Luminaid Packlite 16 Review

There’s no denying that camp lighting has undergone a myriad of evolution for the past two decades.

From the primal fire rods that were often lit by our forefathers outside their pre-historic caves to scare away animals to the quaint lanterns from the early civilisation days, there’s no doubt whatsoever that man has made enormous strides in the lighting department as far as outdoor exploration goes.

In the same tandem, the quaint lanterns mentioned above also gave way to the assortment of USB/battery-powered gizmos that have become part and parcel of the modern camping gear. Never again do outdoor lovers have to worry about strong gushes of wind blowing away their flickering flames. All this is thanks to contraptions such as LuminAID PackLite 16.

Speaking of the LuminAID, being one of the newest addition to this convenient invention in the market, it’s only fair to flaunt its strengths and highlight its flaws with the aid of an unbiased LuminAID Packlite 16 review.

We received both the packlite 12 and 16 over a month ago and began using the 16 during any night activities we could come up with.  The packlite 16 has up to 65 lumens with 4 settings (high, medium, low and blinking).  It takes 7 to 10 hours recharge but will last 30 hours depending on the settings and if you have a full charge.

I’ve found that prices generally vary for this product but if you’re make sure you check out this post for various LuminAID coupon codes.

It is waterproof and floats and has a life span of 10,000 hours.

It is lightweight, foldable and easy to carry on the back of your pack or in my case on the handlebars of my bike while I road long distance.

Once charged it can hold that charge for up to 2 years (that is a big bonus in my mind).

The weight is only 2.9 ounces and uses a Lithium-Polymer Ion battery with hundreds of recharge cycles.

As usual, nothing takes the center stage of any outdoor paraphernalia as much as its ruggedness. And the LuminAID is no exception. Made majorly out of lightweight thermosetting plastic, the Packlite is compact, waterproof and also floats on water. That said, its unique pillow shape makes it blend excellently with other camping gear such as soft sleeping bags.

In addition to that, being an inflatable solar lantern, it also means that it easier to carry around when deflated, and also the less bulky feature makes it an excellent accompaniment to long and arduous camping trips.

That said, it is to be noted that the conventional solar-powered lanterns typically incorporates heavy photovoltaic panels. This not only makes it harder for the backpacker to carry it along but also makes any using humanitarian efforts less desirable. The LuminAID counteracts this by utilizing the latest lightweight solar cells in its photovoltaic ensemble.

One of the best pros of the PackLite is that unlike other solar powered camping lights, it doesn’t entirely rely on direct sunlight to juice up. So that implies that even in a cloudy day, you can still charge it up, which of course means that it’s a must-have in any mountainous or temperate country backpacking or camping adventure.

We have had our lantern for over 30 days now and it has worked every time when out in the field. This includes 2 overnight camping trips and also using it on my back porch while sitting outside.

The light is a diffused soft light which is easy on the eyes but at the same time you can read a map or directions with it if needed.

This device can light up a room with about 125 square feet if needed.

I am heading out on a road trip now to Chicago and New Jersey and am throwing the lantern on my dash to soak up sun rays and recharge. I will use it at night when I am camping.

To get it charged up all you have to do is place it in the sun and it will start collecting solar energy. To turn on the light just press the on button. To get full use out of the light you just blow up the lantern like you would a pool float. It only takes a 2 breaths to get fully inflated. You can then hang it on a branch or in your tent. I put mine on the handle bars of my bike while I set up camp.aws

The PackLite, just as the name suggests, takes the form of a slim deck of cards that can be clipped at the back of the camper’s backpack to charge up as he hikes up the terrain. However, as much as it doesn’t need direct sunshine rays to charge up, it still gives out a characteristic soft glow even on a full charge. In essence, this also implies that it can’t be used as a conventional flashlight/bar.

Nonetheless, one of the biggest flaws of the PackLite is the fact that it has less than 7 hours of standby lighting even from a full charge. This can even be less considering that the internal battery pack weakens as the LuminAID ages. However, you can easily evade such a situation by carrying a spare battery pack in your camping gear. And that sums up this short but all-inclusive LuminAID PackLite 16 review.

RELATED ARTICLES:
Luminaid Inflatable Solar Lantern Review
Survival Bug out Bag list