Nalgene Bottle Lantern

I was in a bike shop not too long ago and saw one of these gadgets. I thought it was cool but didn't buy one. I was afraid of wasting my money on something that wouldn't provide much light. Has anyone used one of these? I think it would be cool if it worked well.

http://www.rei.com/product/743073

Unnessesary POS. It might be fun for car camping with the kids. But I wouldn't consider the xtra weight. What about using up batteries? Buy a tea light lantern if you wanna waste some $$.

It works pretty good. I have one on an older bottle. One cool thing if you use say a blue bottle is you get a diffused blue light, etc. That makes it great in the tent - light that doesn't blind you.

Only pain is the tiny, tiny screw driver to put the batteries in <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

PS: The batteries last a LONG time due to being LED.

I got one a couple of years ago. I wanted a clear light, and since I couldn't find any clear Nalgene bottles, I had to get a different (heavier) brand. It does do exactly what it says it will, but I just couldn't get any use from it. I use a headlamp/light now and find it much more practical and MUCH lighter. For a while, I carried it in the lid (fanny pack) of my bag. I kept an emergency blanket, whistle and water purifiers in it. My thought was if I could hang on to that fanny pack, I could survive. But it just weighs toooooooo much. The screws are a terror and it really only functions in one manner versus much smaller, lighter and more versatile lights.

Chaz,

I like your bluntness. Thank you, I had decided not to buy the thing anyway but your post sealed it for sure. And I got a nice laugh out of it. Dig, brother.

Yeah I have one. It's fun, as some have said, maybe with kids or with campground camping, or even mood lighting. But I can't see a backpacking application for this!

Just depends if mood lighting in the tent is enough of a priority for you to warrant the weight of the thing <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

It struck me as the perfect thing to find in REI, the home of many Yuppie-Puppie gadgets like hand-cranked Margarita Blenders and Ice Cream (making) Balls. More toys for people with more $$ than interest in light weight backpacking.

But that's just me.

CM

Each to their own <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> I found the lantern topper to be cute and useful - and it adds barely any weight to a pack. I carry Nalgenes in winter (being heavy duty/capable of being upside down without leaking). If you are already carrying a bottle, it barely adds weight to a light setup. And price wise it wasn't too bad either. Guyot is a pretty cool company overall - they make neat items.

For me, sometimes it is nice to have a diffused light where there isn't blinding headlamps - something I myself hate when I want light, but not blinding light.

I could probably justify it, except that, thanks to recent threads about water containers, I'll probably not carry a Nalgene on a backpacking trip again! So it would have to be in more or less civilized country, tent camping out of the truck, etc.

Also, I wonder whether it can be used if the bottle has water in it? Or is it only used dry? I just thought of this, however belatedly!

It is designed to be used with water - the batteries are sealed in a water tight thingie.

As for not taking Nalgenes....well, if one is concerned with polycarbonates, then one can get the newer version made of copolyester - which both Nalgene, GSI and Camelbak are now using. They look the same and mostly function the same.