Gear that only charges one way has a habit of being flat exactly when you need it. This lantern takes a USB charge before you leave and tops itself up from the sun while you are out, which covers both the organised version of you and the one who left in a hurry.
Collapsed it is a flat disc; pulled open it becomes a lantern. There is a side switch and a folding design that lets it work as a directional torch as well, so it covers both the light hanging in the tent and the one you carry to find the toilet block.
A USB output lets it put charge back into a phone, which is not going to run a device all weekend but is very welcome when a map, a torch app or a phone call suddenly matters. For a lantern at this price, it is a feature that earns its place.
The body is matt ABS with a stainless steel handle, so it hangs off a tent loop, a tree branch or a car boot catch. It is light and genuinely compact, which means it ends up in the bag rather than being left behind for something smaller.
This works as a small gift on its own, a stocking filler, or part of a camping bundle alongside a head torch. It is also one of those presents that quietly justifies itself the first time the power goes out in a storm, which in much of Australia is not a hypothetical.
Worth remembering that solar charging is a top-up rather than a fast refill, so the sensible habit is to charge it by USB before a trip and let the sun keep it going. Buy two if they camp with kids, because one lantern is never where anybody wants it to be.
✔ Charges from sunlight or a USB port
✔ Collapses flat and works as both lantern and torch
✔ USB output for emergency phone top-ups
✔ Matt ABS body with a stainless steel hanging handle
✔ Just as useful in a blackout as on a campsite
