The FlashLantern first came to my attention when its developer, Mike Bogden, emailed me a few months back.  I was intrigued by this “lantern” made up of an LED flashlight and a simple attachment that defuses light.  On our camping trip last week, I took it along, and within a day, it was my family’s favorite source of light.

The design is simple.  Drop just about any LED flashlight into the opening of the lantern attachment, and you have a light source that can be used in a tent or anywhere a light source is needed.  You can see how simple it is to set this up at the bottom of this page.  A heavy-duty, solid fiber-optic mantle disperses light from the flashlight but doesn’t require any other type of fuel, making it much simpler to use and store than typical camping lanterns.

The lantern attachment comes with a rope harness, so it can be hung inside a tent or any other enclosure.

We used the FlashLantern with a flashlight less than 6 inches long, and it was small enough to tuck in a jacket pocket.  I kept it near my sleeping bag in case we needed a source of light during the night.  We all came to prefer it over another battery-powered lantern we own because the light is soft, not blinding.  With a few twists, the lantern attachment can be removed, releasing the flashlight for times when directional lighting is called for.   It’s small enough to store in a glove compartment, bedside table drawer, or with your outdoor equipment.  Just be sure to have an extra supply of batteries on hand for the flashlight.

The FlashLantern sells for $49.95, and Mike Bogden is offering a 10% discount to my readers when you use the coupon code Flash10.

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