Camping Lantern Zone

When buying a camping lantern, you have a relatively hard task ahead of you. There are many different types, designs and varieties for you to choose from. It is important to find the right camping lantern to suit your needs. Because of the large range available for you, it is important tat you are informed of the different types.

There are four types of camping lanterns to choose from:

• battery operated
• liquid fueled
• gas fueled
• candle

There are different advantages and disadvantages to the different types that need to be considered when buying a camping lantern. Not every type can give you exactly what you need for your ideal camping experience, however they are all useful in their own ways.

Battery Camping Lantern

These styles of camping lanterns obviously use a rechargeable of disposable battery for power. A battery camping lantern is very easy to use, it is quite dependable and of course is quiet while it is running, which is often a clincher when people are choosing which type to buy. They are pretty safe because there is absolutely no flame, which can become dangerous especially around kids. So there is no fire or burn risk. The light is often dimmer than the other types of lanterns, because as the power runs out, the light will go down, the brightness is directly related to the amount of power left in the battery.

Gas Camping Lantern

A gas camping lantern is also a very dependable source of light for your camping area. There are two common types of gas lanterns, the butane and the propane. Gas fuel has its advantages, it is extremely convenient to buy and it is also really bright in the lantern. It is however a little more dangerous as there is an open flame and when you light it it can always get too hot. This is one too be careful of when you have kids around. It is fairly weighty and deciding to bring more gas will only add to the amount of weight you need to carry. It can get pretty noisy, and wen its bad weather, rain, then it might not work properly.

Liquid Fueled Camping Lantern

There are three types of liquid fueled camping lanterns available.

• Fuel
• Kerosene
• Unleaded Gas

These fuels are very cheap and you are able to keep the lantern light for the whole night. The heat that this type of camping lantern provides can also warm the area that you are in for the whole night. However, the disadvantages are there, it is quite noisy, the heat it produces can be a problem with children, and of course it has an open flame.

Candle

The candle is not a special type of camping lantern, but can be used and has its advantages as well. It gives light and can also work as an insect repellent which as we know is pretty important when camping. This is done through the citronella components of a candle. It is obviously the simplest kindof lantern that is available as there is no fuel or battery required to keep it running. However it can of course cause fire, expecially when there is strong wind around. The light that you get from a candle lantern isn’t great and you often need more than one to be able to see what you want.

As you can see there are many different types of camping lanterns available for you. Now that you have some knowledge of the different types you can make a more informed decision on what you need from a camping lantern.

A solar camping lantern are the new type of lanterns available. They have their positives and negatives. However, for an environmentally aware family, they can be a great investment. We all know that it is important to be responsible abut the use of our earths resources, and now, this is a factor that weighs on a lot of people minds. If you are one of these people, then a solar camping lantern might be the one for you. Here are some features of a solar camping lantern.

• Solar panels that utilise the energy from the sun. Each lantern comes with a small solar panel that you can let charge during the day.
• Each solar camping lantern has a battery back up in case your power runs out, therefore you won’t be left in the dark. However the batteries are usually low voltage so they are a little bit better for the environment.

Solar camping lanterns have a long life, and that makes them a pretty good investment. But you also need to know the negatives. of course, carrying around a solar panel, no matter how small, is always a pain. If you are a hiker, then it probably isn’t a great idea as you usually want a little weight as possible. However, for a large group of people or a family going camping it may be a good idea. If you are taking a car with you, then you will be able to carry a solar panel with you without any problems, and help the environment. So, as you can see, it really depends on what type of camper you actually are, as to whether a solar camping lantern is the choice that you want to make.

Some solar camping lanterns have a motion sensor attached. Think about the actual great uses for this. if you want to get up and go outside and go tot he toilet, you don’t need to fumble around for the lantern, your solar camping lantern will actually turn straight on for you. This is a good addition, however, as we can imagine,means the whole thing is a littl bulkier.

So we can see, that this kind of lantern definitely has its up, but also its downs. It is not for everybody, but could be a very sound investment for people that can afford to take extra baggage, as it is a renewable power source and this will increase longevity. Take into account what kind you actually need, and think about whether this is an investment for you.

Traditionalists might cringe at the title of this post, but there are many advantages to the battery powered camping lantern. Although traditionally a fuel lamp is the way to go, more and more enthusiastic campers are choosing the battery powered lamp. Why?

Safe

This may be the single most important factor to consider when choosing your type of camping lamp. Kids are often camping with the family, and a battery powered lamp is definitely one of the more safer options. The other two types are both fueled camping lanterns and thus always have an open flame. An open flame and children are always a bad combination. Not too mention accidents can happen, whether you have kids or not. It is easy to knock it over and set everything alight. This is a very important consideration to make, and if there are kids involved, then you need to be pretty careful about your choice. A battery powered camping lantern has absolutely no flame, and other than a little bit of heat it gives off, is totally safe to have around your kids.

Cheap

Battery powered lanterns are the cheapest to buy and maintain. Obviously batteries are easily replaced, however, you can also get a camping lantern with rechargeable batteries, and this is a great option because then you never need to buy new batteries, and it keeps them even cheaper. This is an important point for many people especially in the state of the economy at the moment.

Quiet

There is nothing worse than trying to sleep and you hear the tick tock of your clock and it keeps you up all night. It is the same with a camping lamp. Gas fueled camping lanterns are very loud to run, and if you have them on when some people are sleeping, not only can it be dangerous with the flame, it can simply keep people up. A battery powered one is obviously basically silent, and won’t disturb anyone.

Negatives

There are however as always negatives. A battery lamps light is very much dependent on the power left in the battery. If your battery life is low then you won’t get much light. This can be a big problem, especially if you didn’t bring replacement batteries. There is no doubt that a gas fueled camping lantern is much brighter and gives off better light.

Liquid fuel camping lanterns are a more tradition sort of camping lantern, and a very popular choice. However, as with any lantern they have their positives and negatives. There are 3 different types of fuels that are mainly used in lanterns.

• Unleaded Gas is used in new lanterns and is often used in duel fuel lanterns, ones that also burn coleman fuel. It is of great benefit because if you run out of coleman fuel unleaded fuel is very readily available.
• Coleman fuel is the main fuel that is used in lanterns. It is otherwise known as white gas or camping fuel. You can find it in nearly every camping store.
• Kerosene is the least popular of the three but it is still widely used. This is mostly due to its low cost. Kerosene is cheap but it stinks and produces a lot of smoke when you burn it.

There are a few advantages to using a liquid fueled camping lantern. They produce a really bright light, as opposed to battery lanterns which can often be quite dim. They are really economical to use as the fuel burns pretty slowly and is really cheap and easy to replace. Another really big advantage is that a lot of us go camping in winter and it is pretty cold, so when you are burning liquid fuel camping lanterns they give off a lot of heat and it can also be used as a heater in this case.

However as with every thing in life there are also disadvantages. As mentioned is can be used as a heater as well, which means it is pretty hot. This can also be a negative as it is quite dangerous and can cause serious burns if you touch it. This is an important consideration for when you have kids around you. Another negative to liquid fuel camping lanterns is the fact that they are loud enough to cause a disturbance. They are not like a motor, however they do emit a sound, this can annoy some people.

So as you can see they are a pretty good option to consider when buying a camping lantern however they are also better for some than others. You need to make sure you buy extra mantles for them, and if you have kids yo have to be careful because they get very hot. However if you have a stove that uses fuel, which many do, then you can double up, and you only need to buy one source of fuel, this makes everything much cheaper.

Here is a video about turning on a propane lantern.

Have you ever found yourself in this situation?  Its dark, you’re in your campsite, you are about to fire up the flashlights and they just don’t seem to be bright enough?

So now, put yourself in the same situation, but this time, imagine having a light that brightens up everything around you. Kind of different, isn’t it.

For very long, incadescent bulbs were the staple of flashlights. But now there are LEDs, HIDs and other technologies.  Also, flashlights, especially tactical ones have durabilty you wouldn’t believe.

With camping and flashlights, you want something that’s reliable and bright at the same time. To help you out in your search, I’m going to cover specialty type… the tactical flashlight and then the very bright HID and LED styles.

Now when you’re done with this article, you’ll know about some of the brightest flashlights that exist on the market, and even one that isn’t for sale.

Tactical Flashlights: Durability
Lets start out with tactical flashlights.  Most of the time you’ll find these mounted on the end of weapons. But they are removeable and very reliable.

Now the first one we’ll talk about is the ToolLogic SLPro 2. It’s packaged with an alloy fire rod that can start a fire in a tough situation.  So its packaged as a survival kit, but the light is detachable, and its built solidly out of waterproof anodized aluminum.

Another tactical flashlight is the JetBeam PC25 with a 408 lumen light beam. Its used by law enforcement and pushes 273 hours of output.

Speaking of lumens, let me explain the idea briefly.  A candle puts out over 10 lumens. 100-200 is used by police and SWAT.  Search lights are rated at about 1000.  And probably the biggest lumen output comes from the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas with its mammoth 30 billion lumens output!

LED’s: Bright And Durable
LED flashlights put out a whole lot of light for the dollar, are durable and have a lot of features. Check out the Redline Nebo for instance. Along with the high and low settings, it has an SOS blinking feature. This can be a real lifesaver out on the water. But let me share a few more.

First is the Fenix PB20 with probably the best light output and “throw” of any small flashlight. If you look on YouTube, you’ll find videos of this flashlight being subjected to destruction tests like boiling and throwing it continually against concrete and rock.  Its durable to say the least!

Another great example of LEDs, and rather extreme is the 100 LED Aluminum Alloy Flashlight on Amazon.com.  Its extreme because instead of 1 or 2 LED’s it uses literally 100 LED’s to create light. It uses batteries up pretty fast, but it does put out the light.

The crop of LEDs right now that are the most powerful are the Cree XRE P4-R2 bin, Luxeon Rebel 90-100 bin and the Luxeon TFFC 180 bin. Look for these LED’s to power the brighter flashlights. But if money is no object, and its light you want… then go for a HID light.

HID’s: The Worlds Brightest
Its not uncommon to find these taking the place of headlights in cars. Seriously. And if you check out youtube, you’ll find the brightest that exists. It’s a 20,000 Lumen home made handheld (with two hands) made by a German. It’s pretty unreal.

When it comes to true handhelds, the 5200 Polarion PH50 Helios is very capable. Its used by the military, so you know its reliable.

Here’s another HID to check out. The 6500 LM 65W HID from HID Country. The battery life isn’t much… 1 hour and weighs in at just under 5 pounds. Its military grade construction is very evident in how it looks.  But here’s the kicker. Its range is 3,000 feet. That’s over 1/2 mile.  aaahh.. thats what I’m talkin’ about!

Flashlights and their features are pretty exciting to watch.  I’m amazed at what’s available these days. So let me give you a little challenge for this week.  Check out the Redline Nebo at your local outdoor and wilderness store and give it a little test.

Want to know more about camping gear flashlights and lanterns?  Then check out JoesCampFire, grab a cup of joe and take a seat by the fire.