Anyone used Coleman propane lanterns?

[Beardy]

Hi all, wondering if anyone has any experience of the above? Are they up to much or not?

I`ve the chance to get my mitts on a Coleman brand propane lantern fairly locally to me for the equivalent of about 70 quid. I have faffed around with a simple cheap flat-wick oil lamp before but am looking for something a bit more portable, that gives off a bit more light, and that can be manpacked easily without worrying about spilling paraffin all over the insides of my daysack. The Coleman is billed as a lantern, has a mantle, and propane seems less leak-prone than oil so I`m thinking it could be the way to go. I think they have "North Star" and "Instastart" models for sale, I don`t know if there`s a whole lot of difference between them though.

Seems like propane in those 1lb canisters is more of an American thing rather than a British thing, I have a relatively local source of them but does anyone know if you can screw in one of the far more common self-sealing gas cans used for stoves and such over in the UK? Or are the fittings completely different?

Do they also put out a decent amount of heat like an oil lamp? Intended use is fishing in winter so I can defrost those hands, been doing a bit of sea angling but would like to get in some shore fishing too now and maybe even keep the freezer topped off

 

[rik_uk3]

No, you need the 1Lb Coleman bottles. You may as well buy
http://www.worldofcamping.co.uk/col...ium=merchant&gclid=CPCg0qzu77ECFYQhtAodyDEANA

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GELERT-MI...ing_LightsLanternsTorches&hash=item27c660bfdd

Both throw off a lot of light, the mantles are much cheaper and they take the standard screw cans of gas so cheaper to run.

 

[jacko1066]

Plus 1 for the Coleman f1!!!
Quality little lamp. And gives off shed loads of light!!

 

[norca]

yup as above fi is great

 

[santaman2000]

I've used the regular Coleman propane but never the North Star model. The only difference is the North Star is supposed to be a bit tougher. They are dual mantle lanterns and will give roughly double the light of the single mantle models Rik linked.

No. You cannot use the gas bottles such as you wany. BUT!!! You can use a gas hose and link them to a 5 gallon propane bulk bottle.

As you said in your post, the biggest advantage of the propane models is convenience; just screw the bottle to the lantern and light. No pouring, no pumping, etc.

 

[Bowlander]

I use the Camping gaz one, its brilliant and the flat top is great for heating pies and hands!! Think it was £20.

 

[rik_uk3]

I've used the regular Coleman propane but never the North Star model. The only difference is the North Star is supposed to be a bit tougher. They are dual mantle lanterns and will give roughly double the light of the single mantle models Rik linked.

No. You cannot use the gas bottles such as you wany. BUT!!! You can use a gas hose and link them to a 5 gallon propane bulk bottle.

As you said in your post, the biggest advantage of the propane models is convenience; just screw the bottle to the lantern and light. No pouring, no pumping, etc.

How much are the Coleman 1lb tanks in the States santaman? Over here a typical price for one is between £8-£10 or $12-$15, standard propane/butane/isobutane are not a lot cheaper but are very easy to source unlike the Coleman plus most common gas camping stoves use none Coleman gas so you have far less compatability problems all round. The Coleman lanterns retail typically at around $75US, a 'standard' gas lantern at @ $20US ($40 for the F1) and I think the big tank connectors in the UK differ from those in the USA IIRC.

I love my Coleman white gas lanterns though, got a single mantle, double mantle Power House and a nice 220 twin mantle from the 60's and a mini 229 Exponent

 

[santaman2000]

How much are the Coleman 1lb tanks in the States santaman? Over here a typical price for one is between £8-£10 or $12-$15, standard propane/butane/isobutane are not a lot cheaper but are very easy to source unlike the Coleman plus most common gas camping stoves use none Coleman gas so you have far less compatability problems all round. The Coleman lanterns retail typically at around $75US, a 'standard' gas lantern at @ $20US ($40 for the F1) and I think the big tank connectors in the UK differ from those in the USA IIRC.

I love my Coleman white gas lanterns though, got a single mantle, double mantle Power House and a nice 220 twin mantle from the 60's and a mini 229 Exponent

TBH Rik, I haven't bought propane in a few years so I'm unsure of the price right now but it was more expensive (to use anyway) than Coleman fuel. I'll look and get back to you about that. However the propane lanterns themselves are generally about half the price of the liquid fueled ones as they are so much simpler in design.

Be patient as I have limited internet access at the moment and it may take me a while to get back on the forum.

 

[santaman2000]

How much are the Coleman 1lb tanks in the States santaman? Over here a typical price for one is between £8-£10 or $12-$15...

Ok. I went to the Bx yesterday after I left the library. The price there was $6.29 for a 2-pack of a generic brand. Break that down to about $3.15 for a single bottle (or about 2 pounds) I'm sure it would be slightly more at a store off base (such as Walmart) but not much, and off base sales would be subject to Florida state and county sales tax (6% total in this county) Again it would be a bit more for Coleman brand, but propane is propane.

To be honest, if I were over there, I would probably use the propane/butane/isobutane stoves and lanterns you referenced for the very reason you give (availabity) I don't imagine they would be any less convenient than the propane ones I've used in the past. In fact, probably more so because of both the availability there, and the smaller size of the fuel tanks (easier to pack and lighter)

 

[Beardy]

Hmmm the supplier of the 1lb bottles I had found in the UK seem to be more expensive than they used to be, looking at 6.50 GBP per bottle now. This could throw a spanner in the works. Thanks for the heads-up on the bulk-tank connection, I can see how that would be useful with transport but I mostly need something that can be stashed in a daysack. On the other hand, I do remember seeing an adaptor for refilling a 1lb can from a bulk tank so maybe that could bring the cost down a bit.

I don´t doubt the little lanterns that go on a self-sealing can are handy, but do they really put out that much light, or heat for that matter? Before noticing the propane type I was thinking about something like a Petromax, and those little screw-on lanterns just seem so dainty by comparison

 

[santaman2000]

...I don´t doubt the little lanterns that go on a self-sealing can are handy, but do they really put out that much light, or heat for that matter? Before noticing the propane type I was thinking about something like a Petromax, and those little screw-on lanterns just seem so dainty by comparison

The 2 mantle propane ones I used put out exactly the same light as did the 2 mantle liquid fueled ones. And they got just as hot.

I cain't say the same thing for the propane stoves though. They were more than hot enough but they didn't quite match the liquid fueled ones.

 

[rik_uk3]

Hmmm the supplier of the 1lb bottles I had found in the UK seem to be more expensive than they used to be, looking at 6.50 GBP per bottle now. This could throw a spanner in the works. Thanks for the heads-up on the bulk-tank connection, I can see how that would be useful with transport but I mostly need something that can be stashed in a daysack. On the other hand, I do remember seeing an adaptor for refilling a 1lb can from a bulk tank so maybe that could bring the cost down a bit.

I don´t doubt the little lanterns that go on a self-sealing can are handy, but do they really put out that much light, or heat for that matter? Before noticing the propane type I was thinking about something like a Petromax, and those little screw-on lanterns just seem so dainty by comparison

The small lamps throw out all the light you need, don't let the size put you off, really for the sake of £7 you may as well try.

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/outdoo...-gas-lamp-with-electronic-lighter-2-ag3-49879 price includes delivery

[video=youtube;zUNeQDYHpuU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUNeQDYHpuU[/video]

Give you an idea of output. If your carrying them hiking pack one mantle per day, all mantles are very fragile after burn and will fall apart in your pack.

 

[Beardy]

If your carrying them hiking pack one mantle per day, all mantles are very fragile after burn and will fall apart in your pack.

I had no idea that was the case, I've never had anything with a mantle before. Does that also go for the pricier lanterns such as the F1 type? I need to be factoring in that cost if it's one mantle per use, guess I will be head-scratching for a little longer then!

 

[santaman2000]

I had no idea that was the case, I've never had anything with a mantle before. Does that also go for the pricier lanterns such as the F1 type? I need to be factoring in that cost if it's one mantle per use, guess I will be head-scratching for a little longer then!

It goes for ALL lanterns that use a mantle. Before you light the lantern, you burn the mantle to ash. The resulting ash is quite fragile.

Another option might be a candle lantern such as one of these: www.campinglanterns.net/candlelantern.aspx They're more durable, more compact, and lighter.

 

[rik_uk3]

It goes for ALL lanterns that use a mantle. Before you light the lantern, you burn the mantle to ash. The resulting ash is quite fragile.

Another option might be a candle lantern such as one of these: www.campinglanterns.net/candlelantern.aspx They're more durable, more compact, and lighter.

And give crap light output lol
Your mantle may not break in your pack, but work on one a night and you won't get caught short. The mantles for the micro lanterns are not expensive, I think they are about 80p each so its no big deal really. Car camping, mantles last ages, trip after trip, I've got Vapalux with mantles which must have done a dozen trips or more without loosing a mantle.

 

[santaman2000]

And give crap light output lol
Your mantle may not break in your pack, but work on one a night and you won't get caught short. The mantles for the micro lanterns are not expensive, I think they are about 80p each so its no big deal really. Car camping, mantles last ages, trip after trip, I've got Vapalux with mantles which must have done a dozen trips or more without loosing a mantle.

I wouldn't go so far as "crap" light but yep, they're a long way from a good Coleman type lantern. Also mantles really aren't that expensive if you buy them in multi packs.