Luci Inflatable Solar Lantern for Camping, Hiking, Preparedness

Perhaps by now you’ve seen the Luci Inflatable Solar Lantern by Mpowered. I was sent one for review and so I’ll offer my opinion on it for emergency preparedness here…

The solar lantern comes in a small package and, in fact, collapses down to a very small size which makes it nice for tossing into a bag, the back of your car, or as part of camping gear:

Luci Inflatable Solar Lantern

Since it includes a built-in solar panel all you have to do to recharge Luci is to set it in direct sunlight for up to eight hours and it will be fully charged. Granted, I’m sure the battery doesn’t last forever without being charged so expecting to rely upon it for a disaster without having been charged recently isn’t a great plan. Consider it an alternative long-term light source:

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Use couldn’t be much easier. Just pull on the provided handle to stretch it out a bit and then inflate using the included valve. It even holds air with the stopper plug out which is nice. Deflation is the reverse and doesn’t take much effort except to keep pressure on the valve to let the air out:

luci-solar-lantern-3

Luci has two brightness modes (low and high) as well as an emergency blinking mode. Sadly, there isn’t much difference in the low and high settings but the high setting is bright enough to light up the sink area in our kids small bathroom and to read by if necessary:

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Just to be sure it floated I filled our kitchen sink and let it sit in there for a while. In fact, I forgot about it and found it still floating about an hour later still working and not otherwise “sunk” which was nice… and expected:

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I later tossed it in our backyard pond (the following is with the camera flash on) and actually choose to leave it out all night (it was still floating but OFF):

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In fact, I took a few pictures with the flash OFF but it didn’t show up well. Ultimately, it’s not going to light up that much other than the surrounding few feet at best and the camera didn’t pick that up.

Why (and Why Not to) Choose a Luci Inflatable Solar Lantern?

Well, the Luci Solar Lantern is very compact, lightweight, requires no batteries, is waterproof, and can be recharged again and again using the power of the sun. It’s also relatively inexpensive at less than $15.

That said, I find it hard to say that an inflatable solar-powered lantern is a must-have for emergency preparedness. While a neat idea and one that can be fun for around the pool, hot tub, or at the lake, I don’t see any huge benefit over a typical lantern for at-home preparedness. On the go, it could be useful to toss into your bag but it wouldn’t be my first choice.

Buy this Luci inflatable solar lantern for it’s real purpose: fun times around the water. If you want a better option for a solar lantern consider the d.light LED Solar Lantern which provides quite a bit more light and is quite rugged too… not waterproof, mind you, but if you’re that worried about water protection for a solar lantern then you have bigger concerns to deal with first. 😉


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My latest book, The Survival Blueprint: How to Prepare Your Family for Disaster, can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJ49Y5X4

Comments

4 responses to “Luci Inflatable Solar Lantern for Camping, Hiking, Preparedness”

  1. Ettien

    Hi ,

    Send us our offer financial and offer technical for :

    Inflatable solar lanterns built four outdoor lightweigh collapsible waterpoof durable .without electrical wiring.
    Lightweight and portable with handle to enable carrying.
    size about 30 cm high
    body collapsible (able to collapse or fold) but still durable .
    (body option ;with possibilithy for branding with simple message or UNAMID logo)
    Brightness ; approximately 50 lumens to fully illuminate approximately 100 – 150 sp.ft
    solar charge : completely solar powered .charged by sun via solar panel.Charging within 8 hours of normal dayligh
    solar life : Up to 12 hours after charging .
    Power life : able to retain 50 % power for at least 1 month after charging , if inactive.

    settings : adjustable , should have more than one brightness setting
    waterproof : High = IP65 minimum
    Temperature Operating Range : Heat range is Up to + 50 degress centigrade

    Warranty to be provided : warranty minimum of 6 months.

    Qtity : 15000

  2. Kevin B

    Looks okay, but I prefer my LuminAID inflatable light. Used it over a year now with no issues. Folds down to pocket size. http://www.luminaid.com/

    1. I’ve seen that light but never tried it. For solar lighting I much prefer the d.light s20 I mention at the end of the post but if you’re looking for something inflatable then the Luminaid may be a good choice as well. Thanks.

  3. Sidney

    Hi Damian,
    Great review and helpful feedback! Keep up the good work.
    Thanks,

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