The Luci Light by MPowered
The Luci Light hanging from a hook in the crown of our tent.
Luci Light Original: 4.4oz - 5.25" x 5.25" x 1"- 50 Lumens
The Luci Light Original hanging overhead in our tent.
The Luci Light Original by MPowered is an inflatable, solar powered, lightweight lantern. We have taken these on all our camping and backpacking trips since buying them. They are lightweight, coming in around 4.4oz. It is lit by 10 bright white LEDs and they are advertised as having up to 12 hours of life on a full charge which is pretty amazing for anything solar powered. We use a carabiner to clip them on the outside of our backpacks so they charge while we hike during the day and have never run out of battery at night.
The Luci Light deflated and clipped onto my backpack to charge while we hike.
It's basically a high-tech, cylindrical beach ball. You blow it up and press a button. It easily lights up a picnic table or the inside of a two person tent. It lays flat (1"x5.25") when deflated so packing it away or clipping it to the outside of your bag is super easy. It also has three settings: bright, extra bright, and flashing (meant to be used as an emergency signal). There is a clear plastic strap on the top and bottom of the lantern for ease of carrying.
Out of the four Luci Lights we have purchased, one has stopped working. It was a different model, the smaller Emergency lantern. I couldn't say if the difference in size had anything to do with it but the other three Original lanterns we own have worked flawlessly.
The solar panel on the Luci Light Orignal.
They have a handful of other models too. We have the Original lanterns which is almost the same as the Outdoor version, although the Outdoor 2.0 advertises battery life up to 18 hours with a full charge (6 additional hours than the Original). They have the smaller Emergency version, ours stopped working, but it's only 2.4oz so if you need to be super lightweight you could go that route. They also have the Lux which uses a warm white light if you prefer it for the ambiance and the Color if you want to get a little crazy.
Overall, the Luci light is one of our favorite innovations in gear. It is so light and pack-friendly and functional. It is well suited to be used for recreation or as an emergency light. Slight possibility that it might give out, but for less than, I'm so willing to replace this piece as needed. It has become a necessary part of our backpacking equipment.
The view looking up from our sleeping pads.
