[Paddlewise] LED Camp Lantern

I like to read at night but my wife likes to just roll over and go right to
sleep. We've managed to get through 33 years of marriage by living with this
situation but when we're camping and I use my LED headlamp for reading she
gets annoyed because every time I turn or change my head position the light
in the tent changes. She would prefer I use a lantern even though it lights
up more of the tent because at least it's constant but our only lantern is a
flourescent model and is large and bulky making it inconvenient for
backpacking or kayaking.

With the proliferation of LED lights (flashlights, headlamps, etc) I have
been expecting low-cost camping lanterns to appear in the sporting-goods
sections of the local department stores. The other day I looked at Big 5
(nada) and then Wal-Mart (bingo!).

The Wal-Mart here is offering several LED lanterns from about $25 to under
$50. I chose a "Garrity" (is there someone in China named Garrity?) 20 LED
model for about $42 and brought it home to test it. The key, of course, is
whether I can read in bed by the light.

This particular lantern has some nifty features. There are several methods
for re-charging: 1) add new AA batteries (3 come with the unit); 2) Use the
provided DC charger from your cigarette lighter plug; 3) Use the provided AC
charger in your house; and, 4) Use the hand-crank. The last one is
particularly handy for kayakers and was instrumental in the choice.

The lantern has 20 LEDs but only 16 of them are "white" for reading or
lighting up your camp. The other four are red and indicate charging or can
be switched as a "flasher" for emergency use on the highway. The white LEDs
can be dimmed or brightened to suit your use but while it's bright enough to
read by in the tent they aren't going to spread light around like a propane
or white-gas mantle lantern will.

Another nifty feature is the built-in AM/FM radio (with speaker) and an
extendable whip antenna. I tested the radio and it worked on both bands
picking up local stations. No weather radio, however.

There is also a cell-phone charger system that I have not tried to test.

The unit is about 12 inches high (including the handle) and about 4 inches
in diameter at the base. It's very lightweight and packs away easily into a
small dry-bag (Wal-Mart is also selling those, btw).

The specifications show the following:

                  Hand Crank Time          Useage Time
   Light                 1 min                          6 min
   Radio                1 min                          7 min
   Cell Chg            1 min                          2 min
   3 AA Alk Batteries                               8 hrs
   AC/DC                                                 12 hrs

Essentially, one minute of cranking gives you 6 minutes of light or 7
minutes of radio or 2 minutes of cell phone usage.

We are going to do an overnight camping trip at upper Priest Lake (northern
Idaho) and I'll be able to give you all a better idea of how the lantern
worked in a real-world camping situation. But for the price, this looks like
a good deal for anyone who wants light at night in a device that is
relatively compact, light in weight and that won't burn your tent down.


Craig Jungers
Royal City, WA
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