When Hurricane Harvey plunged her home into darkness, The Survival Mom turned to the reliable, battery-free Luci Solar Lantern. Here is her experience plus a wealth of creative uses for this inflatable light, demonstrating why it’s a smart addition to any home or emergency kit. Discover how the versatile Luci Solar Lantern can provide safe, portable lighting for everyday convenience and unexpected situations.
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When the Lights Went Out: A Hurricane Harvey Story
When the winds and torrential rains of Hurricane Harvey slammed our home and left us in the dark, I didn’t reach for candles and matches or one of my flashlights.
Instead, I chose something that didn’t use an open flame to provide light; something that didn’t require batteries. I opted for the Luci Solar Lantern, one of my very favorite Survival Mom products.
The Brilliance of Solar Power in an Inflatable Design
This inflatable lantern offers a convenient and versatile lighting solution:
- Emergency Preparedness: Provides reliable light during power outages.
- Solar Powered: Charges efficiently from sunlight or even indoor lighting.
- Long-Lasting: A full charge offers approximately 12 hours of light.
- Compact Storage: Inflatable design allows for easy deflation and storage in small spaces.
- Portable: Easily added to emergency kits; inflates quickly with a few puffs of air.
- Versatile Use: Can be used as a traditional lantern or flipped upside down for a focused reading lamp.
It’s not often that I jump fully on board with a product but my family has had Luci lights around now for years, and they’re a reliable source of light whenever we’ve needed one. What more could you ask from an emergency preparedness product? I talked about the Luci and demonstrated some of its features in this recorded Facebook Live chat.
Creative Ways to Use Your Luci Lantern
Beyond basic illumination, the Luci Solar Lantern offers a surprising range of practical and imaginative applications. Here are some creative and convincing ways to put this versatile light to work around your house and beyond:
Everyday Convenience and Safety
- Night Light for Children. With its 3 brightness settings, you can set it on Low — just enough light to provide comfort. With the Luci around kids, you won’t worry about a plug-in night light with a hot bulb and electric outlet, easily within reach of a young child. And, the Luci isn’t a fire hazard. If you have grandkids, this would be a great way to have the Luci for emergencies AND as a night light when they spend the night.
- Safe Patio Lighting. Place a few Lucis along a back patio railing for nighttime BBQs and then one in the middle of each table. Safer than tiki type torches — no fire hazard, and you’ll use them again and again.
- Reading Light for All Ages: These are great gifts for kids and teens. If they are going to read under the covers at night, this is better than a flashlight with no expensive batteries. If they fall asleep while the Luci is on, there are no dead batteries to replace.
- Road Trip Companion. On road trips you can charge the Luci on the dashboard while driving during the day, and then have a soft light source for the kids while driving at night. This is perfect! Kids can read, play games, etc. without the car’s overhead light on, distracting the driver. It’s also a perfect addition to a vehicle emergency kit; hang it from a grab handle and it’s always ready to go.
- Hotel Room Comfort. Great for hotel rooms, where we all can wake up a bit disoriented. Place the Luci on the bathroom vanity, on its Low setting. It’s also a great item to prepare for a hotel emergency.
Outdoor Adventures
- Camping Essential. Every camping family needs at least two or three Lucis. They are perfect for tent lighting, provide a light source at night while the family is playing cards or just visiting, and in between camping trips, you can easily store the deflated lantern with your camping/outdoor gear.
- Backpacking Buddy. It’s convenient hook allows you to hang it from your pack while you hike, and it’s lightweight design won’t weigh you down on the trail.
- Charming Outdoor Decor. Feeling creative? Hang a few Lucis with big ribbons from trees, gazebos, patio umbrellas for charming nighttime entertainment.
- Event Centerpieces. The Luci can be used to create beautiful, luminous centerpieces for outdoor or dimly lit indoor weddings and parties.
- Outdoor Activities. Attach a Luci to a bicycle for nighttime rides. It can light up the path ahead of you and is large enough to make the bicycle and rider visible to others.
- Halloween Fun. On Halloween, it makes a great trick or treating light!
Home and Gift Ideas
- Safe Tealight Alternative. Wherever you would place a tiny tealight (real or battery), use the Luci light instead for a safer and long-lasting glow.
- Thoughtful Gifts. Because few people are familiar with the Luci Solar Lantern, they make great gifts for all sorts of occasions: thank you gifts (being the shining light of the PTA, you are the brightest teacher, etc.), stocking stuffers, a Festival of Lights gift, or a thoughtful “I really want you to be prepared for emergencies” gift.
- Soft Lighting for the Elderly. Have an elderly loved one who could use some soft lighting during the night? The Luci lantern never gets hot and with its 3 settings provides just the right amount of light when needed.
- Bathtime Ambiance. Colored Luci lanterns can be placed safely in or near the tub to create a fun and relaxing ambient glow for bath time.
Size, Features, and Styles
The Luci Solar Lantern is made to be easy to carry around. Inflated, it offers a useful light source at roughly 5 inches in diameter and 4-5 inches in height, yet it conveniently collapses to a mere 1-inch thickness when deflated for easy packing. Weighing just a few ounces, it won’t make your bag heavy. Lots of them even have a little strap so you can hang them up easily.
When it comes to lighting, these lanterns typically offer a range of modes to cater to various situations:
- Low brightness
- Medium brightness
- High brightness
- Flashing emergency mode
Finally, Luci lanterns come in diverse styles to suit different preferences and needs, including the original clear or matte finishes with cool or warm white light, and vibrant colored versions for added ambiance. While the primary power source is solar with a rechargeable battery, some models offer the added convenience of USB charging.
FAQs
A full charge can last for up to 12 hours, depending on the brightness setting used.
The Luci charges via its built-in solar panel, either in direct sunlight or even under indoor lighting.
The Luci inflates with just a few puffs of air through a valve. To deflate, simply open the valve and press down on the lantern to release the air.
Yes, the Luci is safe for children as it doesn’t have any small parts that could be a choking hazard when inflated, and it doesn’t get hot like traditional light bulbs.
Yes, the Luci is completely waterproof.
For the best prices on the Luci, I like and recommend Survival Frog because they offer the Luci in multi-packs, which saves money. You can learn more about the Luci and order here. If you think of other creative ways to use the Luci, leave a comment below!
Related Power Outage Content
- Which Emergency Light Sources are Best for Your Family?
- Keeping Your Cool When There’s No Air Conditioning
- Create a Family Emergency Communication Plan
- How to Prepare for a Power Outage that Lasts a Long, Long Time
Get Your FREE Family Power Outage Handbook!
Final Thoughts
So, there you have it – the surprisingly versatile Luci Solar Lantern. From weathering power outages to adding a touch of magic to everyday moments, this little inflatable light proves to be more than just a gadget. Its safety, portability, and eco-friendly solar power make it a smart and reliable addition to any home, emergency kit, or outdoor adventure, offering a bright solution wherever and whenever you need it. If you think of other creative ways to use the Luci, leave a comment below!
I bought several of these off Amazon a few months ago. I remember after Hurricane Isabel, several homeowners in my town, whose houses had survived the hurricane, proceeded to burn down their own houses by using candles for light. I dread fires caused by candles and won’t have any real candles in my home. In addition to the white light Luci’s, I also bought some Luci “candle” inflatables that seem to have a central “flame” and cast “flickering candlelight” and they’re lovely. My only issue with using them has been recharging during rainy or cloudy autumn weather so i also have some hand crank lanterns.
We first saw the Luci Light hanging on a sail boat slipped next to our boat, so we purchased 5 Luci lights, two for our boat, two for our bug out bags and one that changes colors. We toss that one in the hot tub, at night and it’s quite magical!
It’s nice to see and read your review of the Luci solar light. I’ve owned mine for almost a year. It has been the best 17$ I’ve spent on preparedness/camping gear. I do a lot of camping and this little light provides more than enough real light to work, read or do things by; hands free. Such a great product that most of my friends have gone out and bought one or more because of its small size and many uses.
I think these are a great idea for older people who just need a simple light source if they lose power. They’re nice and lightweight which is great for people who might use a walker and don’t necessarily have a free hand to carry a bulky lantern.
I have had to get up many times over the years in the cold, pre-dawn hours to turn the overhead sprinklers on our vegetable and flower gardens when a surprise freeze threatened. A Luci Light would be a welcome partner as we continue to homestead in the American Redoubt.
Luci sounds fantastic. We would use her camping and on our sailboat on a daily basis!!!
I keep one in our luggage bag too. I cannot count the times we have been at a hotel and the lights go out.
That’s a great idea! The solar charge lasts a very long time. I’ve only had to recharge it twice.