biolite alpenglow lantern

this versatile lantern can brighten an entire campsite or softly illuminate a tent

keep the kids feeling safe with the a softly glowing nightlight function or brighten the entire campsite with the full 500 lumen output

I strongly recommend the BioLite Alpenglow Lantern because it can be set to myriad different levels of brightness and color outputs, making it ideal fo multiple uses while camping or for use during power outages.

I have always had a thing for lanterns. Be they it a classic lantern with flickering, kerosene-fed flame or a modern LED light that can approximate flame or switch into wacky multi-color party mode, I’m just a fan. There’s just something so calming and comforting about a moment of life lit by lantern light, whether it’s a meal prepped during a cool evening campout, a book read after the kids have nodded off in their bags, or a moment of awakening to a softly glowing lantern perched in a tent corner.

Given my deep affection for this classic piece of illuminating hardware, I’m not ashamed to admit that at present I have five different lanterns on my gear shelf. One I always keep charged and at the ready for power outages (it’t a big, bright, but bulky Coleman, in case you were wondering) while the others are tucked away in a bin with a spare headlamp, a flashlight, and some battery packs. Ah, but when that thoroughly enjoyable time to prepare for a trip to the woodlands comes around, the first lantern I grab and charge up these days is invariably my BioLite Alpenglow.

While not small or lightweight enough to be suitable for trekking or mountaineering or anything, this lamp is quite compact for the category considering how much light it gives off. It’s about the size and weight of an impressive grapefruit, yet unlike most grapefruits, it can shine with up to 500 lumens of brightness. That’s more than enough output to bathe a tent in light, and to illuminate a good swath of campsite outdoors even in the dead of night. And on its lower light setting, it makes a great tent nightlight that can perch in a corner or be hung from a strap and that will shine for days on end if fully charged.

In fact, at that lower light setting, an Alpenglow lantern is rated to run for 200 hours, or more than a week and a day straight. Its high power output is only five hours, though, so do be mindful of that timing if you’re ever using this lantern in a situation where darkness may be a problem, such as after a power outage at home or when you suspect you have a Sasquatch issue around your campsite. (Sneaky Sasquatch…)

When you’re not using the lantern to light up your campsite or softly illuminate your tent, which you can do in a flickering candlelight like setting, you can set the lantern to multiple different colors to create a playful or party sort of atmosphere. Truth be told, that’s not so much my jam these days (though the blue light can be peaceful for sleeping) but the gentle yellow-tinged glow of its softer white setting is welcome any evening.

When well-charged, the Alpenglow lantern can also be used as power bank from which you can charge up small devices like phones and, well, that’s what you’ll be charging so let’s leave it there for that.

All told, this lantern punches above its weight in terms of light output and it has all the functions you’d expect from an LED light in our times, so if you’re on the fence about which lantern to buy, this one is a — wait for it — good idea. Wait I mean bright idea! Dammit…