Rayovac Sportsman Area Lantern

I will rarely write a five star review for a product but in this case the rating fits. I do great deal of camping with the Boy Scouts and was looking for a lantern for my tent. I read up on all the available products ended up buying the Rayovac Sportsman. What an outstanding buy this was.

First off the lantern’s relatively small, 7"x3.5"x3.5". Most of its weight is from the 3D cell batteries that power it. The lantern is of rugged construction with solid plastics and rubber utilized in areas for grip and impact protection. A carrying handle is rubberized metal which is a nice touch and strong.

The plastic lens top can detach and the lantern can be hung upside down from a hook on the bottom. Great for inside the tent were under a fly. The hook is made of plastic and snaps into a recessed slot, this may be my only concern with this lantern is the fact that the plastic hook could break.

Performance. This is one of, if not the brightest, LED lanterns I've ever seen. the manufacturer claims its output at 300 lums. What I can tell you is that it has approximately the same light output as a dual mantle Coleman lantern (White gas). The light is much whiter because of the LED. It has two settings High and Low with the low still being pretty bright.

It is claimed to run under 3D cell batteries for 72 hours on high and 150 on low. Truly amazing for the light output. Now, if we take a look at the cost and weight, a Coleman dual mantel lantern would need to carry a gallon and a half of fuel to get the same burn time as this lantern with its 3D cell batteries. Your fuel costs would be at least double in weight would be in the order three times as much.

Unlike most LED lanterns the light pattern is very uniform without any harsh spots or shadows. When the top lenses removed you see a significant increase in light output. It is a little more directional at this point but not bad.

So this sums up my review on this great little lantern. This this truly one product that exceeded my expectations.

The only downside to this type of a lantern is when the temperature drops below 32 degrees battery life begins to diminish quickly this is true of any battery powered type light.

Beyond that you can't beat this light for the price. I highly recommend.