Brunton Lightwave Amp Lantern

Field Notes: Time to do a little rethinking of the outdoor camping experience. And focus on the group dynamic that accommodates time together around meals, campfire, libations and forgettable ukulele playing. Active Junky’s conspired to create plenty of these sessions, whether around a backyard fire pit, beach driftwood pyre or an open-fire restricted campsite. Brunton knows their way around the open air life, with significant credentials in way-finding (as is compasses) as well as self-heating clothing. 

Significantly heavier than comparable camping lanterns, the Lightwave Amp carries major metal inside its low-slung belly with a 20,000 mAh lithium-ion rechargeable cell sheltered inside. Not only does the stable lantern own tabletop, tree stump or pick-up truck tailgate, but illumination up to 700 lumens sheds light on the surrounding terrain. The warm-white glow is among the most useful camp light outputs under test as the tall, ribbed internal diffuser gets help from top and bottom silver reflection panels. In fact, this is the kind of illumination testers had anticipated from more of the lanterns selected as it mimics the best of Old School gas and propane models. 

Manual switching with the generous, front-facing press panel notches down from high to low and then into red. Four golden LEDs tick down power usage, as the Lightwave Amp stands ready to get Bluetooth connected up to about 15ft. Standing still or transported using the top, soft-touch handle, the music coming out of the base converts the most rugged setting into a stage to serenade campers. Frequency response is passable and testers preferred the sound quality found when the base was suspended 3” above a hard surface (as in, propped up). Mid-ranges vocals and instrumentals pop strongly, with high- and low-end sounds punching through with less consistency. 

An IPX4 water resistance rating provides the LED camping lantern passable defense against mild weather conditions. As to the evolving light and speaker forecast, linking up with Brunton’s app puts a plethora of options on the table. And in the air. Active Junky testers have only begun to experiment with the variable lighting settings, music-driven colorations and runtime ranges connected with a higher drawn on the rechargeable cell. Suffice it to say the Lightwave Amp gets attention visually and acoustically wherever it travels.

Tester Comments: “Even without app control, the Brunton lantern’s one of the hardest-working I’ve seen for camp, cabin and road trip use. The biggest negative factor is the weight, but inclusion of the dual power-transfer ports along with the bottom-projecting speaker justify the freight. And yes, the thing’s a ton of fun.”

Key Attribute: Output