XTAUTO Collapsible Portable LED Camping Lantern XTAUTO Lightweight Waterproof Solar USB Rechargeable LED Flashlight Survival Kits for Indoor Outdoor Home Emergency Light Power Outages Hiking Hurricane 4-Pack

Why I started carrying these lanterns

I keep a small bin of emergency gear by the door—spare batteries, a radio, a water filter, and now, a four-pack of the XTAUTO collapsible lanterns. After several power cuts and a few car-camping weekends this year, I’ve put them through a mix of real-world use: lighting a basement during cleanup, hanging them in a tent, and using one as a quick task light in the backyard after dark. They’re now a regular part of my kit for one reason: they offer a lot of usable light in a compact, inexpensive package, with a few thoughtful touches that make them surprisingly versatile.

Design and ergonomics

Each lantern collapses into a compact cylinder about the size of a small mug. Pulling the body upward reveals the 360° LED array; sliding it back down turns it off. There’s also a separate front-facing LED for flashlight use, so you can run it as a lantern, a flashlight, or stash it closed and off. Two folding wire handles on the top let you hang it from a tent loop or a branch, and the flat base sits securely on a table. The whole thing is lightweight, easy to carry, and small enough that I can toss one into a jacket pocket.

The build is ABS plastic—no metal chassis or rubber armor—but it feels more solid than the weight suggests. The seams are snug, the handles fold with a satisfying resistance, and the sliding action is smooth. I wouldn’t call it rugged in the hard-use, drop-it-off-a-roof sense, but it holds up well to normal knocks and bumps and doesn’t feel cheap.

Light quality and brightness

The lantern mode is bright enough to fill a small-to-medium room or a family-size tent with usable light. It’s a cool-white output typical of compact LEDs: crisp, clean, and good for detail work, though not “warm” or ambient if you’re after cozy mood lighting. Opening the lantern farther increases output, and closing it down reduces glare. This is a simple, intuitive way to control brightness—especially handy at night when you don’t want to blast your night vision.

The flashlight mode is more focused than the lantern and plenty bright for finding a trail marker, checking on a breaker box, or lighting the way to a campsite bathroom. It’s not a long-throw specialist, but it makes a strong case for carrying one device instead of a separate flashlight and lantern.

A small but meaningful detail: because the lantern emits light 360° around, you don’t need to aim it carefully. Set it in the middle of a table or hang it overhead and it just works. For power outages, that’s invaluable.

Power, charging, and the solar panel

Each unit has a built-in 1600 mAh rechargeable battery. There are two ways to charge:

• USB input (Micro‑USB)
• Solar panel on the top for trickle charging

USB charging is straightforward—plug it in and a tiny indicator LED lights up—but there’s no battery gauge and no clear “fully charged” signal. The indicator doesn’t change state, so you’re guessing at charge completion. I solved this by topping them off for several hours (or overnight) before trips and periodically during longer outages.

The solar panel does work, but think of it as a backup. It’s small, so it replenishes slowly. In strong sun, leaving the lantern out during the day added useful runtime by evening, but it’s not a primary way to fully recharge from empty. For emergencies and camping, though, having that trickle power on tap is a real advantage when outlets aren’t available.

There’s also a USB‑A output for emergency phone charging. With a 1600 mAh internal battery, you’re looking at a modest top‑up rather than a full phone charge—enough to place calls or send messages. It’s a nice safety feature, but I wouldn’t rely on it as a daily power bank.

Runtime and real-world use

In lantern mode at full extension, I consistently got a long evening of bright light—plenty for cooking, playing cards, or working on a task—before noticeable dimming. On lower output (by keeping it partially collapsed), I could stretch a unit through an entire night. Across a long weekend of camping, using two lanterns a few hours each evening, I didn’t need to plug them in at all. Indoors during a blackout, one lantern placed in a central room provided enough light to navigate and read without eye strain.

The flashlight mode sips power a bit more gently than the lantern, so I tend to use it for short bursts: checking the yard, finding gear at the bottom of a bin, walking between campsites. The flexibility to switch between modes without changing devices is a highlight.

One caveat on the “variable brightness” by sliding: you’re physically restricting how much of the diffuser is exposed, rather than electronically dimming the LEDs. It’s a perfectly fine way to lower glare and reduce perceived brightness, but don’t expect battery life to scale precisely with how far you open it.

Weather resistance and durability

These are billed as water‑resistant, and in practice they’ve shrugged off damp grass, a bit of mist, and a light drizzle. I wouldn’t submerge them or leave them out in a downpour, but they’re right at home in typical camping conditions and around a leaky tent flap. The sliding mechanism keeps dust out reasonably well; after a sandy weekend, a quick wipe was all they needed.

They’ve also handled being tossed into packs and clipped to a backpack loop without issue. If you’re rough on gear, you’ll appreciate that the lanterns don’t have protruding glass lenses or fragile switches.

What I’d change

• Charging clarity: The biggest miss is the lack of a battery gauge or clear full‑charge indicator. A simple three‑LED meter would transform preparedness. As is, you’re left to time your charges or just top off regularly.
• Port choice: The input is Micro‑USB, not USB‑C. It works, but in 2025 it’s one more cable to remember. USB‑C would make these easier to standardize with other gear.
• Solar expectations: The panel is useful for topping up, not for rapid recharges. That’s not a flaw so much as a limitation of size, but it’s worth planning around.

Value and how to use the four‑pack

The four‑pack format is the standout value proposition. I keep one on each floor at home for outages, one in the car kit, and one in the camping bin. Spreading them around means I’m never more than a few steps from a light. For families, it’s also handy to hand a lantern to each person rather than crowding around a single light source. If you loan gear to neighbors during storms, you won’t miss a beat.

A few practical tips:
- Charge them by USB before trips; don’t rely solely on solar.
- Store a Micro‑USB cable with the set.
- Hang them high for even room lighting; use half‑open for close work to cut glare.
- Rotate use so all units get exercised and recharged every month or two.

Who it’s for (and who it’s not for)

• Great for: campers, families preparing for power outages, anyone needing lightweight, packable lights with both lantern and flashlight modes.
• Good for: car kits, emergency go‑bags, night fishing or backyard tasks.
• Not ideal for: users who want precise battery monitoring, fast solar recharging, or a single high‑end light with regulated output and USB‑C charging.

The bottom line

The XTAUTO collapsible lanterns are practical, bright, and genuinely useful across camping and emergency scenarios. They’re easy to carry, throw a wide 360° beam that makes spaces immediately usable, and the built‑in flashlight mode replaces carrying a second light. The solar panel is a welcome safety net, and the option to trickle‑charge a phone in a pinch adds peace of mind.

They’re not perfect. The absence of a battery meter and the Micro‑USB input feel dated, and the solar panel is best treated as supplemental rather than primary. But taken as a whole—especially as a four‑pack—they’re a compelling blend of versatility, portability, and value.

Recommendation: I recommend these if you want an affordable, lightweight set of lanterns to cover both camping and power‑outage needs. Charge them by USB ahead of time, keep one in each key location, and let the solar panel be your backup. If you require precise battery readouts or USB‑C across all devices, look elsewhere. For most users, these hit the right balance of performance and practicality.