I recently picked up the new Black Diamond Apollo lantern, and I have to say, I’m impressed. I’ve used some dinky little battery powered LED lanterns before, but this one is different: it comes with all the bells and whistles.

First off, it’s a nice size, big enough to be effective car camping, but not so big you wouldn’t consider throwing it in your pack for a short overnight trip. Also, the amount of light it puts out is impressive. We pulled into our camp below Castleton this past weekend well after dark. When I flipped on the Apollo I was immediately surprised by how bright it was! If you need something a little more subtle, it’s even got a dimmer switch to lower the intensity.

It runs off of 4 AA batteries, or if you are more eco-minded, you can get Black Diamond’s NRG rechargeable battery kit, and there is handy indicator on the lantern that tells you how much power you have left. If you are on the road for an extended stay, hook it up with a Brunton solar panel, and you’ll have as much light as the sun can give you.

Overall, this is one slick product. It does everything it should do, and does it well. If you’ve been looking for a small lantern like this, go get one of these for sure. I know it’ll be coming on many more trips with us.