3 Types: Camp Lanterns: Personal Option

[renodesertfox]

Howdy,

If spending a vast amount of time in the great outdoors is your ideal vacation, e.g. hiking or camping, then high calibre, durable equipment is essential. So purchasing a high quality camping lantern should be a top priority. There are three types to choose from; Gas, battery and candle, each has it's own plus and minus points.

When choosing a lantern for the first time, a little research into the various types is recommended. This will ensure that the correct lantern for the job is chosen.

Below is a review of some of the best camping lanterns available on the market today. LCD headlamps are not mentioned because it's not considered by the experts to be a lantern.

Gas Operated Lanterns:

Coleman 2 Mantle Gas Lantern 288b700

Price - $50

An excellent lantern for the avid camping enthusiast. Gives the equivalent amount of light as a 100 watt bulb. Other features include;

Adjustable lighting control
Burning time of 7hours on high, 14hours on low setting
Porcelain steel venelator
Heat resistant globe

Coleman Xcursion Lantern

Price - $40

A versatile lightweight lantern that is equally at home when used for camp sites or back country hiking. Works extremely well in colder climates. Other features include;

Uses high performance Powermax fuel
Burning time of 6 hours
Quiet operation
Refillable in 20 seconds
Sliding door for light reflection

Battery Operated Lanterns:

The first range of lanterns come from the Coleman Retro Series, and will be listed in order of price.

Coleman Retro Rechargeable

Price - $40

The Coleman Retro Rechargeable is the brightest lantern in the series. It's features include;

11watt fluorescent tube for a whiter, brighter light
Built in night-light
Battery life of up to 9 hours
Emergency power unit
Quick change bulb replacement lever
Multi-directional light control

Coleman Retro Lantern with remote control

Price - $35

The remote control version of the Retro Series is considered to be the best family lantern on the market. It's features include;

Remote control with up to 40 foot range
Built in night-light
Battery life of up to 30 hours while using D cell batteries
Multi-directional light control
15 watt fluorescent tube
Quick change bulb replacement lever

Candle Operated Lanterns:

UCO Candelier Lantern

Price - $34

A new improved version of the popular series. Now comes equipped with a three candle version. Other features include;

Three legged base for extra stability
Burning time up to 9 hours
Lantern top can be used to keep food warm, boil small amounts of water
Economical to run
Can be fitted with a side light reflector. (sold separately)

UCO Original Candle Lantern

A lightweight and versatile lantern that can serve a variety of outdoor purposes, from camping to hiking. Other features include;

Price - $22

Telescopic to protect glass chimney while travelling
Constant flame height system
Easy to store and carry
Burning time up to 9 hours
Various add on to increase functionality

Conclusion

The above items are just a small cross section of the available types of lanterns on the market. The above lanterns were chosen by the popularity of the products within many camping stores, both on and off-line. Personally we use a combination of all three types. We always have a back-up just incase something goes screwy. Maybe you should too, maybe not. Thanks for looking and thanks for your time!

[Rob22315]

I use rechargeable electric flashlights and a large LED lantern for general use. I have a one-burner gas lantern for emergency and back-up use.

[tplife]

We use 2 Coleman Model 288 white gas lanterns (New, $25 each, Ebay) on Coleman Telescoping lantern hangers (look like camera tripods) and one Coleman NorthStar propane lantern (New with case, clearance, $20, Target) on the picnic or utility table. A small 16-LED folding rechargeable desk lamp is on the Roll-A-Table for changing CDs or inspecting the S'mores cooker. Pocket LED flashlights are used about camp. The propane is nice for warming the tent at night while we play cards and can't spill flammable liquids like the white gas lanterns can. That being said, the white gas lanterns are so much more economical to use than propane, I wish I'd bought them many years ago. Unfortunately, it would take a trunk full of battery lanterns to illuminate our campsite, and I just don't have the room (or the batteries!). :D

[renodesertfox]

Well put tp...I agree 100%. Battery rechargeable lanterns would have to number in the tens to light up our campsite also. Propane Colemans & even white gas are our preferred method also.

[Bigdog57]

My biggest lantern is a Coleman Dual-Fuel, that I keep for storm emergencies (power outage). Now though, I can take it camping!
I have two colapsible Coleman "Packable" electric CFL lanterns, using D-cell batteries. They have two settings - LOW and HIGH. Very convenient, and the batteries last fairly well.
At my last MC meet/camp, a rider gave me a little LED mini lantern he was having trouble with. It wouldn't light.

Got it home and changed the batteries - it works fine! :D
No name Chinese make, with six white LEDs - three light on low, all six on high, with pretty good light output, and a third mode with single flashing red center LED.
I'm keeping it in my van for emergency use.

[tplife]

I forgot one KEY feature of the 3 lanterns we light out campsite with - we have Coleman reflectors on each one of them. They direct the light and shade the rear.

[renodesertfox]

That's a nice touch...I'm going to get a couple of those reflectors, thanks again tp!

And Rob, thanks for your input too...the more everyone chimes in the bigger our knowledge gets!!Thanks!

[Stone]

I have to admit that our lantern isn't as good as I'd like it to be. Actually I have yet to find one that I really like.
Does anyone know of one that's fairly bright, but the intensity can be adjusted. That takes regular old AA batteries. One that is fairly durable. I'd also like it to have a decent battery life. I think the best thing would be one that takes AA's, but can be plugged into the car to recharge.
We have a Coleman that takes one of those big square batteries with the little pigtails on top. It's pretty heavy, and isn't very bright.
The other one is a Coleman propane lantern. Its the type that screws onto the top of a propane cylinder. It's pretty bright, but has a glass mantle, and I won't allow a propane lantern in the tent.
Suggestions?

[sjpuma_78]

camp lantern

I have a coleman gas lantern for outside and check out black diamond battery powered lanterns for inside the tent a bit pricey but they get high marks in reviews

[Ramaniac]

You did not mention the fourth and best choice in fuel-Kerosene. It burns 94% oxygen, cost way less, and since it is a lubricant not an explosive-safer. They are also brighter.

I am a Coleman lantern collector. I only have 22 so I guess I am not what you might consider 'big time'. I think most people go propane (we call it profane) for the electric light convenience factor. I really do not like all those cylinders I think it takes 6-8 to make one gallon of coleman fuel. It is NOT safe to refill them, no matter what you heard.

The best lanterns made came before the 1980's and you can get a cheap lantern for about 2-10 bucks in a garage sale.

I have converted a 1949 242C (the absolute best single mantle lantern ever made) to kerosene by buying a 201 generator and installing it, along with a preheat cup. You actually can convert all the old Coleman lanterns to kero if you really needed. The older full brass lanterns work the best. It takes a little more to do.

I have a dual fuel 285 and two 288's all fine lanterns, just don't pay wal-mart price for something you can get much cheaper. I got my 214B and Uncle Sams for 50 new last month and it is a much better lantern than the white gas new stuff.

Never burn anything in a tent.

[renodesertfox]

I am glad you joined camping forums, your info is right on time! Thanks!

[Rob22315]

My solution to the 1lb disposable propane cylinder problem is getting a 4.24lb refillable propane tank and an adapter (8ft hose actually). The smallest refillable propane tank I could find is the 4.24 one by Worthington. There's also a 5lb one by Manchester.

These tanks are considerably more expensive than the 20lb ones because they aren't popular ($60 vs $30) but the fitting is the same. Much more portable as well.

Having the hose also gives me the flexibility of hooking up to my propane tanks at home in an emergency.

[Ramaniac]

If you have to use propane, they make a tree which mounts to the large tank. It has a couple acess ports with a lantern on the top. I really can not stress enough how dangerous it is to refill the small bottles. I have a Bernz-It torch that when I took off the torch head, it kept spewing out propane. Had to take it outside. I guess the ball bering had rusted and it would not seal. That could have gotten bad real quick.

The small 5 gallon bottle may be worth it's price in the safety it provides.

[Rob22315]

Hmmmm,

I can definitely re-emphasize the 4.24 and 5 lb bottles are the same design as the large (20lbs and greater) bottles just scaled down. They are designed to be refilled on the same equipment as the large bottles so its not the same as refilling the 1lb bottles from an adapter.

The guy at the propane refilling station gave me an earful during the first flush/refill of my 4.24'er. The smallest refillable bottles are purposefully designed to hold just over a gallon of propane. According to him, the local laws prohibit the indoor storage of more than a gallon of propane. This means the local mom/pop street vendors cannot store propane indoors without a license from the local fire marshal - giving the marshal the right to inspect the set-ups for safe use. Some of the folks moving to the area accused the propane guy of being in cahoots with the fire marshal and ripping them off.

[renodesertfox]

NFPA Code 58

The NFPA Code 58 titled "Standard for the Storage and Handling of Liquefied Petroleum Gas." The NFPA or National Fire Protection Association has authored codes on all sorts of things. NFPA codes are recognized as federal standards in the fire protection industry. Code 58 is a full 92 pages and was written by a committee of more than 30 members and alternates from all facets of industry and the fire protection services. It is an impressive document, but having read those chapters I thought would help, it raised more questions than it answered. And, not being fluent in "codeese", there were no answers forthcoming. I did learn that while the NFPA code deals with storage of propane, the transportation of propane is generally addressed by the Department of Transportation. Having had difficulty reading a code written by a private association, you can imagine how excited I was at the prospect of tearing into a bunch of regulations written by a government bureaucracy the size of DOT.

My solution was to find someone who knows and works with these codes and regulations and to ask them what applies and what does not. In other words, I turned to my local fire department, Reno, Nevada. The answer I got was surprising. There are no federal regulations that address the storage or transportation of propane in the amounts generally associated with the sport of ballooning.


However, there are some "common sense" practices everyone should follow, so let's examine those, beginning with storage.


Again let's emphasize that there are no federal regulations that address storage of propane in single or multi-family homes in amounts usually associated with balloons... that is 30-40 gallons. But that does not mean you should start stockpiling propane in your garage. NFPA Code 58 does address storage in industrial parks, buildings, retail establishments, etc. But common sense should prevail whenever storing propane fuel tanks.


For example, always store the tanks in an upright position. That's because the top of the tank is where the pressure relief valves (safety valves) are located. When upright, if excessive pressure builds up, these valves will pop and bleed vapor off. While this is not good, it is not as bad as the consequences of having the tanks resting on their sides. In that position, the safety valves would bleed off raw liquid propane.


Fuel lines should be capped in order to prevent foreign objects from becoming lodged inside and possible resulting in a fuel flow blockage at a critical moment during flight.


Certainly you should never store tanks near a water heater, furnace, or other potential source of ignition.


Also make sure that all valves are securely closed. Bleed valves, if not securely closed have been known to work themselves open due to the expansion and contraction caused by temperature changes.


A good option is to store the basket and its tanks in an exterior workshop with the lawnmower, gardening tools, etc. In simple terms, the further away from you that you can remove the potential danger of a propane fire or explosion, the better.


Any storage area should be well ventilated, but don't put the tanks right next to a vent for washers or dryers, as any leaking vapors could be sucked into these machines or your home and create a potential hazard.


While tanks can be stored out-of-doors, this is not recommended. But if left outside, be sure never to store a propane tanks beneath a powerline where a break in the line could create disaster. And never store tanks under a stairway that might be needed to escape in the event of a fire.


As a general rule of thumb, allow ten feet of clearance around the storage area. And if your tanks become rusty, bent, or deformed in some other way, have them pressure tested immediately.


Where transportation is concerned the DOT standards do apply to the transportation of propane within a closed bodied vehicles, such as passenger cars and vans, when the amount of propane exceeds 90 pounds or about 21 gallons.



All of us should be familiar with the danger of storing propane tanks in a van or enclosed trailer. Ventilation is always a concern, so be sure to provide plenty. And always check for any leaks before storing the basket with tanks in an enclosed area of your vehicle.


Just as in storing, tanks should be transported in the same fashion, upright, and for the same reasons.


When parking your vehicle, remember that any explosion of the tanks could create a disaster. So always use parking spaces as far away as possible and practical from occupied buildings. That doesn't mean you have to park in the next county, but don't back your van or truck right up the door of your hotel room or a restaurant. Any explosion or fire could send debris into the building. If fire is discovered, it's much easier for firefighters to isolate the back section of a parking lot than an exploded side of a busy, crowded restaurant. Again the ten foot rule is a good one to consider
.



Finally, you will do well to remember that the FAA, state fire marshall's office, and your local fire department may have something to say about the above. Indeed, local fire departments have the authority to amend the NFPA codes to fit their own local concerns. So, be sure to check with them if you have any questions. It was an eye-opener for me and I had been transporting my little tanks in the wrong manner. Not any more! Thanks for bringing this item up for discussion, I have learned alot!