting company, and there are several lighting options to choose from. For the purpose of this article, we're going to discuss Braun's 2000 Lumen Rechargeable Waterproof LED Lantern. Compared to more upscale camping lanterns like the $120 Streamlight Super Siege lantern, this lantern only costs $48.

This five-in-one lantern comes with multiple types of lights in three different light modes — high, medium, and low — and can run up to 50 hours on one battery cycle on low. One of the more nifty features it comes with is the small built-in storage compartment on top, so you can place a key, cash, and even the USB cord that charges the lantern once the battery has been drained. Additionally, it can be used as a power bank.

Spending money on a product with dual purposes is always nice, especially when you want to keep your camping gear at a minimum. Costing $35, the Xumemall Camping Fan with LED Lantern has multiple uses for any avid camper to get behind. This 20,000 mAh lantern fan charges with a USB-C and can support any device that uses USB to charge as a power bank. The lantern aspect comes with three different brightness modes — if you only use low with no fan, it can last up to 120 hours before needing to be charged again. However, when you need to charge, it will take anywhere between eight to nine hours due to how large the battery is.

The fan has four wind speeds, the lowest level lasting 58 hours while not using the lantern. In terms of camping, this feature would definitely come in handy on a warm day or when you need to circulate air in your tent. However, if you're backpacking to your campsite, this lantern fan may be a bit too heavy for that type of trek.

Do you love innovation and keeping up with modern technology? Do you like bringing your solar panels camping to make sure everything stays charged and working? Lepwings Camping Solar Lantern could end up being the talk of your next camping trip with friends. With over 1,000 ratings and 1,000 purchases within the last month by Amazon shoppers, this lantern has turned into a significant piece of tech for camping. It retails for $43 and is priced on Amazon at $36.

What makes it so different from other solar lanterns is that it completely splits open, revealing two solar panels. These panels take about eight hours of sunlight to charge the lantern or three hours using a USB-C cable, which comes with the lantern. After that, it can last up to 80 hours with a 280 lumen output at a 300 square feet range. It can also be used as a 4,400 mAh power bank to charge your phone while camping. Just be aware that the more you use it as a power bank, the faster the battery will drain.

A couple of customers have said that their lanterns stopped working after a couple of uses, but the company did reach out and offer to replace them for free. It's important to remember that sometimes technology can malfunction, but having good customer service can help when it does.

Using a lantern doesn't have to mean walking around and holding it from a hook on top of the light source. There are different styles of lanterns for multiple functions. For example, the Euloca Multi-Functional Camping Lantern has two differently placed light sources that you can use in five different modes. You can turn the torchlight on high or low, the side light on high or low, or the side light as a blink red light for emergencies. Take note that even though the pictures show both lights being on, that, unfortunately, is not the case — it's one light at a time.

This 650-lumen lantern runs for the affordable price of $28 on Amazon and retails for $38. Like the other lanterns in this list, it can be used as a power bank and is rechargeable, which takes anywhere from five to six hours, given the battery size of 2,600 mAh. According to reviews, it works great as a beacon light and doesn't lose its brightness as the battery starts to run low.

The products discussed in this article were chosen based on thorough research on lanterns specifically for outdoor use like camping. The reviews come from outdoor enthusiasts who have used the lanterns during a camping trip or even in their everyday lives. None of these lanterns have less than four out of five stars, and they are all easily accessible either through online shopping or popular stores. Additionally, all of these lanterns are under $50 for one, making them an affordable choice for your next camping trip's lighting.