Old school Coleman Products.. Worth IT?

[Lichen]

I picked this one up at a Baja swap meet 20 years ago for $5. It works like a charm.

My collection. The middle one is the newest (1985) and also the worst. I converted it to propane.

 

[texas taco]

This weekend I started playing around with some 220 model lanterns that I inherited. With in an hour and 10 dollars I had them both going. Next a stove.. Snow peak and Partner have the looks down, but for less than 100 dollars I have just upgraded my kit for the family and I still have the Wisperlight for the higher BTU. Thanks for the replies...( That Snow Peak white gas lantern sure looks sweet though) Oh well maybe when the Coleman wears out....

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I love my old Coleman gear, I don't use it all that often but it does come out a few times a year when I have no other options (ie Relic style runs).

A few links you may enjoy:
http://www.colemancollectorsclub.com/
http://www.oldtownyucca.com/coleman/ (not working right now, hope they are not out of business)
http://www.oldcolemanparts.com/
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/parts/PartsDefault2.asp

 

[taugust]

I have one like this, although slightly larger and newer, that I got at a garage sale 19 years ago for $10. Mine is a model 413D. I use it all the time. In looking at Desert Magazine in the beginning (1938), there are ads in the back for a hardware store selling Coleman gear that shows that tank style. Not sure when they changed, but that is the era.

I picked this one up at a Baja swap meet 20 years ago for $5. It works like a charm.

]

 

[cruiseroutfit]

...there are ads in the back for a hardware store selling Coleman gear that shows that tank style. Not sure when they changed, but that is the era....

Take a peak at your model number (stamped in the front usually) and reference it here:
http://www.colemancollectorsclub.com/tech_models.htm#stoves

I'm really bummed that Old Town Yucca seems to be down, he had a very cool online museum with all the different models.

I thought I was a pretty involved collector with a half dozen stoves a handful of lanterns and a couple old coolers, but then I see pictures like this and know I'm pretty amateur

 

[SunTzuNephew]

I thought I was a pretty involved collector with a half dozen stoves a handful of lanterns and a couple old coolers, but then I see pictures like this and know I'm pretty amateur

Dang! Me too....

 

[taugust]

Thanks for the link. I was curious about the age. Mine is a 413D, made from 1950 - 1953, according to that site.

 

[taugust]

I found this on the link to the OldColemanParts.com site:

OldTownYucca.com Coleman site
We have recently integrated the technical content from the oldtownyucca.com/coleman website. We are excited to bring you these excellent tutorials on Coleman maintenance and repair and hope you find them useful.

I'm really bummed that Old Town Yucca seems to be down, he had a very cool online museum with all the different models.

 

[ChadHahn]

I have two or three stoves (one dual fuel) and maybe seven lanterns (one a single mantle and one dual fuel). I've started leaving them behind at the thrift stores. I saw a nice 50s stove but decided I had enough.

I have a drip coffee pot that fits over the burner of a Coleman stove that I haven't used yet and a folding oven.

It's amazing that you can pick up the old ones so cheap and the new gas stoves and lanterns are very expensive new.

Chad

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Was cleaning and moving a bunch of my camping gear into the basement, figured it was a good time for a stove lineup. All are working units.

 

[SunTzuNephew]

Sweet. I've got about the same. I really like the 3-burner.

The best thing about having multiple stoves, though, is that as soon as we start cooking we can set a big pot of water to heat, on it's own stove, and as we take water out for cooking, cleaning, whatever we just refill the pot and let it heat up again. Makes cleanups a snap, and we don't have to juggle burners.

 

[pan7eraboyca]

If kept clean they will run forever. My Dad still uses the dual burner (when they dont want to cook in the 5th wheel) and lantern that are both over 40 years old now.

Unlike some of the new propane stoves that have atrocious build quality (I'm on my 3rd dual burner stove in the last 10 years) Im glad I keep my little MSR around for emergencys

 

[Sleeping Dog]

I have our family Coleman gear from the late 50's/early 60's and it works great. Changing the mantles on the lanterns is a pain and with LEDs and other low draw electrics I'd be hard pressed not to go the LED route for lighting.

Question for you vintage Coleman users, now I just use the Coleman fuel to run these, but as a kid, the old man simply used pump white gas, Amoco as I recall. Is there a problem with using today's unleaded, or are there too many other additives that will clog the gear?

 

[Wyowanderer]

Question for you vintage Coleman users, now I just use the Coleman fuel to run these, but as a kid, the old man simply used pump white gas, Amoco as I recall. Is there a problem with using today's unleaded, or are there too many other additives that will clog the gear?

Coleman made (might still) dual fuel stoves and lanterns that were designed to work well on pump gas. But white gas is more highly refined, and lacks some of the additives pump gas has. But if I was in a bind, I wouldn't hesitate to use pump gas.

 

[Curmudgeon]

Is there a problem with using today's unleaded, or are there too many other additives that will clog the gear?

Not really. Modern unleaded gas will work just fine for a long time before the generator carbons up. When it does, if you're the handyman sort you can clean the generator and put it back in. If you're not, just replace it. You can buy a whole lot of new generators with the money you save by not buying lantern fuel (naphtha), which is currently around $10 a gallon.

The one downside I have noticed is that lanterns burn noticeably brighter with naphtha than with pump gas. Even the ones designed as dual fuel.