I've been camping with Coleman white gas lanterns for a long, long time.
I love the warmth, the hissing sound and the general vibe of them.
I like that they are essentially unchanged for many years, exceptionally durable and beautiful in their own way. All made in USA.

The "like" is beginning to be an obsession. I'm extremely fond of the little red 200A single-mantle lanterns. I just scored my fourth one on craigslist for less than 20 bucks! It's April 1958! I'm also fascinated with the white gas stoves...both single burner and the larger suitcase 2 and 3 burners.

Anyone else have an obsession or fond memories of the Coleman lanterns and stoves?

Go to Luci lights and you will never look back. You can charge them every day, they fold flat, and put out as much light (newer models) as that lantern.

That sounds like a great obsession to have!

My single mantel Coleman goes on my shoulder season trips. I love the quiet hiss and gentle light. It’s probably 45 years old and will be good for another 45.

It's kind of crazy...there's one on ebay for $1500.
How much do you think LuciLights will be worth in 65 years???
Seriously though, I take the lantern only on trips without portages.
I love timeless things and designs. And things that are built to last for a LONG time. THAT's "Green".

I bring one on all fall trips. You start losing sunlight at 7-8 pm. These lanterns also work great in an ice fishing tent. They provide light, heat and help with the moisture in the air to reduce frost buildup.

I love them also, that was a great find. I remember buying many bags of mantels as a kid during ice season.

I have 4 or 5 somewhere in may garage. I have a few old stoves also. Nostalgia.

My old two-burner suitcase is a Thermos brand rather than Coleman but I have two of the old green double-mantle lanterns and one red single mantle. I don't take them on many trips anymore cause I go to bed as soon as it gets close to dark but I do love these lanterns.

Blackdogyak: "I've been camping with Coleman white gas lanterns for a long, long time. I love the warmth, the hissing sound and the general vibe of them.
I like that they are essentially unchanged for many years, exceptionally durable and beautiful in their own way. All made in USA."

Am I obsessed with them? No. However, I love the Coleman white gas lanterns for the same reasons you do.

We used to bring one on every canoe trip to Quetico, but we finally decided that it was a piece of gear that could be left at home, replaced with headlamps, and we've never really looked back. My trusty lantern still gets used on the occasions that we do car camping excursions, but that's about it.

And as a tip of the cap to Coleman, it still works as well today as it did years ago with not a bit of maintenance since I got it new in 1982.

Don't quite see the point. Big, bulky, takes fuel, can be damaged by dropping it. Lots of other options out there that put out that much light, can be recharged during the day, pack up to nothing and are indestructible.

Not saying the Coleman Lantern doesn't have its place with group car camping. Just can't see it portaging in the BWCA

"Obsession" has such a negative connotation; I prefer warm fuzzy appreciation.
When days get short I still love my Peak1 single mantel, 50 years old and going strong. Especially like the way it burns down after you turn it off giving you time to get in the sack. BTW it is only one of 5 Coleman lanterns I have. OK maybe obsession is the correct word. To each their own.

Fond memories of the Coleman lantern! Learned early to have extra mantles...at one point bought a case; kept the mantles safe a little longer...kept the pump regularly lubed...recall pulling ticks off my dog at a campsite and dropping them on the lid to watch them die....

Man, it has to be a good 25 years ago that I stopped using one, but this post brings back fond memories!

ockycamper: "Don't quite see the point. Big, bulky, takes fuel, can be damaged by dropping it. Lots of other options out there that put out that much light, can be recharged during the day, pack up to nothing and are indestructible.


Not saying the Coleman Lantern doesn't have its place with group car camping. Just can't see it portaging in the BWCA"

You are missing the point. No one will argue that the Coleman is a better go to these days than a Luci on a canoe trip-and I will argue that the Luci is not indestructible; I have had two fail on me and will never purchase another.

We have 5 Luci lights. . . the original design. . . .that we have taken up to BWCA for over ten years. We also have the brighter ones as well as the string lights. All rechargable. We have inflated and deflated them multiple times a year for the ten years we have had them. As such.. . .zero maintenance. No mantles to replace or fuel cannisters to bring. We bring 15 to 20 men up each fall (split into 3 groups). They all bring Luci lights. Not one would bring a Coleman lantern anymore. And we can fit 4 Luci lights and 3 string light cannisters, all compressed, in a small drybag that weighs almost nothing.

I used to have Coleman lanterns. I also had Coleman stoves. However, with time, better alternatives came along for both and I moved on.

alpinebrule: ""Obsession" has such a negative connotation; I prefer warm fuzzy appreciation.
When days get short I still love my Peak1 single mantel, 50 years old and going strong. Especially like the way it burns down after you turn it off giving you time to get in the sack. BTW it is only one of 5 Coleman lanterns I have. OK maybe obsession is the correct word. To each their own."

I also love the shut-down as well. The flam gradually going dimmer... Then pulsating... Then dimmer... Dimmer..... Almost out.... Another pulse and brighter for a moment....... Then out.... The whole thing is so analog and kind of magical. There are so few things in our lives that bring this sort of magic. My wife said.... Wouldn't it be cool if you could see all the memories of the lantern being used across 65 years?

ockycamper: "Go to Luci lights and you will never look back. You can charge them every day, they fold flat, and put out as much light (newer models) as that lantern."

I have a Luci. Short term non-degradable plastic, and just another gadget for technoholics. Not everyone needs digital entertainment while in a wilderness. And not the point of this thread.

Blackdogyak: "

alpinebrule: ""Obsession" has such a negative connotation; I prefer warm fuzzy appreciation.
When days get short I still love my Peak1 single mantel, 50 years old and going strong. Especially like the way it burns down after you turn it off giving you time to get in the sack. BTW it is only one of 5 Coleman lanterns I have. OK maybe obsession is the correct word. To each their own."

I also love the shut-down as well. The flam gradually going dimmer... Then pulsating... Then dimmer... Dimmer..... Almost out.... Another pulse and brighter for a moment....... Then out.... The whole thing is so analog and kind of magical. There are so few things in our lives that bring this sort of magic. My wife said.... Wouldn't it be cool if you could see all the memories of the lantern being used across 65 years? "

Well said. The emotion associated with it.

The cold feel of a Luci will never evoke this. Cheap, nondegradable plastic will only continue to add to accelerating worldwide water pollution.

This thread got me curious. I dug out Dad's lantern that served us well through many power outages while growing up. 6 61. We are the same age. I wish I was in as good shape.

Unas10: "This thread got me curious. I dug out Dad's lantern that served us well through many power outages while growing up. 6 61. We are the same age. I wish I was in as good shape."

You got a birthday lantern! That's kinda a thing with collectors.

ockycamper: "Don't quite see the point. Big, bulky, takes fuel, can be damaged by dropping it. Lots of other options out there that put out that much light, can be recharged during the day, pack up to nothing and are indestructible.


Not saying the Coleman Lantern doesn't have its place with group car camping. Just can't see it portaging in the BWCA"

You are totally missing the point. Just like why I paddle a wood canoe instead of Kevlar. Some things offer purity, pleasure, and a sense of serenity modern items cannot provide.
Tom

I love the low hiss of the Coleman white fuel lantern. The challenge of seeing how long you can go without breaking a burned mantle. The expertise it takes to pump it up and getting it lit, and training the next generations on the art. It brings me back to my youth and my first camping experiences back in the 70's. It brings me peace.

Interested in "old gas lanterns and stoves",
Cassic Preasure Lamps

Part of the larger board, Classic Camp Stoves

You may find a few names familiar to this board.

butthead

Northwoodsman: "I love the low hiss of the Coleman white fuel lantern. The challenge of seeing how long you can go without breaking a burned mantle. The expertise it takes to pump it up and getting it lit, and training the next generations on the art. It brings me back to my youth and my first camping experiences back in the 70's. It brings me peace."

Memories of the Coleman 426 and 413 stove in the morning. Smell of pancakes and coffee mixed with the burned white gas.

I bought one from my father-in-law. I will be bringing it to the North Shore next weekend. Never used it before but this thread is getting me primed for it. Pun intended.

I was just thinking of Coleman lanterns the other day. I miss pulling the portable ice fishing house by hand, getting set up, settling in, getting lines down, and-finally-lighting the lantern. That hiss, that warm light, that warmth. Home.

The other thing that's very appealing to me, as an architect and designer, is the "form follows function" ethos. Especially in the early models of lanterns and single burner stoves, you can see all the tubing, joints and valves. And then there's the sheer number of variations on all of these, so it's a collector's paradise.

Blackdogyak: "

Northwoodsman: "I love the low hiss of the Coleman white fuel lantern. The challenge of seeing how long you can go without breaking a burned mantle. The expertise it takes to pump it up and getting it lit, and training the next generations on the art. It brings me back to my youth and my first camping experiences back in the 70's. It brings me peace."

Memories of the Coleman 426 and 413 stove in the morning. Smell of pancakes and coffee mixed with the burned white gas. "

Almost as good as the aroma of an old Johnson 2 stroke tiller getting fired up in the cool foggy morning on a calm day.

Years ago, these were my only companions while night ice fishing around Jim Thorpe, PA. I’ve long since sold the auger and tip ups but have kept those lanterns for reasons unknown.

I've got 3 in the garage that I used to use - one is really old with a little metal funnel for the gas.
The problem is/was that they developed leaks - pumps leaked, the screw caps leak, the stems/block that takes the gas to the mantle leak, the knob on the front wouldn't work. I got tired of fixing them every other year and parts seem hard to find - where do you all get your parts?
That said I did enjoy them, even used them while reading on my porch for that "camping feel"

kbobb: "I've got 3 in the garage that I used to use - one is really old with a little metal funnel for the gas.
The problem is/was that they developed leaks - pumps leaked, the screw caps leak, the stems/block that takes the gas to the mantle leak, the knob on the front wouldn't work. I got tired of fixing them every other year and parts seem hard to find - where do you all get your parts?
That said I did enjoy them, even used them while reading on my porch for that "camping feel""

Anything I get used eventually gets a cleaning and tuneup. Some work fine, some need a good deal of work to get running again.
Old Coleman Parts.com is a really good source of parts and advice. Frank does some EXCELLENT YouTube videos with step-by-step procedures for dismantling, cleaning and repairing all of the lanterns and stoves. Old Coleman Parts

I think I have 7, as well as 4 suitcase stoves. I love the 200A single mantles the best. They come along on every car camping trip we take (not all 7, just 2 or 3!). I haven't done a BWCA trip later than August, but when I do take a September or October trip, I'll bring one along. The plastic hard cases really help keep them safe. We did do a trip on the Allagash in Maine in late September about 15 years ago and we had one of mine along on that trip, and it was worth its weight in gold. Plus, there weren't really any portages to worry about. I love the hiss, and the nice golden glow, and the ritual of lighting them, rebuilding old ones I find, and the nice slow shutdown glow.

I have my family’s 1950’s Coleman suitcase stove and double mantle lantern from the when we started car camping. On Washington Island about 15 years ago I bought a Coleman 200A single mantle lantern in almost unused condition for $15.00 complete with all the original packaging. One of these days I need to get the old family stove and lantern working again.

deerfoot: "I have my family’s 1950’s Coleman suitcase stove and double mantle lantern from the when we started car camping. On Washington Island about 15 years ago I bought a Coleman 200A single mantle lantern in almost unused condition for $15.00 complete with all the original packaging. One of these days I need to get the old family stove and lantern working again."

Your 200A has to be the deal of the decade.
Yeah! Fire them all up!

Blackdogyak: "

deerfoot: "I have my family’s 1950’s Coleman suitcase stove and double mantle lantern from the when we started car camping. On Washington Island about 15 years ago I bought a Coleman 200A single mantle lantern in almost unused condition for $15.00 complete with all the original packaging. One of these days I need to get the old family stove and lantern working again."

Your 200A has to be the deal of the decade.
Yeah! Fire them all up! "

Indeed! any 200A under $40 is likely to become a member of my collection. Lucky you, for finding a steal at $15!

Ok. I'm raising my hand. Definite obsession. Had 20 or so lanterns years ago. Needed cash so I sold most. Now, I'm back up to 15 or so. Browns, reds, greens, just picked a nice one with a silver font and mica shield. No stamp on bottom because it predates that. Would love to chat with someone with more knowledge.

There's a million of these things for sale around me at garage sales, marketplace, etc. Wonder if I should snag one, maybe of vintage nature. Not sure I'd ever take it in the BWCA because I'm pretty deep down the rabbit hole of ultralight at this point, but I think they would fit the vibe of my house as a fireplace hearth or mantel decoration.

ockycamper: "Don't quite see the point. Big, bulky, takes fuel, can be damaged by dropping it. Lots of other options out there that put out that much light, can be recharged during the day, pack up to nothing and are indestructible."

I must agree on all points. Plus raccoons like to mess with glass lanterns in the middle of the night. On long summer days when it's light until 9 pm I take only a headlamp and a tiny $5 Ozark Trails lantern. In the fall I add one or two other small batteru lanterns. It's nice to be able to put them in different locations. When the sun sets at 5 pm I add a Streamlight Siege 44931, but I hate to use D batteries when AA and AAA lanterns are so good these days. I have not tried the current generation of Luci lights; the early models were unreliable. Have they improved?

If you want ambiance, put a white plastic bag over a battery lantern.

LilyPond: "

If you want ambiance, put a white plastic bag over a battery lantern."

That would go quite well with a Tyvek tarp. ;)

gotwins: "

Blackdogyak: "

deerfoot: "I have my family’s 1950’s Coleman suitcase stove and double mantle lantern from the when we started car camping. On Washington Island about 15 years ago I bought a Coleman 200A single mantle lantern in almost unused condition for $15.00 complete with all the original packaging. One of these days I need to get the old family stove and lantern working again."

Your 200A has to be the deal of the decade.
Yeah! Fire them all up! "

Indeed! any 200A under $40 is likely to become a member of my collection. Lucky you, for finding a steal at $15!"

Yes, I thought it was a good price. But it is missing the round globe which are $$$ if you can find the originals at all. I did find a reproduction globe a number of years ago. I like the looks of it in the basement rec room.

Plus raccoons like to mess with glass lanterns in the middle of the night.

What??

CraigsList = CL = Coleman Lantern.... coincidence?