When everything you need is on your back, you don’t want to be carrying around excess weight. One package of batteries for a flashlight or lantern can quickly become “the straw that broke the camel’s back”, so to speak. If you are toting around solar powered gizmos, then you’re going to want something that is compact, lightweight, and can withstand a little weather.
It’s as if the Luci Inflatable Solar Lantern was made to fill all of those needs. Putting it under direct sunlight or incandescent light for 8 hours will give you an average of around 6-12 hours of illumination. If you don’t use it right away, that’s fine and dandy as it can hold a charge for 3 months. There’s a flashlight setting for emergency situations, and it can be kept in temperatures ranging from -4-140 degrees Fahrenheit. You can use it while compressed, but it will serve you a bit better once it has been blown up. This $30 product is made of a waterproof PVC, and for every one that is sold, the people at Mpowerd have pledged to send another to a developing country.