Coleman MicroPacker Compact Battery Lantern

First there seem to be two different versions of this product .. with similar (or identical) names. The product I am reviewing is the one (pictured) with a yellow plastic case and a diffuser around the LED's. The other model has a grey case and no diffuser. The other one appears to have an upside down conical reflector to spread the light, but I'm not sure since I've only seen photos and not the actual item. It also costs more than the yellow one.

The (yellow) unit is GREAT! I own a couple of other LED lanterns and this is by far the best I've seen. The technology is always advancing and something better will come out I'm sure, but right now (and for a while I think) this is a really good choice.

I used one on a recent camping trip and it was more than enough light to illuminate my picnic table at night for cooking. Of course, the light is not as bright as a flourescent, or gas lantern. The pattern is fairly even (unlike all my other LED lanterns) Throwing light both sideways and up and down (dead spot directly under the base, of course).

After my camping trip I came home and purchase two more of these. One to keep at work, and the other to keep in the car.

My wife and I bought two of these on a Tuesday for a weekend camping trip and, lo and behold, the next night a storm knocked out the power. These were a godsend. Absolutely fantastic. They aren't the world's brightest things because of a reflective sleeve that casts the light in a fairly uniform direction, but once it gets darker, they're easily brighter 2-3 candles and without the fear of accidentally leaving one on to burn down your house. With good alkalines, they could easily run for weeks due to the low power draw of the LED's. These are fantastic emergency lights for the house, car, etc. And at the going price of $10, they just can't be beat. I highly recommend them and have already urged my entire family to stock up.

They work very well for camping too. ;)

PS I would recommend staying away from the "exponent" line of Coleman LED lanterns. They're designed poorly as far as light distribution and LED placement.

My wife and I bought two of these on a Tuesday for a weekend camping trip and, lo and behold, the next night a storm knocked out the power. These were a godsend. Absolutely fantastic. They aren't the world's brightest things because of a reflective sleeve that casts the light in a fairly uniform direction, but once it gets darker, they're easily brighter 2-3 candles and without the fear of accidentally leaving one on to burn down your house. With good alkalines, they could easily run for weeks due to the low power draw of the LED's. These are fantastic emergency lights for the house, car, etc. And at the going price of $10, they just can't be beat. I highly recommend them and have already urged my entire family to stock up.

They work very well for camping too. ;)

I use this for my boat for the kids. So far so good. Battery life is good and is bright enough for reading.

Nice, useful light.

Coleman Micropacker compact battery lantern proves to be a highly useful camping device. The lantern stands 6.5 inches tall, about 2 inches in width and weight only 6.5 ounces. Its armed with two LED lights that gives off plenty of good light for its size and the three AA batteries got excellent life span which really help. The lantern itself isn't waterproof but it seem to be well sealed so several times I took it out in foul weather, it held up without any problems.

There is sliding reflector that goes up and down. While it up, the lantern can serves as a directional wide flood light while when it down, it serves as an surrounding light in all directions. There is enough light there to read a book or play cards.

Small size, good battery life and lightweight carry load make this an ideal backpacker light to used inside the tent. It also got a fold out handle on the top to you can hang it almost anywhere for any situation. While it won't turn night into day, it will shed enough light for you to function.

Overall, a pretty good product from Coleman.