Backpacker Magazine – Online Exclusive

Gear Review: Four Summer Camping Steals

Bonus: They are all lightweight and former Editors' Choice winners.

by: Will Rochfort

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Black Diamond Orbit Lantern – EC Winner 2009
I used to think that lanterns were a waste of weight, relegated to Boy Scout trips and car camping with mom and dad. Boy was I wrong. Black Diamond’s Orbit Lantern has completely changed my mind on the matter due to its superior light-to-bright ratio; for only 3 oz. (sans batteries), you get a four-meter radius of 45 lumens. In plain English, this means there’s plenty of light for late-night camp chef cook offs, midnight poker games, or cooking breakfast for alpine starts, all for less weight than a set of cooking spices. This lantern saved our bacon after three of the five folks’ headlamps failed/broke on a recent trip to Yosemite (we only brought backup batteries for one), and I even hooked it to the front of my pack for a pre-dawn scramble to the top of Liberty Cap. As an added bonus, you can also purchase a rechargeable battery pack that comes complete with adapters for all major international outlets ($30). After charging overnight, the Orbit ran full strength for about six hours while in the backcountry; I let it run out at home and it faded after 11 total hours. Specs: 3 oz.; $30; blackdiamondequipment.com

Read the original Editors' Choice review.


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