Its absolutely pitch black when I push the button. Surprise! I exclaim as a jolt of white light floods the inside of the wall tent. Two of my buddies grumble and roll away from the light — 4:30 a.m. comes early in elk hunting camp.

　　I click the button on the Duracell 2000 Lumen Tri-Power Lantern a couple more times, and the brightness fades to tolerable. Now, with the inside of the tent lit and a heater warming the air, it was time to make coffee and dress for the morning hunt.

　　The $30 light hanging on the center pole would go about its job, mostly forgotten again until nightfall.

　　The Duracell 2000 Lumen Tri-Power Lantern hanging inside my tent; (photo/Sean McCoy) But really, can a $30 lantern be effective enough for the rigors of weeks-long elk hunting camps? Thats what I hoped to find out testing the Duracell 2000 Lumen Tri-Power Lantern. Sold at Costco, Amazon, and other big box stores, this is one downright affordable lantern. Could it really be any good?

　　In short: The Duracell 2000 Lumen Tri-Power Lantern is an incredible value. It packs solar charging, an internal rechargeable battery, three power modes, and a surprisingly long run time into an effective lighting source that costs less than a tank of gas (in a Prius). If you need a camp lantern, its a no-brainer. But dont expect much from the solar charging and recharge times are slow.

　　Duracell 2000 Lumen Tri-Power Lantern

　　Specs Lumens 2,000 lumens max Power source Integrated rechargeable battery, solar panel, or 4 D batteries Burn time 50 hrs. (low 65-lumen setting) Water resistance IPX4 water resistant Weight 30 oz. USB port USB-A out, USB-C in Pros Great price Sufficient lighting for large tent or cook space Good runtime Cons No steady red light Turns on at full power Slow charging Sean McCoy Check Price at CostcoCheck Price at Amazon Duracell 2000 Lumen Tri-Power Lantern Review As I noted in the introduction, when you push the button of the Duracell 2000 Lumen Tri-Power Lantern, you get all 2,000 lumens immediately. My hunting buddies and I dubbed it the surprise light for this very reason. When youre deep in slumber, 2,000 lumens is a lot.

　　Thus, I am very puzzled as to why this light turns on at full power. Its one of the first quirks youll notice about the light. Theres nothing actually wrong with that; it works. But Id prefer it to turn on at low and dial up instead of vice versa.

　　The Duracell 2000 Lumen Tri-Power Lantern offers lighting on a budget; (photo/Sean McCoy) Once on and adjusted to your preferred power output of high, medium, or low, this lantern simply works. The light is a little harsh and cool, but thats to be expected at this price range. Its the easiest way to create a high-output light and use lower amounts of electricity. And at $30, what do you expect?

　　But the light is entirely useful if not exactly pleasing to the eye. Waking up in the morning or going to bed in the evening, my crew used this light for about 3 weeks so far. Its exactly what weve needed and nothing more. It lights the inside of a 14-foot White Duck Regatta Bell Tent evenly and brightly enough that I could put away my headlamp except when rifling through packs for gear.

　　Its worth noting that the lantern has a built-on solar panel and internal battery. It also has space to add D batteries if you so desire. Its a nice backup system, but it feels unnecessary if you have portable battery chargers to keep the rechargeable battery topped up.

　　Charging, Runtime, Lighting Because of the built-in solar charger and long-term test, I never got a solid read on this lanterns runtime. It would refuel a little every day, and only ran out of juice after camping for about 2 weeks. Then, a night on the charger got it topped up enough to run for the rest of my testing.

　　When home, I did a bench test on the empty battery and did find that it charges really slowly. When plugged in with a USB-A to USB-C cable, it took more than 4 hours to charge.

　　The lantern can also function as a battery bank to charge devices like phones or headlamps. It has a USB-A out port for this purpose.

　　The Duracell 2000 Lumen Tri-Power Lantern has USB-C in and USB-A out ports; (photo/Sean McCoy) Does the solar charger work fast? Not really. But if the battery is dead in the morning and the lantern sits in the sun all day, itll have enough juice by evening to run for a couple of hours on medium that night.

　　Similarly, the battery charger isnt fast or very powerful, but its enough to get a phone partially charged in an emergency.

　　And really, for $30, its remarkably good.

　　Now, one legit gripe: While the lantern does have red LEDs built in, they only work in a flashing strobe mode. This seems like a huge oversight. A steady red light is perfect for before bed or morning wakeup in a dark tent. But for some reason, the red light will only flash, not remain on and steady.

　　I suppose Duracell intends it as an emergency use case, but given the brand went through the effort of adding red LEDs, just let them stay on! It doesnt seem like it should change the cost and would make the lantern so much nicer.

　　But until Duracell fixes that issue, it will remain the Surprise Light. Push that button in the morning, and itll shock you awake faster than a crowing rooster in your sleeping bag.

　　The Duracell 2000 Lumen Tri-Power Lantern; (photo/Sean McCoy) So, if you need a lantern on a budget, this one will really do the job. It isnt perfect, but for the money, youll have an excellent light source with rechargeable batteries, effective lighting, and a little solar charging to boot.

　　For the price, its very tough to beat.

　　Sean McCoy Check Price at CostcoCheck Price at Amazon