I literally can't tell you how many mini lanterns I have for camping. It's at least a dozen that I know of, along with a treasure chest full in the garage. I usually have 3 or 4 every trip packed for a variety of reasons. It's always nice to have one in the tent, but for my larger tents, I'll pack another for the kids. Then, in the evening/night we'll have one or two on the picnic table. I like having two in case someone wants to take one on their way to the vault toilets. It can be nice to have both a flashlight and lantern so you can have some diffuse light while sitting on the toilet. So you might ask, what is with this lantern in particular. Well there are a few key aspects worth mentioning as to why this is one lantern that I always, without fail pack for my camping trips.
Never mind the knockoff type name -iMBAPrice- their Deluxe Outdoor Camping 2-In-1 Combo Lantern and Fan is worth the money. I'll say that straight away. I've spent so much more and gotten so much less. It has a great built in hanging hook so I can just attach this in the tent...no need for S hooks or carabiners, so that's one less thing to pack. The 18 LED lights are damn bright, which is exactly what I want. I am not one for mood lighting while I'm trying to find my bear mace before bed. It might seem like a gimmick, but the fan rocks and is great to have. Even though I do most of my camping in the fall and spring across the United States, the weather doesn't always play along. So when I've found myself hunkered down in the tent during a rain storm when it's 90 degrees out, having a little air movement in the tent has been tremendous.
iMBAPrice Deluxe Outdoor Camping 2-In-1 Combo LED Lantern and Fan
On the practical side, this little guy runs on D batteries, which I hate. They're bulky and heavy and I'm not sure I have many other devices that use them. On the plus side, the iMBAPrice will run for 16 hours with both the light and fan on, and over 50 hours if just using the fan. It will stand up on it's own, so you can use it on a table to create a breeze and it is also weather resistant. Maybe the funniest thing about this fan is that I know a number of IT professionals that have one just to keep them cool at their desks! Ha, so it has a number of uses in different situations I guess. Either way, this lantern/fan has proven itself useful over the last couple years and it's one that I've given as a gift numerous times and received high praise. Good value for the money is the way I would summarize it.
Price: $18
Available from Amazon