I grabbed this inflatable solar-powered lantern on a whim – now I use it every trip

LuminAid PackLite Nova

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The LuminAid solar camping lantern is available now for $25.
• It’s the perfect lantern for emergencies with a very long runtime and chargeable with a solar panel or USB.
• The lantern could blow away if not properly secured outdoors.

$19.99 at Amazon

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One mistake I see a lot of people make with their portable power stations is hooking up mains-powered lights, like a desk or floor lamp. Despite the fact that your lamp might make use of a low-energy LED lightbulb (and it should, because those old incandescent bulbs are terribly wasteful), using the AC outlet on a power station is wasteful if low-voltage options exist. 

This is why I recommend keeping emergency lighting like camping lanterns handy, both for use outdoors but also situations when you find yourself stuck in the darkness. 

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I also like my lights to be compact, lightweight, and designed to be stored until needed. If they can be solar-charged, then so much the better. One light that ticks all these boxes — and more — is the LuminAid PackLite Nova inflatable solar camping light. 

The LuminAID makes a number of different lights — from the Nova Multicolor color-changing light to the beefy Survivor which has a 600 lumen output and the ability to charge two smartphones. But it’s the PackLite Nova that ticks the boxes for me. 

It’s lightweight, at just five ounces, collapsible down to a package that’s just 4.75 x 4.75 x 1 inches, inflatable to 4.75 x 4.75 x 4.75 inches, water and dustproof to IP67 standards, and is happy to be dropped or kicked about. 

Yes, this lantern is inflatable, and there’s a little valve at the bottom that allows for inflation and deflation. This keeps it lightweight and adds to the robustness of the overall unit. I also like the fact that you can tuck an under-inflated PackLite Nova into a corner or the crook of a branch or under something to position it or stop it blowing away. 

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On the top is a small solar panel that actually works (as opposed to the solar panels on top of a lot of gadgets such as power banks) and it can fully recharge the unit in about 10 hours. If that’s too long, you can opt for USB charging using a weatherproof port that takes about two hours. 

On a full charge, the PackLite Nova will run for around 18 to 24 hours on the lowest 12-lumen setting, and three to five hours on the 75-lumen setting. You could literally recharge this from a small power station hundreds of times over. 

On the top, there’s a handy carry handle that can also allow the lantern to be attached to a convenient branch or tent guyline. 

I like the gear that LuminAid makes, and I also like the company. It’s a small women-owned business that started out making low-cost lights that were sent to Haiti after a devastating earthquake in 2010. Since then the company has distributed more than 200,000 solar lights to disaster-hit families in Syria, Nepal, and Puerto Rico. 

ZDNET’s buying advice

The LuminAid PackLite Nova inflatable solar camping light is a handy device I’ve taken with me on a lot of journeys, from overnight hikes to longer-distance treks, and I’ve used it to illuminate campsites, vehicles, tents, albergues, and even a few hammocks. 

I’ve owned a number of these lanterns over the years, and the ones that I still have (I’ve given quite a few away to people during power outages) are still going strong. I picked up this new one as part of my emergency kit upgrade last year, and it has come in handy a couple of times this winter. For a lantern you can pick up for under $25, that’s a darn good lifespan.