Backpacking lantern

“I have a heavy Peak 1 backpacker's lantern that is being retired from backpacking use forever because it is entirely too heavy. I also have a lighter backpacker's candle lantern that does not put out very much light.

I'm wondering about those lanterns that apparently use lightweight butane canisters. What is the burn time and light output are my questions.

I'm wondering whether they are worth the cost and weight or whether I should just stick with my headlamp and forego carrying additional weight in the interest of a lighter pack.

A butane canister, once tapped, would have to be used up. I doubt they are reusable, which would mean carrying multiple canister for trips longer than one night. The whole idea just begins to become logistically crazy in my mind.

Some thoughts and maybe benefit of experience, please.”

“I have looked at those lanterns..I can't justify the weight. One thing I have done for a little extra light. I bought a photon 3. It has 3 different brightness settings. Puts out alot of light. and weighs less than an ounce.”

“Who makes the photon 3?

I have a Black Diamond Ion that weighs less than an ounce, but it only has one setting. It puts out a nice light, but not overly much. It would probably make a better backup light for the weight than the main light. I do like it though.”

“I think photon makes it...it's about as big as your thumbprint. comes in different colors too.”

“cost is about 20 bucks. It has a total of 7 modes bright,medium, dim, flashing very fast, med strobe, slow strobe, and then only on when you push the button”

“Peak 1 lanterns are great for canoe trips, setting up camp after dark.”

“They are also good as a secondary light source around camp, primary being a two-mantle lantern.

Strobe oughta be a hoot. Should drive the night critters batty. It might also make a nice beacon if somebody had occasion to look for you.

Thanks bbinkley; I'll be on the lookout.”

“Looks like there have been a bunch of strange gizmoes to come on the market recently, but I don't know if any of them are worth the weight (maybe the Krill?).

Coleman Xcursion Lantern (TWELVE oz)

The Krill (2.6 oz)

Snow Peak makes a nifty-looking lantern, but it probably makes more sense if you're already carrying their stove (4.0 - 4.5 oz).

'lanterns' at REI

This is cute

And the Photon Website


They don't have any lanterns listed, but it's a killer list: American Alpine Institute Guides Choice
Award Recipients”

“Check the Clearance page at that last place...

Feathered Friends Great Auk Overbag... 1/3 off

Mountain Hardware ZeO2 Long Underwear... %50 off

Petzl Arctic Headlamp... %40 off”

“I just ordered a Photon III online, along with a battery replacement kit (tools and extra batteries).

I see it is not a headlamp, but an ultra mini light.

Total cost with shipping came to $33.25.”

“sized lantern...here's my choice...

I have the coleman excusrsion,...great lantern...lots of light, small, compact and not too heavy...one charge of fuel...6-7 hour burn time...

I also have the candle lantern with the reflection shield that sits on the top. That things works great...one candle=9 hours...weight...who cares...with the reflector, it really lights up a small area...especially once your eyes adjust to the dark.

But...to really save weight and space...all I now take is my headlamp...I have a new aurora...it has 3 settings for the 3 triangular led's. If I need an overhead lamp in my tent...set the settings to low and viola...nice and brite enough for inside. any other time...outside...all I do is use the headlamp in briter mode...no more lanterns...only bringing the headlamp and an extra set of batteries.”

“I have the Snowpeak stove and Mini-Solo cookset and really like them both. I agree that the Snowpeak lantern looks great from a light output to weight ratio; however, I am concerned about the extra fuel consumption. I would prefer to light a campfire and use my Petzel.

A really good back-up light source, in my opinion, should project a well directed beam to complement the general task lighting offered by most headlamps. I currently use a Mini Maglite for this purpose. It really gives you a distant - focused beam for those "bumps in the night" and lost gizmo searches.

Has anyone tried the Photons for "long" distance illumination.

Still searchin.”

“I have a ton of Mini-Mags, and will probably continue to carry one for the time being. They can be used inside the tent as an area light by unscrewing the lens housing. They are a tad heavy, of course, but not prohibitively so.

I just ordered the Photon III, so I will test that and compare it to a mini-Mag.

I also have some Sears lights that are the same size as the mini-Mags, but put out a brighter light.

The thing about lanterns and lights is that you can never have too much light if you are either looking for something or trying to do something after dark. But you can also load yourself down with so much that it just doesn't make sense to carry it all when you compare weight to usefulness.

So in trying to cut down weight, I need to rethink the light situation and play around with some alternatives.

So far, I've cut tent weight from 9 pounds to around 3, and cut out a couple pounds in stove and fuel going from a Coleman Peak 1 to a Pepsi can stove.

I decided to also cut out the Peak 1 lantern because of its heavy weight. The Gaz would be a lot lighter, but if I can go even lighter, so much the better.

The Black Diamond headlamp gives out a good light, but not execptionally bright. So perhaps the Photon will do the trick. The butane lantern would be good if I'm out with a group and we want a decent light.

Rethinking to cut out weight is fun. I am enjoying this whole idea and looking forward to a lighter pack in the spring when my leg is finally strong enough to get back on the trail.”

“Geo - I usually carry three light sources; (1) Black Diamond headlamp - it's a general purpose lamp. I use it when I'm pitching a tent or walking in the dark. (2) Proton II - I don't really need this light, but it's a kind of backup light and I often use it inside tent. It has an on-off switch and that's all I need. I don't know why I need 3 levels of strobe of Proton III. (3) Candle lamp - is my choice of light when I am sitting around the camp. I just love to look at its soft glow. It's not offensive, not noisy, but light, cheap, and burn looong time.”

“I highly recommend the PrincetonTec Attitude. Weighs less than 2 oz., the bulb will last 10,000 hrs, the batteries 160 hrs., and it will light the pit of Hell like day.”

“Once I bought Coleman Exponent Xcursion Lantern, but it did self-destruct even before I use it. I returned it and never bother to get a replacement.”

“FG -

What are you doing sitting on your arse at the computer when you could have been hittin the trail with the likes of meself.”

“that small latern you brought on the float trip was cool. glad to see you got an aurora. i lvoe mine. i also carry a mini mag for backup and they sell head straps for them at home depot.


did ya hear about the proctologist that had his kneecaps shortened?”

“Good choice. The photon 3 can be used for emergencies too. In case someone is trying to find you. You can put it on slow strobe.

Also when you get it. take the cover off the back and take the piece of thin plastic off the battery. You need to do this so it will work properly. they put it on there to keep it from staying on at the store.”

“sheesh.... do you people use nightlights at home too? all I take is a small keychain light so i dont pee on a bear.....”

“I've had a Photon II for I don't know how long anymore, and I have brought it on every backpacking trip as a backup for my headlamp since. Never had to use it once...BUT IF I DID, it was there for me.

I've had to use it on dayhikes when still in the woods after the sun went down and those babies are bright enough to illuminate up to 15-25 feet in front of you. Very impressive, those little babies are.”

“I have a Coleman Peak 1 lantern and I bought it long ago when they first hit the market. I used to bring it all the time in the winter and it puts out a lot of light for a long winter night. I haven't used it in many years. Now with the LED lights it's kind of obsolete for backpacking, at least for me. It still good for fishing trips at night.”

“Candle Lantern
Photon II
Headlamp”

“i had a gaz lantern....broke the globe....bought another one....broke the globe on that one, too....now i use the emg bonfire light for in the tent....weighs almost nothing and lasts almost forever on two batteries (although i have heard some folks don't think that they produce enough light, it is plenty enough for my purposes)....”

“Thanks for all the comments and experience. I think I will like the Photon III and I still have the old reliable candle lantern. I will probably go with those for now.

Thanks for the review of the Gaz Gonzo. Now that you mention it, I think my son may have had a similar experience with one of those. The cheap cost is a prime factor in buying one, and you quickly find there is a reason for the cheap cost. A globe is an essential element of a lantern.

I used the candle lantern for years. It does give off a cheerful glow, but not an abundance of light.

I think I'll have enough to play with, and if I do need another lantern I would then try out the Primus at a slightly higher cost than the Gaz. They offer about the same weight/light output.”

“I love the candle lantern in the tent...its such a ncie ambience. ;)

Seriously though, for Winter camping, the candle lantern helps warm the joint a bit and, most importantly, keep the inside frost at bay. otherwise, it may be snowing inside your tent come morning!
=:0

I always hang my head lamp within reach for the late-night excursions and "what's that!?" look-sees.”

“LOL AmyG, you just reminded me of the night when I slept in the open near a shelter full of Boy Scouts. Every time I rolled over in my sleep, the kids on Bear Watch shined their damn flashlight in my eyes. I'd have killed them but I was too tired!”

“bear watch? geesh!”

“there were probbly girls on that trip and the boys wanted to get a panty look...ohhhhhhh baby...shine the light on it dude...

Strat...yeah, that excursion is the best little lantern on the market...quiet too...I dislike lanterns that make that hissing sound. I had that baby on my trip to Rocky with Sonja back in July and I kept it lit the entire night off in the woods to give her some peace of mind one night...she thought there were bears in the woods...turns out it was a lost hiker with rescue rangers scurring the woods looking for him. But I really dig the excursion...

Anyone want to buy my old Propane lanterns...got a double mantle coleman and a single mantle mini job too...both run on those small green propane tanks. I;m never gonna use em again.”

“OK, I am going to swipe this thread. I don't know what it was originally for but I hate creating new ones.

I want to make a lantern. I made a candle lantern that burns tea lights (from zenstoves.com) and I love it. I have used it many times. Anyway, recently someone told me of a lamp design that burned olive oil and used a piece of TP for a wick. I am seriously curious about this project an was wondering if anyone had any more information before I start hacking up tin cans.

Thanks!”

“Hog On Ice came up with that idea.”

“Take the info on zenseeker's site with a grain of salt.
He lifted a bunch of info from my site, including pictures and drawings, and presented it as his own work.
After another guy informed me of this, I visited his site, saw what he had stolen, and emailed him requesting he remove it from his site.
He emailed me back all pissed off and told me he could use anything on the net, fair use, but since I was such a crybaby, he would remove it.
zenhiker is anything but 'zen'.
Just about all the info on his site was lifted from other people's work.”

“OK for the oil lamp that I use:
1. tea light candle tin to hold the oil
2. a piece of stiff wire aka bailing wire with a small 1/4 inch loop in the middle bent so the loop is held about 1/2 inch above the tea light candle tin
3. one sheet of toilet paper rolled up with a tight twist in the center - rip at the tight twist and feed up into the loop in the wire and put the other (looser) end into the tea light candle tin - keep the other half for next time you need a wick
4. pour in the olive oil covering the wick and wait for the wick to be saturated
5. cut out the side wall of a 20 ounce soda bottle and strip off the label - cut the bottom uneavenly or cut/punch small notches in the bottom edge for air flow - this will be the globe for the light
6. attach a loop of sting to the bottom of the globe by poking a couple small holes close together and threading the string through the holes - this string will be held down with a rock or other weight on the upwind side to keep the globe from blowing off
7. light the wick - if the flame is smoking too much blow out the flame and shorten the wick - if the flame is too small lengthen the wick
8. put the globe over the light and put a weight on the string - have the string on the upwind side of the light

one tealight candle tin full of oil will burn for about 4 hours +/- 1 hour

same technique can be used with other oil containers - the upside down bottom of a soda can or a spoon are a couple that I have tried

if you only need light on one side slide a piece of foil into the globe to reflect the light to where you want it
last edited: 4/03/06 7:25:47 AM”

“I bought a "candle" lantern from campmor some years ago. I left my pack in the back seat of my black 4wd (yuck) subaru in summer. The candle melted thru the pack & into the cloth seats. THAT was a job.

This candle lantern had a conversion to lamp oil that I later used, but still was not great.

If I'm going to take a backpacking lantern, mostly for canoe trips, it's going to be that small backpacking lantern that coleman puts out.

http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/
servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=644&member
Id=12500226&storeId=226&catalogId=400000002
26&langId=-1

I really don't like flames or fire inside my tent & this lantern easily lights the entire area & insides of your tent from some distance. I usually hung it from a branch.

My lantern is much older & worked on white gas. I purchased a plastic molded carrying case for it & it survived my abuse over many years. (which is a testimonial in itself)I do carry many spare mantles, matches etc in the carrying case base.(mantles are fragile after they are torched)

I've always hiked well into or thru the night. We also put our canoe in the water in the evening after driving all day. I got to really like paddling at dusk especially with a mist coming off the water.

We would find some suitable camping area well away from the parking lot. This (very bright)lantern made setting up camp very simple.”

“I don't find lanterns very useful except for ambiance...I use my headlamp to actually see at night...that said, I do enjoy the gentle glow of a light hanging by my hammock or tent prior to bedtime...backpacking, I use the tea-light, kayak camping I may bring the full-sized one...I have a Candlelier and Coleman's Excursion for car and winter camping...I have 4 headlamps...my latest has a flip-down red lens which will be great at night...it's a Petzl Tactikka Plus LED Headlamp..”

“I have a coleman extreme butane backpacking lantern.”

“They told me at the gear store last week that a new lantern is about to come out that fits in (on) a nalgene bottle. LED with three AAA batteries.

Haven't seen it yet, but figure I already have enough junk in my pack so I won't need this one.”

“Thanks Stovie and HoI!

I'll try it out today.

I did not know the history behind that zenstoves site. I did recognize that a lot of the stuff was from other sites, but I just thought of it like it was other people's work that was centralized and not the work of the person hosting the site. I guess I did not look at it that closely.”

“btw another approach that also works is to take an approx. 1" by 3" piece of thin metal (ex. side wall from a soda can) and punch a few holes in the middle using a paper punch then bend into a U shape and bend sides to fit into the tea light candle tin - stick one or more wicks into the metal piece, put into the tin, pour in the oil and proceed as above - this approach allows for a brighter light by having multiple wicks - obviously the more wicks the faster the oil goes”

“Worked great the first time. I did the wire loop and bottle thing with a tea light tin to hold the oil. The first time I lit it it made smoke but just as soon as I went to put it out and adjust the wick the smoke stopped and it burned clean. I found that cheap TP did not work as well as the fancy stuff my wife buys.

Anyway, this was just a prototype and a fun experiment. I have the basic idea now. I'll probably make quite a few more experiemnts. I did want to thank y'all for the tip.”

“de nada - just glad to pass along the idea”

“i'll be sure to post it on my web site as my own idea... ;)”

“Can the oil tip and spill out? How do you keep from bumping the lamp and making a big mess?”

“LOL Jimmy san - whatnever

pixie - generally the lantern is placed on a stable surface and out of the main traffic pattern and the form factor of the tea light candle tin makes it unlikely that a simple bump would be enough to cause it to spill ... BUT ... yeah some less than coordinated person could spill the oil and make a mess

There are other heavier alternatives that make spilling the oil less of a possibility - for example take one of the circular Altoids tins and drill a small hole in the center of the lid for the wick to go through - another possibility is those wedding favor tins that SGT Rock uses for his ION stoves - make a container similar to the ION stove only with a small hole in the top for the wick. Note neither of these two ideas are things that I have tried.”

“Here are the directions for the lantern I wound up with after making about 5 units. I'll post a photo in a little bit. The bit about shrinking the plastic globe around the pop can top worked better than I had thought it would. I "cheated" and used a little dab of 5-minute epoxy. The comments on the stability of the tea-light as a base made me enhance my design so I made a wider base this way.

All measurements are eyeballed and I just guestimated based on looking at the thing.

Materials used:

1 “Dr. Thunder” pop can (found in park)
1 Propel “fitness water” bottle (found in park)
1 Tea light tin, candle set aside for another project (swiped from wife)
1 Square of Toilet Paper (from bathroom… I found the “good stuff” worked best)
A little 5-minute epoxy (most glues will work, some better than others)
Some Olive Oil (swiped from kitchen)

Steps:

1. Cut the center section from the water bottle. I imagine any plastic bottle would work but this Propel water bottle was perfect because it had ridges in it and also was just slightly larger than the pop can. I’ll explain why this was important in a moment.

2. Cut the top off of the pop can with about 1/4” of extra metal from where the taper from the top ends (1/4” on the “straight” part of the can). This is the top of the lantern.

3. Cut the bottom off of the pop can right at where the taper stops to make a little “disk”. This is the bottom of the lantern.

4. Press the cut-off bottom on the table top so it sits flat. It will dent the bottom of the can somewhat. Fill this in with 5 minute epoxy and glue the tea light tin onto this. This is the base.

5. Cut out a strip of metal about 2” long and 3/4” wide. Drill a small hole, about 1/4”, in the center of the strip. Lightly wrap the ends of the strip around your finger to form a curve whose radius is about the same as the tea light tim. Bend (don’t fold!) the strip into an “arch” and put the ends of the strip into the tea light. It will look like a little “bridge” with a hole in the center over the tea light. The hole is for the wick.

6. Put the top part of the pop can into the cut-out part of the bottle. The ridges in the bottle should stop the can top from falling all the way down. Over your range at home (or using a lighter) heat the plastic gently so it shrinks around the edge of the can. This will hold the top of the lantern in place.

7. Take the TP and roll it up like a, ahem, cigarette. Twist it in the middle part a few times and then cut in the center of the twist. The twisted part of the TP should be about the size of the hole you punched in the strip that holds the wick. Push the twisted end of one of the pieces of TP (save the other piece for when you need a new wick) up through the hole. You may have to take the aluminum strip out of the tea light to do this. That’s OK. That’s why it’s not permanently attached, so you can change the wick.

8. Fill the tea-light tin with olive oil and wait for the wick to saturate. Dab some oil on a toothpick if you are impatient and put the drops on the top of the wick.

9. Light the wick. It might smoke a bit at first. In a few minutes if it is still smoking blow it out, clip the wick a little bit, and re-light. Continue to shorten the wick until it stops smoking. If the flame is really small and wants to go out then push a bit more TP wick up through the hole.

10. Once you have it burning good and clean put the plastic globe/pop-can top over the bottom. Make sure the pop-can hole (the part you would drink out of) is open since this is sort of the chimney for the lantern.

11. If it’s windy put a little rock on the top of the lantern to keep it from blowing away.

A full load of olive oil burns for a few hours depending on how long the wick is and probably a lot of other factors I haven’t thought of.”

“Oh yeah, I punched breathing holes in the bottom of the plastic globe! You can see them in the photos but I didn't mention them in the instructions.”

“looks good - interesting idea about the can top shrink fit - lets you put a weight on top of the globe”

“Now that is cooler than cat crap!!”