A big strip light is great under the awning, but it’s far too much inside a rooftop tent, or when all you want is a soft glow for a midnight snack. The Darche Compact Solar Light is a small, collapsible lantern for that job, and it charges itself in the sun. It cost us $50 at BCF, and it has come on every trip since, most recently hanging from the awning at Cooks Mill in the Cathedral Range.
What’s in the box
A pop-up LED lantern with an orange ABS base and a milky silicone body that folds flat. The base holds the battery, a solar panel, the USB port and the power button, and a foldable carabiner tucks into it. A USB charging cable comes in the box.
What we like
- Solar and USB charging
- Folds to a 57 mm puck
- Soft, glare-free glow
- Warm white for the tent
- Foldable carabiner
- Up to 20 hours on low
What we don’t
- Hold the button to switch on
- Silicone picks up dust
- No water rating
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Darche |
| Material | ABS baseSilicone body |
| Colour | Orange and black |
| Weight | 180 g |
| Size | 108 × 87 mm open57 × 87 mm folded |
| Light modes | Bright whiteWarm whiteWarm white low |
| Run time | 5 hours (bright) to 20 hourslow |
| Charging | Solar (12–15 hours) or USB4–5 hours |
| Mounting | Foldable carabiner |
| Warranty | 1 year |
White and Warm White
There are two colours: bright white and warm white, and warm white has a low setting too. Bright white is enough to light a camp table or the area under the awning for cooking. Warm white low is the one we use most: it runs up to 20 hours and is just right for reading in the rooftop tent without keeping each other awake, and Darche says it shows fewer shadows from outside the tent. The silicone body spreads the light evenly, so there’s none of the harsh glare of a bare LED.
You hold the power button for a moment to switch it on or off, and a quick press changes the mode. It stops it switching on in a bag, but it takes a second longer in the dark.
Hanging It Up
The carabiner folds out of the base and clips onto anything: a loop on the awning, a gear loop in the rooftop tent, a branch or the side pocket of our Kings rear wheel bag. On the Prado, a Darche Magic Magnet on the body gives it a hook anywhere on the car.
Charging
The solar panel is what makes this light. Whenever we drive during the day, it sits folded on the dashboard with the panel facing up, and a small blue light by the button shows it’s charging. That keeps it topped up for the night, so we never need to plug it into our battery. A full charge from the sun takes 12 to 15 hours, or 4 to 5 hours by USB; the light shows red on USB and green when it’s full.
Size and Weight
Folded, it’s a 57 mm puck that fits in the palm of your hand and in any corner of a drawer, and it weighed 180 g on our scale. Pull the top up and the silicone unfolds to 108 mm; push it down and it springs back flat every time. The soft silicone does pick up dust, though, so it needs a wipe now and then.
Vs Other Small Camp Lights
We’ve reviewed three other small camp lights. The San Hima Magnetic Camping LED Light is the most versatile to mount and the best sealed, the Hebuck Mini is much brighter at 600 lumens, and the Clearhill Lantern gives a warm glow for atmosphere. The Darche is the only one that pops up into a lantern and charges by solar.
This one Darche Solar |  Clearhill Lantern |  Hebuck Mini |  San Hima Magnetic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brightness | – | – | 600 lm | 150 lm |
| Light | Bright white, Warm white | Warm | White, Red | White, Amber |
| Power | Solar, USB | USB-C | Rechargeable | USB-C, Battery pods |
| Mounting | Carabiner | Hook, Magnet | Hook | Magnet, Hook, Strap |
| Water rating | – | IPX4 | IPX4 | IP66 |
| Weight | 180 g | 84 g | 95 g | 81 g |
| Price paid | $50 | $26 for 2 | $23 | $39 for 2 |
| Our score | 8.9 | 8.5 | 8.8 | 9.2 |
Conclusion: Darche Compact Solar LightConclusion
The Darche Compact Solar Light is a small lantern that charges itself. It folds to a 57 mm puck, hangs from its carabiner anywhere around camp, gives a soft white or warm white glow and tops itself up on the dashboard while we drive, so we never plug it in. You have to hold the button to switch it on or off, the silicone picks up dust and it has no water rating, but for $50 it’s the light we keep in the rooftop tent.
Small, soft and self-charging.
It pops up from a 57 mm puck, hangs from its carabiner anywhere around camp and charges in the sun during the day, and warm white low is just right in a rooftop tent. You have to hold the button to switch it, and it has no water rating.
- Rooftop tents
- 4WD tourers
- Car campers
Yes, for a rooftop tent or swag. I paid $50 for a light that charges by solar or USB, folds to 57 mm and runs up to 20 hours on low.
