RE: Camping Lanterns

[Ab Diver]

 
Inspired by Gen (better half of " The Memory Maker" ) , who asked if anybody had an " extra"  lantern for an upcoming rally...
 
 Almost all of us have a camping lantern. Unless you are backpacking, it seems there is always room for at least one. My first lantern was a trusty old Coleman white gas, two mantles, model 220J. You know the type: fill the bottom tank with fuel, pump the pressure up with your thumb, light a match, and it ll burn for an incredible length of time... just keep it pumped up.  It s still my favorite lantern, and I like the way it will slowly die down when you turn it off. That feature gave me time to walk back to the tent (now our pop-up) before all the light ran out.
 
 Then the family thing happened, and we needed another lantern for the house when the power was out. Bought an el cheapo Coleman propane lantern, two mantles, I think it is a model 275 (the kind where the glass is wider at the top than at the bottom). Much easier to use: just screw on a propane cylinder, turn the knob, twist the flint igniter to make a spark, and presto! Instant light. The wife liked it much better: no messy fuel to deal with.
 
 When we got our first pop-up, we wanted something the kids could use without any problems. Enter our first battery powered lantern: a fluorescent double-bulb version, high and low setting, and it works " ok" . Not very bright, but it s safe for indoor use.
 
 Then we have a little plastic Coleman, model " 5370H190" . It uses 4 " D"  cell batteries, has a tiny Kripton bulb, puts out enough light to read by, and looks kinda like a plastic mushroom. Perfect for the kids, or inside the pop-up if we wanted to conserve the trailer s 12V electrical supply.
 
 Additionally, there are tap lights and assorted flashlights, each with a special use at home or camping.
 
 The wife wanted another propane lantern, so she could have two bright sources of light and wouldn t have to mess with the old fuel lantern if the power went out at home. So before our last trip, I bought a new Coleman Northstar* " insta-clip mantle"  model 2500-750G. Instead of one or two of the small mantels we all grew up using, it has a single large mantle shaped kinda like an accordion. All I can say is wow! That thing puts out a *lot* of light. Using a single 1 lbs. propane cylinder for fuel, it will burn up to 11 hours on the low setting, but only about five and a half hours on high.  Haven t used it enough to tell if the larger mantle is as shock resistant as the smaller versions, but if you want to really light up the camp site from a single source, this is the lantern to get. Just be kind to your neighbors, and turn it down if it bothers anyone.
 
 Granted, our camping style tends to take us on dry-camping trips, and shore power is not available. We use lanterns to save the trailer battery for the furnace in cold weather, or to extend the trailer s lights/pump juice on long stays at one site. If you camp at sites with shore power, a whole different strategy can be employed.
 
 So, does anybody else camp with enough lanterns to play midnight football? Or do you use tacky lights? What s your lighting style, or favorite type of lantern?

[Jeffrey]

 ab diver
I don t bring them all camping (usually just one), but I think I could light-up a football field pretty well. DW says I ve become a lantern addict, even worse than Pop-up s.
 
 I have always used a Coleman propane type.  It has always worked well, but I  find it really hard to keep from breaking the glass. It s basically a lantern head, and always gets broken. Probably replaced the glass 6 times.[:@]
 
 When the kids were little we bought a rechargable electric Coleman lantern.
 So they wouldn t get hurt on it, and then we could bring it in the tent.
 
 Now that the kids are bigger, I bought a new Coleman Gas Lantern 288. I like it alot better, than the propane (which I still have too).
 
 And last fall I found an old 275 and restored it, just because it was like the one we used when I was a kid. Since then I look for them everywhere. The collection is growing.

[don]

 Jeffrey
There might be a twelve step program for you guys[]

[topcat7736]

 ab diver
I always carry my Coleman 2-mantle dual-fuel powerhouse, Coleman 2-mantle propane and Old Stinky (our kerosene lantern). Additionally, I now have a 55 watt halogen 12-volt work light w/20ft cord, a 1 million candlepower flashlight, lantern battery flashlight, the Coleman 4-D cell table lamp and two Coleman flashlights that can expand to become table lanterns. Oh, when in the popup there s the Party lights strung around the awning too.
 
 Hey, it s not midnight.....it s SUNRISE! LOL [][][]

[Camper Dan]

 ab diver
Hi all[],
 
 Last year we purchased two Dietz kerosene lanterns,...a No. 80 Blizzard (King of the Cold Blasts) and a No. 10 Monarch (a Hot Blast model).  
 
 The Blizzard has a 27 hour burn time per tank and has an output of about 20 candle power on high.  The Monarch is designed for indoor use (cleaner burning) and has a 23 hour burn time and up to 5 candle power.  The odor from the Blizzard outdoor model is hardly noticable when used inside out Kiwi, if kept to a medium flame.  Either is bright enough to read by,...or to prepare dinner.  
 
 Why,...?well, they don t need to be pumped up, they don t hiss, no mantels to tie and char,...no tanks to mess with either.  Simple, basic and efficient.  I have one 3 gal. can for home kerosene storage and several MSR fuel bottles to take camping.  And...they only cost $17.95 each plus shipping=$3.00![]   They also provide about 900 to 1200 BTU per hour.
 
 They can be found @:  http://www.lanternnet.com
 
 We bought them for dry camping, but found we liked them so much,  so we use them all the time.  Nice old fashon dependable items and charm![]

[ForestCreature]

 Camper Dan
I m with you on that Camper Dan. We have 2 Juniors and love the light they give off.
 since we got them we haven t touched the coleman lantern.

[oldmoose]

 ab diver
I have 3 of the Coleman Nortstar s and love them. I agree that they put out a lot of light.

[Garrett]

 ab diver
We have a two mantle propane Coleman that we wuse when we feel the need for a lot of light, which is not very often.  We also have one of those 4 " D  cell krpyton bulb lanterns that gets used lot to get from here to there.  But my favorite is the kerosene lantern that I picked up last year at Wally World for like six dollars.   It gives off a nice gentle light and is quiet.  It gives us enough light to see by but does not drown out the fire or bother the neighbors.  However instead of using kerosene in the the summer I fill it with Citronella oil.  That way it does the double duty of keeping bugs away.  This will cause the glass to smoke up pretty badly, but is washes right off.  I will probably pick up a second one this year.

[kitphantom]

 ab diver
We too have quite a collection of lanterns and flashlights.  (We don t camp with hook-ups - not that we have naything to hook up anyway.)  We have the old stand-by Coleman white gas lantern, which usually goes on most trips.  It does not get used much, as we don t stay up very late, usually our halogen lanterns are enough (& we can use them in the tent), unless the weather & darkness closes in early, or we re out early/late in the season.  Last year, we ended up buying a propane Coleman, when fire restrictions prohibited the use of white gas.  It is nice in the PU, less noisy inside than the pump-up one.  (we make sure to keep things open enough.)  We have 2 halogen lanterns which can be recharged either in a wall socket light  or in the car.  We did not realize how much light the dome tent roof reflected until we used the same lantern in the PU and seemed as though the light was much less bright.  I do like the alternative of having an electric lantern around, as we don t go off and leave either gas lantern on unattended, and it is nice to have a low level light on at the campsite when we ve gone off to the restroom before bed or whatever.
 We have several of the 2-AA battery Maglites - I have the " friend"  for one, which is nice to keep it propped & aimed for some uses.  We have a couple of the LED " Bonfire"  lanterns from CMG, they are basically designed as a replacement for backpacking candle lanterns.  They don t give a huge amount of light, but I like to use one if I need to get up in the night, it is enough to see by to find what I need, get out of the PU, etc. but not blinding.  DH got one of the headlights meant for backpacking.  So far, we haven t had a chance to use it out backpacking, but he s found it handy several times for household tasks.

[Cheyenne6]

 ab diver
We always take " that old green lantern"  but use our Dietz more often than anything. Using citronella oil helps with the bugs and the light is not quite as bright as the Coleman.
 Cheyenne6

[sandykayak]

 ab diver
i ve had my coleman rechargeable lantern for about 6 years and it is wonderful.  comes with ac and dc adapters.
 
 i leave it on a table by the PU door and remind people to turn it on when they make night trips to the rest rooms....it s amazing how easy it is to get disoriented when you walk out of the bath house, isn t it?