The Best Camping Lanterns for When Camp Fires Won’t Do

Look, stop thinking of us as nature haters or some spoilsport blog trying to steal a fulfilling camping experience away from you. We love a good fire as much you do. But we cannot look away from the safety hazards a campfire poses and the possibilities that have been embedded in camping lanterns. And hey! We are not just offering you the best camping lantern in 2022 and leaving you to suffer through the bunch; we have prepared a guide that will lead you through the whole shopping experience in a little over three minutes. So whether you are here looking to change your old lantern, or you were excited by our review and want to get into the world of multi-functional camping lanterns as quickly as possible, you’ll find our in-depth buyer’s guide very useful.

What Are the Types of Camping Lanterns?

Lanterns come in various sizes and shapes, with camping lanterns leading the way in recent years. Before choosing a camping lantern we believe you will need good information about the types of lanterns and their properties, so you know what you are looking at.

Compact lanterns

Campers who don’t pack like they’re moving out and anyone who likes to travel light will find compact lanterns as an ideal match for them. These portable and easily packable convenient lanterns can serve as an alternative source of light. They are also quite useful under the tent and can serve as inside lighting for reading and keeping warm in your tent. Some backpacking lanterns are bright enough to reach out of your tent so that any rabid animal lurking around would be scared off. Their portability makes them easy to carry around, and whenever nature calls at odd hours, you are prepared with a light in hand to lead you to a place of ease. They are also great for car camping when you have limited space. 

Rechargeable lanterns

Rechargeable camping lanterns are an excellent alternative to traditional gas-powered lanterns. A rechargeable LED camping lantern can stay at full brightness for long hours after it has been charged, and some will keep on for many days, depending on the battery life of the specific model. Rechargeable lamps are a camper’s favorite because they don’t interfere with your camping experience but instead, add to it some security and assuredness. A camping lantern with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery is the chief of all lanterns and will fit into any camping trip.

Battery-powered lanterns

Rechargeable camping lanterns in all their power and might are still rivaled by the humble alkaline battery. These types of lanterns are simple in design and convenient to use. At any given time, you can swap out the replaceable batteries for new ones. Most notably, they serve longer than rechargeable lanterns. They may not have a USB port, music players, headphone jacks, and other modern conveniences boasted of by rechargeable lanterns, but these lanterns hold their own because of the extended battery life.

Electric lanterns

Electric lanterns aren't very popular nowadays, since the other models are much more convenient. However, one benefit of the electric lanterns is that you don't have to worry about their battery life, because they don't use batteries. These may be good for car camping if you can find a model that works with your car's electrical outlets. 

Solar lanterns

Remember when we decorated rechargeable lanterns as a convenient alternative? Well, all of the reasons we gave for that and more can be attributed to solar lamps. These innately convenient lanterns feature the same lithium battery technology that rechargeable models have and still have the option to be charged using the sun’s rays and their mini solar panel. And because of their modernistic design, they can dissipate all of their stored solar energy into your phones, tablets, or GPS devices for a quick recharge. We recommend solar lanterns for long-distance backpackers.

Check the video below to know about the difference between a solar camping lantern that uses a solar panel and hand crank camping lantern.

Candle lanterns

There is no longer much need for candle lanterns anymore, now that battery- and solar-operated models are so mainstream. However, it may useful to keep just one candle lantern on hand just in case – for example, if the power goes out and none of the batteries for your other lanterns are charged. They do make a very cute decoration on the picnic table for a little added ambience, though. 

Gas-powered camping lanterns

Hands down the oldest, most common type of camping lantern. This tried-and-true cult classic brings a little more warmth and exciting nostalgia to your camping experience like none other. They tend to be heavier than the other lanterns we previously mentioned, and are not as portable. Gas lanterns may not charge your phone, but what they bring is beyond all modern distractions. They take you back to the old days when camping was not just fun but necessary. The nostalgia that comes with lighting up a rugged gas lantern is incomparable.

How Do You Choose a Camping Lantern?

Ultimately, we need camping lanterns for roughly the same purpose (you know, lighting your campsite up). Technology has made it a bit more challenging to choose between lamps because nowadays, the average camping lantern can do much more than light up. There are a few features that set the good ones apart, and we will be discussing the essential determinants of a good lantern below.

Brightness

This one goes without saying, but not every lantern deemed “super bright” by the manufacturer is, you know, super bright. So to be able to firmly tell if lamp A is brighter than lamp B, you need to know about a standard light measurement for brightness called “lumens.”

To save you the long-winding mathematics and the rest of the boring stuff on how lumens are calculated, you only need to know one thing; the more the lumens, the brighter the light. When shopping, you shouldn't get a light below 400 lumens, and more is always better than less. But more than 1,000 lumens is not quite better than less because lanterns that bright are just too bright for reasons we will discuss in our next topic.

Adjustability

The versatility of adjustable brightness is something that some camping lanterns can achieve with a dial (the same purpose your dimmer switch serves at home). This property of lanterns is key to a great camping experience. Some camping lanterns also have pre-set brightness modes for different lighting situations like medium, low, or even strobe.

Good camping lanterns like the ones we reviewed are extra bright and subtle as mood lights. Adjustable lanterns also tend to live longer, save more energy, and give you control over your day-to-day energy usage, which is something that should be taken very seriously when camping. You don't want to run out of light on your first night. This brings us to our next point.

Runtime

A lantern's runtime is how long it has been proven to last after a full charge without swapping, refueling, or recharging. The longer the runtime the better. A lanterns runtime is also affected by its adjustability.. For example, a rechargeable LED lantern using a lithium-ion battery with a runtime of 10 hours on its highest setting may serve for 60 hours on its low setting.

Size and weight

In a perfect world, lanterns with the same brightness, adjustability, and runtime would be just as portable and heavy as the other, but every lantern has extra features that tend to tilt the balance of size and weight. We recommend you take this into consideration when making a purchase. For example, car camping will require a lamp that doesn’t need to be backpacked or carried for long distances, giving you a higher selection of runtimes and brightness. On the flip side, a more portable, compact, or lightweight camping lantern will offer less brightness levels and runtime.