Best Rechargeable Lanterns for Power Outages (Black Friday 2026)

Affiliate disclosure: PrepperSupport may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page.

When the power goes out, the first instinct for a lot of people is to reach for a candle. A rechargeable lantern is the safer choice for most indoor situations — no open flame, no soot, and often a bonus USB port to keep a phone alive. We looked at five rechargeable lantern options ahead of Black Friday 2026, checked prices on November 11, 2026, and noted exactly what's in stock versus backordered so you don't waste time chasing a deal that isn't actually available.

Quick picks

• Best overall: Goal Zero Lighthouse 600 Lantern & USB Power Hub — three charging methods (USB, solar, hand crank) and real USB power-out.
• Best runtime on low: BioLite AlpenGlow 500 — 200 hours on low per the maker, plus a 1-hour reserve mode.
• Most rugged: Streamlight Siege X USB (Coyote) — swappable battery pack, also runs on CR123A batteries as backup.
• Best for solar-only charging: LuminAID PackLite Max 2-in-1 Power Lantern — built-in solar panel plus USB-A input.
• Best budget/small-room light: Black Diamond Moji R+ Rechargeable Lantern — compact, inexpensive, good for a bedroom or bathroom.

What matters in an outage lantern

Lantern shopping during a sale is easy to get wrong if you only look at the lumens number on the box. Here's what actually matters when you're trying to get through a multi-hour (or multi-day) outage.

• Runtime on low matters more than max lumens. You rarely need a lantern blasting at full brightness all night. What you actually care about is how long it will run on its dimmest usable setting, since that's the mode most people leave on for hours at a time. A lantern with a lower max-lumen rating but a much longer low-mode runtime can be more useful than a brighter one that dies in a few hours.
• Ways to recharge — USB, solar, hand crank. USB charging is the baseline, but during an extended outage you may not have a wall outlet or a power bank with enough charge left. A lantern that also accepts solar input or has a hand crank gives you a backup way to put power back in, even if it's slow.
• USB power-out to top up a phone. Some of these lanterns can act as a small power bank in reverse — charging your phone off their internal battery through a USB-A port. That's a meaningful feature if you're relying on your phone for news, flashlight use, or checking in with family.
• Weight. If you're moving a lantern between rooms, hanging it from a tent loop, or packing one into a go-bag, a few extra ounces can add up. Most of the lanterns here land between roughly 7 ounces and 1.1 pounds.

One cable note worth flagging: none of the five lanterns below use USB-C input. They charge via micro-USB or a proprietary USB cable, so if your household has gone all-in on USB-C chargers, keep the lantern's original cable (or a labeled spare) with your emergency supplies so you're not hunting for it during an actual outage.

Comparison table

The picks

Goal Zero Lighthouse 600 Lantern & USB Power Hub

This is our pick for best overall because it's the only lantern on this list with three separate ways to put power back in: USB, solar (paired with the Goal Zero Nomad 10 panel), and a hand crank for a true no-outlet, no-sun backup. Runtime claims are tiered by which side of the lantern is lit — one side alone gets you 320 hours on low or 5 hours on high, while running both sides together drops that to 180 hours low or 2.5 hours high. The crank is a last-resort option rather than a primary charging method: about 1 minute of cranking buys roughly 10 minutes of low-mode light, per the maker. It also outputs 5V at up to 1.5A over USB, enough to top up a phone. At 1.1 lb it's the heaviest lantern here, though still easy to carry room to room. As of our Nov 11, 2026 check, it was out of stock at Sportsman's Warehouse (the $69.95 price shown is the last in-stock price) and available at REI for $79.95 as a pre-order, with one color already sold out.

Check price at Sportsman's Warehouse ›

BioLite AlpenGlow 500

The AlpenGlow 500 posts the longest low-mode runtime of this group at 200 hours, plus a separate 1-hour reserve mode for when the main battery is nearly spent — a nice safety margin if you forgot to charge it before the outage started. It charges over micro-USB and can output 5V/2.4A over USB-A to charge a phone. At 13.4 oz it's noticeably lighter than the Goal Zero. Priced at $79.95 directly from BioLite, with REI also listing it at $79.95 as a pre-order as of Nov 11, 2026.

Check price at GunDeals ›

Streamlight Siege X USB (Coyote)

Streamlight built its reputation on rugged flashlights, and the Siege X USB carries that over into lantern form. It runs 325 lumens in lantern mode (300 in flashlight mode) for up to 4.5 hours on high or 25 hours on low, with a dedicated red SOS mode rated at 90 hours. The standout feature is flexibility in power source: it uses a USB-rechargeable SL-B26 battery pack, but in a pinch it can also run on two CR123A batteries — handy if your rechargeable pack dies and you have spare batteries on hand instead of a charger. At about 7 oz, it's the lightest option here. We didn't find USB power-out specified for this model, so don't count on it as a phone charger. As of Nov 11, 2026 it was out of stock at Sportsman's Warehouse, with the $59.99 figure reflecting the last in-stock price against an MSRP of $75.

Check price at Sportsman's Warehouse ›

LuminAID PackLite Max 2-in-1 Power Lantern

If your outage plan leans heavily on daytime sun rather than wall outlets, the PackLite Max is built for that: it combines a solar panel with USB-A input, backed by a 2000 mAh internal battery that can also charge a phone. The maker's page lists brightness inconsistently as both 150 and 200 lumens, so we're flagging that conflict rather than picking one. Runtime is rated up to 50 hours, and it weighs 12.5 oz. At $60.00 on sale directly from LuminAID, it's reasonably priced — but as of Nov 11, 2026 it's backordered, with the maker stating new orders will arrive after Christmas. If you need a lantern before the holidays, this isn't the one to count on this cycle.

Check price at GunDeals ›

Black Diamond Moji R+ Rechargeable Lantern

The Moji R+ is the smallest and least expensive lantern on this list, making it a solid option for a bedroom, bathroom, or kid's room rather than a main living space. Brightness is listed as 200 lumens max in some places and 150 in the maker's own features list, and runtime figures conflict between the manufacturer and REI's listing — so check current maker specs before you rely on a specific number. It charges over micro-USB. At $49.95 through both REI and Black Diamond, it's a reasonable low-cost add-on rather than a primary outage light.

Check price at GunDeals ›

How many lanterns does a home need

There's no single official number, but as practical guidance, a lot of households find it reasonable to plan for one lantern per main room where people will actually spend time — living room, kitchen, maybe a bedroom — plus one headlamp per person for hands-free tasks like checking a breaker box, walking a hallway, or going outside. That mix covers both "ambient room light" and "task light you can carry with you" without over-buying.

Where to find the current deal

Stock and pricing on lanterns move fast during Black Friday season, and as this guide shows, two of our picks were already out of stock or backordered as of Nov 11, 2026. For the most current prices and availability across all the gear we track, check our daily deals page.

If you're building out a broader outage kit, it's worth pairing a lantern with a way to keep bigger devices running and a way to get emergency alerts. See our guides to best portable power stations for emergencies and best emergency weather radios (NOAA, crank, and alert radios compared), and start with our step-by-step power outage plan checklist if you haven't put one together yet.

FAQ

How many lumens do I need to light a room in an outage?

As general guidance, somewhere in the 100–300 lumen range on a low setting is plenty to light most rooms for everyday tasks like reading, cooking, or moving around safely. You don't need a lantern's max brightness running all night — that's what drains batteries fastest. Treat this as a starting point rather than a hard rule, since room size and how dark you like it will vary.

Solar or USB rechargeable?

USB charging is faster and more predictable, so it's a good primary method if you have power or a power bank available. Solar is a useful backup for longer outages, especially multi-day ones, but it depends on sunlight and generally charges more slowly. A lantern that offers both, like the Goal Zero Lighthouse 600 or the LuminAID PackLite Max, gives you flexibility depending on how long the outage lasts.

Can a lantern charge my phone?

Some can. Of the models above, the Goal Zero Lighthouse 600, BioLite AlpenGlow 500, and LuminAID PackLite Max all list USB power-out specs suitable for topping up a phone. We didn't find USB power-out specified for the Streamlight Siege X USB or the Black Diamond Moji R+, so don't plan on those as phone chargers.

How should I store a rechargeable lantern?

Lithium batteries in storage slowly lose charge over time, so as a general hedge, it's worth topping off a rechargeable lantern every few months rather than assuming it will be fully charged when you need it. Follow the specific storage and charging guidance on the maker's packaging or website for your model, since recommendations can vary by battery type.