LuminAID PackLite Firefly Product Review

This post is sponsored by LuminAID.

First, let me say that I was super excited to get a chance to test this product! Whenever I am backpacking I use my headlamp for light around the campsite, which is fine but that means wasting batteries and carrying plenty of extra batteries due to the extra usage.

I love this product for three main reasons; it is lightweight, it is solar-powered, and it gives off a lot of light. Basically everything I would want in a backpacking (or camping) lantern. It is also waterproof, which means I don’t have to worry about it getting wet AND if you are near a power source it can be recharged with the supplied USB cable in around 2 hours.

5 Light Settings: TURBO, High, Medium, Low, and Candle Flicker
Up to 48 hours of Light on one charge:

• 3-5 Hours LED light on TURBO setting – 75 Lumens
• 6-8 Hours LED light on High setting
• 12-14 Hours LED light on Medium setting
• 18-24 Hours LED light on Low setting
• 36-48 Hours LED light on Candle Flicker setting

Recharges in 10 hours of direct sunlight or 1-2 hours by USB
Lithium-Polymer Ion battery with thousands of recharge cycles
Weight: 5 oz
Dimensions approximately: 4.6″ W x 4.6″ L X 1″ H (flat) / 4.6″ x 4.75″ x 4.6″ (inflated)
Waterproof up to 1 meter deep and can float (IP67)
Product is 100% PVC-free and all components are lead-free and RoHs compliant

The PackLite Firefly gives off a crazy amount of light (see picture below), packs down small, easy to inflate, and best of all it is durable which means it will hold up in dang near almost any condition you can think of taking it to!

Bonus points for the fact that you do not need to lug around extra batteries and not having to worry if you brought enough! Just hook it to your pack during the day and let it recharge in the sun!

My Test

Since I live in the city and am in between trips right now, I decided to test inside my house where I knew I could control the light. I closed all blinds AND closed curtains and turned off all the lights in the house. It was pitch black. I put the PackLite Firefly on Turbo (the highest setting) and hung it from a curtain rod.

It did an amazing job lighting up the surrounding area. Of course, we should also take into consideration that I have light walls and light bounces of white and lighter colors, helping to enhance the lighting capabilities (photography 101, lol). I plan on taking it on my next backpacking trip and updating it with those findings as well.

I did allow it to remain on and drain the battery and the next day stuck it in the sun to recharge. It took about 10 hours to fully charge (as it claims) to recharge in full sun.

I did take it on a 4.5-mile hike under tree coverage and it continued to charge with no issue. I also put it outside during overcast sky’s (was a rainy day) and it continued to charge. It does a great job charging in every condition I put it in.

Cons

So the only thing that I noticed was the snaps on the handle easily come unsnapped. While I did put it on the back of my pack for a 4.5-mile hike and it never unsnapped or fell off my pack; it did unsnap while hanging on the curtain rod. I had it on the last snap on the curtain rod so maybe that is why. While it was on my backpack I was using the innermost snap. Just something to keep in mind!

Overall

Overall as I stated above, I love the PackLite Firefly! If you check out their website, they have several different models, one which also charges cell phones and another one which has changing colored lights. So there is a model for everyone!