One of the essentials in any camping gear list is a good lantern. There are many kinds of lanterns available in the market - from tradition...
One of the essentials in any camping gear list is a good lantern. There are many kinds of lanterns available in the market - from traditional gas lanterns to liquid fuel lanterns and easy to use electric lanterns. Our old lantern (although battery operated) was big and bulky. So, when the opportunity arose to trial a lightweight, small rechargeable lantern from Princeton Tec, I was quite excited. The Princeton Tec Backcountry Rechargeable Helix lantern is a very well designed lantern. It is lightweight and rechargeable with a standard micro-USB port.
The lantern comes nicely packaged and was quite intuitive to use. Also included in the package was a micro-USB charging cable and an operating instructions pamphlet. The charging cable is the same standard one that most of us use for charging mobile phones. The pamphlet contains information about the battery charging, switch operation, the lantern globe, general care and the warranty information.
Unlike most other lanterns I have seen or used, this one doesn't have the traditional on/off switch. Rather, it comes with a swipe pad. The lantern has two main light sources (types) to choose from - a white LED and a colour (red) LED. Both these light sources are dimmable. Using different swipe directions and a different number of swipes you can get a total of 6 different modes of light (bright white, dim white, bright red, dim red, flashing white and flashing red). The power output ranges from 30 lumens to 150 lumens.
The multiple settings on the lantern give you the flexibility to adjust your light’s brightness and/or beam width depending on your needs. An excellent feature.
We quite liked the build quality and the design of this lantern. It is under 160gm in weight and around 4" tall. You can compress it even further (around half the height) by compressing the lantern globe. The lantern globe can also be removed completely and you can use the lantern as a spotlight. How cool is that? The steps for the globe removal and compression are listed in the pamphlet and it is quite easy - just a matter of releasing some clasps.
It is also worth a mention that the lantern globe glows (subtly) in the dark. So, it is easy to locate it in the dark even when it is not switched on.
One of the best features of the lantern is the number of hanging and mounting options it provides. You can use the metal handle at the top for hanging or carrying the lantern. If you remove the globe you can hang the lantern as a tent dome light. There are four folding legs on the lantern and you can fold them individually allowing for precise aiming of light. You can also use the built-in hook on each leg to hand the lantern from a hook or nail.
The lantern has different burn times depending on the mode you are using.
- 6 hours on High White mode
- 18 hours on Low White mode
- 7 hours on High Red mode and
- 22 hours on Low Red mode.
The lantern comes with a built-in Lithium-ion rechargeable battery and to recharge, there is a USB port at the base of the lamp.
All in all, the Princeton Tec Helix rechargeable lantern is a very well designed product. It is compact and lightweight, easy to use and can be used while camping, or anywhere outdoors and even inside the home. It retails for £64.95 and can be purchased online from www.whitbyandco.co.uk
The lantern comes nicely packaged and was quite intuitive to use. Also included in the package was a micro-USB charging cable and an operating instructions pamphlet. The charging cable is the same standard one that most of us use for charging mobile phones. The pamphlet contains information about the battery charging, switch operation, the lantern globe, general care and the warranty information.
Operation
Unlike most other lanterns I have seen or used, this one doesn't have the traditional on/off switch. Rather, it comes with a swipe pad. The lantern has two main light sources (types) to choose from - a white LED and a colour (red) LED. Both these light sources are dimmable. Using different swipe directions and a different number of swipes you can get a total of 6 different modes of light (bright white, dim white, bright red, dim red, flashing white and flashing red). The power output ranges from 30 lumens to 150 lumens.
The multiple settings on the lantern give you the flexibility to adjust your light’s brightness and/or beam width depending on your needs. An excellent feature.
Portability
We quite liked the build quality and the design of this lantern. It is under 160gm in weight and around 4" tall. You can compress it even further (around half the height) by compressing the lantern globe. The lantern globe can also be removed completely and you can use the lantern as a spotlight. How cool is that? The steps for the globe removal and compression are listed in the pamphlet and it is quite easy - just a matter of releasing some clasps.
It is also worth a mention that the lantern globe glows (subtly) in the dark. So, it is easy to locate it in the dark even when it is not switched on.
Multiple hanging and mounting positions
One of the best features of the lantern is the number of hanging and mounting options it provides. You can use the metal handle at the top for hanging or carrying the lantern. If you remove the globe you can hang the lantern as a tent dome light. There are four folding legs on the lantern and you can fold them individually allowing for precise aiming of light. You can also use the built-in hook on each leg to hand the lantern from a hook or nail.
Charging and burn time
The lantern has different burn times depending on the mode you are using.
- 6 hours on High White mode
- 18 hours on Low White mode
- 7 hours on High Red mode and
- 22 hours on Low Red mode.
The lantern comes with a built-in Lithium-ion rechargeable battery and to recharge, there is a USB port at the base of the lamp.
All in all, the Princeton Tec Helix rechargeable lantern is a very well designed product. It is compact and lightweight, easy to use and can be used while camping, or anywhere outdoors and even inside the home. It retails for £64.95 and can be purchased online from www.whitbyandco.co.uk
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