Good lighting is a critical component of emergency preparedness because nearly all large weather events cause disruption to the grid based power systems, and once the sun goes down (as it does every night if you haven't noticed) your not going to be able to do anything without it. 

Yet there are a million options out there, so how do you it narrow down what brand or model will meet your needs?  

Allow us to introduce you to one product we think will fit the bill nicely: The all-new Fenix CL27R. 

Your New Favorite Lamp

When thinking about camping and emergency planning, your needs are usually the same. Food, water, shelter etc all need to be replicated to varying degrees. 

For that reason I like devices that have multiple uses, so in case your primary device goes down, you have a backup. 

How does that apply to the CL27R?

Fenix did something neat with it, they integrated a torch like beam into the same lens as the area light. So now you have both a lantern and a flashlight in the same package. 

So pair this lantern with a good headlamp, and a dedicated torchlight and you've got the lighting trifecta - you're set for power outages and that off-grid excursion into the woods. 

I have certain demands when it comes to my lights: 

• Must be field rechargeable / battery swappable
• Must have red light and or color temperature changing (torches excluded)
• USB C charging
• IP protective rating

The CL27R checks all these boxes, so it's now worthy of my consideration and yours. 

 Here's a quick video which walks you through all the features:

The CL27R Lighting Profile

Let's talk about the most important thing of course, what kind of lighting the CL27R can produce. 

You get a lot of options here, as I mentioned there is a spot light and a flood light which is toggled via the top button. You can run both at once if you want all the lighting. 

There are 2 dials along the top as well which give you independent control of dimming and color temperature, respectively. This is a really nice feature because you can really dial in the light color you want and the intensity down to granular levels. 

And if you want to keep your night eyes intact, the red light does a fine job with that, all you need to do is hold down the top button to activate it. 

The bottom line: you get a ton of functionality in one device which is compact and even small and light enough for backpacking adventures: Height: 4.32” (109.8mm) Width: 3.61” (91.7mm) Depth: 1.56” (39.6mm) at 10.58 oz. (300g) including battery.

Chart of the CL27R Lighting Modes: Output Lumens, Runtime, Distance and Intensity

CL27R Battery and Runtime

Lets talk about the battery in the CL27R for a minute. Included with the lamp is a Fenix 5000mAh rechargeable 21700 battery. It's rechargeable and hot swappable so grab an extra one and bring it with you on the trip if you don't have a backup charging system along with you. 

There's a waterproof compartment on the bottom of the light where the battery can be removed using a quarter or some other flat piece of metal (like a key or something.) Easy in and out.

USB C charging is now the de-facto standard in most electronics being made these days so it makes it really convenient to have all your electronics using the same cable for everything. The CL27R has USB C input so no more lugging around 4 different cables for your phone, lights, radios, etc. 

Chart of the CL27R Runtime per Lighting Mode

Depending on how you use the light determines what your effective run time will be. It's sort of a moving target, but this graphic from Fenix will give you a rough idea of how to estimate it, and what you can do to maximize runtime if that's what you need to do. 

Essentially it comes down to, only use the amount of output you actually need to use at that time. Don't use more power than you need and be conservative with your light usage when you can be. 

In our testing I've found that the 5000 mAh battery lasts us about 1 night of heavy use, 2 nights of light use. Swapping or upgrading the battery (to 6000 mAh) addresses that to some degree, but if long-running, area lighting is what you are ultimately after (and weight isn't a consideration) then I think you'll prefer the CL28R which can run for 3-4 nights without needing a recharge. A little more on that light below. 

Fenix C27R Size & Weight

The CL27R strikes the right balance between size and capability. 

Comparing that to my other favorite Fenix lantern the CL28R, the CL27R its lighter at 10.58 oz. (300g) than the CL28R at 13.26 oz. (376g) so if weight is a consideration for you then the CL27R wins, but at the expense of battery size: 5000 mAh swappable for the CL27R vs. 10,000 mAh internal batteries in the CL28R, although you gain that spotlight with the CL27R which the CL28R does not have. 

The CL27R isn't as wide as the CL28R, but they are close enough in size that you probably wouldn't really notice. The weight difference however is palpable. 

Both are fantastic units and you can't go wrong with either one, it just depends on what your needs are. For most people I think the CL27R checks the most boxes but heavy users or week-long campers might prefer the CL28R. 

Conclusion

We're about to head out for a few weeks on a camping trip completely off-grid, so we'll do some updates to the field testing of this product soon, but Fenix makes incredible stuff and I have no doubt that the CL27R will do exactly what it claims to do. 

So if you are in the market for a great all around lantern that has the power, durability, and build-quality of a top tier manufacturer than look no further than the Fenix CL27R. You won't be dissapointed. 

Where To Get One

BTW If you buy anything with the links we provide on this page we might get a small percentage of the sale from the manufacturers end. For more info click here.

Fenix CL27R Rechargeable Lantern

Floodlight, spotlight, and features galore, the Fenix CL27R Rechargeable Lantern is a great option for those that want it all. Two rotary dials control the brightness level and color temperature. The top button switch allows you to select between floodlight, spotlight, both spot and flood combined, red light, and red flash. 

The battery level indicator lets you know when it's time to recharge the included 5000mAh battery, which is removable, via the USB-C port. Plug in a power bank and continue to use this best rechargeable lantern for extended runtimes. The 360° handle, tripod mount, and magnetic base allow you to put hands-free light anywhere you need it. And its IP66 rating helps make it durable enough for work, play, and everything in between.

Get 10% off with discount code for our readers: AF-BUGOUTBAG

$85Fenix