Night in the backcountry is a special time. Whether car camping or backpacking, star gazing can be the highlight of an entire trip. Don’t spoil the moment by being unprepared; a good light source is the key to enjoying the dark hours. Kelty is a company known for their tents and backpacks, but they also have great solutions for lighting up the darkness. The LumaTech Lantern is a great piece of gear when it comes to putting the shine on your post-sunset adventures.
The Kelty LumaTech promises to be a do-it-all gadget. Standing at 5.5 inches tall and 2.3 inches wide, this lantern is built with a rugged aluminum body. It weighs in at 5.6 ounces, but that’s before inserting the 4 AA batteries needed to power the unit. The design is simple: one button switches the lantern between high, low and off positions. On the “high” setting campers get 22 lumens of brightness while the “low” setting puts out a conservative 4 lumens. I have been testing the LumaTech for the past few months and find it to be both versatile and capable enough for any adventure.
Backpackers have to make tough decisions when it comes to gear. Do you really need to add the extra weight of a lantern if you already have a headlamp? The obvious answer is “no,” but trust me, you’ll want to bring the LumaTech along. The handle on the lantern has a curve on the end which allows you to hang it just about anywhere. I hung it from the top center of a couple tents and was very pleased with the results: the high setting lit up both a four man tent and my small backpacking tent enough to do just about anything when the skies were dark. It was nice not to have a headlamp strapped to my skull while writing in my journal and reading over maps. When it was time for a midnight bathroom break, I simply grabbed the LumaTech from its perch and headed out to the bushes. Sure, my headlamp could have done all these tasks, but I like the diffused light provided by a lantern. It’s easier on your eyes, and you won’t blind your trail buddies with a direct beam.
When it comes to car camping, the Kelty LumaTech Lantern shines. I threw it in my utility box and broke it out for all sorts of tasks: cooking, chopping wood, searching through gear and even taking strolls away from camp. Car camping means bringing along plenty of gear, and there is no reason this little light source shouldn’t be making each and every trip. Forget those cumbersome gas burning lanterns, the LumaTech delivers almost as much light in half the package. The lantern will burn for 25 hours on “high” and 50 hours on “low.” I am still on my first set of batteries and have been using it plenty since receiving it more than three months ago.
There is one glaring knock on the LumaTech: price. At $29 you can find other lanterns that weigh the same (or less) and provide just as much light. However, the competing lanterns are not built as tough as the Kelty. The LumaTech is almost certain to perform better than the others after repeated drops and other forms of camping abuse. If you are hard on your equipment than the LumaTech is the way to go.
This lantern gets high marks whether camping on the trail or near the road. When you’re not camping the LumaTech comes in handy at home, too. Power outage? Working in a low light environment? These are both times when having a lantern comes in handy. My roomate used the light extensively when he was making some home improvements. Truly a piece of gear that sheds light on any situation. If you need a camping lantern that can stand up to ample abuse, the Kelty LumaTech is here to brighten your day.
Do they have this on roadeavour?