Rechargeable Lanterns

What makes a rechargeable lantern different

A rechargeable lantern gets its power from a lithium-ion battery and a cable, not from a pack of cells. That's the whole difference from a battery-operated lantern, and it changes the questions. You stop asking which cells it takes and start asking how big the battery is, how long it takes to fill, and what happens when it's cold.

The general lantern basics, like lumens for a tent or a table and why hanging beats sitting on the table, are on the camping lantern page. This page is about living with the battery.

The table on this page lists lanterns whose maker or Amazon listing says they have a rechargeable battery, longest runtime first. You'll see lumens, runtime, the battery type, water rating, shape, dimming steps, the hook, weight and how many come in the box. The maker's numbers come first and the Amazon listing's fill gaps (marked as listing values); a dash means neither states it.

What to look at in a rechargeable lantern

Read the table with these questions in mind.

Built-in battery or removable cell

The Power column tells you which kind of rechargeable you're looking at. There are a few:

• Built-in battery: sealed inside, charged through a port
• Removable cell: a standard lithium-ion cell, often an 18650 or 21700, that comes out
• Hybrid: a rechargeable battery plus a slot for AA cells as backup
• Solar plus USB: a small panel tops it up, with a port for the rest

A built-in battery is simple and usually better sealed. One maker's manual is blunt about it: the battery is built in, and you shouldn't try to remove or replace it. The trade is that when that battery wears out, the lantern is done.

A removable cell can be swapped for a charged spare in seconds. That's handy on a long trip. It also means you're handling a loose lithium-ion cell, so it needs a case, not a pocket full of keys.

A hybrid is the in-between: a rechargeable pack, plus a slot for AA cells for the night it runs flat. Solar lanterns are their own thing and have their own inflatable solar lantern page.

Battery size and charging time

Makers list battery size in milliamp-hours (mAh), sometimes in watt-hours (Wh) too. Bigger means more stored energy, a heavier lantern and a longer charge. Two lantern manuals I read both list a 4,400 mAh battery. One gives about 5 hours to charge; the other says 5 to 6 hours. One of them also lists the battery as 16.08 Wh.

That charging time is the number to remember. A dead rechargeable lantern is not a quick fix at camp. It's an evening plugged into the truck.

Charging port and the indicator light

Look at the port before you buy. Both manuals I read use micro USB; other lanterns use USB-C. Either works, but the cable in your truck has to match, and a lantern with an odd cable is one lost cable away from being useless. (I have a coffee can full of cables at home. Not one of them fits the thing I'm holding.)

The charge indicator matters more than it sounds. One maker uses a flashing blue light while charging and four blue lights when it's full; another uses a light that flashes while charging and goes solid when done. A lantern that shows its charge level is a lantern you won't be surprised by.

One maker says its lantern charges best with the light switched off. You can use it while it charges, but the charge takes longer.

Runtime by mode, not the headline

The Max runtime column is the longest the maker or the listing states, usually on the lowest setting. Under the ANSI FL1 standard, runtime counts until the output drops to 10% of where it started.

One maker's manual for a rechargeable lantern shows how wide the spread is on a single charge:

• High: about 2 hours 45 minutes
• Medium: about 6 hours 30 minutes
• Low: about 15 hours

Quick math with that chart: if dark to bedtime at deer camp runs longer than 2 hours 45 minutes, and in November it does, high won't make it. Medium lasts more than twice as long on the same charge. That's why the mode chart matters more than the number on the box.

Power bank output: the lantern that charges your phone

Some rechargeable lanterns have a USB output and double as a power bank. One maker lists its output at 5V and 1A. Another says its lantern can charge other USB devices but runs at its lowest brightness while it does. A third says to use only one port at a time while charging.

It's a useful feature at a camp without outlets. Just remember the math: every bit of charge your phone takes comes out of the lantern's night.

Max output and dimming

Max output is in lumens, the total light the lantern makes. BioLite's lantern guide suggests 75 to 150 lumens inside a tent and 200 to 500 on a table. Rechargeable lanterns often have the headroom for a bright top setting, but the dimming steps are what you'll use. A lantern with several steps lets you pick the one that lasts.

Water rating and hook

Water ratings follow the IPX scale. Streamlight's FL1 summary says IPX4 covers splashes from any direction and IPX7 covers temporary immersion in about 1 meter of water. On a rechargeable lantern, check whether the charging port has a cover; an open port is where the water gets in. A hook or loop lets it hang from a tent ceiling, which is where a lantern does its best work.

Getting a rechargeable lantern ready for a trip

A rechargeable camping lantern asks for about ten minutes of attention before each trip. Here's the routine I'd use.

1. Charge it fully the night before you leave. With charge times of 5 hours or more in the manuals, the morning of is too late.
2. Check the indicator lights, not your memory. The lights tell you it's full; your memory tells you it's probably fine.
3. Run each mode once at home, so you know which step is medium and how bright it is.
4. Pack the cable that fits the port, plus a car charger or a power bank that can refill it.
5. Unplug it once it's full. Leaving a charged battery on the charger shortens its life, per one maker's manual.
6. At camp, hang it and run it on the lowest step that does the job.
7. Plug it in on the drive home, so it's ready when the next trip comes up.

That last step is the one people skip. (Walt has never skipped it, because Walt has never once charged anything. He just borrows mine.)

Rechargeable lanterns in the cold

Lithium-ion batteries have opinions about temperature. One maker's manual lists a charging range of 0°C to 45°C (32°F to 113°F) and a much wider range for running the lantern, -20°C to 60°C (-4°F to 140°F). New York's state lithium-ion safety guide says not to charge at temperatures below 32°F or above 105°F.

So at a cold camp, use the lantern outside if you like, but charge it in a warm place: the truck cab with the heater on, or the cabin. Another maker notes battery performance may drop well below freezing. If the lantern looks dim at dawn, warm it up before you decide the battery is shot.

Charging a rechargeable lantern safely

Charge lithium-ion batteries where you can watch them, and unplug them when they're full. Stop using a battery that's swollen, hot, hissing or smells odd.

New York's safety guide lists the rules plainly. Use the charger that came with the device or one the maker approves. It also says never to leave them charging unattended or overnight while you sleep. Plug directly into a wall outlet, not a power strip. Don't charge on a bed or a couch. Check for cracked cases, and look for swelling, extreme heat, popping or hissing sounds and strange smells as warning signs. Never put lithium-ion batteries in household trash; the guide points to battery recycling drop-offs instead.

One lantern maker adds a battery-life rule: don't leave a fully charged battery connected to the charger, because it shortens the battery's lifetime.

Putting it away for the summer

A lantern that spends June to October in a bin still needs a little attention. One maker recommends storing its lantern at 59°F to 77°F and says extreme cold or heat shortens battery life. It also notes that a charged battery loses charge over time when unused.

So don't leave it in the truck in August or the shed in January. Top it up before it goes into storage, check it at the start of the season, and charge it fully the week before your first trip. A sticky note on the bin with the last charge date helps. (Renee says my sticky notes have sticky notes. She's not wrong.)

Who a rechargeable lantern is for

Weekend campers with a charger in the truck

If you camp from a vehicle or a cabin with power, a rechargeable lantern is easy. Plug it in on the drive home, and it's ready next time. No battery runs, no drawer of half-dead cells.

Groups who want a phone charger too

A lantern with a power bank output earns its weight at a camp with no outlets. It's one less thing to pack. Just decide ahead of time whose phone gets charged first, because at a camp table that's the real argument, not the lumens.

Tents and blinds with kids in them

An LED rechargeable lantern makes no flame and no fumes, so it's the lantern for inside a tent or a ground blind. Put it on a low setting, hang it from a loop, and let the kid hold the switch. It's the one piece of gear they'll want to be in charge of.

Who should skip it

If the lantern will sit in an emergency bin for months, a battery-operated one is the safer bet, for the self-discharge reason above. If you camp far from any outlet for a week, the charging time works against you. And if you lose cables the way I lose cables, think hard about that port.

Here's my one opinion on this page: a rechargeable lantern needs a backup light with spare batteries. The reason is in the manuals. One lists about 5 to 6 hours to charge, and another lists a charging range that starts at freezing. A lantern that dies on a cold night at camp isn't coming back before morning. A small headlamp with fresh cells covers that gap, and the rechargeable headlamp page explains the same trade on the head.

Charge it on the way home, hang it from the tent loop, run it on medium. That's the whole manual, and it fits on a sticky note.