Should I get a rechargeable or battery-powered camping lantern?

Specialist communities like r/CampingGear are split. Battery-powered (AA/D-cell) lanterns dominate verified-purchase review volume because they store indefinitely between trips and double as power-outage gear. USB-C rechargeables, by contrast, are favored by users who camp frequently or want a built-in power bank for phone charging. If the lantern will sit in a closet for months between uses, a battery model with a low parasitic-drain feature (like Coleman's BatteryGuard) is the safer pick.