The Light of Elendil

This is kind of one of those gadgety, borderline pricey, oddball items that I hem and haw about purchasing for myself. Is it worth it? Do I really need it? Yet, wouldn't it be nice to have? And it sure gets a lot of compliments, curiosity and comments. Therefore it is something that I will recommend to people as a "gift" to the outdoors enthusiast in your life that seems to have everything else. It is a nice, thoughtful comfort item that is both memorable and useful and, even if he/she already had one, heck, you can always use another! (like I have a dozen water bottles).

It took me a little while to warm up to the idea of this product, but now that I've owned it and used it extensively while hiking, camping and traveling for a couple of years, I can now state unequivocally that I really like this handy device and think it's true utility and value is more subtle.

Basically, it is a replacement cap for your standard wide-mouthed Nalgene type water bottle which has an LED light (powered by two AA batteries) installed in the lid. With a push of a button, it lights up the Lexan of the bottle and seems to make the water within it "glow". It casts a cool, mellow light the colour of the water bottle, just bright enough to read by or play games by. I like it because it makes those late-night calls of nature much easier to negotiate without waking up the whole household or campsite.

It's a good light for a tent, for inside a car, for a campsite marker, to play Risk by during a power outage, and to take a mellow, relaxing bath with. I used it once inside a Talus cave and it was a lot more "fun" than spelunking by headlamp. I kept thinking of Sam in The Lord of the Rings and the gift he was given by Galadriel, Queen of the Elves.

"Behold the light of Elendil, our most beloved star. May it be a light for you in dark places, when all other lights go out."

In cold and lonely places of the world, I turn this water bottle lantern on, and I smile, thinking of these words.

I think it works best with the Outdoor Products 500ml frosted white Cyclone bottle, as it diffuses the light nicely and gives a warm even glow. I've tried it with the larger 1 litre Nalgene bottles, and various colours (purple, green), but the combination of the smaller size and the frosted finish seems to give the best light output IMO. I consider it an additional plus that it is a completely SAFE lantern (no worries about tipping over, ignition, carbon monoxide build-up, etc).

And just think, I (must) carry a water bottle with me anyway, so this product does not take up any extra space and nicely doubles my water bottle's usefulness as a lantern also. One of about 5 different designs.

I've not had problems with leakage or o-ring failure yet. Batteries seem to last a long time also as the LEDs just sip power. About the only minor thing I can say negative about this is that the batteries are not easily replaced (requires a small screwdriver).