Are you looking for a lighting solution that is easy to pack and easy to charge? I was, so I decided to check out the collapsible LuminAid Titan solar lantern. It’s only $34 at the time of this posting.
First and foremost, I was not paid for this review. I bought it thinking it would be a good piece of gear. And it is.
This is an LED collapsible lantern that can be charged with a small solar panel charger or by USB. It has four different output levels in both red (tactical!) and white light. The fifth output is a low-level random blinking-like light. (Which I guess is for maybe a romantic ambiance?)
I have no way to measure this, but their site says at max power, it puts out 150 Lumens with a run time of 8 hours. On low power, 10 Lumens with a run time of 72 hours. According to their site, it is bright enough to illuminate a family-sized tent. I tried it in my medium-sized bathroom, and it did illuminate it enough to be able to do most normal activities, but it would have to be closer for fine or small detail activities, like removing an eyelash from your eye.
It has a velcro handle with two holes if you want to hang it more securely, with 550 cord, for example.
What is neat about it, it is collapsible into a slim form factor about an inch thick. Expanded, it is about six inches tall. There is a little plug on the bottom you have to open, then twist to expand it into lantern use or collapse it for storage. When expanded, it fills with air to keep its shape (after you close the plug). Also makes it floatable and it is waterproof. When you collapse it, the air rushes out with a whoosh.
The LuminAid Titan solar lantern can charge small devices
According to their website, it can also charge some small devices like a phone, tablet, headlamp, or camera via a USB cable.
To test this, I drained my phone down to 8%. With the Lantern at full power according to the battery status indicator, I plugged my phone in. In two hours, it charged my phone to 58% before its battery was drained. Not a full charge but I thought that was pretty good. To recharge the LuminAid Titan solar lantern battery via USB took about two hours which made sense. I have not had an opportunity to test the time to charge from drained to full charge by the solar panel. Cloudy days.
What are the controls like?
As you can see in this picture, from left to right, the cap to the USB ports.
The power button also changes the output levels, starting from the brightest to the lowest or the ambiance mode with each press of the button.
Next to the power button are the red/white light selector buttons. Note if you switch from the level of the white light to the red, it will be at the same level.
Next is the battery status indicator button. It is also the output button for charging a USB-connected device.
Next is the battery status indicator of four green lights. One green light is low battery power level, four is full power.
The last indicator to the far right is the charging status indicator, whether plugged in or charging off the solar panel.
If you’re looking for a collapsible solar lantern, give this one a try!
All in all, I was very pleased with this piece of gear. If you are in the market for a collapsible solar lantern, you can check out the LuminAid Titan here. It is a really good option.
If you don’t care about USB charging, they also have this product that is only solar-powered.
Have you tried this out before? What did you think of it? Is this an item you feel would be useful in your emergency kit?
Let’s discuss it in the comments section.
About 1stMarineJarHead
1stMarineJarHead is not only a former Marine but also a former EMT-B, Wilderness EMT (courtesy of NOLS), and volunteer firefighter.
He currently resides in the great white (i.e. snowy) Northeast with his wife and dogs. He raises chickens, rabbits, goats, occasionally hogs, cows and sometimes ducks. He grows various veggies and has a weird fondness for rutabagas. He enjoys reading, writing, cooking from scratch, making charcuterie, and target shooting, and is currently expanding his woodworking skills.
Awesome. Thanks for the review and letting us know it’s worthwhile to purchase. I’ve got kerosene lanterns and battery powered ones but was thinking of something for long term grid down usage. I love real reviews from people on here. I’ve gotten the burkekey water filter, quicent greenhouse, and subscription to wellness drs from reviews here, among other things.
I have a couple of competing solar lights (which have worked very well for several years — one is collapsible) from the mpowered.com people … but I see this morning that their website is for sale. So LuminAID products seem worth a serious lookover.
–Lewis
Excellent review!!!
Thanks so much for doing this.
You sold me on these for sure.
They will be perfect for my vanlife.
Much appreciated!!
We received this lantern a few years ago in a backpacking subscription box. We use it all the time when camping as a night light in our camper. It runs all night for several nights on a full charge. We have charged it eacg way: USB, power cord and solar. We’ve talked about getting another one. Worth it!
Within the past yr or so, amazon.com had a $10 sale on a solar lantern by Luci (it’s now $24) – you blow up the base–like a balloon, secure it w/built-in plug then set it in the window to charge. It’s pretty good, does all I wanted: just light in three levels; my ‘default’ is to use the lowest light so the charge lasts longer. An online ad showed a woman in Africa using two of them while she cooked on her non-electric stove. Both people in the photo seemed pleased. Recently, I got a 4-pack of other lanterns; couldn’t find its name brand on it; the base is black and there’s handles you can use to carry or hang it up in your tent; you extend the base & the light comes on; push the button on one side and it acts like a flashlight. This one is daily charged, and both are saved for emergencies. We’ve got wind-up flashlights, small, for regular use. A big plus: $ savings on batteries. Related for off-grid living, a small wind-up radio w/NOAA. It’s always tuned to NOAA because of the quirky Texas weather. Off-topic but Related: crazy mixed up weather: birds usually NOT here for months have just returned, seeking food and singing in the woods. Have a good day.
The red flashing light option on all of the lights is flashing S.O.S. …. check and see … di di di da da da di di di ,three short flashes , 3 longer flashes , 3 short flashes
I included that in case you do not understand the old Morse code. No slight intended. Other lights include 120 flashes per minute for distress also.
Years ago my Mom learned Morse code for one of her hobbies; I learned some and so forth, but that was decades ago. It’s good we learn from each other. Have a good day.
Mine must be broke then.
I get: …. —..
Why would they put the SOS on the lowest setting and not the brightest?
That was supposed to be …. – – – ..
I received this as a gift from my daughter to add to my camping gear. Nice! I’ve taken it tent camping several times, and it certainly brightens up the night! I love its small size for storage, and how easy it is to recharge. Haven’t really had a lot of sunshine to charge by the solar option, but I’ve been able to test that it does work. Highly recommend!
Update:
I misjudged the implications of the Mpowered.com people posting their website for sale. When I later looked up the LuminAID product line on Amazon not only was it fairly extensive but also the extensive product line of Mpowered (Luci) solar lighting products was there as well. So there’s much to choose from depending on your preferences.
–Lewis
Thanks, Lewis, for the info about Luci; I thought the sale indicated either they wanted to introduce the new product OR find ways of shrinking inventory lol. God bless.
Thank you Lewis.
I own several LuminAid products. The Titan is an excellent source of light in an emergency. Over the past few years I’ve used it several times in power outages. It will light up a whole room. I’ve also given it as gifts. It is my number one choice for emergency solar light.
Ide very much like to.get one and sign up to recieve information
On you tube ck out A liter of light. It’s a guy who takes empty soda bottle & fill them with water & bleach.He then put’s them in peoples roof’s so they can have light