Camping has exploded in popularity after the pandemic – and it’s no surprise why. After almost 2 years of lockdowns and a lot of pent-up travel demand, people are keen to get out of the house – myself included. And a well-lit camping site is critical to that enjoyment for me.
Hokolite is a lighting brand that I haven’t heard of before but when they reached out asking me to look at some of their camping lanterns, I was keen.
Hokolite have sent me 3 of their lanterns to check out:
- 360° COB Rechargeable Camping Lantern (Read the Review)
- Rechargeable LED Vintage Lantern (Read the Review)
- 4000 Lumens Rechargeable Collapsible Lantern
In this review, I’ll take a look at the Hokolite 4000 Lumens Rechargeable Collapsible Lantern.
Table of Contents
Hokolite 4000 Lumens Rechargeable Collapsible Lantern Specification and Features
| Material: | ABS+Silica-gel |
| Water Resistance: | IP44 |
| Battery: | 6000mAh |
| Dimensions: | 7.09 x 2.76 x 6.5 inches / 180 x 70 x 165 mm |
| Weight: | 1.21 lbs / 550g |
| Lighting Modes: | High (4000 lumens) – 4-5 hours Medium (2000 lumens) – 6-7 hours Low (1200 lumens) – 8-9 hours Warm Light (120 lumens) |
| Other Features: | Collapsible Hanging Hook High-Quality Carabiner Lightweight & Collapsible Charging Indicator USB Rechargeable 6000 mAh Power Bank |
What’s in the Box
- 1 x Camping Lantern
- 1 x USB Cable
- 1 x Manual
Design & Features
The Hokolite Collapsible Lantern is quite unique, with a solid, rubberized plastic base topped off with a collapsible silicone diffuser which can expand quite a bit.
The front of the unit houses a single power/mode button whilst around the back is a USB A port (for charging your phone), USB Type C port (for charging the lantern) and a small charging indicator LED.
Unfortunately, there’s no battery indicator so you’ll need to make sure you keep the internal 6000mAh battery charged regularly or you could be caught out – this seems like an oversight for a camping lantern.
Underneath is a plastic hook with a spring-loaded “catch” to keep it closed that’s ideal as a handle when using it as a lantern or attaching it to a gazebo/tree. You could also attach it to a tent but at 550g, it’s a little on the heavy side. It’s also a tad annoying to get out if you don’t have nails – the finger cut-out should be much deeper.
One last thing I want to mention is size and weight. Despite being collapsible, at 550g and nearly 20cm in diameter, this lantern is on the chunky side, so I’d only recommend it for car or caravan camping. Hikers should look at far more compact, lightweight solutions.
Setup & Usage
The lantern’s charged via the USB Type-C port hidden under a rubber flap for weather protection, with a full charge taking around 3-4 hours. Like Hokolite’s other lanterns, having USB Type C is a big plus as it was easy to find a charger when I needed one.
The power button doubles as a mode switch, cycling through lantern’s 4 lighting modes:
- High (4000 lumens) – 4-5 hours
- Medium (2000 lumens) – 6-7 hours
- Low (1200 lumens) – 8-9 hours
- Warm Light (120 lumens)
Unfortunately, there’s no memory function so the lantern will start at full brightness on cool white every time so I wouldn’t recommend turning it on when someone is sleeping as this thing is seriously bright.
The pull-out diffuser, the lantern’s main gimmick, is excellent. It’s big enough to nicely diffuse the light whilst striking a nice balance of rigidity whilst being easy to pack down when you need to pack up. It’s even stable enough to hold the weight of the lantern itself if you want a more downward-facing light.
There’s even a nice 120 lumen warm white mode for when you just want to relax (and which doesn’t attract as many bugs) – though it’s a pain that you need to cycle through all the other modes to get to it.
The built-in USB charger works well but caps out at 1a so charging a modern smartphone will take a while. Of course, it’s fine in a pinch, but I’d recommend taking a high quality power bank like this one from Anker with you as well.
Verdict: Should You Buy the Hokolite Collapsible Lantern?
Whilst Hokolite’s 4000 lumen collapsible lantern isn’t perfect, I must admit I’m a bit of a fan.
It’s super bright, offers a good area light and even offers a nice warm white mode for when you’re wanting to unwind after a day in the wilderness. I would have loved a battery indicator, so I know when to charge but for my style of camping, it wasn’t a massive issue.
Overall, I’m happy with it and will add it to my car camping kit.
