Camping lamps: light for tent, path and workbench

The job first: area, beam or free hands

Before you look at figures, clarify what the light is meant to do. In a tent or at the camping table you need even light close by, so a lantern. On the way to the toilet, when finding your bearings in the dark or when looking for a tent peg, you need reach, so a torch. When cooking, pitching a tent or repairing something, both hands are busy, so a head torch fits. All three designs differ in their characteristic values, so figures can only be compared sensibly within one design.

Then there is mounting: a lantern hangs from a hook or stands on a flat surface, a torch is held or put in a pocket, a head torch sits on a strap. None of these lamps needs a hard-wired connection, they run on a rechargeable battery or batteries. You will find the lamps for the rooms of your home under home lighting; this page is about light outside the home, which also helps during a power cut at home.

How much light a room needs is explained in how many lumens per room make sense. For a tent this applies only to a limited extent: it is small, the walls reflect light, and low levels are often enough. If you are planning rooms and lamps at home, use the lighting calculator.

Reading lumens and ANSI/PLATO FL1 correctly

Lumens measure the total luminous flux of a lamp. This figure does not say how far the beam carries; for that there is the beam distance and the luminous intensity in candela. The ANSI/PLATO FL1 standard defines how manufacturers state luminous flux, beam distance, run time and impact resistance. Run time is counted there until output falls to ten percent of initial brightness, so a lamp does not shine at the maximum value the whole time.

An example from the documents: according to the manufacturer, the Nitecore MT2A Pro torch states 1000 lumens, 255 metres and 16,500 candela on High with the rechargeable battery, measured to ANSI/PLATO FL 1-2019. Calculated as twice the square root of 16,500, that gives roughly 257 metres, so the figure is consistent. With AA batteries it is at most 500 lumens according to the manufacturer, and the High level cannot be activated with them.

If the standard is missing, caution is called for. For the LICHTMEISTER rechargeable torch, IP44 rating according to the listing, the listing states 2000 lumens and eight hours on the lowest level, but no beam distance, no lumens for the lowest level and no measurement standard. Without these details, the figure of 2000 cannot be put in context. You will find more background on the unit in the lumens to watts chart.

Rechargeable battery against run time: the calculation behind the hours

The capacity of a rechargeable battery in milliamp hours says little as long as the voltage is missing. If you multiply mAh by the nominal voltage and divide by 1000, you get watt hours. If you divide that by the run time, you get the average power consumption. This calculation lets you check claims, even though it does not replace a measurement.

For the PopoIron camping lantern two-pack, the listing states 5000 mAh, 1000 lumens and 6 hours. 5000 mAh at 3.7 volts comes to a nominal 18.5 watt hours, and this combination does not add up on paper. There is no manufacturer document for it. According to the listing, the lantern also has a power bank function: if you charge a smartphone, you draw energy from the same battery.

The Glocusent camping lantern, 5000 mAh battery with USB-C, 15 to 250 lumens according to the manufacturer… shows how the levels relate to each other. According to the manufacturer, up to 120 hours applies only to the lowest level at 15 lumens, and the maximum is 250 lumens. For the Ledlenser H8R head torch, 18650 battery with 3400 mAh, focusable, red rear light it is, according to the manufacturer, 600 lumens for 10 hours or 10 lumens for 120 hours, and for the Ledlenser P7R rechargeable torch 1000 lumens for 2 hours on Power and 20 lumens for 40 hours on Low Power. If you want to get through a night, plan around the low level, not the maximum value in the title.

IPX rating: splash-proof is not submersible

The IP rating, standardised in BS EN 60529, consists of two digits. The first describes protection against solid foreign objects and dust, the second protection against water. If an X stands in place of the first digit, dust protection was not stated. IPX4 stands for protection against splashing water from all directions, IPX5 for water jets, IP67 for dust-tightness and temporary immersion, and IP68 for continuous immersion under conditions set by the manufacturer. An introduction is given in IP rating in the bathroom, there with a focus on the bathroom zones under BS 7671 Section 701.

For camping lamps this means: rain on the tent requires at least splash protection, a fall into a stream considerably more. According to the manufacturer, the Nitecore MT2A Pro torch states IP68 with a 2 metre immersion depth, and the Petzl ARIA 1R, head torch with CORE battery 1250 mAh, IP67 and three light levels IP67, which according to the description is sealed in 1 metre of water for 30 minutes. The data sheet of the Ledlenser P7R rechargeable torch states IPX4, whereas the listing title says IP54. This contradiction is resolved in favour of the data sheet. The Ledlenser H8R head torch, 18650 battery with 3400 mAh, focusable, red rear light also states IPX4 according to the data sheet, and the listing IP54.

For listings without a manufacturer document, the details are often inconsistent. The Glocusent camping lantern, 5000 mAh battery with USB-C, 15 to 250 lumens according to the manufacturer… states IPX5 according to the listing, and the title also says waterproof. The PopoIron camping lantern two-pack states IPX4 according to the listing, the LICHTMEISTER rechargeable torch, IP44 rating according to the listing IP44, and for the Linkind CL1 LED camping lantern the title and the bullet list state different IP ratings, with IP44 in the bullet text. Waterproof is not a defined IP rating, only the digits are.

Charging port and power source

On the move, the port is often more important than the capacity: with USB-C, the same power bank charges phone and lamp, whereas with Micro-USB you need an extra cable. According to the manufacturer, the Nitecore MT2A Pro torch has a built-in USB-C charging port on the battery and runs on AA batteries in an emergency. The Glocusent camping lantern, 5000 mAh battery with USB-C, 15 to 250 lumens according to the manufacturer… states USB-C and 3.5 hours charging time according to the listing. For the Ledlenser H8R head torch, 18650 battery with 3400 mAh, focusable, red rear light, the listing states Micro-USB, the data sheet describes the port only as USB, and the charging time is 360 minutes according to the manufacturer.

The plug remains open on two lamps: for the Ledlenser P7R rechargeable torch, a USB cable is included according to the data sheet, the plug type is not stated, and the charging time is 300 minutes. For the Petzl ARIA 1R, head torch with CORE battery 1250 mAh, IP67 and three light levels, the manufacturer's page does not give a plug type, the catalogue describes only a battery with an integrated USB socket, and the charging time is 3.5 hours according to the manufacturer. When buying, it is therefore worth checking the packaging.

The Linkind CL1 LED camping lantern runs on three AA batteries according to the listing, which are not included, and has no charging port. For long trips without mains power that is an advantage, because batteries can be swapped, and a disadvantage if you have to carry spare cells. The listing states 270 grams without batteries.

Comparison table: values from the product pages

The table summarises the documented values. Manufacturer values are marked according to the manufacturer, and values from listings are labelled as such. No data means: not stated in the documents checked.

Which lamp suits which job

For the tent, the camping table and power cuts at home, lanterns are an option. According to the manufacturer, the Glocusent camping lantern, 5000 mAh battery with USB-C, 15 to 250 lumens according to the manufacturer… offers five levels from 15 to 250 lumens and a long run time on the lowest level, but it is not a torch, because no beam distance is stated. The PopoIron camping lantern two-pack comes as a two-pack, and the light figures in the listing do not add up on paper. The Linkind CL1 LED camping lantern suits ambient light with batteries, but without a documented lumen figure.

For paths and finding your bearings in the dark, reach counts. According to the manufacturer, the Nitecore MT2A Pro torch and the Ledlenser P7R rechargeable torch state beam distances of 255 and 210 metres, both with a short run time on the brightest level. Both lamps are assessed with no documented hands-on testing: we did not have them in hand, and we have not measured anything. If you only need light occasionally around the house or in the car, the LICHTMEISTER rechargeable torch, IP44 rating according to the listing offers a design for that, with the open points mentioned.

For work with both hands, a head torch fits. According to the manufacturer, the Petzl ARIA 1R, head torch with CORE battery 1250 mAh, IP67 and three light levels states three levels and a backup light and weighs 94 grams, and the Ledlenser H8R head torch, 18650 battery with 3400 mAh, focusable, red rear light has, according to the listing, a red rear light and a focusable beam and weighs 158 grams with battery according to the manufacturer. For use near water, the IP rating from the section above matters.

Electrical note: if you are fitting out a hut or garden shed with a fixed power supply, have work on the 230 V mains carried out by a qualified electrician (in England and Wales, Part P applies). This is not necessary for the lamps on this page.