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3-in-1 tool

Rayovac Pathfinder 3-in-1

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Lantern, flashlight, and charger walk into a blackout

The Rayovac Pathfinder 3-in-1 does exactly what its name promises: it's a 140-lumen area lantern, a 250-lumen flashlight, and a USB phone charger in one rechargeable unit. An adjustable brightness dial gives fine control over light versus battery life, and the extras — a built-in bottle opener, a backpack attachment clip, and IPX4 water resistance — mark it unmistakably as a camping tool that happens to be excellent in emergencies. Rayovac's pitch: the rechargeable battery holds the equivalent of 27 AAA batteries' worth of power per full charge.

Two lights, one dial, no mode confusion

The lantern side puts out a soft 140 lumens of diffused light for camp or room use; flip to the flashlight end for a focused 250-lumen beam with about three hours of runtime on high. The brightness dial is the control that ties it together — instead of clicking through fixed modes, you dial the output up or down to match the task and stretch the battery. The lithium-ion battery recharges via USB (cable included), and a USB output lets you top up a phone — iPhone or Android — from the same cell. For a single device covering "light the campsite, light the trail, keep the phone alive," the Pathfinder is the most compact answer here.

Built for the trail, handy in the outage

The IPX4 rating handles rain from any angle, and the extras are the kind you actually use: the bottle opener is molded in (no separate tool to lose), and the backpack clip means it rides on a pack strap instead of rattling in a pocket. There's no solar panel or hand crank, so the rechargeable cell is a single point of failure — keep it topped up before storm season. And while 250 lumens is respectable, it's a general-purpose beam, not a searchlight; the beam distance is modest at about 7 meters per retailer specs.

Who it's for, and who should skip it

Buy it as the one-light solution for a go-bag or camping kit: lantern for the tent, flashlight for the trail, charger for the phone, all in one USB-rechargeable package. It's the best value multi-tool light in this lineup.

Skip it if you need solar or crank charging — when the battery's dead and the grid's down, this one has no backup. For pure emergency resilience, the Goal Zero Torch 250's triple charging wins; for maximum brightness, the Coast EAL30R is in another league.

Pros

• True 3-in-1: 140-lumen lantern, 250-lumen flashlight, USB phone charger
• Adjustable brightness dial for fine light-vs-battery trade-offs
• USB-rechargeable lithium-ion battery (cable included)
• Built-in bottle opener and backpack attachment clip
• IPX4 water-resistant; compact camping form factor

Cons

• No solar or crank backup — dead battery with no grid means no light
• 250-lumen beam is general-purpose, not a long-throw spotlight
• Phone charging output amperage not published; expect a slow top-up
• Rayovac's "equivalent of 27 AAA batteries" is marketing math, not a runtime spec
• Beam distance modest at ~7 m per retailer figures

Specs

Frequently asked questions

How do I switch between lantern and flashlight? The unit has separate emitters for each function — the lantern panel for area light, the flashlight head for the beam. The brightness dial adjusts output for the active light.

How long does the battery last? About three hours on the flashlight's high setting per the manufacturer. The lantern side stretches further, especially dialed down — the dial is your endurance control.

Can it charge my phone and light at the same time? The USB output draws from the same battery as the lights, so yes, technically — but you'll drain the cell faster. In an outage, prioritize: light first, phone top-ups second.

What happens when the battery dies and there's no power? That's the Pathfinder's real weakness: no solar, no crank, no disposable-battery fallback. Keep it charged as part of your kit routine, and pair it with a solar or crank light for true resilience.

Verdict

The Pathfinder 3-in-1 is the best value multi-tool light here: a solid lantern, a solid flashlight, and a phone charger in one rechargeable package with genuinely useful extras. Its only real flaw is the lack of an off-grid recharge option — pair it with a crank or solar light and the weakness disappears. Check the current price on Amazon: View on Amazon

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