A Lantern Thread

dartanyon

dartanyon

Joined
May 10, 2002
Messages
705
My electronic lantern of choice is the Primus Super Nova ... but this thread is about liquid fuel lanterns. ( Hey you can chuck in your fav electronic anyway)
The kero lantern ... mine leak out of the wick. The gas lanterns ... I keep breaking the mantels ... the petroleum lanterns I love ... but I keep breaking the mantels.
What lanterns do you want to suggest?
 
I use propane. Make sure I have extra mantles.

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The thing I don't like about propane is that I use mine a lot when it is really, really cold out. Propane canisters seem to give up the goat early in that situation and leave a lot of fuel in the canister due to lack of pressure.

After spending a long time drooling, I decided to go with a Britelyt. When I first got it, I spent a LONG time playing, figuring it out and such. But now that I know exactly how to use it, I am so glad that I have it.

IMG_3143.jpg


It will burn just about anything flammable. I run a mix a lot of times. But, I like being able to run kerosene when I am mostly indoors, burn up old white gas to get rid of it, or pull gasoline from the fishing boat if I didn't bring any fuel.

Pretty cool dude!

I also have the reflector for it, which makes it really cool for hanging over a table. Makes a lot of light shine downward.

B
 
I have been using the same Coleman dual mantel Fuel lantern for over 25 years. EVERY year. I have never rebuilt the generator and never replaced the pump.

It fell off a truck. No kidding. My sister in law was working for a trucking company, a box of 12 fell off the truck at the loading dock and all but 4 were damaged. She called the shipper and asked what they wanted her to do with the 4 good ones. Their reply was "It isn't worth the freight to deliver them back, reinspect and reship, just throw them away or give them to a friend".

So, One went to me and I have been using it ever since. I taped a small ziplock to the bottom and store spare mantles in it, that way I always have spares.

Carl-
 
I admit that I use my coleman propane often in the summers when car camping or setting up a field work base camp. Easiest thing in the world to light, lasts a long time, throws a lot of light and uses the same propane canisters that I will use with my multiburner coleman stove under those same situations. In back-packing, I usually simply pack a candle lantern with extra candles. Doesn't throw up much light, but it is idiot proof and sufficient for my personal needs of a lantern.

While I recognize the utility of battery operated light/lantern, it just doesn't seem to fit my idea of what a lantern is. I know, they can be light and put out the light. However, a lantern and a flashlight are different things. The flashlight is for mobility. The lantern is for ambiance. The lantern is a thing you hang up at the base camp and it provides character and quality of light. Whenever I here the that 'shhhhhhhhh' sound of gas lantern, I'm immediately transported back to the days when I was 6 years old in camp with my parents. I especially love the dim/flickers that occur at random intervals with gas lanterns (need to pump them more). I love the quality of the light. A gas lantern is as much a part of the scenery of a camp scene in my mind as is a tent and firepit. No, modern electronic lantern can't replace that for me.

On the other hand, I am interested in the snow peak giga Lantern as a possible complement to the snow peak giga stove that uses the same canister set. Hopefully somebody will chime in on that.
 
I bought a Coleman NorthStar to replace my old Tilley lamp. I got it specifically for night fishing and that was a model that came up time and again with sea anglers here. I like it it enough and it has done sterling service on the end of various outcrops in the miserable weather. The light output isn't much more useful than my old Tilley, so if I had one of those and was pinched for cash I wouldn't upgrade, but it's a good bit of kit. Dunno where it is now though, not done a night fishing trip in quite a while. I'll buy another if it doesn't show up when I need it.

Way back when I had one of those small Epi canister jobs. It worked ok but it isn't really useful to me. It's in a middle ground I don't need. I suppose it's good for attracting moths to a park bench and lighting up the table if you want picnic in the dark but little else. It's too weedy for throwing a good amount of light up a pitch black beach, and it's too much of a lump to carry about.

Mostly I use a little multi-LED thing. It runs on 4*AAAs. I wouldn't normally suffer an AAA oddity but this thing chucks out light for days on one set. Once it is dark and the eyes are accustomed it chucks out more than enough light for my camp needs. In fact, I had to add a makeshift diffuser to stop dazzle when not using the red lamp inside the nest.
 
I've been camping all my life and I've never had a lantern until this season.

I picked up the $19 coleman duel mantle propane job. Works great, changes the way I do everything at night not having to use a flashlight or torch for all my lighting.
 
I've been using a Coleman Northstar dual fuel lantern over the last 10 yrs. You can use unleaded gas in a pinch :thumbup::thumbup:

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My fishing/backing buddy always brings a Snowpeak Gigapower lantern. It works great and is always welcome at sunset in the Sierras.
 
If it's not the mantle, it's the globe - But what do you expect from a source of inexpensive light?

Coleman Rocks for car camping:thumbup:
 
I've been looking at this lantern to go into my camp tub.

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Unfortunately I think the bottom is flat.
 
dartanyon said:
I've been looking at this lantern to go into my camp tub.

222.jpg


Unfortunately I think the bottom is flat.
Click to expand...

Personally, I think the cardboard inside the housing like that is a design flaw. I mean, sooner or later that piece of cardboard is going to ignite. I'm just saying :D
 
We used a Snow Peak Giga lantern for the the first time for two weeks last month while elk hunting in Wyoming. We were camped at 8200 feet and the outside temperature at night was around 25 degrees. It lit well, but took about 10 minutes to warm up before it put out a usable amount of light. It didn't seem to make a difference if the fuel canister was new (full) or not. I believe it was a combination of the altitude and the fact that canister stoves/lanterns just don't work as well as liquid fuel in cold temperatures.
 
dartanyon said:
I've been looking at this lantern to go into my camp tub.

222.jpg


Unfortunately I think the bottom is flat.
Click to expand...

Looking at the price on the shelf $125.00 you might want to look at the Britelyt. it is slightly more expensive but it is a true multi fuel lantern, you could also use it for a heater or a stove. pretty neat item for sure.
 
valcas1 said:
Looking at the price on the shelf $125.00 you might want to look at the Britelyt. it is slightly more expensive but it is a true multi fuel lantern, you could also use it for a heater or a stove. pretty neat item for sure.
Click to expand...

The Britelyt looks very interesting, even the standalone stove. Though it is a bit pricey. One day I'll have to get one though, seem like they are very well constructed and useful too.
 
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