Utahn's versatile 'Luminoodle' provides light for outdoor adventures

(Power Practical)


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SALT LAKE CITY — Within three hours of its launch, a versatile string of lights created by a team of Utahns was fully funded on Kickstarter.

So far the Luminoodle has raised more than $174,000 on the crowdfunding site, shooting past its $10,000 goal. The device is easy to employ and can be used in a wide variety of situations, which is likely what makes it so appealing to backers. Power Practical touts the fact that its Luminoodle can be used as a lantern in a nylon bag or hung as a string on almost anything using embedded magnets and "noodle ties."

Courtesy of Power Practical
Courtesy of Power Practical

"There are a couple of other companies that are doing something similar, but they are kind of like glorified Christmas lights, so they don't actually produce that much light," said Caleb Light, one of Power Practical's founders. "We started playing around and came up with a light source that provides 180 lumens of light, which is actually a meaningful amount of light. It's pretty crazy how well these things light up."

Light said the Luminoodle, which is waterproof, is useful both at home and in the outdoors. Potential uses include attaching the light strip to a tent, umbrella or car hood. It can be charged using any USB port and offers about six hours of light when connected to Power Practical's lithium 4400 battery pack, which is available as an upgrade as part of the Kickstarter project.

One of the more creative uses for the Luminoodle is wrapping the light strip around a person and looping it so it becomes a safety device. It can be particularly helpful for people on bikes, according to Light.

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"I've ridden around Salt Lake a couple of times with it on and multiple people have made comments as I'm riding by about it being a cool light because it is really bright," he said. "As a safety thing, that's really good because it'd be hard not to see. You're lit up on the front and on the back."

The Luminoodle is available on Kickstarter until Oct. 15 with packages starting at $19. This is actually the fifth time Power Practical has turned to the crowd funding site to introduce its products.

"Honestly every time we do a Kickstarter campaign it's really exciting," Light said. "It's just been a vehicle for us as a small company to enable us to grow, whereas historically it would have been harder getting the cash requirements."

Now some of Power Practical's previous products like the PowerPot, which is a camping cooking pot that produces electricity, are available for purchase in stores like REI, Cabela's, Staples and Brookstone. The company also received the backing of Mark Cuban after appearing on "Shark Tank" in 2014.

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Natalie Crofts

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