Every once in a while, I'm asked if I want to review a book or a piece of gear. If it's something truly connected with the outdoors and something I can use, I accept. And this is how I got a Dorcy L.E.D. Twin Globe -  a camping lantern in simple terms.

First the specs

This car camping lantern has 160 lumens and claims to run up to 350 hours. Obviously I didn't test that. If I had tested that claim, you would have read this review in November - maybe.

It's supposed to be fully waterproof. Now you're not going to submerge the lantern in the river while you're flyfishing underwater. But in a pouring down rain, that feature will come in very handy. Many a times, I've taken down my tent first thing in the morning while it was still dark.

My first Look

The lantern came with 4 D batteries - a very nice touch. These are not batteries that you usually have around the house. They were easy to install and I was able to put the lantern back together again easily.

The light was strong and flicker-free. I tested it in my darkened garage which, at night, is darker than the outdoors.

The best feature was its nightlight - yes that's what they call it. What a clever idea. We're taking our younger granddaughter camping for the first time this spring and I know that she'll want a nightlight on. The nightlight runs for 600 hours and we'll probably test that in the next couple of years.

The lantern has a handle, of course, and also has a hook so you can hang from a post in your camp site.

The lantern is 1.8 lbs., light in comparison with the old-fashioned lantern that we have. That old one used propane and was heavy. The mantels were such a pain to light.

It retails for $50, if you get it on Dorcy's website. Is that a good price? I leave that decision to the reader.

A nice, practical lantern.