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Are you looking for a lighting solution that is easy to pack and easy to charge? I was, so I decided to check out the collapsible LuminAid Titan solar lantern. It’s only $34 at the time of this posting.
First and foremost, I was not paid for this review. I bought it thinking it would be a good piece of gear. And it is.
This is an LED collapsible lantern that can be charged with a small solar panel charger or by USB. It has four different output levels in both red (tactical!) and white light. The fifth output is a low-level random blinking-like light. (Which I guess is for maybe a romantic ambiance?)
I have no way to measure this, but their site says at max power, it puts out 150 Lumens with a run time of 8 hours. On low power, 10 Lumens with a run time of 72 hours. According to their site, it is bright enough to illuminate a family-sized tent. I tried it in my medium-sized bathroom, and it did illuminate it enough to be able to do most normal activities, but it would have to be closer for fine or small detail activities, like removing an eyelash from your eye.
It has a velcro handle with two holes if you want to hang it more securely, with 550 cord, for example.
What is neat about it, it is collapsible into a slim form factor about an inch thick. Expanded, it is about six inches tall. There is a little plug on the bottom you have to open, then twist to expand it into lantern use or collapse it for storage. When expanded, it fills with air to keep its shape (after you close the plug). Also makes it floatable and it is waterproof. When you collapse it, the air rushes out with a whoosh.
The LuminAid Titan solar lantern can charge small devices
According to their website, it can also charge some small devices like a phone, tablet, headlamp, or camera via a USB cable.
To test this, I drained my phone down to 8%. With the Lantern at full power according to the battery status indicator, I plugged my phone in. In two hours, it charged my phone to 58% before its battery was drained. Not a full charge but I thought that was pretty good. To recharge the LuminAid Titan solar lantern battery via USB took about two hours which made sense. I have not had an opportunity to test the time to charge from drained to full charge by the solar panel. Cloudy days.
What are the controls like?
As you can see in this picture, from left to right, the cap to the USB ports.
The power button also changes the output levels, starting from the brightest to the lowest or the ambiance mode with each press of the button.
Next to the power button are the red/white light selector buttons. Note if you switch from the level of the white light to the red, it will be at the same level.
Next is the battery status indicator button. It is also the output button for charging a USB-connected device.
Next is the battery status indicator of four green lights. One green light is low battery power level, four is full power.
The last indicator to the far right is the charging status indicator, whether plugged in or charging off the solar panel.
If you’re looking for a collapsible solar lantern, give this one a try!
All in all, I was very pleased with this piece of gear. If you are in the market for a collapsible solar lantern, you can check out the LuminAid Titan here. It is a really good option.
If you don’t care about USB charging, they also have this product that is only solar-powered.
Have you tried this out before? What did you think of it? Is this an item you feel would be useful in your emergency kit?
Let’s discuss it in the comments section.
About 1stMarineJarHead
1stMarineJarHead is not only a former Marine but also a former EMT-B, Wilderness EMT (courtesy of NOLS), and volunteer firefighter.
He currently resides in the great white (i.e. snowy) Northeast with his wife and dogs. He raises chickens, rabbits, goats, occasionally hogs, cows and sometimes ducks. He grows various veggies and has a weird fondness for rutabagas. He enjoys reading, writing, cooking from scratch, making charcuterie, and target shooting, and is currently expanding his woodworking skills.
