Prudent Prepping: Etekcity CLK30 Camping Lantern

 The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.

My long-awaited package finally arrived! I ordered it with Prime shipping, but since it was non-essential it took a bit longer to get here. 

Light, But Variable
In my July Take-Out post, I mentioned the small lantern I've had for years and when I looked at the Amazon ad there was a new version listed. I went ahead and ordered one to see if there was any actual improvement. I think there is! 

Just as a refresher, here are the high points from the Amazon ad for the Etekcity Camping Lantern CL30. 

https://amzn.to/2XUTkrD

About this item

• ULTRA BRIGHT: This lantern includes 30 individual low consumption LED bulbs carrying 360° of luminous light while saving energy
• LONG-LASTING: Light up at least to 30 hours of regular, continuous use with enough battery capacity (batteries pre-installed in the lantern).
• 4 LEVELS BRIGHTNESS CONTROL: Easily adjust the brightness with dimmer button to fit the environment for camping, reading, power outage, emergency, hiking, backpacking etc.
• MAGNETIC BASE: Effortlessly stick it to any metal frames for hand-free lighting in any working environment.
• DURABLE MATERIALS: Constructed with military grade ABS material; FCC Certified, RoHS Compliant.
• COMPACT & LIGHTWEIGHT: The extremely lightweight build allows you to take lanterns on the go with ease. When not in use collapse the lantern to a smaller size; taking up little space.
• TACTICAL STORAGE: The top lid of the lantern contains a small room for storing some small things like some change, yours keys, some spare batteries, etc.
• BUY WITH CONFIDENCE: Feel free to contact our California Support Team. We are always ready help if you have any question about our product.

Due to a change in my work schedule I haven't given these a serious test or a head-to-head battery life trial, but I'm hoping to grab fresh batteries and try them out very soon. What I have done is a bit of testing, and I really like some of the features on the new lantern! One in particular is a nice addition that I can't clearly photograph, but there is a molded-in spot that holds the handles down. The previous model didn't have that, and I used a rubber band to keep everything neat in my bag. 

New, Old, Soda

Here are both models for comparison. From left to right we have the new version, the old version, and a typical soda can.
 

They would be the same size if not for  the small storage compartment in the top of the new version.

The light output from the new model appears to be a bit brighter to my eye when fully extended, even if there is no apparent difference in the arrangement of the LED 'bulbs'.  I'm not sure if it's actually brighter, or if it's just the fact that the lantern opens up taller, allowing more light to be reflected out of the housing.














Here is the CL30 on the lowest brightness setting compared to my existing lantern with only one setting. The amount of light on Low is still sufficient to see well.



I think having a variable amount of light,  plus a magnetic base (which I haven't had a chance to try out in a real world test) is going to be a benefit!






Recap And Takeaway 

• Finally getting a new toy and finding out it really does do what the ad says is satisfying!
• While the new lantern certainly does more things, I am not dumping the old version. Having a reliable back-up is another cure for my 'One Is None' problem.
• Nothing was purchased this week but you can order a pair of these Etekcity CL30 Lanterns from Amazon for the amazing price of $19.79 for two! Prime shipping is available.

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Just a reminder: if you plan on buying anything through Amazon, please consider using our referral link. When you do, a portion of the sale comes back here to help keep this site running!

If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.