Because of its small form factor, the integrated solar panel does struggle a bit to charge the lantern from flat dead. It charges fully in about 3-5 hours via USB-C or 16 hours via solar, so we recommend charging it up prior to camping and then using solar to keep it topped off throughout. Weight Chunky camping lanterns that provide illumination whilst charging multiple gadgets are jolly handy when car camping, but lugging them off to a wild camp in the Trossachs will be a pain. If you're short on space or carrying your own kit about, keep an eye out for an ultra-lightweight model. Burn time on each is up to five hours on high and a commendable 200 hours on low. However, you can also save battery power or use them to walk around with by just opting to have one half lit up. There are some more handy features, too: a built-in USB charger for dead-phone emergencies, a fold-out hook for hanging in a tent and IPX4 water resistance. Over the years, the humble string lights have come a long way. In fact, nowadays, you don’t have to be bogged down with connecting cables and wires to a power source. Instead, you can switch to solar-powered string lights and take advantage of solar energy. Or, you can opt for battery-powered string lights.

Some camping lights use alternative light sources, such as the fiber optic lights in the Nite Ize Radiant ShineLines. These lights are generally not as consistently bright as LED lights, and offer more of a glow than a shine. The fiber optic design means that the light isn’t consistently bright through the cord, but is brighter the more it is bent. Not a very bright light on its own, the Nite Ize ShineLine perks up when it’s wrapped around something; (photo/Maddie Downie) Light Adjustment However, alkaline batteries lose about half their capacity when temperatures drop below freezing, and rechargeable batteries may not last on multi-day trips without a recharge. Need a little longer burning light? UCO also sells natural beeswax candles that burn for an extended 12 hours. And for those buggy summer nights, there are even citronella candles that’ll keep the skeeters at bay.We won’t lie — there have certainly been times when we’ve left our camping lanterns out overnight and woken to a soggy light. That’s why investing in a lantern with a high degree of durability will pay out in the long run. For optimal portability, having a set of string lights with a built-in battery will allow you to bring light anywhere without further complications. These lights have the benefit of not needing anything else to work, but that means they’re another thing you’ll have to remember to charge before heading out for the weekend. Other lights have blinking and color-changing effects, which keep the mood more energized. The color ENO Twilights have a setting that will gradually rotate through all of the colors. However, a few lights require that you cycle through these different settings to turn the light off, which can definitely be an annoyance around bedtime. No one likes a strobing light right as they’re about to fall asleep. The gradual color shift mode of some string lights certainly livens the mood; (photo/Maddie Downie) Storage Outdoor lighting technology is always advancing. Not too many years ago the best you could buy were propane lanterns that, while a classic look, brought along with them some classic issues. Today, most all lanterns depend upon battery power for illumination, with improvements in lithium-polymer and lithium-ion batteries greatly extending burn times. Light element tech has also taken off, with smart LEDs that can change temperature and even color now the standard. These lights are water resistant, so you won’t have to worry about leaving them out during a light rainstorm. And the long bulb life means you won’t have to worry about replacing the lights for a while. Their cables are durable and can easily hold the heavy lights, but do require robust mounting hooks to keep the lights secured. Their neutral color design makes them easy to pair with any outdoor decoration.

When the time came to test this lantern, we were impressed by just how versatile it was when it came to power supply, and this was one of our favorite features about it. Using rechargeable (and replaceable) 18650 Li-ion batteries, this lantern becomes cross-compatible with our other 18650 powered electronics, and it can run on one, two, or all three cells. There’s even an option to replace the included cells with more powerful 3,500 mAh versions for even more juice. These lights have a brag-worthy 72-hour battery life for the three AAA batteries they require. At 100% brightness, they remained bright for 3 days, only dimming at the end of the third. Although these lights aren’t rechargeable, they maximize battery life, making them a great choice for multiday camping trips, or for someone who doesn’t want to have to remember to charge their lights every time before hitting the road. First, let’s talk brightness. There isn’t much of a difference between the two lanterns, but the Moji does edge out the Mini with 200 overall lumens, versus the 150 of the BioLite. Neither of these lanterns are impressively bright, but instead excel in tent interiors where not much light is needed anyway. Burn time also leans toward the Moji, with a marathon time of 70 hours on low, compared to 40 hours from the AlpenGlow. There are two types of USB-powered camping lights. Some of these lights draw the power directly from the power source with a USB cable. The power source can be a power bank, laptop, power station, or simple car charger. The other type uses a USB port to charge the built-in rechargeable batteries. So if you plan to go camping this summer, here are some portable USB lights for camping that you can consider buying. But before that,Either way, these lights provide the necessary illumination to light your camp. Plus, they are inexpensive and easy to carry. An added bonus? Since it’s burning fuel, this little lantern will give off a bit of hand-warming heat, perfect for when the chill sets in. Just remember to let it cool down before stowing — something we were (painfully) reminded of during our initial use. The Luci String Lights also have the ability to charge your phone. This is an exciting feature for a string light, but we wouldn’t recommend relying on it as the battery will only get your phone to about 50% before dying. Lanterns need to be bright enough to light up an area, but not so striking that they’ll temporarily blind you if you accidentally look at them. Brightness is measured in lumens, and while you probably won’t need a lantern to mimic the sun (35.73 octillion lumens, by the way), most lanterns have a maximum lumen output somewhere between 200 and 500 lumens. This is more than enough to light up most camping spaces, and most often is dimmable to adjust to ambient light. We particularly like the way these lights store in themselves. Simply wrap the string lights into the solar base and twist closed. Pro tip from our testing: Be sure to avoid too many overlapping bulbs or it will become too bulky to close.