BioLite Luci Charge 360 Solar Lantern Review (Bought & Tested!)
Note: I bought this lantern 5 years ago when it was called the “Mpowerd Luci Base Light”. In 2024, BioLite acquired Mpowerd, and rebranded this lantern to its current model – the “BioLite Luci Charge 360” – but all the tests still apply in this case.
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Quick Summary
Overall, I felt that the BioLite Luci Charge 360 was an incredibly solid pick as a solar lantern/solar light. It’s also great value for money as it lasts for a long time. I’ve had mine for 5 years now, and counting!
RELATED: Best Rechargeable LED Lanterns
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Check out the BioLite Luci Charge 360:
1. In the Box
I bought the BioLite Luci Charge 360 from Amazon, and here’s what it looks like without unboxing it yet:
And here’s everything I got in the box after buying the BioLite Luci Charge 360:
Solar lantern
Charging cable
2. Inflation
To inflate this BioLite Luci Charge 360 solar powered lantern, pull the cap off the valve at the bottom, and then simply blow into it. It takes only one deep breath to inflate, sometimes less.
After it’s fully inflated, close the valve, and then push it back into the lantern until it’s flushed with the surface.
3. USB Charging Input
To charge the BioLite Luci Charge 360, pull the cap off the charging port, and then use the provided cable.
The battery level lights will blink to indicate that it’s charging.
When it’s done charging, the battery lights will stop blinking. This takes about 6 hours 15 minutes for me.
4. Charging Output
You can also use the BioLite Luci Charge 360 for charging your mobile phones and other small electronic devices.
I charged my iPhone 12, and here are all the results:
Day 1: 15-95% (Total: 80% charge)
Day 2: 11-28% (Total: 17% charge)
Total: 1.25 charges of iPhone 12
Capacity: 4,000mAh
Bear in mind that I’ve had my lantern for 5 years now, so the battery life may have diminished a little bit.
5. Solar Charging
Besides the USB input, you can also charge the BioLite Luci Charge 360 via solar, as it has a solar panel at the top of the lantern:
Typically, one day of charge (12 hours of sun) gets me a charge of about 15-20%. To get this Luci to a full charge, I needed at least 5-6 days of full sun and direct sunlight.
6. Light Modes
The power button at the top of the BioLite Luci Charge 360 turns on and off the light, and also cycles through the different light modes, in this exact order:
Low
Medium
High
Flashing
There’s no memory setting.
Pro-Tip: If you’re in any of the modes and you don’t want to cycle through all the modes, just press and hold the power button for 2 seconds to go directly to off.
7. Lumen Output
I used a lux meter to test how many lumens the BioLite Luci Charge 360 gave off, and here are my results:
| Brightness Mode | Official Specs | My Testing |
|---|---|---|
| Low | No info | 21 lumens |
| Medium | No info | 172 lumens |
| High | 360 lumens | 330 lumens |
Overall, a very decent range of brightness settings to pick from, and the high brightness is accurate too. It’s great for a personal reading light, or even lighting up an entire tent.
8. Run Times / Battery Life
Now, what is the battery life of the BioLite Luci Charge 360 like? Here are my results compared to the marketed specs:
| Brightness Mode | Official Specs | My Testing |
|---|---|---|
| Low | 50 hours | 54 hours |
| High | 5 hours | 3.75 hours |
My Luci is 4-5 years old, so the battery life may have depleted by about 20% or so (at least that’s what we can see from the results).
Nevertheless, the low light settings are more than ample light for a weekend backpack/camping trip (if used carefully and sparingly). It won’t be great for an extended camping trip if you’re depending only on solar power though.
9. Battery Level Lights
Apart from the power button on the BioLite Luci Charge 360, there’s also the battery button that powers the battery level lights.
Both these buttons are flushed with the surface, making them difficult to locate in the dark. (Finding them in the dark can take up to 10 seconds, sometimes more with gloves.)
And here’s how accurate the battery level lights are when I was running my low brightness test:
4 lights: 100%
3 lights: 70%
2 lights: 44%
1 light: 24%
0 lights: 0%
10. Shine Radius
I used the same lux meter to measure the shine radius of the BioLite Luci Charge 360 on its maximum light output, and it came in at about 6.03 feet, or 1.83 meters. This is about the size of an 8-person tent.
11. Handles
There’s 1 adjustable base strap at the top of the BioLite Luci Charge 360, which I typically use to hang at the top of my tent at night:
There’s also a non-adjustable strap at the bottom, which I don’t really use.
12. Waterproofing
The IP rating of this BioLite Luci Charge 360 comes in at IP67, which means that it can be submerged in water up to one meter, for up to 30 minutes.
So, I tested this out by dunking in a swimming pool for 30 minutes, and true to its name, is survived with not a single water droplet making its way inside.
13. Drop Testing
I’ve dropped my BioLite Luci Charge 360 solar lantern from hand height dozens of times, and even down a small slope, and it’s held up every single time with no issues.
14. Portability
The BioLite Luci Charge 360 weighs 10.2 ounces, or about 291 grams.
After deflation, its smallest packed size comes in at 5.9 x 5.9 x 1.5 inches, or about 15 x 15 x 3.8 centimeters.
15. Pros, Cons, Recommendations
Pro 1: Super compact
This is one of the best pros of this inflatable light.
When deflated, this personal light packs down to 4 times smaller than when fully inflated.
Pro 2: Easy inflation and deflation
It’s easy to inflate in just one full breath, or about 20-30 seconds.
Deflation is just squeezing the air out, and this takes only 15 seconds.
Pro 3: Very durable
On top of my waterproof and drop testing above, I also put my entire weight on it, and it never popped.
Pro 4: Great quality light
The light quality of the Luci is really good, because the entire lantern is frosted, with a nice matte finish. This helps to diffuse light nicely across the entire tent.
Note: The overall feel of the lantern is very minimalistic though (just a round frosted cylinder of light, see above), which may not suit everyone. If you’re looking for something a bit more vintage, check out my review of the Barebones Railroad lantern instead.
The light temperature is a warm white, I thought it was really easy on the eyes, and there’s not much of a glare, even with 31 LEDs inside.
Pro 5: 2 types of charging
On top of USB charging if you’re car camping, this can also be charged via solar energy (although much more slowly). But that’s still great in a pinch when there’s no electricity around.
Con 1: Short warranty
I thought the warranty is ridiculously short, coming in at just 1 year.
Con 2: Handles can be improved
Also, I pulled on the bottom handle with too much force, and it almost came clean off. So you kind of have got to baby the handles a little bit.
Con 3: Can be punctured
And if you puncture your Luci with something sharp, it will puncture and not fully inflate.
Recommendation – MUST Read!
Overall, I really liked the BioLite Luci Charge 360’s quality and longevity. But there’s one other inflatable solar lantern that I prefer, which can be inflated WITHOUT using breath (plus it has a slightly bigger solar panel too), and you can check it out here in my review of the LuminAID PackLite Titan.
Or if you’re looking for other not just solar lanterns, check out the best camping lantern (LED rechargeable) that I tested.
Otherwise, check out the BioLite Luci Charge 360:
