DIY Lantern: A Hiking Essential

Your phone dies during a hike and suddenly you're lost in the woods as the sun sets.

I learned this trick from a park ranger after my worst camping trip. Take any plastic

bottle, fill it with water, and strap your phone flashlight against it.

The water diffuses the light into a makeshift lantern that illuminates your entire campsite.

I used this when my tent zipper broke during a storm and I needed to see to fix it.

The bottle lantern gave me enough light to work with both hands free. It sounds too simple

to work but that one water bottle kept me from panicking in complete darkness. Now I always carry

an extra bottle even on day hikes. Sometimes the most obvious solutions are the ones we