Practical Gadgets: Brite-Nite Dome USB Lantern

         A few weeks ago, I received my 5-year anniversary gift from work. It's crazy how fast time flew by. I chose the Brite-Nite Dome USB Lantern by Wagan Tech. My other options were myriads of watches and similar timepieces. I didn't think I needed more of those. Since it's late in the season for me to try this device out in actual camping situations, I played around with it at home.

         This is more than your average lantern. This lantern doubles as a power source for your other small electronic devices. Some may think it's silly to be bound to your phones, etc. while camping, I see it as a safety precaution. Besides, it would be nice to have something other than a lawnmower to generate power during an outage.

         You can buy one on Amazon for $18.95. It's not an expensive product.

General Features

         It's easy to check the power reserves on your lantern. The numbers and the light display the current power level of the battery.

         The blue lights also turn on when you are charging the lantern or using the USB port to charge other devices.

         The lamp has three different light modes: high, low, and SOS. According to the manufacturer, a full battery will last 6 hours on high, 14 on low and 24 on SOS. If you are wondering how bright it could get in a dark room, the answer is... yes.

         You most likely cannot tell from the picture, but the first picture is the high setting and the second one is on the low. They are bright all right. You would definitely be able to see inside a tent, family-sized even.

         The SOS light is what you'd expect, it blinks the message in Morse code. I have not tried to find out the distance which a person could still see your SOS, but I would hope it's far.

         Another useful feature is the magnets on the top side of the lantern. I put it on my refrigerator and it stayed there without any issues. I will definitely keep this around the kitchen for a potential power outage. This lantern may have some workshop applications as well with enough metal surfaces.

Gripes

         The small hooks meant for hanging the lantern are limiting. There are few reasonable ways to "hang" it up without attaching extra strings or set up ropes for it to grapple on.

Other Considerations

         The package insert recommends to recharge the lantern every 3 to 6 months when not in use. It says it would take 5-6 hours to replenish the power supply from empty to full.

         For longer trips or extensive use, consider other accessories such as solar chargers. That way, you can charge during the day and use the lantern during the night. In fact, the same could apply for power outages.

         I do not believe this item is water-resistant. Please take extra precautions when traversing streams or stormy weather. It would not be difficult to give it a layer of protection.