Lanterns?

[perterra]

Does anybody else carry lanterns. I'm starting to think I must be the last of the lantern users. For the most part I use propane now days, but I'm starting to think about a kerosene or multi fuel lantern again. I have a couple of old liquid fuel Colemans (3 actually) a single mantle and a couple of double mantles, One of the double mantles is probably best used as a firebomb as lighting it usually entails a large fireball, smoking eye brows and throwing the damn thing 15 feet or so away from anything flammable. I've rebuilt the damn thing probably 4 times and its great for the first few months, then it starts the pyrotechnics again. The other 2 seem to do okay, but its getting where you cant buy some of the parts for 40 year old Colemans anymore so I'm thinking of upgrading.

So heres the qaundry, I looked at the petromax's at britelytes http://www.britelyt.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=BPP&Category_Code=500CP
A little pricey, but appear heck for stout. Problem is if you start researching them and reading fine print it appears they come from China now. Nothing against Chinese but I hate subsidizing prison labor.

So anybody use Colemans anymore? The propane coleman northstar I use now is pretty doggone bright, and easy to use, but I really want a fuel lantern... so I'm looking for ideas. Coleman northstar liquid fuel lantern maybe?

By the way, the one that goes motorcycle camping with me is a little coleman exponent.

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=9970-725&categoryid=24757

About the size of a beer can and about as bright as a 30 watt light bulb. Uses a refillable tank that you just plug one of their powermax fuel cartriges into like a cigarette lighter. Runs about 6 hours on a filling and the big fuel cartrige will fill it a bunch of times.

Also what about cigarette lighters, anybody use the high dollar ones?

 

[Scott Brady]

Wow, the Britelyt is nice, and looks to be very high quality. Have you used them much before?

I really don't use any lanterns at all anymore, just my headlamps (I like the Black Diamond stuff). I do have an extension cord and a plug to bulb adapter, than a 13w florescent bulb. Works great...

 

[perterra]

Heck, I've never even seen the petromax (britelyte) in person. I use head lights, but they sure limit some of your activities. Hard to put together a group fish fry with everybody wearin headlights. And its nowhere near as much fun to play a couple of card games around a single led bulb. Filleting a mess of fish wearing a headlamp is not the same as doing it under a hissing lantern. Plus changing a tire is much easier with a 250 watt lantern is so much easier than doing the same with a head lamp. To me, a group camp is just not a camp until someone fires off the lantern and opens a beer cooler and starts frying fish.

 

[HenryJ]

I still use my old coleman white gas lantern. It was my fathers and may have even been my grandfathers. Mantles and pumps are all that have been needed over the years. Alll the "-marts" seem to carry them still. I try to keep it full of fuel to reduce the airspace were condensation might occur.

I do not see a time where I will not have room for it.

I may be a little "old school" , but I also use an old coleman liquid fuel stove.

 

[perterra]

I convertred my coleman whitegas stove to propane when I started using the propane lanterns. Simple to convert it back. Just slide the tank & generator back in and your good to go. Fried a lot of fish and taters on that thing. Its the one my Dad used back in the early 60's. Still works great, but I'm thinking about another just because the sentimental value this one holds makes it too valuable to haul into the boonies.

My oldest has the cleaner stem assy broken off so it plugs. Cant get the parts from Coleman anymore but Old Town still manages to come up with them.
http://www.oldtownyucca.com/coleman/parts/220.htm

 

[bigreen505]

Does anybody else carry lanterns.

No, but I'm always thankfull when someone in the group has one. Lighters too, but I like the grill/fireplace lighters personally.

I do usually bring a REI candle lantern, but it is really more romantic than useful.

 

[91xlt]

i still use my coleman propane lantern...had it for years, still works great.

 

[OverlandZJ]

I carry a Coleman propane lantern as a backup. Got sick of all the noise....

I carry a Dietz lantern now, quiet and takes me back in time.

 

[datrupr]

I still carry my Coleman propane lantern. Yes, a little noisy, but light output can not be beat.

 

[DaktariEd]

Still have my Coleman white gas and dual fuel models...but have been converting over to my ARB 12 v. expedition light. I pop that in the awning case up near the base of the awning and it projects a nice light over a wide area...my kitchen and sitting areas in particular.

 

[unimogmike]

i have a britelyt and it is really nice unit, however it is really no better than my coleman. I also purchased a surplus petromax from germany. it is dated in the early 1940s. Exactly the same as the britelyt, i think all of the parts interchange. The only downside to these is weight. can't beat the wide light coverage

mike

 

[Scott Brady]

Mike,

Thanks for the real world opinion. It makes all the difference hearing from someone who actually uses the equipment.

Oh, and awesome Unimog! :drool:

 

[perterra]

i have a britelyt and it is really nice unit, however it is really no better than my coleman. I also purchased a surplus petromax from germany. it is dated in the early 1940s. Exactly the same as the britelyt, i think all of the parts interchange. The only downside to these is weight. can't beat the wide light coverage

mike

Thanks Pard, guess I was lucky. I dropped by the local Gander Mountain on the way to the nursing home to visit my Dad and picked up a Coleman Northstar dual fuel. $63.00, brought it home, put it together and fueled it up, runs great.

Glad I didnt spend $140 now.

Thanks again
Perterra

 

[dobletraccion]

Down South, there might be three camps set up at a bay, and invariably one of them will be firing off one million candlepowers-worth of Coleman lanterns.
Seriously, it looks like they're staging the Raid On Entebbe.
I gently tell them that the coyotes won't eat them if they cut back on the light pollution, and that the stars are kind of cool to check out.
Different strokes, I guess...
So yeah, into an "Indian fire" (small) and headlamps.

 

[goodtimes]

Seriously, it looks like they're staging the Raid On Entebbe.

I'd have to agree. I am not a fan of campsites lit up like the ball park. I generally dont even run my LED headlamp on high (unless I have the little one, which only has one setting). I don't do a whole lot of cooking though, so that probably influences my opinion a bit. I usually try to have everything done by the time it gets dark. The only thing left after dark is to pour drinks...and headlamps work fine for that. :friday:

So, to the original question, no, I don't use lanterns....in fact, I don't even own one anymore (was stolen and never replaced).