LED Lantern Review & Comparison 2024
Top 3: The best lantern compared
- LED Lantern Comparison
- Testberichte
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Frequently asked Questions
Light-intense lanterns for camper and outdoor fans
One thing that shouldn’t be missed while camping is sitting outside in the evenings. Therefor, a good camping lamp is necessary. Light is also needed if one sleeps in the tent. Especially bigger tents like family tents have to be illuminated enough in order to see everything and not look for anything with a flashlight.
LED camping lamps are a modern and effective kind of lighting for those purposes. They offer the big advantage of a long staying power. The consumption of the illuminating diodes is extremely low so that the lamps give light for a long period of time. Depending on the necessity, they can shine very bright. Usually, two level of brightness are available. Most of the camping lamps are battery-driven. Just as, in our opinion, all best camping lanterns.
Due to the fact that the LEDs are very small, the lamp doesn’t have to be particularly big as well. As a result, there are handy, quite light models that can easily be transported in a backpack. In addition to that, most of the lanterns have a useful carrying handle to take them everywhere or to hang them up in the tent. LED lamps are a reasonable addition for every camping equipment.
The LED Lantern comparison Litexpress, Varta and TaoTronics
Litexpress CAMP 33 | Varta LED Camping Lantern  | TaoTronics Camping Lantern  | |
| Award | High-Power | Practical | Bestseller |
| Customer reviews | No customer review | No customer review | No customer review |
| Light power | 530 lumens | 300 lumens | ca. 30 lumens |
| Required Batteries | 3x Mono-D | 3x Mono-D | 3x AA |
| Light duration min. | 17 hrs | 72 hrs | - |
| Light duration max. | 300 hrs | 150 hrs | 55 hrs |
| Weight | 858 g | 422 g | 122 g |
| Test | Read Review | Read Review | Read Review |
| Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
High-Power Litexpress CAMP 33 Review
| Light power | 530 lumens |
| Required Batteries | 3x Mono-D |
| Light duration min. | 17 hrs |
| Light duration max. | 300 hrs |
| Weight | 858 g |
The green-black camping lamp by Litexpress is similar to the lamp by Varta. This one is also made of a plastic case and mainly of gum on the lower part. This model belongs to the bigger ones with a height of 18,5 cm. The lamp offers four lighting modes and three color temperatures: the main light on the upper part of the lamp is produced by twelve illuminating diodes and can shine in a neutral white, cold white and warm white. Furthermore, there is a candlelight function which creates a comfortable atmosphere.
Three 1,5 volt D-Cell batteries are required for the usage of the lamp which are however not included in delivery. The light power reaches 530 lumens with a light duration of 17 hours using the highest level. The light duration can be extended up to 300 hours reducing the brightness (50-70 lumens). The lamp even shines brighter without the detachable head of the lamp. There is a mechanism for hanging the lantern on the bottom. For this purpose, a plastic hook is included.
Litexpress LED Camping Lamp summarized
- 5 years warranty with failures
- Lantern light and hand spotlight
- Strong light power
- A bit heavy with batteries
Practical Varta LED Camping Lantern Review
| Light power | 300 lumens |
| Required Batteries | 3x Mono-D |
| Light duration min. | 72 hrs |
| Light duration max. | 150 hrs |
| Weight | 422 g |
This light intense camping lantern is made by Varta. Three illuminating diodes create a high brightness. The range of headlights is about 10 meters. As with the other LED camping lamps, this lamp also offers two level of brightness and a blinking light mode. The power supply functions with three Mono-D-batteries that are not included in delivery. According to the producer, a battery charge lasts up to ca. 72 hours using full luminosity and 150 hours using the reduced brightness. But it certainly depends on the quality of the batteries.
The lantern is made of high-quality ASB-plastics and is waterproof. The bottom of the lamp consists of antislip gum. The construction enables two kinds of applications: first of all, the lamp can be situated anywhere or be carried around at the handle. Second of all, the bottom side has a hook with what the lamp can easily be hanged. The transparent lamp shade can be taking off so that an effective ceiling lighting is created.
Varta LED Tent Lamp summarized
- Very bright with 4 LEDs
- Suitable as a tent lamp without a shade
- Compact and robust
- Annoying sticker at delivery
Bestseller TaoTronics Camping Lantern Review
| Light power | ca. 30 lumens |
| Required Batteries | 3x AA |
| Light duration min. | - |
| Light duration max. | 55 hrs |
| Weight | 122 g |
This lamp is a real miracle when it comes to space. There is one feature that the others don’t have: it can be folded up. It is a handy round light in a small format with a glassy LED lens in the middle. She can be used as a flashlight folded up like this and can easily be stored. The lamp measures just 50 mm x 86 mm when it’s folded. When the camping lamp is unfolded, it is 13,5 cm high and has a white and transparent body.
The light power is 30 lumens. Two brightness level and a blinking light are available. Three AA-batteries are needed and have to be bought separately. The LEDs have a remarkable long life span up to 100.000 hours. With an IP protection class of 43, the lamp can stand splash water but is not entirely waterproof although the product description says so. The high amount of customers reviews are almost only positive. It is about a practical, robust and light intense LED lamp for outdoor activities of every kind.
TaoTronics LED Camping Lamp summarized
- Folded or unfolded applicable
- LEDs with a very long life span
- Only 1 watt power consumption
- A bit weak light
Frequently Asked Questions about Lantern
Are there camping lamps with solar panels?
Yes. A lamp with very good reviews is, for example the lamp by SMARSTAR, the solar camping lamp Ultra Bright 36 LED. The lamp possesses 36 LEDs and can illuminate up to 100.000 hours. It takes 6 hours to recharge. Further ways to recharge are a crank dynamo and a car charging cable. The lamp has a low weight of 300g. The solar panel consists of polysilicon. Another good lamp is the Village Boom with Nichia LEDs. The LEDs provide a luminance of 185 lumens and can shine up to 3-4 hours. The low price and good power are very creditable features.
How many lumens should a lamp for camping use have?
In order to see anything while camping, at least 150 lumens are necessary. Most camping lamps provide between 300 and 600 lumens. A whole campground can be illuminated with it. But it depends on what has to be illuminated. When it is only a small tent, 50 lumens are enough for reading. Floodlights that are used for pitches, for example need more lumens. The amount of these lumens is 5-digit. The amount of at most 1000 lumens is therefore enough for camping.
Can camping lamps also be charged?
Camping lamps can be charged in different ways: Some lamps have solar panels which can recharge their batteries with daylight. There are also some lamps with a dynamo that supplies the lamp with electricity by using a crank-handle. With a couple of turns, one has electricity for a couple of hours. Still, some lamps offer a charging by a USB port. Some others can be charged by the electrical connection in a car. There are also lamps that function with petroleum or gas but it is necessary to carry around a can with gas or petroleum to charge.
Are there LED camping lanterns with a 220V plug socket?
A lot of camping lamps are rechargeable by a plug socket. A good example therefor is the 36 LED camping lamp by Emanhu Trading. She has a connection for 220V plug sockets. A cable is required that has to be purchased. A further example is the LED Solar Camping Lantern SV034 by Apollo. She can be charged by a crank, with a plug socket or solar panels. The 50 cm long electric cable which is needed for the charging by plug socket, is part of the scope of delivery. The required electric tension is 5V.
How safe are gas lamps compared to those run by electricity?
You have to pay attention to break resistance with gas lamps because they can break easily after a hit. The so-called gas mantle inside the lamps are very sensitive. Unfortunately, their stability did not improve over the last couple of years, so that gas lamps are rather seen as old-fashioned. It is still necessary to carry around gas cartridges for the change which are heavier than batteries. A further lack of safety consists in the ignition hazard of the camping equipment through a fallen gas lamp. Therefore, lamps that run with electricity should be preferred when it comes to safety. Gas lamps are rather romantic.
Light-weighted and power lamps
Not only for camping holidays, but also for other outdoor activities like fishing trips or festivals, the LED camping lamps provide a reliable source of light. They offer a lot of light without heating up. Furthermore, they have a long life span and are resistant.
There are some things that have to be taken into consideration choosing the right camping lamp for one’s own needs. If you’re looking for a particularly light lamp, the models by TaoTronics and Daffodil are a good choice. The TaoTronics lamp can perfectly be packed into a backpack. If a stronger light power is required, one can also choose the lamp by Litexpress that is specifically interesting. The lamp is equipped with four high power LEDs. Similar to the model by Varta which is more compact but a bit less powerful.
There is a numerous amount of advantages that the LED technology provides to camping lanterns: they are easy to handle, safe, extremely economic in their consumption and feature different functions and adjustments. Besides, they have a modern look. As a result of this, it appears clear that camping lamps become more and more popular.