The Gelert 7W Rechargeable Remote Controlled Lantern is an alternative to Vango’s 24 LED remotely controlled lantern, but without the fancy £30 price-tag. Essentially this is identical externally to Gelert’s cheaper camping lantern, the Gelert 7W Lantern, costing from £13.50. But this one switches on and off remotely. 

In addition, like the Vango camping lantern, ordinary batteries have been replaced by an internal rechargeable cell. In the Gelert’s case, it only manages 12-14 hours between charges. Although this is a well-built and finished lamp, the light it produces is tepid. Also, it weighs in at 1kg, which might limit hanging positions.

On the plus side, like its cheaper, D-cell-battery-powered sibling, the Gelert 7W Lantern, this lamp has a lovely lantern style handle, with a hook so that you can hang it from your caravan awning pole, or a sturdy tree branch. This is just what you need during those long summer evenings eating and drinking al-fresco, with your friends and family. It has a sturdy base, too, so if you stand it on a camping table it won’t blow over in the wind. If it does get knocked, it won’t break easily, because the lens is protected by a simple stainless steel cage. And being stainless steel, this won’t rust in a hurry. 

So, how did The Gelert 7W Rechargeable Remote Controlled Lantern do against its rivals in our group test of camping lanterns? The best camping lantern for caravan holidays, we decided, was the Outwell Carnelian 400 Lantern, from £24.99. It did best in our group test of camping lanterns, by a long way and truly earned its five-star rating. It gives out far more light than its rivals. We also awarded five stars to the Outwell Morion, £11.50 and the Kampa Zebedee, from £4.99.

Our only four-star rating went to the SunnCamp Lantern, from £10.99, something that takes us back to the basic days of camping, because it is a handy little gas canister camping light giving out loads of light. If you use a gas camping lantern or anything with a flame, do it in a well ventilated area to avoid any danger of carbon monoxide poisoning while you’re enjoying sociable evenings in your caravan or awning. If in doubt, buy a carbon monoxide detector from a large supermarket, hardware store or camping equipment supplier and keep it in the caravan. There’s no risk from electric camping lanterns, however.  

Three stars went to four worthy rival camping lights that we tested. They are the Halfords S88899, (its full name is the Halfords Advanced LED Spotlight Lantern 588899), from £19.99, the Gelert 7W Lantern, from £13.50, the Vango 24 LED Lantern with Remote, from £29.95, and the Powerplus 3 in 1, from £21.99.

We awarded two stars each to the final two camping lanterns we tested. We only test the best brands and products that we think deserve your consideration. We know that you don’t want to be lumbered with bulky, heavy camping gear, so we’re pretty fussy when we award star ratings to camping accessories! The two-star camping lights are this one –  The Gelert 7W Rechargeable Remote Controlled Lantern, from £19.99 – and the Vango Light Barrel, the latter being the most expensive camping light tested, from £32.50. 

Since our group test we’ve noticed that the price of The Gelert 7W Rechargeable Remote Controlled Lantern has come down to £14 on the Gelert website, from a recommended price of £34. This just shows how important it can be to shop around for the best price, week by week!

For more tests of camping equipment, from sleeping bags to portable heaters, battery chargers and more, check out our Practical Caravan accessory reviews and please tell us and your fellow readers about your favourite camping gear via our lively forum, Facebook page, @pcaravan Twitter and Practical Caravan Google Plus page. We love hearing from you.