PMCI December 2015 | Página 21

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