The first was an inflatable lantern or the Luci Light which is an inflatable solar light. I chose the matte finish light and my son chose the clear light that had multi-color LED lights. A disco in my tent was not really what I wanted.
I love, love, LOVE the Luci Light. Mostly due to how lightweight and portable it is. It lights up my small backpacking tent as well as my larger family tent. The lighting on mine is not harsh and I will often grab it to play a game of cards on the picnic table with my scouts or even walk to the trails. Note though, that if using it to guide you on the trails, you may want to turn it upside down so the light is facing the ground.
This light has traveled in my pack for the last two years. It is used every month on outings, camping with my family and camping with my scouts. It has not been punctured and recharges faithfully. My sons however MAY have punctured, but I believe the story goes that it was used as a football.
PROS:
- Solar powered so batteries are not needed
- Inflatable, lightweight, fully waterproof
- Extremely durable
- Adjustable light settings: Bright, super bright, 1 second flashing
- Collapsible and compact
- Strap on the back allowing for easy hanging
Some friends argue that the light is difficult to deflate. I have found however that if you simply squeeze the air valve and gently compress the lantern it easily deflates. I will then often suck the remaining air out. I have never had condensation in the light and find that it works faithfully when needed.
The second product, a silicone water bottle with a solar light, I wanted to so badly love. It was just so squishy and cute I was suckered into buying two. It failed though for both my son and I on our first camp out.
The Seattle Sports FireWater multi-bottle seemed like a really good idea. It was collapsible, water bottle, lantern and waterproof container in one! I especially liked that users could charge the lantern via USB or solar charge. It also featured 3 light settings: low, high, flashing at 50-100 lumens of brightness.
The problem we discovered though was that when filling the water bottle, it was very difficult to screw on the plastic lid. We both experienced leakage, which was a really bad problem when cold-weather camping. In the end, both of us used the bottles 1-2 times and ended up placing them in the closet never to be used again. If we could figure a way to use it as a water bottle though, without leaking, we would surely use them over and over.
I will note, that in pulling the bottle out of the closet, to right my review, the light went on right away shining brightly. I can't remember when it was charged last, but it has been years!
The second product, a silicone water bottle with a solar light, I wanted to so badly love. It was just so squishy and cute I was suckered into buying two. It failed though for both my son and I on our first camp out.
The Seattle Sports FireWater multi-bottle seemed like a really good idea. It was collapsible, water bottle, lantern and waterproof container in one! I especially liked that users could charge the lantern via USB or solar charge. It also featured 3 light settings: low, high, flashing at 50-100 lumens of brightness.The problem we discovered though was that when filling the water bottle, it was very difficult to screw on the plastic lid. We both experienced leakage, which was a really bad problem when cold-weather camping. In the end, both of us used the bottles 1-2 times and ended up placing them in the closet never to be used again. If we could figure a way to use it as a water bottle though, without leaking, we would surely use them over and over.
I will note, that in pulling the bottle out of the closet, to right my review, the light went on right away shining brightly. I can't remember when it was charged last, but it has been years!
No comments:
Post a Comment