Backpacking Lantern

If you're going to buying a backpacking lantern for your next trip, or any other kind of camping lantern, there are a number of things you'll need to take into consideration. Ask yourself whether weight and size are the most important factors, or are you hoping to get the most light instead? The type of backpacking lantern you choose is going to depend on what kind of camping you're doing.

We've had camping lanterns around for a long time, though the earliest ones used candles, gas lanterns, and fuels such as kerosene. The electric lantern and lanterns that run on butane and propane have been around a shorter time, though they're extremely familiar to most of us. Now, however, we're running into lanterns with extremely powerful rechargeable batteries and ones that use LEDs to produce a reasonably bright light without a lot of weight or bulk. All kinds of technological advances are making our camping experience a lot better.

If you're not going to need the light weight that comes with a backpacking lantern, and you'll be carrying a fuel stove, you should consider one that uses the same kind of fuel as your stove. That way, you can bring just one fuel and save a lot of space. There are a few duel fuel lanterns that will use more than one fuel, such as white gas or unleaded gasoline. There are two basic types of globe for lanterns that burn fuel: glass and metal mesh. Glass allows more light through, but is more fragile, while metal is more durable but dimmer. Remember, when you purchase a camping lantern of any kind, you're going to need to bring additional batteries, bulbs, fuel and mantles, plus anything else you need to keep yours in top condition. After all, no one wants to have to deal with a broken lantern in the middle of nowhere.

If light weight is a concern, you have a couple of options. Some people choose candle lanterns as backpacking lanterns, since they weight only a few ounces. However, they don't put out a lot of light and they may flicker and be otherwise unreliable. They're safer than an open flame, however, don't take up much space, and are extremely inexpensive. They're also used by some people at reenactment camping events, where a modern lamp would be inappropriate.

If you want reliability and safety, you're going to want to avoid flames entirely, of course, especially if you're camping in a modern nylon tent or a canvas one with waterproofing. After all a tipped over lantern is a real problem. Fortunately, an LED lantern or small battery lantern is a great choice, and will provide much needed light on the trail. These are probably the best choice if you're going to be looking for a good backpacking lantern. They can't match the blinding light of some flame lanterns, but most of us don't need that. Try a lower intensity, lightweight light and you'll get along just fine.