The 10 Best Camping Lanterns

For most campers, the BioLite AlpenGlow 500 gives a calm, pleasant light to sit under at dinner. Its frosted shell spreads a soft glow in warm or cool white, plus a candle flicker and colors. Two major outdoor gear sites call it their best overall lantern, and its charging port has held up through years of hard use. It can top up a phone. It still charges through an old micro-USB port and lasts about five hours on high.

The Coleman Classic Rechargeable keeps the shape of an old gas lantern but runs on a built-in battery, so a family campsite gets bright light with no fuel or mantles. A dial picks one of three levels, and the top one lights up a whole site. It charges over USB-C and can refill a phone from a second port. It's big and heavy to carry far, and the top setting drains it in about five hours.

If you want a lot of light for little money, the Lepro 1000LM Rechargeable Lantern makes sense. It charges over USB-C, doubles as a small power bank, and is built to shrug off drops and rain splashes. Daylight, warm and mixed modes dim smoothly with a long press. The light is harsher than on pricier lanterns, the plastic feels cheap, and the battery is sealed inside, so the whole lantern has to go when it wears out.

Power outages and long trips suit the Coast EAL30R, because it runs on its own rechargeable battery or on four AA cells when that one runs flat. A dial shifts the light from warm to daylight, and red modes help keep your night vision. It can charge a phone over USB-C, and a lifetime warranty from Coast covers it. Outside reviews so far cover only a sibling model, and the brightest setting lasts only about three hours.

Backpackers who count every ounce should look at the Black Diamond Moji+. This palm-size dome hangs from a tent loop by its hook and dims smoothly from a faint glow to enough light for cooking. It runs on three AAA cells, and rechargeable ones work, so spares are easy to find on the road. There's no battery gauge, and it falls short of its claimed runtime, so pack an extra set.

The Etekcity CL10 two-pack costs little and lights a tent and a picnic table at the same time. Each lantern switches on when you pull it open, and you push it partway closed to dim it. Batteries are included. The light suits a tent, not a whole campsite, it only handles splashes, and the sliding section is the part that wears out. A few units quit early, so try both right away.

The BioLite Luci Original is an inflatable solar lantern: blow it up for a soft glow, then squash it flat to pack. A day in the sun recharges it, or you can plug it into USB-C. It survives a dunk and floats, which makes it handy on boats and beach trips. The light is dim, fine inside a tent but not across a campsite, and the handle connectors can turn brittle with age.

The Streamlight Siege is the lantern to drop in a canoe or a storm kit. It floats, survives a dunk, and adds a red mode that saves your night vision. Three D cells run it for close to 300 hours on low, and Streamlight's warranty, though limited, lasts for life. The batteries aren't included and add real heft, and it was temporarily out of stock when we checked.

Storm kits are where the Energizer WeatheReady PRO-360 earns its place. It runs on either three D or three AA batteries, so whatever is in the drawer will do, and a USB port lets those cells top up a phone. A glow-in-the-dark switch helps you find it when the power cuts out. Its long runtime is Energizer's own claim, D and AA cells can't be mixed, and the plastic body only handles splashes.

Tabletop cooks get a lot from the Black Diamond Apollo, which stands on fold-out legs and dims smoothly from a glow to full light. It charges by USB and takes an AA cell as a backup when the battery runs down. OutdoorGearLab found it durable but measured under three hours on high, so carry the cable. Black Diamond doesn't promise it's water resistant, so keep it out of the rain.