Lanterns
- Thread starter dennisuello
- Start date
Colin Hughes
Explorer
Actually, because we were not sitting out enjoying a fire, which was the case, we needed light to play cards, etc. normally on a camping trip, the maglite is all I end up using as we sit in front of the fire until bed time
matt s
Explorer
Plenty of offroad. One thing I think that makes a difference is to store the lantern upright so the mantles are not hanging sideways. I really only have to replace them a couple times a season. Dumb luck maybe. I don't do anything special other than make sure it's pinned in pretty well in the action packer that houses the rest of the mess kit.
I also realize that now that I posted this, every single time I go out now the mantles will break just to spite me.
HI Matt,
I'll try to keep the lantern upright. I truly hope I haven't spoiled your luck.
Sparky
matt s
Explorer
:sombrero:
General Automag
Adventurer
I'm going to buck the post trends here and recommend a GREAT lantern to you. Take a serious look at the Coleman Dual Fuel Powerhouse Lanterns http://www.coleman.com/product/prem.../3000000923?contextCategory=1015#.UBSj7UR3VFV. Combine it with a plastic carry case Coleman - http://www.coleman.com/product/liqu...se/288A763T?contextCategory=1015#.UBSkLkR3VFV and you're good to go. If you're the Boy Scout/prepper/Survivalbog/self-sufficient type like we are, get yourself a replacement pump kit Coleman - http://www.coleman.com/product/liqu...e/288A763T?contextCategory=1015#.UBSkLkR3VFVt, a case of mantles (which cost about $10-$11), and a filling funnel/filter http://www.coleman.com/product/filtering-funnel/2000009367?contextCategory=27401#.UBSkcER3VFV just to make filling the lanterns a bit easier. If you really want to make things easy, get yourself a tree lantern hanger Coleman http://www.coleman.com/product/filtering-funnel/2000009367?contextCategory=27401#.UBSkcER3VFV. We never had the need for a tripod as we camp in the mountains where there are usually trees, and if there aren't any around, you can set the lanterns on your camp table, vehicle hood or fender, truck tailgate, or hang them off part of your camper or trailer setup.
These lanterns are such a good product that I've decided to spread the word about this simple but much-needed camping item. We actually own two (2) of these lanterns and use them most anytime we are doing trailer or vehicle-based camping. The LEDs are OK, and I'm not going to say that they won't work for you, but when you need a lantern (light), you really want light don't you? I've been camping, hunting, and spending time outdoors since my youth (and now I've discovered that what we've been doing for all these years is called "expedition" traveling - how amusing)
Just one of these lanterns puts out the equivalent of a 150-200 watt incandescent bulb, and other than the newer LED "light bars" that I've seen mounted on vehicles lately, it takes a LOT of LED lights to produce the equivalent amount of light from just one of these lanterns.
I usually fill up the lanterns before my trip and have never had to fill them up during any of our excursions which are usually 4-7 days in duration. I usually turn them on just before sunset and leave at least one of them on low during the night after we're all in bed. Having to worry about battery life, replacing batteries, or using solar chargers just to have good light at night just isn't for us. Yes, LEDs work, but the only lights that have the same or more lumens are powered by the CR123 lithium batteries such as a Surefire, Cyclops, or other brand of light.
As far as durability, globes breaking, mantles falling apart, messy fuel, etc., these are simply not factors. I was given a "regular" two-mantle Coleman lantern when I was younger, and I remember replacing the pump handle/rubber cup when I first started college, and that was a couple of decades ago. The main reason I upgraded was because of the price of white gas (Coleman fuel) which was close to $10/gallon the last time I check a couple of years ago. If you can find fuel (gasoline) for your vehicle, then you have fuel for your stove, plus you can always get yourself a gallon of white gas at most stores or filling stations. (By the way, I gave my first "old" lantern and a two-burner Coleman stove to one of our Boy Scouts who couldn't afford to purchase equipment on his own, and the Scout, who is now grown, still has them and uses them with his new family).
Unless you purposely bang the lantern around in its case or touch the mantles, you most likely won't have to replace them. I usually replace the mantles at most once every season. I usually store 3-4 packs of mantles in the bottom portion of the plastic case where they are always available if needed.
As far as the light itself, when we need and want to light up our camping area, we want to light it up! After all of the cooking, clean up, and settling down for the night has been done, we usually stoke up the fire and turn the lanterns down. I've never had anyone complain of the light, lumens, or color temp in Kelvin units. We like to be able to see the sky at night without much cast-off lights from our lanterns and other light sources.
If you use the plastic hard case which has is square at the bottom, these lanterns are extremely easy to pack in your vehicle or trailer and won't move around if you pack them well. You should have no problems with anything breaking, and you can stack things on top of them as they are quite sturdy.
For inside tent and inside roof top tent use, we keep a couple of Petzl headlamps around (good to keep one for each kid too) and sometimes we pack in a small LED light like one of these http://www.coleman.com/product/cr12...n/4347-710?contextCategory=24757#.UBSmkUR3VFU. It works great and is very small.
We were in the outfitting business for years and we've traveled, camped, and hunted at length all over southern Africa. Even after we sold the businesses, we are still testing and evaluating new gear because we love being comfortable in the outdoors, and we are "gear heads." We are always open-minded and are looking for gear that is better-performing, more efficient,and cheaper.
It is interesting to note that there for some items such as lanterns and stoves, we prefer and recommend updated "old school" technology such as the Powerhouse lanterns. (On that note, I also highly recommend Kimber and Springfield 1911s in .45ACP, .308 battle rifles, and Coleman's 3-burner Dual Fuel Powerhouse stoves. Regarding the 3-burner Dual-Fuel stoves, you have to look around for them. We prefer the 3-burner models because you actually have enough room to cook more than one thing at a time. Get a skillet to cover two of the burners and you still have an open burner for a coffee pot or something else. You can also pack a small 1lb propane bottle and one of the propane bottle adapters http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000GPLIZU/ref=nosim/5336090984-20 inside the stove which turns it into a 3-fuel stove. The Jetboil, MSR, Brunton, and other compact stoves are more efficient at boiling water, but there comes a time when you just get tired of freeze-dried food and want something different and need to cook more than one thing at a time. When you start cooking for more than 1-2 people, you'll understand). I would prefer that Coleman not be mass-marketed in all of the -Marts, and Coleman does have an Exponent line that was created to compete with the REI/Outdoor Retailer/climbing/hiking-marketed gear, which seems to a bit better constructed.
If, and only if, we are camping "light" or spot-and-stalk hunting where we have to camp overnight, I'll use battery-powered lights which are mostly LED. This is simply to keep the weight and space down. The technology is getting better every day, but as of yet, I haven't come across any camp lanterns/lights that do a better job than the Dual Fuel lanterns. As a plus, gasoline is usually cheaper and more available than batteries, chargers, solar mats or panels, inverters, or the $200 extra yellow, orange, or blue top AGM batteries that you will have need to wire up to run everything).
When and if we end up camping, oops, I mean expedition traveling, into places where no fires or firewood is allowed (Lord help us), then I will consider using a standard 20-lb gas grill propane tank and plumbing lines for a propane lantern, stove, Zodi hot shower, and one of those portable camp fire/camp rings that are becoming very popular. But still, I will probably end up using old-school fossil-fuel equipment over battery-powered devices.
I like improvements in technology, and eventually newer technology becomes cheaper and commonplace. When you factor in that with the cost of buying the newer gear, you tend to stay with what works best. A lot of people simply have to have the "latest and greatest" and are convinced by good marketers that their current gear is inadequate. It's very interesting to say the least, and it's provided us with a healthy income over the years. LEDs and batteries have come a long way, and it will be interesting to see this market in another decade or so.
These lanterns are such a good product that I've decided to spread the word about this simple but much-needed camping item. We actually own two (2) of these lanterns and use them most anytime we are doing trailer or vehicle-based camping. The LEDs are OK, and I'm not going to say that they won't work for you, but when you need a lantern (light), you really want light don't you? I've been camping, hunting, and spending time outdoors since my youth (and now I've discovered that what we've been doing for all these years is called "expedition" traveling - how amusing)
Just one of these lanterns puts out the equivalent of a 150-200 watt incandescent bulb, and other than the newer LED "light bars" that I've seen mounted on vehicles lately, it takes a LOT of LED lights to produce the equivalent amount of light from just one of these lanterns.
I usually fill up the lanterns before my trip and have never had to fill them up during any of our excursions which are usually 4-7 days in duration. I usually turn them on just before sunset and leave at least one of them on low during the night after we're all in bed. Having to worry about battery life, replacing batteries, or using solar chargers just to have good light at night just isn't for us. Yes, LEDs work, but the only lights that have the same or more lumens are powered by the CR123 lithium batteries such as a Surefire, Cyclops, or other brand of light.
As far as durability, globes breaking, mantles falling apart, messy fuel, etc., these are simply not factors. I was given a "regular" two-mantle Coleman lantern when I was younger, and I remember replacing the pump handle/rubber cup when I first started college, and that was a couple of decades ago. The main reason I upgraded was because of the price of white gas (Coleman fuel) which was close to $10/gallon the last time I check a couple of years ago. If you can find fuel (gasoline) for your vehicle, then you have fuel for your stove, plus you can always get yourself a gallon of white gas at most stores or filling stations. (By the way, I gave my first "old" lantern and a two-burner Coleman stove to one of our Boy Scouts who couldn't afford to purchase equipment on his own, and the Scout, who is now grown, still has them and uses them with his new family).
Unless you purposely bang the lantern around in its case or touch the mantles, you most likely won't have to replace them. I usually replace the mantles at most once every season. I usually store 3-4 packs of mantles in the bottom portion of the plastic case where they are always available if needed.
As far as the light itself, when we need and want to light up our camping area, we want to light it up! After all of the cooking, clean up, and settling down for the night has been done, we usually stoke up the fire and turn the lanterns down. I've never had anyone complain of the light, lumens, or color temp in Kelvin units. We like to be able to see the sky at night without much cast-off lights from our lanterns and other light sources.
If you use the plastic hard case which has is square at the bottom, these lanterns are extremely easy to pack in your vehicle or trailer and won't move around if you pack them well. You should have no problems with anything breaking, and you can stack things on top of them as they are quite sturdy.
For inside tent and inside roof top tent use, we keep a couple of Petzl headlamps around (good to keep one for each kid too) and sometimes we pack in a small LED light like one of these http://www.coleman.com/product/cr12...n/4347-710?contextCategory=24757#.UBSmkUR3VFU. It works great and is very small.
We were in the outfitting business for years and we've traveled, camped, and hunted at length all over southern Africa. Even after we sold the businesses, we are still testing and evaluating new gear because we love being comfortable in the outdoors, and we are "gear heads." We are always open-minded and are looking for gear that is better-performing, more efficient,and cheaper.
It is interesting to note that there for some items such as lanterns and stoves, we prefer and recommend updated "old school" technology such as the Powerhouse lanterns. (On that note, I also highly recommend Kimber and Springfield 1911s in .45ACP, .308 battle rifles, and Coleman's 3-burner Dual Fuel Powerhouse stoves. Regarding the 3-burner Dual-Fuel stoves, you have to look around for them. We prefer the 3-burner models because you actually have enough room to cook more than one thing at a time. Get a skillet to cover two of the burners and you still have an open burner for a coffee pot or something else. You can also pack a small 1lb propane bottle and one of the propane bottle adapters http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000GPLIZU/ref=nosim/5336090984-20 inside the stove which turns it into a 3-fuel stove. The Jetboil, MSR, Brunton, and other compact stoves are more efficient at boiling water, but there comes a time when you just get tired of freeze-dried food and want something different and need to cook more than one thing at a time. When you start cooking for more than 1-2 people, you'll understand). I would prefer that Coleman not be mass-marketed in all of the -Marts, and Coleman does have an Exponent line that was created to compete with the REI/Outdoor Retailer/climbing/hiking-marketed gear, which seems to a bit better constructed.
If, and only if, we are camping "light" or spot-and-stalk hunting where we have to camp overnight, I'll use battery-powered lights which are mostly LED. This is simply to keep the weight and space down. The technology is getting better every day, but as of yet, I haven't come across any camp lanterns/lights that do a better job than the Dual Fuel lanterns. As a plus, gasoline is usually cheaper and more available than batteries, chargers, solar mats or panels, inverters, or the $200 extra yellow, orange, or blue top AGM batteries that you will have need to wire up to run everything).
When and if we end up camping, oops, I mean expedition traveling, into places where no fires or firewood is allowed (Lord help us), then I will consider using a standard 20-lb gas grill propane tank and plumbing lines for a propane lantern, stove, Zodi hot shower, and one of those portable camp fire/camp rings that are becoming very popular. But still, I will probably end up using old-school fossil-fuel equipment over battery-powered devices.
I like improvements in technology, and eventually newer technology becomes cheaper and commonplace. When you factor in that with the cost of buying the newer gear, you tend to stay with what works best. A lot of people simply have to have the "latest and greatest" and are convinced by good marketers that their current gear is inadequate. It's very interesting to say the least, and it's provided us with a healthy income over the years. LEDs and batteries have come a long way, and it will be interesting to see this market in another decade or so.
Last edited:
Douglas S.
Adventurer
Well, I got a lantern. A 220E that belonged to my great great uncle. He owned a store called "Hume Sporting Goods" somewhere in California (Burbank?). Anyhow, he used to come up to Canada on an annual basis to hunt and visit his family. Sometime along the way, he rolled his truck with the lantern in it so the metal at the top is bent up and the globe has been replaced at some point. The lantern came with a couple antique packages of mantles and one antique package of two generators.
I poured out the old stale fuel and replaced the cap with one from my Coleman stove, then did a little lubrication of the pressure system and it fired right up.
I poured out the old stale fuel and replaced the cap with one from my Coleman stove, then did a little lubrication of the pressure system and it fired right up.
Douglas S.
Adventurer
Just found this after a quick search, this was his store:
http://articles.latimes.com/1985-01-13/realestate/re-9065_1_office-suites
jeepfreak81
Adventurer
We use fluorescent or LED in the tent. The fluorescent is rechargeable and puts out great light, but you have to replace the battery every few years. The LED uses either D's of the Coleman cpx 6 battery pack. This is nice because I just scam the pack/D's out of it for my wife's Coleman camp sink. I don't like using batteries all the time, so eventually I plan to build her a camp kitchen that has a faucet pump that runs off the trailer battery/solar.
The link is now old and doesn't work, but if it is the one I have, I loved the lantern but I only got about 3-4 years before the battery gave up. I didn't camp only a few times a year though. I store it in a lantern case and it still looks new. On the upside replacement battery packs are about $10 + another $10 for shipping.
Is there a way to tell the difference, I have 2 red and appear to be very old and Coleman lanterns. I'd like to know if I can run something other than the white gas in them that I have always ran.
Same here, I store my Coleman lanterns in Coleman lantern cases (vertically) and secure them well. I do the same with my Wenzel propane one I got for $5 at an auction. The only time I have had to replace mantles is when my wife or kid drops the cases. The Wenzel has shattered two globes this way.
I have had that hiss since I was a little kid, if I didn't hear it camping I wouldn't know what was going on. I love that sound
The link is now old and doesn't work, but if it is the one I have, I loved the lantern but I only got about 3-4 years before the battery gave up. I didn't camp only a few times a year though. I store it in a lantern case and it still looks new. On the upside replacement battery packs are about $10 + another $10 for shipping.
IMO nothing beats a Coleman 237 Lantern. They are a 500-550 candle power single mantle lantern that can run on just about any fuel....kerosene, white/coleman gas, unleaded, diesel, etc. Its primarily labeled as a kerosense lantern, but because its the largest generator coleman ever put on one of their lanterns, it'll burn just about any liquid fuel you can throw at it. I have 3 of them and mainly run kerosene in them. They were made from the '40s-'60s and they are built to last. You can find them from time to time on ebay, but expect to shell out well over $100 for one in fair-to-good condition.
The best way to describe the light output from one of these babies is that it will light up your campsite plus the two adjacent campsites.
Coleman still makes a single mantle Kerosene lantern rated at 500 cp...its the Coleman 639C and sells for $80-$90 new. These can only run Kerosene and white gas (or a mix of the two) but nothing beyond that due to its smaller generator when compared to the 237. When compared to a 237, you can notice that its got a bit less light output....though its still a strong, bright light.
If you're a white/coleman gas only type person, then the Coleman 236 is the 237s sister lantern that only is capable of burning white/coleman gas....its rated at 500 CP, but again doesn't quite match the light output of the 237 in a side by side comparison. Again made from the 40s-60s, Coleman no longer makes a single mantle 500 CP white gas only lantern
here is a nice video showing 9 of them burning at once....note because they are kerosene and give off no carbon monoxide, you can burn them indoors too (if you don't mind the smell
Is there a way to tell the difference, I have 2 red and appear to be very old and Coleman lanterns. I'd like to know if I can run something other than the white gas in them that I have always ran.
Same here, I store my Coleman lanterns in Coleman lantern cases (vertically) and secure them well. I do the same with my Wenzel propane one I got for $5 at an auction. The only time I have had to replace mantles is when my wife or kid drops the cases. The Wenzel has shattered two globes this way.
I have had that hiss since I was a little kid, if I didn't hear it camping I wouldn't know what was going on. I love that sound