I carry a Photon as my primary light and a backup in my emergency kit—they can’t be beat. However, when we camp in the winter months with long hours of darkness and particularly in areas where campfires are not permitted, we always carry some sort of lantern as a Photon is not suitable for continuous lighting. This is usually my solar powered one made from the guts of a landscape light However, it is still heavy even though we don’t have to carry extra batteries and the light is pretty low level and dim. I have really never found anything I considered satisfactory for general lighting (lanterns, etc.), until yesterday.
At Radio Shack I bought a package of Brinkmann waterproof GO-LED lights. They come in a package of 4 for $5 ($1.25 each), have a stated life of over 170 hours of continuous use each and are waterproof. I tried one last night and they give off a lot of light in a wide pattern—they are terrific! They are rounded on one side, about the size of a golf ball and weigh only .8 oz (22 grams) each. Those who count grams could probably tear the plastic case off the back and cut the weight in half. Ask for Model: 809-3054-1, Catalog #: 63-156.
