Camp site light, I need some input

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Nickelsig229

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Sep 7, 2004
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Some guys from work are planning a car camping weekend and I'm looking for a good suggestion to light up campsite for about 10 people. It should be able to light up maybe a 15 yard circumference, is that asking too much or too little? I think that's a good for a common area and have our tents further out for some privacy. Most likely we'll relax by firelight but for the overnight I want it to keep guys from falling over drunk on runs to the woods or cars.

I'm not opposed to led lanterns or oil lanterns, I just want something that will work great and for a long time. I would rather buy good and cry once then try to save money and end up with something that doesn't last. Having said that, I also don't want to spend a premium on price when there are alternatives with just as good performance.

I'm guessing the 50 dollar range would be a good place to look first?

Any ideas?
 
We have used tiki torches, for light and to help keep the insects away. Another option is to pick up a few solar lights like you use around the home and place them along your pathways. You should be able to pick up several of each for less than $50. Good luck, stay safe, and have lots of fun.
 
My mom and I both have Coleman 2-Mantle PerfectFlow Propane Lanterns. You can get them with various options. All or most will work with standard 5+ pound cylinders with an adapter. IE tree.

For backpacking, I use a 4AA Pack-away Lantern (LED). They are available in a variety of colors and have two brightness settings. Coleman has larger LED Lanterns that are probably better for Base camp use. My little lantern lights up my 2 man and 6 man tents just fine.
 
I got the Streamlight Siege last year. It is cheap, small, seems durable and very bright. It is good for my uses, but it is a very pale light color so it does not have the nice full, warm light of a traditional lantern.
 
I'll second the Coleman propane lanterns. They take standard propane cylinders and if you turn them on low, they can burn all night long. On high, they can light up an entire campsite. We use half a dozen of these for our Boy Scout Troop and they are easy to use and much safer than liquid fuel versions.

TedP
 
Thanks for the suggestions.

For you guys who used the coleman propane lantern, would you say it can light up a 15 yard area? It looks small in the pictures I just looked at.

Weight and size isn't so much a problem, it is car camping after all.
 
I'd use a couple for that much area, either the coleman propanes or the led battery powered large ones. The coleman is cheaper to run in the long run though.
 
We use a dual mantle propane lantern, a long hose (8 feet?) and hook it up to a BBQ tank. We we have a tripod that has been with the troop forever and hang the lantern on that. It puts the lantern right above my head, about 6.5 feet up in the air. Lights up a good sized area, never measured it, but at least 35 feet across.
 
Take the white covers off, and place these 4-5 feet apart around 7 feet up using 550 cord or 30-50lb test and watch your friend be amazed.

I use them all the time camping, makes my friends jealous. They are constantly adjusting, changing canisters and fixing mantels. I spend 10 minutes hanging these and they do all the work after that.



http://amzn.com/B00BTGZ15

I use 12 of them -
 
As mentioned, tiki torches would work, but you'd need a BUNCH of them to really light up an area for 10 people. We always used tikis in the back yard to light up a path from the fire pit to the house and spaced them ever 15-20'. They have a subtle glow.

But for brightness factor, it's hard to beat a Coleman propane lantern. The local Wally World sells cheapy tripods that can be used to cook over a fire with a suspended grate or remove the grate and hang a lantern. It's a nice setup to put a few lanterns about camp. I've got one I've used just for that. :)
 
wildmanh said:
My mom and I both have Coleman 2-Mantle PerfectFlow Propane Lanterns. You can get them with various options. All or most will work with standard 5+ pound cylinders with an adapter. IE tree.
Click to expand...

^^ This is also what I use as well when car camping, a 5lb refillable tank with double mantle Coleman lantern mounted atop a Coleman distribution tree, this throws off a ton of light. I tie the 5lb tank to the picnic table bench with a bungee cord or poly rope and that puts the lantern almost 2-3' above the table, a good height for reading or playing games at the table. I can then also run my small BBQ and Coleman camp stove off the other two outlets on the distribution tree. The tree is well worth the $40 it costs.

0007650192868_300X300.jpg
 
We used to use the Coleman kerosene/parafin mantle lantern
Hang it from a tree and easliy gave a 15 ft radius

So any mandle lantern, gas or kerosene
 
5 lb propane tanks are hard to find and expensive. Mail order is the way to go if you really want one. With this being said they are one of my favorite sizes. Another option is to get a Coleman dual fuel which burns regular unleaded gas. With coleman fuel doubling in price and up to $14 a gallon now unleaded is a viable option. Do not store your lantern with unleaded in it and you may get shorter life out of your generator. Some have had good luck burning Coleman fuel as their last tank after unleaded in order to flush the unleaded out of the lantern.
 
jw2n said:
5 lb propane tanks are hard to find and expensive. Mail order is the way to go if you really want one. With this being said they are one of my favorite sizes. Another option is to get a Coleman dual fuel which burns regular unleaded gas. With coleman fuel doubling in price and up to $14 a gallon now unleaded is a viable option. Do not store your lantern with unleaded in it and you may get shorter life out of your generator. Some have had good luck burning Coleman fuel as their last tank after unleaded in order to flush the unleaded out of the lantern.
Click to expand...

$14 a gallon. I wouldn't be surprised if it is that a pint here now. They've been ripping people off for years. Anybody who is anybody here runs on Aspen 4T instead. I don't know if you have it over there but here it is a commonly used mower fuel and very clean.

That said, my Colman lantern is now in deep storage for pretty dire circumstances. I used to use my North Star a lot for beach fishing. Not for me any more. The rot set in when I refused to transport that on the tredder. I now use a 160 LED array 7”*5”*2” that works great on a tripod. The only thing the Coleman could beat a good LED array at is that it runs on stuff from a big ole can rather than batteries. For daily living that's not enough to secure victory, by a lot.
 
mckrob said:
^^ This is also what I use as well when car camping, a 5lb refillable tank with double mantle Coleman lantern mounted atop a Coleman distribution tree, this throws off a ton of light. I tie the 5lb tank to the picnic table bench with a bungee cord or poly rope and that puts the lantern almost 2-3' above the table, a good height for reading or playing games at the table. I can then also run my small BBQ and Coleman camp stove off the other two outlets on the distribution tree. The tree is well worth the $40 it costs.

0007650192868_300X300.jpg
Click to expand...

I think this is what I'm going with. Big bright light, utility and relatively cheap compared to other options.

Thanks for all the suggestions.
 
If people are likely to be falling over drunk you probably shouldn't be looking at anything with a live flame. I'd go battery powered LED.
 
The old white gas Coleman is hard to beat. Puts out a lot of heat, enough to keep a big wall tent toasty.
 
Double burner propane lanterns put out a lot of light on high, but a 30 yard diameter circle is pretty big. You would likely want more than one, and to set them up high.
 
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