REVIEW – Getting back to a tent after dark means finding the zipper by feel or holding a flashlight in your teeth, and nobody at my campsite is going to hold it for me. The PackLite Nova USB is an inflatable solar lantern from LuminAID. It packs down to about an inch thick, blows up into a glowing cube in a couple of breaths, and charges from the sun or a USB cable.
Note: The PackLite Nova USB was sent to me by LuminAID at no cost. They had no editorial input and did not see this review before it published.
Photos and video by Gregory Morley.
The Basics
The Nova USB is a waterproof inflatable shell with an LED and a small solar panel built into the top. Inflated, it’s a 4.75 inch cube that puts out up to 75 lumens on its brightest setting. Let the air out and it flattens to about an inch thick. It has four steady brightness levels plus a flashing mode, a 1000 mAh battery, and an adjustable strap for hanging it.
What You Get
- LuminAID PackLite Nova USB Solar Lantern
- Micro-USB charging cable
By the Numbers
- Price: $33.00
- Dimensions: 4.75 x 4.75 x 4.75 in inflated, 4.75 x 4.75 x 1.0 in packed flat
- Weight: 5 oz
- Output: 75 lumens on Turbo, with High, Medium and Low settings and a flashing mode
- Runtime: 3 to 5 hours on Turbo, up to 24 hours on Low
- Battery: 1000 mAh lithium, built in
- Charging: Built-in solar panel (about 10 hours of direct sun) or micro-USB (1 to 2 hours)
- Waterproof rating: IP67, floats, submersible to 1 meter with the port cover closed
- Storage: Rated for 2 years, and LuminAID suggests a top-off every 4 to 6 months
Design and First Impressions
Most lanterns are rigid, awkward shapes that claim a permanent spot in a bag. This one inflates by mouth in two or three breaths, and mine has stayed inflated the whole time I’ve had it, with no slow leak. It holds its shape well enough to hang from the strap or sit flat on a table, and it deflates back down to something you’d barely notice in a side pocket. It also floats and shrugs off water. That matters for anything riding around in a truck bed or a camp bag.
Charging and Everyday Use
I charged it both ways, from the sun and over USB, and got four to five hours of light out of a charge either way.
It has come camping with me, and once or twice it lit up the tool area in the back of my truck when I had to work on something after sundown. It isn’t bright enough to be a work light, and I didn’t use it as one. It was there so I could find the right socket.
Now it stays with my camping gear. At camp it gets clipped to the tent entrance, where it charges in the sun all day and lights the way in and out at night. That’s the job it was made for.
What Could Be Better
The port is micro-USB, which means carrying an older cable than most new gear uses. The MPOWERD Luci Outdoor 2.0 costs about the same, around $30, and charges over USB-C. At 75 lumens on Turbo it’s bright enough for a tent or a table but not for a whole campsite. For that, LuminAID’s Max and Titan models go to 200 and 300 lumens and can charge a phone, for $60 and up. Solar charging takes about 10 hours of direct sun, so on a cloudy trip USB does most of the work.
Watch the Review
Video review coming soon. The companion video is still in edit, and it will be embedded right here as soon as it goes up.
Quick Questions
Q: How long does the battery actually last?
A: LuminAID rates it at 3 to 5 hours on Turbo and up to 24 hours on Low. I got four to five hours per charge.
Q: Can it get wet?
A: Yes. It’s rated IP67, floats, and can go under water to a meter as long as the port cover is closed.
Q: Is it hard to blow up?
A: No. It takes two or three breaths, and mine has stayed inflated since the first day.
Q: What does it charge with?
A: The built-in solar panel or the included micro-USB cable. It doesn’t charge a phone.
Final Thoughts
The PackLite Nova USB is easy to forget about until the moment you need it. It’s flat in a bag, inflated in a few breaths, and bright enough to matter at a dark campsite. At $33 it sits right next to the Luci Outdoor 2.0 on price and well under LuminAID’s own phone-charging lanterns. The micro-USB port is behind the times. The rest of it, the solar top-up during the day and the easy light at the tent door at night, is exactly what a solo camper wants.
Price: $33.00
Where to buy: Amazon or direct from LuminAID
What I like: Packs down to about an inch, inflates in two or three breaths and stays inflated, waterproof and floats, charges from the sun or USB
What I don’t: Micro-USB where USB-C should be, 75 lumens won’t light a whole campsite, solar charging needs a full day of sun
