Flat-Pack Lantern Attachment for Any Headlamp (DIY Diffuser)

Camping involves trade-offs: the more you bring with you, the heavier your pack becomes. When forced to choose between a headlamp and a lantern, the headlamp wins every time. However, sometimes I find myself missing the warm glow of a lantern; the harsh, focussed beam of a headlamp is great for lighting up the outside, but isn't so pleasant inside a tent. That's where this diffuser comes in; it packs up small enough fit into a pocket, and spreads the light of the headlamp throughout the area, creating more pleasant ambient lighting.

Thank you to everyone who voted for me in the Outside Contest!

- 4L milk jug

- Scissors

- 4 paper clips (small binder clips would probably work just as well, or better)

- Download the diffuser template and print it out. Make sure it is dimensioned correctly (the red bar should be 1 inch long) and cut out the two templates.

- Cut the two larger panels out from the milk jug.

- Trace the templates onto the panels, and cut them out.

- Attach the templates to the pieces you cut out in the last step.

- Fold the pieces along the templates' dotted lines, so that the two pieces resemble Images 3 & 4.

- Place the long & thin piece of plastic over top of the wider piece, as shown in Image 1.

- Attempt to fold the wider piece's "tabs" around the sides of the long & thin piece, as shown in Image 2.

- As shown in Image 2, the tabs of the wider piece may be too big to fold around the thinner piece without interfering with the bent ends of the thinner piece. If this is the case, trim the edges of the wider piece until the tabs fold around without issue.

- I chose to have the tabs fold around the thinner piece rather than leave them on the inside of the "box" formed by the two pieces because, after testing multiple designs, I found it to be the most structurally stable option (even thought doesn't look as clean in the end).

- Fold the bent ends of the thinner piece over the tabs of the wider piece.

- Use paper clips to secure the ends.

- Place the diffuser over the headlamp to make sure it fits.

- You can increase diffusion by lightly abrading the plastic with sandpaper.

- To store the diffuser, remove the paper clips and fold the two pieces flat.