Preppers: Stockpiling Rechargeable LED Lanterns
Kevin Felts 08.29.18
Looking for an all around flashlight for disasters, rural cabins, or a bug out locations? Then look no further than a rechargeable LED lantern.
Why a rechargeable LED lantern?
- Easy to use.
- Rechargeable with a USB cable / solar panel.
- Various brightness settings.
- Affordable.
- Little to no fire hazard – unlike candles and kerosene lanterns.
- Produces almost no heat.
- Bright enough to read with, or light up a room.
Like a lot of other preppers, over the years I collected a variety of kerosene lanterns. Some of them were bought, while others belonged to my grandparents. A couple of the kerosene lanterns in my collection were used by my great grandparents before electricity was brought to Southeast Texas.
We talked about kerosene lamps in a previous article – Replace Kerosene Lamps With Solar.
Having used LED lanterns for several months here on the farm, I am convinced they are probably the best bang for the buck for people who want to stockpile flashlights. Typically, a flashlight serves a single person, or maybe a couple of people. Lanterns on the other had can light up a room for several people.
One of the issues with stockpiling the typical flashlight, reading with 200 lumens can be difficult. Turning on a bright tactical light in a dark room messes with the vision. Having a soft light to move around the house is much better than using a high lumen flashlight.
Then there is the issue with batteries. A lot of people only buy flashlights that use 123a batteries. Their logic is the lifespan of 123a batteries, and the lumens the lights can produce.
Rechargeable LED lanterns produce a soft light bright enough for people to read with, play board games, walk around the yard, close up the chicken house… etc. In effect, lanterns do just about everything grannies kerosene lantern did, but without fuel, heat, or the fire risks.
Typically, preppers / survivalist are a conservative group. From time to time, I preach about using history to help us prepare for the disaster of tomorrow. However, there is nothing wrong with incorporating modern technology into our prepping plans.
If we have stockpile lanterns that are:
- Rechargeable.
- Eliminates a fire hazard.
- Cost effective.
- Provides enough light to play board games or read with.
Then why not?
Lavievert sells a rechargeable LED lantern which has multiple output modes:
- Low
- Medium
- High
- Strobe
- SOS
The lantern produces enough light to read by, or walk around the yard with. Sometimes I take the Lavievert lantern out to the chicken house to close up the chickens and check on a few things.
After using the lantern for several days, I have to say the only thing I questioned was the SOS and strobe mode. I worked on a tugboat for over a year and a half, and the only items that had a strobe were the type I life jackets – they had a whistle and water activated strobe.
For a lantern that is used during power outages, or a grid down situation, I see no reason for a strobe of SOS.
Overall, handheld LED rechargeable LED lanterns may be something preppers consider adding to their preps.
