Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Coleman lanterns

Boy, my old canvas tent wasn't too insulated at all! Pretty airy actually. Maybe in the new nylon tents, but I don't think it would kill anyone in my old canvas tent. It certainly didn't in the 40+ years we used that tent. The canvas flaps just sort of laid on the mosquito net windows. Not much of a seal at all!

Self anointed hall monitor in every bunch.

The Coleman's might be the rugged camping lantern of outdoorsmen...but the residents of southern Oregon and Northern California not served by a power company, and there is a lot of them.....virtually everybody uses Aladdin kerosene mantle lamps. There is no competition even close, but they should be good, they start at 150 bucks retail and go up to 280 bucks.

Found a brand new unfired 1960's Geniol Kerosene lamp in the back of grandparents garage when we were cleaning it out back in 2008 after Grandma passed. No one wanted so it sits now in my garage. Nickel plated brass. Watched lots of video on these lamps and they are super bright. Sound like rocket engine when in preheating mode.

I'm gad you mentioned that. I remember two out of state hunters found dead in their camper on the main street in my home town. Parked across the street from the bar.
They were using Coleman lanterns for heat.

me too battery lanterns for short hunts of 2-4 nights the battery lantern is easier, don`t stink and you don`t have to worry about burning something up or down.but yes if your in the wild country with no electric to use to recharge batteries yes a gas lantern is best then.

Do we have to have a lawyer approved safety sticky post on every gun thread now?

"Remember kiddies never point the bang end of your boom stick at anything you don't want to send to Nirvana"

Sorry wokeup on the Curmudgeon side of the bed this morning.

I used the Coleman propane lantern at 20 below last hunting season and it had no problems. How cold did it have to get for you to have problems?

I have two Coleman lanterns, a double mantle that was my dad's and a single mantle that was my grandparent's. Lots of fond memories associated with the smell and hissing of those lanterns. Lots of frustration associated with white gas leaking on stuff, being spilt and setting things on fire. Others have expressed similar experiences.
Our old tent hardly kept out the moonlight so not a lot of danger from the lantern but KRP makes a good point about using them in an enclosed area.
Keep thinking I will get them out and use them for lights in the shop just so I can experience the smell and hissing again. I hesitate due to the setting stuff on fire aspect.

Butane will have a lot more cold weather problems than propane. That's why they started adding some propane to the butane in stove cannisters.

FWIW:

Isobutane boils @ +10*F
Propane boils @ -44*F

Buddy worked at a scrapyard for a few years when scrap was going hot cause the Chinese were building like crazy. I bet over a summer he got 50+ Coleman lanterns out of cars. No joke. Every style, configuration, fuel. People were scrapping anything with a bit of metal on it. He built a shelf around his garage and ran them around the garage as decorations haha.

It hasn’t been repainted. I got it from my Grandpa before he passed. It’s a 1964

Thanks for the answer. That’s a great looking lantern, especially for 56 years old.

For fans of Coleman ( and I am certainly one) here is a great resource for new old stock as well as new replacement parts. In addition the fella that runs the site is a pleasure to work with. I have no affiliation.

https://www.oldcolemanparts.com/

For quality mantles I suggest Peerless:
https://www.oldcolemanparts.com/product.php?productid=1619&cat=34&page=1

I have several 200, 220, and I prefer these single mantle lanterns. Also have several doubles in Coleman steel cases.
For fun, here's a "Christmas" lantern I'm restoring. Works great, but the cap and a few other small parts are not original. luckily for me all these parts can be found through the link I posted above. These Christmas lanterns were only issued for a brief period in the 50s.

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They do not float very well.

And dont put 98 octane in em unless you want your eyebrows or the absence of them looking like Steve-O

I just ordered a generator and some mantles from him this morning.
Thanks for all the post and help!

Is the liquid "Coleman Fuel" just kerosene?

No. Coleman fuel is a very clean version of white gas/naptha.