Lantern

[Alejandro P]

While going through a "packing list" my fiance insisted we have a lantern and while I admit I hate the harsh light of a headlamp or flash light I knew I wasn't going to carry a lantern. So I came up with this, I can't even give you a weight reading, my scale zeros out and can't give a measurement in grams.

Does it work? heck yeah! And you know how horrible the iphone is in low light. I didn't modify the image at all. The light is soft too, very relaxing.

And when things start to get interesting

It folds back up easily to pack it away and its pretty easy to find a safe spot for it in your pack. Vellum will refold dozens of times and it can handle a little moisture unlike paper, but not much. Two tiny dots of velcro will hold it in place if you plan to hang it.

[Tim Zen]

Very nice light.

But really. You are going out near the solstice. I don't think you will need the light

[Dion Dixon]

I like it.
Very clever.

I wonder how heavy some plastic from those envelopes with the frosted clear dividers would work… Maybe even some milk jug HDPE…

Guess it depends on how strong the light.

[Alejandro P]

My point exactly, a lantern wont see much use right now BUT I figured its my UL way of accommodating her "pack everything" style she's used to (working on it).

Came in at 3.5 grams

There isn't too many folds, a thin plastic could work great. I might have some mylar laying around I can try. Tyvek would work too.

[Dion Dixon]

That is a great idea. The 1443 might offer better translucence, it would probably get pretty flimsy, structurally. But the Home-wrap stuff would hold up really well. Does it let enough light through, though?

[Jeff J]

That's such a simple, brilliant variation on the overpriced, overly heavy plastic version from Mammut (I think). And usable with any headlamp! I wish I'd have had this in January.

Time to Google origami box instructions.

-Jeff

[Backpack Jack]

Do you mind sharing how you made it, i.e.. showing how to fold it, and where do you buy the material?

Thanks Jack

[Alejandro P]

Dang and i was gonna sell these for what mammut charges for theirs, jk
If the link doesn't work search for origami water bomb.
http://girltaoqu.com/wpcontent/uploads/2011/11/waterbomb.gif

You can get vellum at staples in the drafting section or at a community college student store. An 8×8 paper works best to fit over the housing but you may need to adjust depending on your lamp.

I made a couple others out of Mylar and tyvak to see how they worked out. I'll post picks shortly.

[Backpack Jack]

Just made one out of paper, tomorrow off to Office depot. Thanks for the cool idea, it's definitely going on my next trip with no weight penalty.

[Alejandro P]

So in the photo we have vellum on the left, mylar in the center and tyvek on the right. I measured the light with a studio grade light meter 2ft away from the source.
Vellum = 3.5 grams, packs well and can get soaked if left to dry while folded, can be refolded if crushed but you'll probably want to make a new one later.

Mylar = 6.1 grams, slightly brighter than vellum, can be used in rain, doesn't fold flat on its own, can take a beating but destroyed if crushed.

Tyvek = 2.6 grams, sits completely flat, water and crushing no problem but only half as bright as vellum.

I forgot to mention after you have folded the cube, blow it out then cut out the bottom from the hole. Leave the triangular flaps to use as mounts.

[Marc Shea]

I personally like the offering from Snow Peak, the Snow Miner. It isn't the lightest thing out there, but the hook is a nice feature and the light works well as a headlamp and a lantern.
http://www.snowpeak.com/snowminer-headlamp-lantern.html

[Steve B]

The water bomb is about the only thing I know how to fold. So going to make one of these, great idea. Plan on wedging a Photon X lite in the opening, then hanging it from inside the tent.

Make a bunch and line your camp with them, like yard lights! Total weight with a keychain light should be about 0.37oz each, and key chain lights are cheap from dealextreme

Steve

[John Taylorson]

I also bought a handful of key chain LED lights from Dealextreme. I think I paid less than $5.00 for 10ea.

I sewed a small bag out of white spinnaker ripstop, added a drawstring, LED light, a small hook and now have a respectable (I hate in-camp light pollution)amount of light in my shelter to ready by. It weighs in at .3 oz. I also keep one of these LEDs on a Kelty Triptease lanyard around my neck. You can’t beat the price!

[Roger Caffin]

Um ….
That white fabric bag is rather clever! I might even copy it!

Cheers

[Rick M]

del

[Alejandro P]

I like the bag idea, i was originaly going to make something very similar with the tyvek.

A friend just told me you can pick up single sheets of vellum at Michael's for .33 cents. Then it only takes about 3mins to fold and cut.

The output is very even, I was actually surprised. I thought the folded sides would be dimm but it wasn't noticable.

[Jerry Adams]

I like the idea of coin battery light and white bag

Otherwise, the coin battery light doesn't work very good, hard to rig it up so it points where you want the light.

[Tony Fischer]

Great ideas guys, definitely going to give the stuff sack idea a try.

Here is another thought for you all – a candle lantern. The one below is 3.9 oz with 2 candles. Yes, thats a lot of weight when trying to go light but there is just something about the light from a flame that is relaxing after a good days hike.

http://www.industrialrev.com/micro-lantern.html

$12.52 at Amazon including shipping.

(I have no financial interest in this product, just like it a lot!)

[Tristana Rodriguez]

If anyone is interested in making the ripstop lantern and isn't sure how to start out, I've done a tutorial here with John's permission:

http://handicraftsaremyheritage.blogspot.co.uk/

Could be a great beginner's project!

Happy sewing!

[Ryan Dorn]

The Snow Peak SnowMiner is a great headlamp/lantern.

Adjustable from 2-80 lumens, 2 ounces w/out batteries, water resistant and the lantern aspect is hard to beat.

[Scott Cerreta]

I looked everywhere for the Snowminer on a trip to Grand Teton. I cannot claim credit for this trick, but a guy in a sports shop said to just drop your headlamp into a white Nalgene bottle.

Drink in the day and convert the bottle to a lantern at night. No extra weight since it is already part of my gear. I must say it works well, but I do need a new headlamp, so I am going to pickup the SnowMiner. I also like the white stuff sack trick. It is also dual purpose.

I have seen arguments about not needing a lantern, but I strongly feel it is preference. I backpack with my wife and when we get in teh tent at night to settle, I blind her with the headlamp and the lantern provides enough night to get ready for bed and play cards without anyone getting blinded by a headlamp.

[Author]

Posts