Stuff We Want: LuminAID Nova Inflatable Solar Lantern, the Light That Packs Flat

Searches for post-tropical cyclone Isaias are spiking this morning, and the related searches tell the real story: lots of people are looking up power outage maps. If you're in the path, the practical stuff comes first: follow local officials and your utility's updates. If you're not, this is a good weekend to check what you'd grab when the lights go out.

Our pick for the lighting part is the LuminAID Nova, a solar LED lantern that inflates. It lives flat in a drawer, then you puff it up and it turns into a glowing cube of light that sits on a table or hangs out of the way.

LuminAID lists it at 75 lumens with multiple brightness settings, which is plenty for finding the snacks, playing cards, or reading by something other than a dying phone screen.

It charges two ways: about 10 hours in direct outdoor sunlight, or 1 to 2 hours over micro USB (the cord is included). A full charge gives up to 24 hours of light, and it needs no extra batteries. That means no scavenger hunt for AAs in the junk drawer at 9 PM.

It's also rated waterproof (IP67), shatterproof and dustproof, so the kid, the dog, or the pool can't take it out easily. When the power comes back, it goes camping, fishing or onto the patio instead of sitting in a closet.

The best part is that it doesn't feel like "emergency gear." It's a fun little light that also happens to be ready on the night you need it.

Who it's for: anyone in storm country, campers, people with a "power goes out a lot" street, and the friend who still uses a candle and a prayer.

Skip it if you already have a lantern for every room, or you want a big camp light that floods a whole yard.

The verdict: hand-picked for the next outage. Charge it on a sunny windowsill and forget it until you need it.

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