Black Diamond Apollo Lantern - 2008 BCS

Very bright and durable little pack along camping lantern. Simple to use on and off. Nicely designed to hang from inside the tent, or stand on the table. Battery life seems great so far even in cold winter camping.

I got this thing a year ago, and immediately paired it up with the NRG recharging unit. What a light! Perfect for light car camping, backcountry hut trips, etc...where you don't mind gong a little bit heavier. If you wanted to go a little lighter you can get the smaller version. But I find this light gives ample brightness for reading, playing games, and hanging out around the dinner table. It's not going to be your ball park flood lights, but hey, its a small unit and fits anywhere. The legs let it rest stable on most uneven surfaces and you can even hang it up by them as well using a biner.

Small, Lightweight and Bright. We use it for backpacking, camping and at roasts when it gets dark. Perfect to have in case of an emergency as well. Great quality and would definitely recommend.

The Apollo has a nice intuitive design and puts out enough light for reading easily in your tent. The battery life indicator although in a strange spot (can't see it when fully expanded) is also a nice touch.

Have brought this on a few trips now, from car camping to back country.. A great product. Keeps battery life a long time, and for its size, really brings a lot of light to the dark woods

The amount of light the Apollo gives off for its size is surprising. It doesn't way nearly as much as I would expect either plus battery life is great. It works quite well for playing games or eating after a long day of climbing. Plus my personal favorite, it works great hanging it in the tent as a backcountry chandelier.

Much lighter than it looks with a bright and long lasting bulb! Dimmer works great for when you don't need it "bright". Used it playing cards in the woods, when the power is out at home, and as a back patio light.

My only complaint is hopefully something they will be implementing on new units. The D-ring clip on the top is a solid ring, unlike the smaller and larger version. On those versions, the ring is two separate rings that overlap but do not go the full length. With this feature you can thread it through fabric straps to hang from inside the tent without the use of a carabiner. While this isn't a major flaw, and I see the reason why they aren't doing this as a re-tooling issue, having the D-ring clip be as it is on the other two versions would allow for more variations in hanging options.

I have used this lantern around camp from winter camping trips in the mountains to car camping. It is so much more convenient not having to have a headlamp on at all times. I charge up the batteries before a trip and the lantern will easily last 3 or 4 days in the field. It also packs up pretty small.

The set of LEDs to tell you battery life is also handy, it just took me a bit to find it at first. Extend the lantern so just enough so that you can press the power button. The red, yellow, and green LEDs are near the top on the inside cylinder. It would be nice to be able to view the LEDs with the lantern fully extended, but this isn't enough to drop it from 5 stars.

Perfect electric lantern. The dimmer feature is awesome and it lights up a nice area for 4-6 people to eat at a table. My favorite part is that its completely silent and can be taken into a tent. A little heavy for packing, but for anything else, its great.

Nice little lantern. Puts out a good amount of light.
That being said The Orbit for its size and weight is a better deal if you grab it on sale. The weight of the Apollo is 10.6 oz with the bateries. Will Be great for base camp lighting. Car camping ect.
The orbit is 4.6 oz with the batteries. Its light output is very close to the Apollo. For the amount of light you get for the weight I rather carry two orbits @9.2 oz and have twice the light that is much greater than one Apollo. Plus this gives me a back up. In addition, AAA batteries are lighter to carry.

The Black Diamond Apollo Lantern is a bright light that splendidly lights up your tent or camp area. If you want to read in your tent, you can do that. If you want to cook a late dinner, you can do that. And if you want to take that early-morning bathroom break without tripping on rocks, roots or a wandering skunk, you can do that too. On a recent backpacking trip I pumped water from a small stream using a Katadyn water filter late at night. It was a pleasure to be able to see everything in detail. The lantern's legs ensure a stable source of light that isn't going to tip over in a strong wind. This lantern really is a bright, well-designed piece of gear made with quality parts. It is a bit on the heavy side (it's 8 ounces without the 4 AA batteries). Sure, you can opt for the Brunton Lamplight, which is considerably lighter and more compact, but you don't get the bright light for reading or doing more detailed work (but it is an excellent light for the minimalist). It's a bit pricey at $50, but it does the job better than anything else I have seen out there. I recommend that Black Diamond provide a cover for the lantern to avoid scratches and a small hook to hang in your tent or from a branch. I carry the lantern in a sock and I added a small plastic snap ring to hang from my tent. Let the sun shine!

I had done plenty of searching and info. gathering on the LED lanterns before making my decision to go with the BD Apollo which made me more anxious for it to arrive after I ordered it... and wow, hands down this little lantern packs a lot of light for the buck. Everything about is cool and makes sense. Not only are the design aspects of it good, but it is durable as well.
I never would have thought that I'd spend this amount a portable LED lantern, but after receiving it I'm glad I went with this one, it is worth every cent.

This to date is probably the best lantern you can buy, well this and the smaller version of this depending on your weight/output preference. Most lanterns are larger and produce less light. This lantern has fantastic output, deceiving really, and it can collapse into a tight package for transport. The design is ample in ruggedness and does not have a cheap thin glass or plastic org. The design on this lantern is great, make sure to stock up AA batts just in case of prolonged power outage, otherwise the NRG pack will be fine on camping trips, it has a long discharge. My one critique is the LED used in this light could be upgraded and would give off even more light. Future models may utilize newer LED technology and produce even more output.

Black Diamond does it again! The Apollo lantern is a must have for any camping trip! For those of us that dont want to pack our bulky Colemans and its fuel we have the Apollo! The compact design is great, and battery life is long. I would recommend this product to any outdoor enthusiast concerned about weight and size.

I can't believe how many positive reviews I see here for this lamp. They're one of the reasons I bought one, and they're all wrong, IMHO. This lamp is highly overrated. The base is flimsy and unstable, the amount of light output is overstated, and it is too heavy and bulky for what it does.
I had one of the coleman 4AA pack-away led lanterns and that thing put this to shame. Unfortunately I over-torqued and broke the battery compartment screw on that one, so I bought the Apollo as a replacement. I should have just bought another Coleman. The light output was better, it packed more compact, and it was just generally a superior light. I used it as my primary light source for 2 months in Africa, and never changed the batteries. The Apollo, on the other hand, died after only 3 weekend backpacking trip.
Don't get this lantern without checking out the Coleman 4AA pack-away lantern first. I would never have believed that a car camping-oriented company would outdo black diamond, but they definitely have.

Works as well as the previous review suggests. With regards to the rechargeable battery, that is the NRG made by black diamond. It fits the icon headlamp and the apollo. It is great not to have to buy batteries!

Keeping this pretty simple, this lantern is quite bright and doesn't shred through battery's like crazy. Too many lights require new battery's every few hours but this thing is going on 15-18 hours of use.....on the first set of battery's. The legs are spring-loaded and make it very nimble. We're very happy with this little unit!

2 words: BAD ASS!

Light, bright, kicks ass in the night! This little guy is wonderful! It is supposed to be able to be re-charged with the appropriate battery pack, but I have yet to see it available on this site or @ black diamond.

This is the size of a can of soup and extends into a world or brightness and ease! I full heartedly recommend this for any type of camping/hiking/exploration! This is a wonderful unique device that is so light-weight and bright that I believe it outshines/performs most of the competition.

The tripod folding design is brilliant and the "hook" for hanging is also ideal for hanging in the trees or tent.

I can't recommend this enough. The compactability, size, brightness and battery life are all huge reasons to buy this. Although the listing says 60 hours, I feel 50 is more appropriate if it is on the "brightest" setting the entire time. I now own 2 of these and and never camp w/o 1 of 'em

The Apollo lantern is about the size of a can of PBR and puts our quiet a bit of light. The build quality is top notch while maintaining a low weight. However when batteries are added it seems to double in weight, but that is expected. The lantern emits a decent amount of light for its size but is not extremely bright. It works great for backpacking trips but if you plan on using it for car camping I would go with something bigger and brighter especially since size/weight is not an issue.

Used this at Scout Camp last week, and it was perfect. Hung it on a small biner from one of the loops on the top of my 3-person tent. Kept the tent very bright and cozy. Easy to read by, and large button makes it easy to turn on and off.

Wouldn't use it for a much larger area, but it's not designed for a larger area.

I am a scout leader and needed a lantern that I could hang in the tent after calling for lights out, and still have enough light immediately accessible should I need it that wasn't just a flashlight (broader coverage).

Pros:
- incredibly bright for any form factor
- great collapse / expansion design
- seems like it will last (feels solid)
- single button operation works well (easy for big fingers)
- live in Houston and like the NASA theme
Cons:
- a little hard to pack due to being scared I'll crack the lens
- though advertised w/ rechargable capability, can't find it anywhere
- would be great to have an optional A/C source when electricity is avail.
- my son wants one of his own and is a bit expensive for outfitting a 12 year old.

This is a great lantern and very compact. The folding legs and the way the lantern extends for use adds another 5 inches or so when it is set up. The battery meter location is a little awkward and the battery pack did fall out one time, but these were minor inconveniences on an overall great product.

This lantern is bona fide "have to have" camping gear. Its very bright, light weight, durable and lasts a long time. The multiple brightness setting makes it versitile and allows you to extend the battery life. The lantern compacts into a small size and the legs allow it to be used on various surfaces or you can hang it if you like. I took this on a backpacking trip on the Gore Creek Trail over Red Buffalo Pass and it performed like a champ. We used it to provide light when we started dinner late and also used it to as a hanging lantern in our tent so that we could play some poker.

This lantern is great! It is a lot brighter than I expected it to be. I also purchased the NRG recharging unit... the battery life has to be among the industry leaders. You can also use 4 AA batteries if/when you need them. (GREAT OPTION)

TWO THUMBS UP!

Put in 4 new AA alkaline batteries, and swiched it
on max (the default when you turn it on). I got
approximately 6 hours of life, then the batteries were dead.
I never would have bought it if I knew the life was so short.
The reviews here and elsewhere indicated 12-15 hours
of life at max setting.

However, I did the math and my number actually
makes sense. Google indicates an alkaline AA
battery has a max capacity of 3Ah. The light is
advertised as a 3 Watt LED. 4 cells = 6 volts.

Thus 3 watts / 6 volts = 0.5 amps.
3Ah / 0.5 amp = 6 hours.

How can you people POSSIBLY be getting those huge
hours out of the lantern at MAX. I understand at lower
settings, but you people were saying you got 15 hours
at max setting.

Bright enough! Really small, fits in pack nicely. Sweet dimmer button. Wish it had a hook AND a loop. (has a loop) Have to hang it pretty high up to cover a lot of space. I want to try the titan out.

Small and bright, what more could you want? I upgraded from the Orbit lantern and have been very pleased. Perfect amount of light for inside the tent. Ample light for cooking, hanging out, playing cards, etc. Good battery life, the legs keep it steady, and it can be hung from the hook at the top.

I've had this lantern for two years-purchased in 2080-and has served me well. Just recently stopped opperating after many car and hike-in trips.
Durability not an issue as the Apollo survived dishwater and being knocked around the picnic table. I do suspect the electrical contacts within the removable battery compartment not to be functioning. Light dispersal was good and battery life average-needed replacement batteries after 3 nights. An above average small lantern.

I was looking for a lantern for kayak camping. Most small lanterns are cheap and just don't have the lumens. The larger ones take up too much space in the boat and/or use heavy batteries. This one is just right. It folds to the size of a beer can, uses two AA batteries, and puts out enough lumens for a small camp site or large tent. Plus, the legs and switch are cool. Buy an extra to give for Christmas.

Ok, I know I have been hard on a lot of companies in my reviews. Not always giving them 5 stars. But this one certainly gets 5 stars. I got the NRG pack also because I figure it's worth not having to buy lithium ion batteries anymore for the extra ounce. It would be nice to see Black Diamond get the weight down on the battery pack though for the headlamp where an ounce really matters but I will give the actually NRG kit the 4 stars on that instead. Haha.

I was sadly mistaken to think that this was a full size lantern. Very very pricey for the smurf sized camping latern. not very bright. sadly not really worth the pain and suffering. actually hoping to return it but may no longer be able to as was a gift to someone for x-mas and just got it back myself....hoping to read the t&c of returns if no longer possible, will deal and I have a really nice nightlight for the house.

2 words: BAD ASS!!!!

This product is the epitome of minimalist. I can't recommend this lantern enough. It compacts down to a size of Campbell's soup, but yet when it unfolds, it will literally brighten your tent and all other surroundings. The battery is more towards the 50 hours side on the "brightest" setting, but that is still remarkable.

The box and black diamond say they have a rechargeable battery kit for this, but I can't find it on this size (as of the date I entered this) or on black diamond's site.

Overall, this little lunar shaped lantern is my perfect night light source. I have since replaced my "big" lantern for this and I couldn't be happier.

Like I said this lantern is sturdy, well made, bright... the works. Def buy if you are just looking for a good multipurpose light source. Fairly light weight as well so goes good in a pack

Took this little lantern on a weekend camp out, not really knowing how many lanterns would be there or how much light we would need. Ended up, others did bring small lanterns, but we ended up using the Black Diamond Apollo both nights. It puts off a lot of light for its size. There were 6 of us, and this lantern was all we used to illuminate our camp site area. It's not magic, so the light isn't what you would get from a gas lantern, but it was more than sufficient. I actually find it difficult to sit right next to a gas lantern, where the Apollo Lantern is not annoying to sit next to. I think I sold 5 more Black Diamond Apollos that weekend, everyone was impressed with the design and provided illumination. Well worth the money.

This is a great lantern. It illuminates everything without blinding you. if you're going to get it go ahead and purchase the NRG rechargeable battery kit with it.

I don't own one, yet, but my partner brought one on a Shasta climb/ski, and it was great for getting ready for a 2AM start. Great circle of light, light, compact, etc, but when we went to leave he discovered he left his headlamp in the car. It turns out clipping this lantern to a pack throws plenty of light for skinning and climbing.

I would hope he learned his lesson about not forgetting a head lamp, but this worked so well, he probably didn't.

great lantern while i havnt had it on the trail yet ive used it next to my bed when my lamp broke it was able to light most of my room which is 15x25,not a small room. the light lasts all night should i fall asleep on full and two nights on dimmer setting which is great for using when my wife is asleep but i want to sneak a cig. i have the nrg kit instaled and it works great saving me on batteries i cant wait to trail test this great little lantern by the way i also have the icon and the orbit lantern both are excellent although the icons power levels are very hard to set i would recommend all three to a friend

With 4 normal AA Energizer batteries it weighs 12oz. It gives off about a 15 foot radius of light on a tabletop; perfect to read, eat, are play cards. If it is hung higher the light radius increases. It is well built and solid. I had no worries about throwing it in a pack and setting out.

After seeing this as an 08 and 09 Best Buys; I thought I should give it a try. This is a great light. Compact design, folding legs to put it anywhere or hang it - great dimming flexibility!

Although I had long wanted an old-timey gas lantern, I decided to go with this one after reading all the reviews. And I was not disappointed. I used 4 AA batteries and kept this on for about 12 hours over 2 nights of camping. There was no unwanted fading or dimming. It illuminated a leanto well and a 2-person tent REALLY well. The legs are also very stable. I attached a carabiner to the small loop at the top and could hang it from trees, the leanto, the tent, etc.

My one complaint is that, when held upright, it's not great for seeing in front of you (i.e. for walking into the woods to use a latrine at night). However, this was easily fixed by tilting it kind of like a flashlight and suddenly i could see half the woods.

For it's size, weight, and power, as I said to my camping partner, this is the best $ I have spent in a long time.

Works like a champ. I love the way it folds down. Light adjusts down just perfect. It is surprisingly bright.
By the way let me take this opportunity to let everyone know, the customer service via chat is AWESOME, SUPERIOR. I will continue to buy from a company that is so easy to deal with. I have tried several different items, if I don't like it the refund is fast, easy, efficient and they really go out of out their way to please you. Buy from them you wont regret it!

This unit is very functional for any trip. It is very small and light. Very bright for its size. I love this lantern

Its pretty much bad ass. Have the NRG battery to go along with it. Well worth the money.

This is a handy and easy to use lamp for either hanging in a tent or standing on its tripod legs. I agree with the previous reviewer that it would be nice to have a cover or bag to protect it.

Finally someone has made a useful lantern small and light enough to take backpacking. After years of candle lanterns, fragile globes and mantles, and feeble light something that is easy to use, durable and which provides ample light for reading or any camp activity. Light quality is excellent: both strong and diffused equally. I am so thrilled with this thing I dare not offer any criticism (okay, maybe someday they can make it a touch smaller with improvements in battery technology).

This really is an exceptional lantern. I love how it stands on tripod legs to illuminate, and then folds up to a small size. The light it produces is warm (not bright or painful to look at, like some LEDs), and extends for several feet. I haven't found a better lantern.

I got one for car camping, primarily. It is stable, bright, and long lasting, yet the LED light is a soft blue-ish, not harsh at all. I clipped on a 'biner and happily read in the tent when the area got a bit buggy. It has a wonderfully adjustable light level, and I got the battery recharger to avoid the waste of batteries (short term) and eventually save $$$ (long term). A nice little piece of gear that folds up to about the size of a fat beer can. I wish the recharge and remaining power indicator was easier to see, but that is the only complaint.

The Black diamond apollo lanter gets 5 from me. Best part is the battery indicator, seriously sooo awesome. I stuck the lantern on top of my tent and set up camp, it was perfect. The legs are a little weak, but the shine is impressive. im stoked to own this now!

The black diamond apollo lantern has been very nice. Super compact, and it even has a battery indicator to tell you when your getting low on juice. hanging bar to use for night climbing, the legs are very dependable, I sat the apollo on top of my tent and it did amazing, around 20 feet of light in all direction.

The Apollo lantern is a nice addition to any trip. It is light, compact and handy both inside and out of the tent. It provides plenty of light for a table and definitely fills and entire tent with light. Only downside is the batteries, but it is better than the propane alternatives from a weight and size perspective.

At first I was a little disappointed with the output of this little guy when I got it, put the batteries in and flipped it on in the house... but I had to give it a chance in the field. After multiple uses now, I love it!

I am surprised at the long battery life. The output of the unit (though disappointing at first) has been sufficient in our tent, cooking at night, and everything else.

Does it replace a fullsize coleman lantern? No way! But it is small and light enough that you can have a capable lantern on any backpacking trip.

Awesome! Recommended!

This Lantern gives off a lot of light for how small it is. It compresses down and the legs fold up so that it is a little bigger than a salt shaker so it takes up next to no room in your pack.

This little thing kicks out a ton of light for a long time. More than enough for 2 to play cards by or to cook dinner. Nice little form too. Really cool.

A couple weeks ago I underestimated travel time and ended up having to search for a campsite in the dark. The only one available by then was a walk in site that was well out of the range of car headlights. Luckily I had my Apollo along and tent set up was a breeze. I found it a little on the heavier side for backpacking, but the extra ounces are well worth it for the light quality and power.