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Have you packed your lantern for an outdoor adventure only to realize the batteries are dead? Forget the batteries and go green with these solar powered lanterns. Not only do they take up little space in your bag, but they’re also lightweight compared to the typical lantern.
When Can I Use A Solar Powered Portable Light?
Since these lights pack down small, they’re great for backpacking, camping and hiking trips. They’re lightweight and can clip onto your bag easily and charge on the go.
Solar powered lanterns are also critical during natural disasters when you could lose power.
When the weather is calm, these lights are great around your home by the pool, on the back deck or anywhere else you want to illuminate. You could even keep one in your vehicle in case you break down by the side of the road.
Lastly, all of the lights we reviewed are certified IP67 waterproof which means they can be immersed in as much as 1 meter of water for 30 minutes. While this is is not the highest level of waterproofing available, it certainly would allow you to use it near a pool, lake or even in the shower.
Best Inflatable Solar Lanterns
Our top picks were chosen based on user reviews, weight, size, run time, charge time, waterproof and other added features.
SolarPuff Review
#1
SolarPuff from Solight, is our #1 pick for best solar lantern. It folds flat down to 0.25″ thick, which is the thinnest in this article. It’s lightweight at only 2.6 oz. (half as much as some of the competition), and it can float.
Best of all, it uses minimal waste packaging, which we’re big fans of here at Earth’s Friends. The only downside is that a single charge will only last up to 12 hours, whereas some of the competition can last longer. However, if that’s not a deal breaker, we think SolarPuff is a great pick.
Solight also offers Helix and TwiLight solar lanterns, which we’ve included in the table below for you to consider.
Pros |
Cons |
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Price & Tech Specs
| SolarPuff Bright White | SolarPuff Warm White | SolarPuff Merlin | Helix Bright White | Helix Warm White | Helix Merlin | TwiLight Bi-Color | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $30.00 | Check Amazon for availability | $39.95 | $24.99 | $25.44 | $34.95 | 10 Pack: Check Amazon for availability |
| Light Colors | White | Warm White | Cycles Through 6 Colors | White | Warm White | Cycles Through 6 Colors | Cycles Between Red & White |
| Solar Powered |  | | | | | | |
| Weight | 2.6 oz | 2.6 oz | 2.6 oz | 2.6 oz | 2.6 oz | 2.6 oz | 1.8 oz |
| Size Expanded | 4.3" x 4.3" x 4.3" | 4.3" x 4.3" x 4.3" | 4.3" x 4.3" x 4.3" | 4.2" x 4.2" x 4.2" | 4.2" x 4.2" x 4.2" | 4.2" x 4.2" x 4.2" | 3.5" x 3.5" x 3.5" |
| Size Flat | 8.25” x 4.5” x 0.5” | 8.25” x 4.5” x 0.5” | 8.25” x 4.5” x 0.5” | 8.25” x 4.5” x 0.5” | 8.25” x 4.5” x 0.5” | 8.25” x 4.5” x 0.5” | 0.3" thick |
| Lumens & Light Area | Up to 90 / 100 sq. ft. | Up to 90 / 100 sq. ft. | Up to 90 / 100 sq. ft. | Up to 90 / 100 sq. ft. | Up to 90 / 100 sq. ft. | Up to 90 / 100 sq. ft. | Up to 45 / 50 sq. ft. |
| Battery Size | 1000mAh | 1000mAh | 1000mAh | 1000mAh | 1000mAh | 1000mAh | 500mAh |
| Run Time | Up to 12 Hours | Up to 12 Hours | Up to 12 Hours | Up to 12 Hours | Up to 12 Hours | Up to 12 Hours | Up to 12 Hours |
| Solar Charge Time | 12 Hours | 12 Hours | 12 Hours | 8 Hours | 8 Hours | 8 Hours | 6 Hours |
How To Open & Close SolarPuff
LuminAID Review
#2
LuminAID offers 6 different types of inflatable lanterns. You can choose white or multi-color LEDs as well as if you want strictly solar charging capabilities or USB as well. There’s even one that can charge your cell phone.
LuminAID was presented on Shark Tank by co-founders Anna and Andrea. The lanterns were created to bring light to the people of Haiti after an earthquake. As of November 2018, more than 200,000 solar lights have been given to families in need.
Pros |
Cons |
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Price & Tech Specs
| PackLite Nova USB | PackLite Spectra USB | PackLite Firefly USB | PackLite Nova | PackLite Spectra | PackLite Hero 2-in-1 Supercharger | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $25.46 | $22.46 | $25.46 | $25.46 | $25.46 | Check Amazon for availability |
| Light Color | White LEDs | Multi-Color LEDs | Warm White LEDs | White LEDs | Multi-Color LEDs | White LEDs |
| Solar Powered | | | | | | |
| USB Powered | | | | |
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| Weight | 5 oz | 5 oz | 5 oz | 5 oz | 5 oz | 9.4 oz |
| Size Expanded | 4.75" x 4.75" x 4.75" | 4.75" x 4.75" x 4.75" | 4.75" x 4.75" x 4.75" | 4.75" x 4.75" x 4.75" | 4.75" x 4.75" x 4.75" | 6" x 6" x 6" |
| Size Flat | 4.75" x 4.75" x 1" | 4.75" x 4.75" x 1" | 4.75" x 4.75" x 1" | 4.75" x 4.75" x 1" | 4.75" x 4.75" x 1" | 6" x 6" x 1" |
| Lumens & Light Area | 75 Lumens / 125 sq. ft. | N/A for Color LEDs | 75 Lumens / 125 sq. ft. | 75 Lumens / 125 sq. ft. | N/A for Color LEDs | 300 Lumens / 300 sq. ft. |
| Battery Size | 1000mAh | 1000mAh | 1000mAh | 1000mAh | 1000mAh | 4000mAh |
| Charges Phone | |
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| Special Light Mode | Flashing | Multi-Color Fade | Candle Flicker | Flashing | Multi-Color Fade | SOS Flashing |
| Run Time | Up to 24 Hours | Up to 12 Hours | Up to 24 Hours | Up to 24 Hours | Up to 24 Hours | Up to 100+ Hours |
| Solar Charge Time | 10 Hours or 1-2 Hours (via USB) | 10 Hours or 1-2 Hours (via USB) | 10 Hours or 1-2 Hours (via USB) | 10-14 Hours | 10-14 Hours | 16 Hours |
Luci Light Review
#3
The Luci Lights have some great features. They can recharge in as little as 7 hours and some styles can last up to 50 hours on one charge.
However, there are some complaints about the lower quality of materials used and the lanterns not working after a couple of uses. Overall, they still have many positive user reviews, which is why it’s our #3 pick.
Pros |
Cons |
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Price & Tech Specs
| Pro Series Outdoor 2.0 | Pro Series Lux | Outdoor 2.0 | Luci Color | Luci Candle | Luci Original | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $49.95 | $36.95 | $24.50 | $24.50 | $19.95 | |
| Solar Powered | | | | | | |
| USB Powered | | | ||||
| Weight | 5.5 oz | 5.5 oz | 4.4 oz | 4.4 oz | 2.5 oz | 4.4 oz |
| Size Expanded | 5" x 4.25" | 5" x 4.25" | 5" x 4.25" | 5" x 4.25" | 4" x 4" | 5" x 4.25" |
| Size Flat | 5" x 1.5" | 5" x 1.5" | 5" x 1" | 5" x 1" | 4" x 1.25" | 5" x 1" |
| Lumens | 150 | 150 | 75 | N/A for Color LEDs | N/A for Color LEDs | 75 |
| Battery Size | 2000mAh | 2000mAh | 1000mAh | 1000mAh | 350mAh | 1000mAh |
| Charges Phone | | | ||||
| Color | White LED, Clear Finish | Warm White, Frosted Finish | White LED, Clear Finish | 8 Colors, Plus Color-Cycling Mode | Warm Flicker LED, Frosted Finish | White LED |
| Run Time | Up to 50 hours | Up to 50 hours | Up to 24 hours | Up to 6 hours | Up to 12 hours | Up to 24 hours |
| Solar Charge Time | 14 Hours or 2 Hours (via USB) | 14 Hours or 2 Hours (via USB) | 7 Hours | 7 Hours | 8 Hours | 7 Hours |
Choose Solar
You can take solar into other areas of your life too. We have an entire page dedicated to all things solar. You can find reviews of solar panels for your house, RV, boat and camper as well as solar phone chargers, yard lights and more.
How do you plan to use your solar lantern?
