Lepro Lanterns, Headlamps and Flashlights

What Lepro makes for hunters and campers

On this site, Lepro covers three product types: camping lanterns, headlamps and flashlights. Lepro's own store sells a lot more lighting than that, from bulbs and strip lights to security lights. The camp lights are the part listed here.

The lanterns in the grid fall into five groups:

• D-cell lanterns: the classic green-and-black shape, 1,000 to 1,500 lumens per their listings
• AA lanterns: a stepless-dimming model and a collapsible four-pack
• Rechargeable lanterns: 410 up to 2,000 lumens, some with a phone-charging output
• Retro railroad lanterns: rechargeable, dimmable, made to look old
• Small multi-packs: tent lights and color-changing lights sold in twos and fours

The headlamps split three ways: rechargeable, AAA and dual power (rechargeable plus AAA). Most come as two-packs or bundles. The flashlights are small: pocket and penlight sizes on AAA or AA cells, plus a few rechargeables.

The grid filters by type and changes as listings come and go. So I'll write about the groups and what separates them, not about this week's count. Most specs here came from Amazon listings, and the grid marks those. Where Lepro's own product page gives more, I've used the maker's numbers and said so.

Lepro camping lanterns that run on D cells

The 1000LM and 1500LM battery lanterns are the old-school shape: a round base, a clear cover, a handle on top. Their listings give dimmable output with four modes, hanging hooks and runtimes of 12 hours. One 1500-lumen version lists 26 hours.

Lepro's own page for the 1500-lumen battery lantern adds detail:

• Batteries: three D-cell alkalines, not included, not rechargeable
• Modes: cool white, warm white, mixed white and a red flashing SOS
• Dimming: long press to dim, short press to change modes
• Full output: the 1,500-lumen figure applies with the outer cover removed, per the maker's FAQ
• Hanging: a hook on the bottom and a metal handle on top, so it hangs either way up
• Water: the maker rates it IPX4, splashing water from any direction

The upside-down hanging trick matters more than it sounds. A lantern hung base-up from a tent loop throws light down on the table instead of up at the ceiling. That's where your hands are.

D cells are the heavy end of the battery drawer. For a cabin or a truck camp, that's fine. For a walk-in camp, read the next sections.

Battery-operated lanterns across brands are on the battery operated lantern page.

AA lanterns: the 1100LM and the collapsible four-pack

The 1100LM battery lantern's listing names AA cells and stepless dimming with five modes. The collapsible lanterns come as a four-pack; their listing says each takes three AA cells (not included), puts out 190 lumens and collapses flat.

AA cells are the most shareable battery at deer camp. Everybody has some. Walt has some in a coffee can from a year I won't name, and he swears they're fine. (They are not fine.)

The collapsible four-pack is the one I'd hand out: one per bunk, one for the outhouse path. A light per person settles more cabin arguments than any rule I've posted on the fridge.

Rechargeable Lepro lanterns

The rechargeable lanterns run from 410 to 2,000 lumens per their listings. The 1300LM lists 12 hours and four dimmable modes. Two models come with detachable flashlights, 600 and 1,000 lumens per their listings, so the lantern splits into a lantern plus a hand light. The 410LM's listing title adds a magnetic base and a power-bank function.

Lepro's own page for the 2000LM rechargeable lantern lists:

• Charging: USB-C, cable included, 6 to 7 hours for a full charge
• Power bank: it can charge a phone
• Backup power: it also takes six AA cells for emergencies
• Modes: cool white, warm, combined, red and red flash, with stepless dimming on a long press
• Water: IPX4 for splashes from all directions, per the maker

That AA backup is the feature I'd look for first. A rechargeable lantern with a flat battery and no outlet is a paperweight with a handle. One that takes AA cells is still a lantern.

Rechargeable lanterns across brands are on the rechargeable lantern page.

Retro railroad lanterns

Two Lepro lanterns look like an old railroad lantern: a 450-lumen model and a 1000LM version. Lepro's page for the vintage lantern lists:

• Runtime: 50 hours on low, 3.5 hours on high
• Charging: USB-C, about 4 hours
• Power bank: yes, for a phone in an emergency
• Dimming: a top dial, low to high
• Weight: 0.88 lb
• Size: 5.5 by 5.5 by 7.4 in

The 1000LM version's listing adds stepless dimming and two color temperatures, warm and daylight.

Those two runtime numbers are the whole story of lantern specs in one line. Same lantern, 50 hours or 3.5 hours, depending on where you turn the dial.

Small lantern packs

The 3-Mode LED Lantern four-pack lists 140 lumens, 10 hours and hanging hooks. Its title says batteries are included. The RGBW two-pack is rechargeable and changes color. Neither is a main camp light. They're tent lights, bunk lights, a light by the cooler so I can find the cheese without waking the cabin.

Lepro headlamps

Rechargeable headlamps

The single rechargeable headlamp lists 300 lumens, a 500-ft beam, 30 hours, red light and a tilting head. Lepro's own page for its rechargeable headlamp (model 3200008) gives the breakdown:

• Battery: 1200mAh lithium polymer, USB-C, about 3 hours to charge
• Modes: high 300 lumens, low 50 lumens, strobe, steady red, red flash
• Runtime: 4.5 hours on high, 13.5 hours on low, 37 hours on red
• Tilt: 45 degrees
• Weight: 2.86 oz
• Water: the maker says IPX4, splashing water and heavy rain

The bundles in the grid pair that 3200008 or a similar six-mode headlamp with a motion-sensor headlamp. The motion-sensor two-pack lists 350 lumens and a 230-degree wide beam in its title. Wave a hand, the light changes. Walt thinks a headlamp you wave at is showing off.

AAA and dual-power headlamps

The battery two-pack runs on AAA cells and lists a 400-ft beam, 22 hours, red light and spot plus flood beams. The Dual Power headlamps list a rechargeable battery plus AAA backup, red light and spot plus flood. One dual-power two-pack lists 300 lumens.

More on the type is on the headlamps page, with sub-types on the rechargeable headlamp page and the red light headlamp page. Picks across brands are on the best headlamp page.

Lepro flashlights

Lepro's flashlights are pocket lights, not searchlights. They sort by what feeds them.

AAA and AA pocket lights

The Zoomable LED Flashlight and the LED Pen Light run on AAA cells and list aluminum bodies. The penlight is the thin one that clips in a shirt pocket. I've read more fuse panels by penlight than by daylight, and it's still the light I'd keep for reading a map in the truck. The zoomable light slides its head to go from a wide circle to a tight spot, per its listing. The LE2050 lists a zoom head too, and not much else.

The Mini Flashlight AA is the brightest of the store-battery lights by its listing, and it takes the same AA cells as the collapsible lanterns. The plain Mini Flashlight is the shortest light listed. Its listing doesn't name the cell, so check before you pack spares.

Rechargeable flashlights

Three take a charge. The Rechargeable Zoomable 150LM has a built-in pack, USB-C charging, a zoom head and a strobe, per its listing. The Rechargeable Mini Torch runs on an 18650, a rechargeable lithium-ion cell, and also charges by USB-C. The LP3000 is the brightest Lepro flashlight in the grid by its listing, with a built-in pack, a zoom head, an aluminum body and a tactical label.

A built-in pack means no spare cell to swap in the field. When it's flat, it's flat until you find a cable. That's the same trade as the rechargeable lanterns, in a smaller package.

Flashlights across brands are on the handheld spotlight page. The best camping flashlight list and the best rechargeable flashlight list sort them by their own rules, and how many lumens is a good flashlight helps with the brightness question.

How to choose within the Lepro lineup

Pick the power source first

• D cells: heavy, sold at every gas station on the way to camp
• AA cells: lighter, share them with everything else in camp
• Built-in rechargeable: no batteries to buy, needs a charge before the trip
• Rechargeable plus AA or AAA backup: the 2000LM lantern and the Dual Power headlamps

If your camp has an outlet or a truck charger, rechargeable works. If it's a tent four miles in, think about what you'll do on day three.

Then read runtime against lumens

Here's my one opinion: pick a camp lantern by its low-mode runtime, not its top lumens. Lepro's own numbers make the case. The vintage lantern lists 50 hours on low and 3.5 on high. The headlamp lists 37 hours on red and 4.5 on high. The big number on the box and the long number on the box are never the same setting.

A note on how those numbers get measured. The ANSI/PLATO FL 1 standard, as Streamlight explains it, measures runtime from 30 seconds after switch-on until output drops to 10 percent, and beam distance to the point where light falls to 0.25 lux. A 500-ft beam figure means "faintly lit," not "see a deer clearly."

Then the extras that matter at camp

• Red light: on most of the headlamps
• Hanging hook: on most D-cell and several rechargeable lanterns
• Power bank output: the 410LM, 2000LM and vintage lanterns
• Detachable flashlights: two rechargeable lanterns
• Zoom head: most of the flashlights
• Motion sensor: some headlamps in the bundles

Count the pack

Most Lepro headlamps here come in twos, and the small lanterns in fours. Before you buy one big lantern, count the people and the places that need light: each bunk, the outhouse path, the truck, the cooler. A two-pack of headlamps is one for your head and one in the glovebox for the morning you forget. A four-pack of small lanterns covers a cabin better than one bright lantern in the middle of the room, which mostly lights the ceiling.

Red light protects your night vision

Red light isn't a gimmick. The National Park Service explains that bright light breaks down the pigment your eyes use in the dark within seconds, and full dark adaptation takes 20 to 40 minutes. A dim red light lets it keep going. That's the difference between walking to the stand with your eyes working and walking there blind after one blast of white.

Care, charging and safety

Lithium batteries want the basics. The U.S. Fire Administration says not to charge them below 32°F or above 105°F, to store them at room temperature when you can, and to stop using a battery that swells, leaks, smells or overheats. Don't leave a rechargeable lantern on a sunny dashboard or charge it in a frozen truck at 5 a.m. Bring it inside first. The same goes for the 18650 cell in the mini torch and the built-in packs in the rechargeable flashlights.

For alkaline lanterns, pull the D or AA cells before the lantern goes in the attic for the summer. It's a habit, and I've scraped enough green crust off battery contacts to keep it.

When they're done, the EPA says single-use alkaline cells can go in household trash in most communities, though recycling is better. Lithium-ion batteries should never go in household trash or recycling bins. Take them to a battery drop-off or a hazardous waste collection.

A battery lantern is what belongs inside the tent. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says never use fuel-burning heaters or lanterns while sleeping in enclosed areas such as tents, campers and vehicles. Carbon monoxide gives no warning.

Lepro facts

Here's what I could verify from Lepro's own site:

• Company: Lepro Innovation Inc, Las Vegas, Nevada, per the site footer
• Founded: 2012, per the about page
• Range: indoor, outdoor and industrial lighting, with camping lanterns, headlamps and flashlights in the store
• Warranty: one to five years, plus a 30-day money-back guarantee, per the about page

Charge it at home, hang it the minute you arrive, and write which lantern went in which bunk on the cooler lid. I'll still be the one who finds them all on Sunday.