Goal Zero Lighthouse 250 – Never afraid of the dark!

Originally posted 2017-05-16 00:47:05.

Does anyone else remember the Nickelodeon show during the 1990s entitled Are you Afraid of the Dark?  Man, that show scared the crap out of me as a kid.. Although, as I am writing this post I am re-watching some episodes on YouTube to see if it was actually scary.  (It’s very cheesy and 90s.. but hey, so am I.  It’s still better than Pete & Pete.) Anyway, I guess my point being is that being in the dark actually can be pretty scary, especially if you have no power or easy access to light.  That, my survivor friends, is where the Goal Zero Lighthouse 250 portable lantern and power bank comes into play.  This little sucker is a game changer for those of us who need an adult night light by our sides.

About the size of a jar of Jiffy peanut butter, the Goal Zero Lighthouse 250 is compact, light and easy to throw into your backpack.  It’s made of high quality polymers and plastics and doesn’t feel flimsy when you hold it, it’s very sturdy for its small size.  The lantern has two metal legs that can flip down to create a small stand, and it also has a metal handle so you can hang it in your room/tent/cardboard box.   This thing isn’t just a lantern, so don’t let your eyes fool you!  The Goal Zero Lighthouse 250 is its own self contained power generator, which makes it an absolutely invaluable survival tool.  The lantern light itself is pretty bright when put on full brightness – you can select to have either one or two of the CREE 3 Watt LED lights functioning, which is great if you only need a low level of light.   In fact, on a full charge this puppy can give you up to 48 hours of light on the lowest power setting.

The top of the lantern is actually a cleverly designed hand crank, which can be used to power the unit manually if you’re not near a working power outlet, but in normal non-emergency times the easiest way to charge the unit is to plug the USB port into any USB wall charger, just like you would do with your smart phone.   The unit also includes a USB female jack, so you could insert your phone’s cord or other device and be able to charge it directly from the lantern.   It also includes a red ring of ’emergency’ lights that flash and could be used to signal someone out in the wilderness.

I bought this lantern as kind of a goof one day because I thought it looked interesting, and I have really fallen in love with it – I use it in the pantry, the garage, and anywhere I need a little bit of extra light.  It’s well worth the price I paid for it and I would recommend it to anyone that needs a small portable emergency lighting solution.