Property and equipment - Other property and equipment information (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($) $ / Boe	Mar. 31, 2017 USD ($) $ / Boe
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Depletion expense (in dollars per BOE) \| $ / Boe	7.34	6.45
Capitalized employee-related costs \| $	$ 6,529	$ 5,210

Depletion computed on the basis of physical units, with oil and gas converted to a common unit of measure on the basis of their approximate relative energy content.

No definition available.

Name:	lpi_DepletionExpensePerPhysicalUnitOfProduction
Namespace Prefix:	lpi_
Data Type:	us-types:perUnitItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration