The item I have been waiting for over a week for, has finally arrived!

In an effort to be more self-reliant, I decided that it was time to invest in solar lighting options. Due to living in an apartment, large scale changes to my energy consumption is not up to me, so I’m trying to think small. I bought two of these small solar lanterns and I absolutely love them. They are collapsible so they do not take up much space, and they have three different settings for the intensity of the light. They are somewhat smaller than I imagined them being, but that doesn’t really bother me because they’re technically more for outdoor settings like camping or night hikes. These lanterns seem pretty durable, I already dropped one (whoops) that has not seemed to affect it.

Not only can you charge these lanterns through the small solar panel, there is also a micro USB port on it. I think the placement is a little goofy because the lip of the lantern is slightly higher than the battery, but its something I can live with. I plan on using it over the next couple of days so I can figure out just how much time I get in between charges. Assuming that there are no issues, I definitely plan on purchasing a couple more lanterns before the summer season hits.

When I first started hiking and spending more time out in nature, I found myself looking for tips and tricks on Reddit and other websites so I could have the best “survival” bag out there. One issue that my mind kept going back to was the issue of “how am I going to start a fire?” I don’t feel like I will always need to start a fire but I also don’t want to be out in the middle of nowhere when I realize that I need it. Circumstances can always change, and before you know it you need to set up camp and you don’t have any light source other than a flashlight.

I will recommend the same thing that a fellow Reddit user told me: Don’t overthink things and don’t make an issue more complicated than you need to. People are going to try and convince you that you need a product that costs ten times as much as a lighter when the reality is that Bic lighters should be your go-to fire starter. They work even after getting wet, they can be used over and over and they are cheap. I also always recommend carrying some sort of tissue paper that is kept in a waterproof container so that you have something to easily light should you be making a larger fire. For long-term use, I realize that a Bic lighter doesn’t seem realistic, but it really is just as easy as trying to maintain a flint/wick set up and they are cost-efficient.