I really like the little Glorb!

Field Conditions

All of my testing thus far has occurred in various locations around Western New York, Northern Pennsylvania and Ohio.  I've carried the Glorb on several day trips, varying in length from short hikes of 2 - 5 mi (3 - 8 km) to full day treks of 10 - 15 mi (16 - 24 km). I've used the Glorb on two extended weekend trips.   Total estimated trail mileage carrying the Glorb is about 150 mi (241 km).

The terrain locally is a mixed bag, starting out close to the shores of Lake Erie as a flat plateau and changing to rolling hills further away from the lake. The flat land is around 700 ft (213 m) elevation with the hills steadily increasing to close to 2000 ft (610 m). Northern Pennsylvania tends to have similar temperatures to Western New York, although the terrain is considerably more hilly and steep. This is the home of the Allegheny Mountains, with elevations typically around 2000 ft (610 m).  I was also fortunate to spend quite a bit of time hiking in the Northern Ohio region.  The areas I concentrated my hikes in were all close to Lake Erie, and I found the conditions similar to those in Western New York and Northwest Pennsylvania.

Daily temperatures for the field tests ranged between 10 - 55 F (-12 - 13 C).  The test series began in true winter conditions - cold with lots of snow.  Now, we are in spring conditions. 

Weekend trip 1 was a three-day outing where conditions were cool but dry.  The ground was snow covered.  Weekend trip 2 started with great weather, followed by some thunderstorms, and ending with sunshine!

I really began this test series at home.  I tested the Glorb very thoroughly around the house first, before I hit the trail with it.  I used it as my light source after dark while working in the yard, splitting firewood.  At first, I had great difficulty in lighting the lantern.  I could hear the gas hissing, and could see the piezo igniter flashing, but the lantern would not light.  I discovered that I mistakenly tied the mantle off below the ring around which it was supposed to be tied.  I bring this up because it's a very easy mistake to do. Before the mantle is burned, it's quite large compared to the attachment point.  Its large size forces the mantle to go below the tie-off ring.  I started over with a new mantle and paid extra attention to be sure I tied it off at the appropriate spot.  What a difference!  The lantern lit immediately once I had the mantle installed properly. 

The mantle is very delicate after it's burned.  In order to work properly, the mantle must first be installed and then burned to ash before it's useable.  I was very concerned that the mantle of the Glorb would be too delicate to survive any measurable time in my backpack.  I worried that the constant shock of hiking would cause the mantle to disintegrate.  I decided it would be best to first test the durability of the mantle by carrying around on daily work commutes in my laptop bag.  Everyday, I placed it in an outside pocket of my bag.  I began by securing it tightly in the bag; worried it would never last and I would be basically out of mantles at that point.  Yet, everyday I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled out the black container with the Glorb inside.  The mantle was always intact and the lantern lit every time.  Slowly, I became less concerned with its fragility and began tossing the Glorb (in its supplied carrying case of course) into my computer bag.  Sometimes I would find it upright; other times it would be on its side.  But, never did the mantle break; and the lantern always lit.  After two weeks of constant testing in my trips to work, I was ready to hit the trail.

The beginning tests were all "mantle" mode tests, as I didn't want to remove the mantle to test "candle" mode since I was out of mantles.  As time went on, I switched to "candle" mode testing when it was time to replace the mantle.

In my pack, I simply shoved the lantern, stored in its carrying case, down into the center of my pack.  There, it had a little more protection and it couldn't dig me in the back.  As with my experience home testing, the Glorb lit every time.  I found it very easy to operate.  I simply placed the lever on "mantle" mode, depressed the red ignition switch and the lantern lit.  The red switch would then be secured in an "on" position by pressing down while depressing it until a click was felt.  Now, it was locked in the on position.  The brightness was set by simply twisting the body of the lantern.  When I wanted to shut it off, I pressed up on the red switch until it clicked out of the locked position and into the off position.   

The Glorb is surprisingly stable with its extendable legs.  I placed it all sorts of irregular surfaces and never had it tip.  The Glorb is not designed to be hung, so this is really an important feature.  The other feature I really came to appreciate was the fact that the Glorb is not mantle dependent for operation.  I prefer to use it with a mantle, but I'm no longer worried if I find myself without one.  The "candle" mode meets my needs nicely if needed.

I found it difficult to judge the brightness of the lantern objectively.  I tried to develop an intuitive "feel" for its brightness as compared with an incandescent light, so I could compare how closely it came to the 60-watt light bulb the literature compared it to.  In the end, all I could say is that it illuminated nicely in a 10 ft (3 m) radius; lighting the area enough to perform general camp chores.  The main problem I had was the Glorb is like removing the lampshade from a bright lamp in a dark room.  The incident illumination radiates in all directions, causing me to lose my night vision.  I could only see things in close proximity to the Glorb.  My simple remedy was to block the Glorb with my hand.  A better solution for me would be if the Glorb had a side reflector that could be attached.

Another complaint I had was with the black color of the carrying case.  On two different occasions, I set down the case as I was setting up the lantern for operation.  Both times it was well past dark and I misplaced the plastic case.  I found it each time after a few moments of frantic searching, but decided in the future I will attach some sort of bright colored tape or something that will help me to find the two halves in the dark of night.  My fear is that I will accidentally step on the carry case and destroy it.  Plus, it will help me to find the lantern in my pack when all I have is my small LED flashlight.

The lantern is designed to stand on its base, not hung from a hanger.  There is quite a bit of heat that escapes the very top of the lantern when it's in operation.  But, this really limits the light pattern in my opinion, because the lantern has to be placed so close to the area I wish to illuminate.  I would love to see Brunton design a hanger for the Glorb as well. 

Things the Glorb does exceptionally well:

• Lights every time
• Tough.  Well built.
• Creates a great ambience.
• Works great with groups!  I used in on one backpack with the Boy Scouts and it worked great, illuminating the whole dining area.

Things I'd like to see added to the Glorb:

• Side reflector so I won't be blinded and the light is directed more where I need it. Better yet, make it removable!
• Reflective marks on the plastic carrying case to make it easier to find in the dark.
• A hanger to elevate the Glorb and make better use of the light pattern (Yet, I understand the concern with the intense heat emanating from the top of the Glorb).

The Glorb by Brunton is an amazing little lantern.  It's highly reliable; has very good luminance; and creates a great "camping" ambience.  It's very applicable with group camping; and with its relatively small size and weight, lends itself nicely to camping alone or with a partner.  Quite a bit of heat comes off the top of the lantern.  In fact, on one occasion I used the stove to heat some water for tea!  I plan to investigate more the application of the Glorb as an emergency stove!  I really like this product so far.