The fine folks over at MPowered asked me about reviewing an inflatable solar lantern. Of course I am. What a neat concept. I’ve been playing around with it for a few weeks now. Testing out the features. Trying to use it in my daily life. Sadly I forgot to take it out to Dual Homestead for an overnighter. Another reason that packing lists are so good. I have used it at home as a lamp. Finally I’m ready to tell you guys about it. So let’s have a closer look at the Luci inflatable solar lantern.

Luci Inflatable Solar Lantern

The Luci is a small inflatable lantern weighing only 4 oz. The bottom of the lantern has a solar panel. The control button is on the panel. You have three light modes. A low, High and beacon mode setting. Luci has a 10ft lighting area. A 3.7vdc lithium battery stores the solar energy. On the bright setting you can get 12 hours of light. There are 10 led lights for a 65 lumen light output. The Luci is waterproof and durable.

Uses

For grid down uses this would be great. I think every blackout kit should have a luci inflatable solar lantern. Especially if the power is out more than a day. During the day set it out to charge and use for light all night. During my testing I have not charged it or ran out of power. I have used it as a table lamp at night. It gives out enough light to move around. Sitting next to it you could read. Conserving power during a blackout is important. Trying to light up your entire house is ridiculous.

I don’t think the ultralight backpackers will be adopting this light. 4 oz is light and it does pack flat when not inflated. I see this more for car camping. It will light up a tent easy. It you had a few you could light up a whole campsite. You can take it out into the woods for a late night bathroom break.

Cons

I have a few issues with the light. Cycling the button through all the settings turns it off. This makes the control more simple in terms of circuitry. More an annoyance to the user though. I also have issues with the battery. Being sealed shut keeps you from changing the battery on the Luci Solar Lantern. I know lithium batteries have a finite life span. Eventually the battery will die and the device will no longer work. At that point I would salvage parts from it. I simply prefer changeable batteries. Another reason I don’t care for the IPhone.