LED Lantern Technology For Survival Preparedness
Being a bit of a geek for things like LED technology (which is now commonly designed into flashlights, lanterns, and other lighting products), I know that it’s a perfect technology fit for anyone’s survival preparedness kit, emergency lighting situations, or any general purpose lighting application.
Present day LED lighting technology is enabling very bright and powerful light while consuming very little power. The power consumption of LED lamp products is a fraction of that from traditional types of bulbs.
The LED’s themselves will seemingly last forever without burning out like other bulbs and the batteries that are powering them will last for a very long time before requiring replacement or a recharge.
Awhile ago I purchased a Rayovac LED Lantern.
I believe this LED lantern is one of the best portable lighting solutions for any emergency, and is surprisingly small and light weight.
Rayovac LED Lantern Review
It is much smaller than a traditional lantern, like the classic Coleman lantern that many of us have or have had (the Coleman white fuel lantern has its own advantages and I still wouldn’t be without one). However this Rayovac model is small enough to pack nicely into small spaces. It’s only 7 inches tall (3.5 inches square). It is perfect to stash into a survival kit.
Batteries
It takes three D-size batteries, and will power the LED on high brightness for about 3 days straight, 24 hours a day! Of course you wouldn’t have it turned on during the day, so if you ran it for 6 hours a night, the batteries would last for 12 days. On low brightness, this same scenario would last 25 days! If you use rechargeable batteries, and a solar powered battery charger, you would be set up for many years with ‘free’ light.
Brightness
This lantern is brighter than I expected. It is bright because of two reasons, 3 watt LED power (three 1-watt LED’s) and a very good reflector lens design. The plastic lens assembly spreads the light, seeming to magnify it so to spread around a 360 degree circle.
Light Settings
The settings seem ‘right’ with bright, low, and strobe. The strobe is very bright, and a great idea for an emergency survival situation where you are trying to be seen or located. Also, just above the on-off button is a small LED indicator that flashes dimly and unobtrusively about every five seconds to help you locate the lantern in the dark (great idea!).
Ruggedness
This lantern, although small in size, is rugged. All edges, and the bottom are rubberized for shock absorption, plus it will grip nicely on any surface. There is a traditional type of carrying handle as well as a clever folding hook on the bottom which allows you to hang it upside down, which better projects the light when it is up high. Nice touch.
Conclusion
I rate the Rayovac LED lantern with 5-stars for a perfect set of features for its intended purpose, rugged and compact design, LED technology, and reasonable price.
I highly encourage anyone who is survival preparedness minded, to get yourself some LED flashlights and – or a lantern similar to this one.
