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My 3 year relationship with the Luci Inflatable Solar Light

I first met Luci in 2016 on a climbing trip to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in Arkansas. My friends from RoKC climbing gym and I had spent the day climbing and were settling into camp and preparing dinner.  As the sun went down, one of the guys grabbed a flat disk that he blew into to inflate and then hit a button that lit it up. This completely solar-powered lantern produced enough light to illuminate our picnic table as well any battery-powered lantern I’d seen. 

Luci Orginal

After that, I had to get one for myself. I went to REI and bought the Luci Original. When deflated, the Luci light is only 4 inches square and 1 inch thick and easy to pack. When fully charged with sunlight, it provides up to 24 hours of light–plenty of light for any time I go camping. And since it’s water and dust proof, it’s been an essential item that I always take camping with me from Red River Gorge and Yosemite National Park to Moab. 

It has several light settings, so you can choose how bright, from 15 to 75 lumens. My favorite way to use the Luci Original is to turn it into a nice table light by setting it on a roll of paper towels. (wish I had a picture of this on my last camping trip but I was packing light)

Luci outdoor 2.0 inside a tent
Outdoor 2.0 inside my tent

Luci Outdoor 2.0

Last year, I purchased the Luci Outdoor 2.0, which has an adjustable base strap that works great for attaching to the inside ceiling of my tent to provide a great angle for lighting up my tent. The strap also makes it incredibly easy to place it wherever I need light, such as a hammock, rope, or clothes line. 

It also lasts longer than the Luci Original, giving 50 hours of light on a single charge and is brighter, with its highest setting providing 150 lumens.

I still utilize the Luci Original and typically charge both of them together on the dash of my jeep while out hiking or climbing to have it ready for sundown.

Luci base light and Luci outdoor 2.0
Base light (left) and the outdoor 2.0 (right)

Luci Base Light

Luci recently sent me with a new Luci Base Light to review. It’s the perfect addition to my Luci family. The new model is its brightest light, but also has an added cell phone charging feature. It’s heavier and slightly larger, but allows me to always have a charged cell battery, even in the woods. 

I found that it does require good sunlight, so on a cloudy day it didn’t provide enough power to my cell phone to fully charge it.  

Luci base light and Luci outdoor 2.0
Base light (left) and the Outdoor 2.0 (right)

The new Luci Base Light also features a much brighter light. When compared to the previous models, it disperses 300 lumens of light, twice as much as the Luci Outdoor 2.0, but it’s not blinding, but rather a soft glow. And like the Luci Outdoor 2.0, it also provides up to 50 hours of light on a single charge.

The Luci Base Light makes camping with multiple people easier for seeing at night since it can light up a much larger space. It also has an adjustable strap so I can hang it from my tent ceiling when I want a ton of light.

Luci Base Light on full power inside a tent
Base Light on full power inside my tent

It is perfect for car trips to campgrounds or short hikes in to Camp. 

I personally still love the 2.0 for how light it is, and it works perfect for me as a single camper. If you are going on a long hike and don’t care about being attached to your phone, I recommend the Outdoor 2.0. If you want to be always connected and have a short hike and don’t care about the weight, or have a larger group, the Base Light is your best option. Overall, MPowerd is a great brand, and I look forward to meeting their next Luci generation.

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