Upset with Coleman products, anyone else have bad luck with them?

[BadAss88GT]

I bought a Coleman lantern just before our July 4th trip, and halfway through our weekend the switch broke internally on it, couldnt use the lantern. Took it back to Gander Mountain when we got home, exchanged it for a new one, now this past weekend, halfway through the trip the handle popped off the switch rendering the lantern useless and stuck "on". I also bought a Coleman compression sack for our pillows and went to pull the straps and 2 of the 3 came off the sack in my hand. Its not like I was hooking them up to the truck to tighten, they didnt even get tight around the pillows yet, just came off for no reason.

Is anyone else having issues with Coleman products? I remember years ago as a teen in Scouts, Coleman was a quality product, but it seems that has changed. Just wondering if anyone else has complaints too, or if it may be just my good luck? Thanks-Dan

[tlhdoc]

Coleman does not make products anymore.  The sell the use of their name to other companies.  Sorry you have purchased some faulty products.

[rccs]

What tlhdoc said. Most of the Coleman items now days are made in China like everything else. Just a name that is placed on the product to sell more.

[BadAss88GT]

Yeah, I figured. I emailed their customer service, I'm sure it wont do any good, it made me feel a little better anyway.

[garym053]

Actually a few years ago when I emailed Coleman Customer Service, they were VERY good about replacing the defective item. Had the new item within seven days.

Hopefully that hasn't changed!

[sacrawf]

We have purchased Coleman lanterns which have both failed quickly; a propane single-mantle that I used for fishing and bicycle camping, and a butane "patio" lantern.  The valve on the single-mantle wouldn't close well, draining an LP bottle with a slow leak even when the lantern was off. The butane deal never did work well new, hardly putting out any light at all. The cheaper Century brand two-mantle lantern keeps on working dependably, however, and it even fits in a plastic Coleman carry case.

[ScouterMom]

Coleman used to be a popular 'inexpensive, family use' brand for camping equipment - they were aimed at the occasional family camper who would use an item a few to a dozen times a year and not put alot of hard wear on it.  it was a balance between cost and usefullness that many people were satisfied with.  it was also a brand that was carried by most retailers - like k-mart & sears, etc when inexpensive camping equipment was hard to find anywhere else. I also grew up with alot of coleman quipment in the '70's camping with my family and scouts.

I work in a store that carries Coleman today, and for the most part, I tell people not to waste their money on Coleman produts.There are so many other lower-price point items that are much better in features, wear and price - and I've used or owned most of them that we sell.

 Any 'Coleman fuel', stove, lantern, etc is almost guaranteed to leak or not hold pressure after 1 season or less. Coleman has the most fragile mantles I have ever seen.  On scout trips we ALWAYS have to replace a few. On the other hand, the propane stoves and lights are passable, if you protect them while transporting. their hard plastic lantern cases are bad - they always come apart/open when the boys use them - we break ALOT of mantles and globes. Wenzel  brand tents and sleeping bags are almost always a better buy and better quality than Coleman for a similar range of price and features.  Coleman coolers? junk.  My scouts and I have had some really nice 'Target' brand tents - with all the latest features and very reasonable prices.  With Tents, I always warn people to put up a cheaper tent at home FIRST - make sure there are no sags or seams that twist or don't line up, before you take it camping.  Mass production makes them cheap - but sometimes they also get put together sloppily.

I had a really cheap $25 6 person, no-name tent from Sam's Club, that lasted me for over 20 yrs, before I finally wore it out enough that it wouldn't repel water anymore.  I've seen our boy scout troop destroy really expensive, tough ($300) Timberline tents in one season with only a few campouts, because they destroy zippers, tear screens, don't always dry the tents properly, and they always smell like gym socks! We've learned to buy Cheap tents for the scout troop - for the same size 4 man timberline @$300, we can replace that tent up to SIX times with a cheap $50 Wenzel or Target tent - and it weighs less for backpacking. too.

here's something I think is weird - Boy Scouts of America does not allow scouts to use 'propane' equipment - I think - because of the high pressure tanks - but they have no problem with the 'fuel' stoves and lanterns - yet every 2-burner Coleman fuel stove, old or new, that our troop has had over the years, leaks and is very difficult for the boys to get up to pressure and keep under pressure. not to mention the fire hazard of fuel dripping outside the tank or soaking the cases they are stored in, or having to use a funnel to fill them!! I think the small propane tanks are much safer!

Personally, I LOVE my little no-name 1lb propane lantern and stove.  I have one propane colman lantern, and one no-name-brand propane stove/ lantern combo I picked up at Gander Mountain one year for about 25 bucks.  The lantern has better light adjustment than the Coleman, and you just twist off the lantern top and replace it with the 'stove' burner, and the same propane tank can switch between light and cooking. It included a padded case for all the pieces.

Coleman is NOT a 'quality' name anymore, if they ever were - but other inexpensive or 'store' brands aren't so bad - if you watch what you 're getting and take care of them, there are some great bargans out there.

Laura

[CajunCamper]

Coleman used to be a good 'inexpensive, family use' brand for camping equipment - they were aimed at the occasional family camper who would use an item a few to a dozen times a year and not put alot of hard wear on it.

I would have to disagree Laura, I still use the same Coleman Stove and lantern that my dad bought some 40 years ago and have used them countless times over the years. The lantern has lit campsites accross the country and the stove has cooked hundreds of meals without missing a beat. Also no leaks. Once upon a time Coleman ruled by producing quality dependable camping gear, today may be a different story.

CajunCamper

[sewserious]

I have had Coleman products for the last 30 years and no problems here.  I have a Coleman NorthStar lantern that we bought 5 years ago and I have yet to replace the mantle, and we use it a lot!  Our older (30 years old now) 2-mantle lantern that was blown off the hanger into a bunch of brush during a thunderstorm and the mantles did not break nor did the globe.  It is still in use today. I have never replaced the globe on it. My old Coleman stove has been passed on to someone else and is still going strong.  I love my new one, purchased just this year.  It is strudy and designed to be much easier to clean than the old one.

I have just this year retired our Coleman tent that is 20 years old.  The only reason for that is because the stress on the seams is finally starting to show and some are beginning to tear.

If you are having trouble with broken mantles and globes, leaking propane, etc. then the equipment is not being maintained or handled properly.  Sounds like your scout troup needs to learn how to properly care for, maintain, and handle their equipment.

Oh, and I have always used Coleman coolers without problems.  I have tried other brands and have gone back to Coleman.  JUNK?  I just camped in 99 degree heat, 99 during the day and upper 80s at night and only had to add one bag of ice to a Coleman Extreme 5-day cooler on a 4-day trip.  If it had been cooler during the day/night, I wouldn't have had to add any!  I have seen folks with the Rubbermaid and Igloo brands of "5-day" coolers comment on how disappointed they are in them because they don't keep ice for more than a couple of days at most.

[pistonslap]

I have to agree with scoutermom about coleman mantles, they are garbage. But to say that older coleman products weren't good is totally wrong. I still have and regularly use a fuel coleman lantern and 2 burner stove that I bought in the early 70's. Have I had to replace some parts in them over the years? Yes, but show me anything over 35 yrs. old that doesn't need maintenance. Also, I have a coleman steel cooler that I won at a baseball game in 1988 that gets used all summer long every year at home and on camping trips. The bottom line used to be MADE IN AMERICA not this garbage made by the finest craftsmen in China.

[br9]

I have also never had a problem with coleman products I own 5 propane lanterns could not tell you how old 2 of them are but i do know they all work fine also very seldom have problems with mantles i have extras that i have had at least 2 years coleman propane stove i bought one when we first started tent camping many many many years ago never had a problem with leaking knobs falling off or anything like that wife finaly decided she wanted bigger so i gave that one to younger brother and i bet he gets several more years out of it we bought a new coleman stove that came with free griddle for69 dollars from academy this year have only used mabey20 days so far this year but no problems with it also own coleman tent that is retired only reason for that is wife finaly talked me into buying pup thas year now about customer service i orderd legs for stove from coleman websit got very fast but one leg the threaded end was a little loose worked but was a little anoying since brand new emailed cust service over holiday weekend didnt get a response fast enough so i called spoke with a lady told her of problem she said sorry and imediatly sent another one out asked her if i needed to return loose one told not to worry about it recieved very quick then recieved response to email they sent another one customer service was exalent if you are in a hurry i suggest you call instead of email i will definantly pay a couple of extra dollars for coleman and thier cust service evan though i have only needed it once since i started camping 30 years ago

[bonscott]

Own several Coleman products from propane lanterns to road trip grills and have never (so far) had a problem with any of them.  Our coleman single mantle lantern has been used several times this season and haven't replaced the mantle yet.

But like anything else, nothing is 100% and certainly there are bad products out there that get missed in quality control.

[BadAss88GT]

Yeah, I have had the same propane Coleman lantern for 20 years now, works just fine. Its just these stupid battery powered lanterns that are junk.

Coleman never emailed me back.

[wavery]

Yeah, I have had the same propane Coleman lantern for 20 years now, works just fine. Its just these stupid battery powered lanterns that are junk.

Coleman never emailed me back.

I wish that I had one of your 20-year-old lanterns. We purchased a Coleman propane lantern about a year ago. The glass fit so sloppy that we have to dismantle the entire thing after every camp-out.

We had it a few weeks and the glass broke in transit (new, in the box). We took it back to Walmart and they gave us a new one. It is a pathetic thing compared to the old ones. The glass is paper thin. If you have to buy a new glass, it's 75% of the price of a new lantern. Very greedy engineering and marketing IMO.....they design something so that it is sure to fail then charge up the kazoo for the replacement part. Something basically dishonest about that, I think.

I won't buy another Coleman product with a thorough examination of the quality and checking the price of any replacement parts.

As stated above, Coleman doesn't really "Build" anything. They simply sell the use of their "Brand Name". The problem is, something seems to have changed in the protection of their brand name. All that does is degrade what people are willing to pay for that name. That's exactly the same thing that happend to "Sharper Image". They started out being very careful about the products that bore their name. In the last few years, they let anything have their brand name on it. Now they are out of business. So sad.

[beacher]

Sorry to disagree with you Scoutermom on almost every point regarding Coleman products.

I was/am an Eagle Scout, and worked on my Woodbadge years ago.  My son is now a Bear Cub and we frequently attend his Pack's overnight family camping trips, (and use propane appliances).  

You will find the official BSA Policy has no restrictions on the use of propane, (item 4 in the guidelines mentions changing cylinders).  In the 1970's my Boy Scout troop in Los Angelus upgraded ALL of our camping gear from white fuel to propane, specifically because it was safer.  No flare ups with the stoves, and no fuel spills or handling.

Since I purchased my PopUp in 2004 I have purchased virtually EVERY Coleman camping product!  Here is my "Coleman Stuff" inventory:

- 50 quart Ultimate Xtreme Cooler
- 40 quart Powerchill Hot/Cold Cooler
- Vela six person tent
- 2 Burner Electronic Ignition Propane Grill Stove
- Northstar Lantern
- Lantern Reflector accessory
- Mutipurpose Lantern Stand
- Two Oversize Quad Chairs with Cooler - Gold
- Two Young Adult Quad Chairs
- Retro Remote Control Family-Size battery powered fluorescent lantern
- Remote Control Tent Light
- Widebeam Dual Action Light
- Two Kids Flashlight / Nightlights
- Dog Collar Coleman Lantern LED
- Stainless Steel French Press
- Toast making stovetop Device
- Combo Am/Fm radio/fan/lantern
- Portable Power Kit solar cell phone charger
- Hot Water On Demand
- ProCat Catalytic Heater
- Refillable bendable butane lighter
- Drip Coffee Maker
- And a 4 person rubber raft from BigLots

Yes, most of it is made in China.  Yes, it was all very inexpensive stuff compared to "better" equipment from REI or the Bass Pro Shop.  Some of the obscure stuff was found on clearance at Target, Camping World, and online.

But, it ALL works!

And, it all works rather well considering it's cheap stuff from Coleman.  No broken parts, no leaks.

OK, one of the adult quad chairs had a rip in the bag that I didn't notice when I purchased it.  I called Coleman's customer service 800 number and they shipped a new replacement bag within two days!  Not bad.