9 Best Camping Lanterns 2024

(Last Updated: August 13, 2020)

The fun doesn’t have to end with the day during camping. Some barbecue moments around the crackling campfire or lit moments inside the tent during the night should definitely be a part of your memorable vacation experience. However, you need a good source of light for your night sessions and a flashlight, no matter how powerful, may not just be the right tool. With good camping lanterns, you will certainly make the most of your time outdoors.

 

Jump straight to the Reviews Section

Jump straight to the Reviews Section

 

What to look for when buying lanterns for camping?

• Power source. Camping lanterns are either gas-powered or electric powered. The lanterns can either be powered by alkaline or rechargeable batteries. Solar camping lanterns are also available if you prefer to go this route. The most popular lanterns, however, are the electric-powered types as they are more convenient and safer to operate. 
• Runtime. This refers to how long the lantern will operate on a full charge before it goes off. While the manufacturer will offer runtime information on their product manuals, camping lanterns reviews will help you get a true picture. 
• Weight. Because camping lanterns are designed for the outdoor, weight is an important factor to bear in mind. Ideally, you need a compact lightweight lantern for hiking to give you an easy time and weigh in light when hung in your tent or elsewhere. Some lanterns use up to eight alkaline batteries and this contributes to their weight.
• Brightness. Brightness is measured in lumens. The average lumen requirement for an individual backpacker ranges between 100 and 200. Still, some top camping lanterns come with as high as 1000 lumens making them remarkably bright and fit for a group of campers. 
• Durability.  The camping condition is one that can leave you replacing your gear every other season. For this reason, you need hard-wearing gear, lanterns included. A good lantern should be tested for durability. Durability is a factor of the material a lantern is made of as well as its waterproofing ability.
• Controls. Some lanterns, especially the battery-powered ones are designed with adjustable brightness from low to high. Others come with more than one color of light making them more versatile.

 

Best Camping Lanterns 2024

In our review, we feature some of the best camping lanterns you’ll come across in the market. They are rugged, durable, and best of all versatile. 

 

1. LE LED Camping Lantern

LE LED camping lantern might as well be your best battery operated camping lantern thanks to its bright light. It is rated 1000 lm but the brightness is dimmable by simply long-pressing it. Designed to deliver 4 brightness modes, this lanterns will produce cool white light at 700 lm and 1000 lm, warm white light at 300 lm, and a flashing light also at 1000 lm. 

LE LED lantern is powered by three D batteries which to give between 12 and 15 hours of light on a full charge depending on the lighting mode one selects. It will shed its powerful light all round. With an IPX4 water rating, this lantern can be used well in wet conditions but with some protection. It comes with a hanging hook at the bottom and a handle at its top which also doubles up as a top hook. The lantern’s body features an anti-slip rubber layering for easy handling and an easy-press silicone button. 

Pros 

• Powerful adjustable brightness 
• Can be hung using the top and bottom hook to light a small and big space respectively
• It is water-resistant 
• 360 ° lighting 

Cons 

• There is no way to turn off the blinking indicator lights unless by taking out the batteries.

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2. Vont 2 Pack LED Portable Camping Lantern

Vont’s DL-CLL-002  lantern model will be a good option if you are looking for a lantern for your rough climb or an expedition in a relatively brutal environment. It is rugged, lightweight at only 1 lb, and compact. Made of aircraft-grade materials including tough plastic housing and two steel handle, this lantern can live through serious drops and knocks. 

It features a collapsible design which is not only functional for reducing the lantern down to the size of your mobile phone but also for adjusting its brightness. Turning it on is as simple as unfolding the handles and pulling it up. The more you pull it the brighter it becomes. This lantern is powered by three AA alkaline batteries, included in its package, that will take it through hours of illumination.

With a powerful 360° illumination thanks to the 30 tiny LEDs inside of it and a waterproof rating, there is a lot to be admired in Vont’s portable camping lanterns. 

Pros 

• Adjustable brightness and an adjustable size 
• Tough durable construction 
• Simplistic easy-to-operate design 
• Portable 

Cons

• Best for lighting your immediate surrounding and not a large space 

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3. Odoland Portable LED Camping Lantern

Quite a versatile piece this is. This lantern is a fan/light combo that illuminates your nights and cools off your scorching days. This Odoland camping lantern features a 360° rotating fan built with 4 inches fan blades to produce an incredible airflow. With the base as a source of light, this lantern is equipped with 18 LED bulbs to produce very bright light.  

This lantern is powered by two D batteries capable of taking it through 37 hours of operation depending on the element you have selected to function. The fan’s airflow is adjustable to a high or low setting and the beauty of this combo lantern is the fact that the fan and the lighting functions can both run simultaneously. Hanging camping lanterns from the hook lets you operate both functions while setting them on the base only lets you operate the fan. It features rugged construction with military-grade materials which make it a tough hard-wearing but lightweight unit. 

Pros

• Independent switch for the light and the fan gives you the flexibility of setting the light, the fan, or both
• Several ways to hang or position it
• Collapsible to a small portable size 

Cons 

• Only illuminates in one direction, not 360 °
• Light not adjustable

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4. AYL Starlight Ultra Bright LED Lantern

AYL Starlight camping lantern features quality water-resistant construction from plastic and rubber mold so that water will not easily seep through to the inside. This lantern is lightweight and is both water and shock-resistant.  It is fitted with a hanging hook at the bottom and side holders for easy set-up and handling. 

This lantern emits a bright 360° as well as directed light when the convex reflector cap is taken off. It produces 600 lm of bright light from LED bulbs. It comes with three brightness including the high, low and flashing strobe settings which are controlled with the on/off button. It is powered by three D batteries capable of taking you through 6 full days. 

Pros 

• Provides both 360 ° and focused light 
• Watertight body 
• Three lighting modes 

Cons 

• Flashing light cannot be turned off except by removing the batteries 

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5. Streamlight 44931 Siege Compact Hand Lantern

If you are looking for a lantern that will emit soft colored light to protect your eyes especially at night, Streamlight’s 44930 Siege model presents a good option. This lantern comes with two light colors each with its set of lighting modes. The White light utilizes four C4 LEDs and can be set to high, medium or low brightness. The red light utilizes one red LED and can be set to high or flashing SOS modes with the latter used mostly for emergency signaling. Still, this lantern will illuminate 360 ° with any light in any mode. It also comes with a removable cover. When the cover is taken off, the lantern illuminates a large area. 

The Siege lantern features solid compact construction which makes it a go-to option in the mini camping lanterns category. It is made of durable polycarbonate thermoplastic molded with an elastomer to prevent water from seeping inside it along with a rubber base making it non slip. The attached D-rings at the top and bottom are used for hanging it from either side. 

Powered by 3 D-Cell alkaline batteries this lantern can go up to 430 hours depending on the settings. It boasts of an IPX7 waterproof rating against splashes and short time immersion. Additional features include a battery level indicator, a recessed power button, and a keyed battery door for easy replacement even in the dark. 

Pros 

• Two different colored lights with multiple lighting modes 
• Can be hung from the top or bottom
• Removable cover that allows the lantern to illuminate a larger area 
• Waterproof 

Cons 

• Apparently, this lantern doesn’t seem to have any con which is quite impressive

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6. Lighting Ever LE LED Camping Lantern

If you are looking for a versatile lantern for your outdoor trips, LE JP3300012-DW will be useful in virtually every outdoor situation. Whether you are camping, doing a small repair after your vehicle breaks down, or fishing in the night. This lantern features a unique design with two detachable flashlight attachments, this 600 lm lantern can be used for several different purposes, focused or 360°, attached or detached. 

The JP3300012-DW is one of the rechargeable camping lanterns with extraordinary features including the built-in compass and a car charger. It features a dual charging system. It can either be powered by 1800 mAh rechargeable battery which you can easily charge on the go with the car charger or USB cable. Alternatively, use three D batteries. The detachable flashlights are powered by 3 AAA batteries each.   

Finally, metal handles make handling a lot easier and an IPX4 rating for water resistance means it is safe from water splashes. 

Pros 

• Very versatile with detachable flashlights allowing you to use it for many different purposes 
• Multiple charging options
• Impressive additional features like the built-in compass 

Cons 

• Short battery life 

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7. Internova 1000 LED Camping Lantern

Internova happens to be some of the most versatile outdoor camping lanterns. The Internova 1000 camping lantern comes with some impressive features. 1000 lm brightness which can be adjusted to four different modes including the low for when you need to relax, high with dimmer for complete illumination, red for a soothing eye-preserving night, red SOS for emergency signaling. It is powered by four D alkaline batteries which could give you up to five hours of 360 ° light depending on the mode you have set. 

Built for all-weather, these plastic camping lanterns feature a rubber-molded base making them hard-wearing, water-resistant and stable. It also comes with ergonomic rubber handles for safe and easy handling and an IPX4 rating for protection against splashes.  

Pros 

• 4 lighting modes 
• Incredibly bright 

Cons 

• Rubber handle wears out with time 

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8. Coleman Ultra Bright Quad LED Lantern

Coleman’s Quad LED lantern features four independent light panels which you can put together as one 360° lantern emitting light to a range of 26 feet. This makes it incredibly versatile and a powerful lighter as well. All four panels together produce 190 lm of light. This lantern is powered by 8 D alkaline batteries which can give you up to 75 hours of bright light or a rechargeable NiMH battery.  

Structurally, each panel is designed with an independent carry handle, an on/off switch positioned at the top, along with six 5 mm white LEDs. Still, this lantern comes with a main switch that controls all the four panels together. It features a diffused lens which tones down the glare and is protected from rain and splashing water. Overall, this is among the best LED camping lanterns for group campers. 

Pros 

• Very versatile, panels can be used independently as flashlights
• Diffused lens reduces glare 

Cons 

• Weighs in a little heavier than others at 6.15 lb
• Has only one lighting mode, not dimmable 

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9. Coleman Twin LED Lantern

This is one of Coleman’s battery-operated camping lanterns with a touch of innovation. The twin LED lantern comes with two Cree Xlamp XR-E bulbs which are textured to produce a patterned beam for a spruced up lighting experience. Quite impressively, you can customize the brightness to your liking between 390 lm on the high and 100 lm on the low between 32 ft and 19 ft range. Brightness can be adjusted using the rotary dimmer switch.  

This lantern is powered by eight D batteries for up to 299 hours run time on fresh batteries depending on your setting. It comes with a water-resistant rating for protection from rain and splashing water. 

Pros 

• Customized brightness 
• Long run time on the low setting 

Cons 

• 8 batteries add in some weight on the lantern 

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10. Tough Light LED Rechargeable Lantern

Capable of producing up to 400 lm from its Cree LED bulb, Tough Light lantern is one of the electric camping lanterns to look out for. This lantern is flexibly rechargeable from your car or from the 6000 mAh Li-ion battery. Its package includes a USB power bank to charge your phone, laptop, or camera along with 2 USB cables. 

This lantern comes with six lighting modes including high, low, medium, SOS and red high and red flashing modes. On the low setting, this lantern has an amazing run time of up to 200 hours. Made of military-grade plastic and rubber mold, this lantern is both tough and water-resistant to IPX6 rating. Other incredible features in this lantern include an indicator light, battery level indicator, a charging cable storage integrated into the lantern, and an additional utility hook. 

Pros 

• 6 lighting modes 
• Saves the cost of battery replacement since it is rechargeable
• Comes with an emergency cell phone USB charger 

Cons 

• Cannot charge using regular batteries and so will be off until when recharged

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Conclusion 

Most camping lanterns for sale come with unique features, therefore, the best for you may not be the best for someone else. Bottom line, lanterns are definitely very much needed emergency preparedness tools both for the outdoors and indoors during blackouts. It is important to note that though most are solidly built, you need to handle them with care for them to give you years of useful service.