BIOLITE NANOGRID
A
A pair of BioLite SiteLights come with the NanoGrid set;
these are directable and dimmable lights powered by the
PowerLight that can be hung on closed loops or angled
in any direction with a custom friction hold design. The
system allows you to connect up to four SiteLights for
40ft of overhead off-grid lighting (10ft cord per SiteLight);
you can think of these as spotlights that are particularly
effective for reading and writing after dark as each
SiteLight offers an additional 150 Lumens of illumination.
The blurb that came with the NanoGrid set told me
that I could expect a battery life of up to 72 hours from
the PowerLight on its lowest setting with no additional
SiteLights connected; turning up the power, adding
SiteLights, or using the PowerLight as a charger for other
electrical devices (yes, it really can charge your phone,
notebook or Kindle as well!) would mean a much shorter
battery life which was not unexpected.
This was all well and good, but how did the NanoGrid
REALLY perform? Well, the honest answer is outstandingly
well. The PowerLight in fairness was mostly used on its
own and in using it every night for nigh on three weeks
it only needed one top-up charge from my Solar Charger
and one from my notebook via a USB connection when I
had power! It was truly staggering, and could easily have
been charged solely from the Solar Charger alone!
Weighing in at just 210g for the PowerLight and a
miserly 55g for each additional SiteLight and with an
absolutely minimal pack size for the whole thing the
NanoGrid proved to be a thoroughly indispensible bit of
kit and I can totally see why the BioLite NanoGrid was
awarded ‘Best In Show’ Winter Gear at the Outdoor Retailer
Trade Show in Salt Lake City this year. If you need a lighting
solution for “on the move” then this really is
it, and at £78.95 it’s worth its weight in gold!
For more information on the NanoGrid and to
check out the other great devices in the ever-
growing BioLite range please pay a visit to
www.military1st.co.uk
s you’ve probably guessed I spend quite
long periods of time away in quite lonely
parts of the world testing and evaluating
clothing, footwear, and equipment. My
last three week testing trip took me to the
Haute Vosges area of France, where rolling
“ballons” meet forests that literally go on
for miles. Of course I will always try to find
a base camp to pitch the main tent to make life a little
more comfortable but it’s by no means unusual for me to
pack a small pack and head off overnight.
Because of this I am constantly trying to find ways
to save weight and reduce my pack size and as I was
searching through the Military1st website prior to the trip
in their “New Arrivals” area I happened to come across
something called “BioLite”. Upon doing a little digging their
website told me that this “system” was something just a
little bit special; BioLite was founded by Alec Drummond
and Jonathan Cedar. Their flagship stove technology was
inspired by a philosophy of applying efficient design to
real world problems. The story on the website went:
“Alec and Jonathan met at the design consultancy Smart
Design in New York City, where they quickly bonded over
their interest in sustainable design in 2006. Alec, frustrated
that all efficient camping stoves required petroleum fuel
or batteries, had the idea of a wood-burning stove able to
utilise its own thermal energy. Jonathan, an avid camper,
quickly brought his engineering background to the table
and the two began the design process. Countless nights,
weekends, and prototypes later, the BioLite CampStove
was born.”
At the time of writing the BioLite team has grown to
38 full time members and together has over 50 years of
product development experience and holds more than 30
utility patents! This in itself is very, very impressive and
shows what determination and application can achieve,
but from the initial BioLite CampStove a whole family of
exciting, innovative and above all highly practical devices
has come into being.
Having read up on the system but not wanting to put
all of my eggs in one basket with something that I’d not
tried before I contacted Military1st and asked if I might
take the NanoGrid setup on my testing trip. This complete
and compact light and power system consists of two
key elements, the PowerLight and SiteLight. The BioLite
PowerLight, featuring a Quick Light button for low to no-
light conditions, combines patented texture Edge-Lit 200
Lumen lantern with a powerful 250 Lumen torch and a
battery large enough to refill up to three smartphones. The
lantern provides warm even light with no hot spots while
the flashlight mode is great for use around a dark campsite;
there’s even a neat battery indicator which allows you to
easily keep track of the charge level.
pmcimagazine.com