Candle Lanterns - who uses 'em

kgd

kgd

Joined
Feb 28, 2007
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I love candle lanterns. Especially handy when there is a fire ban.

I know these forums give a lot of attention to high tech flashlights which are great for on the move, but when I am hanging around camp at night or relegated to the tent during fowl weather I prefer to be staring at a flame. Even if it is a tiny one.
The candles in the one pictured below last 9 h. In a tent, the candle lantern does provide a small amount of heat, and the candle itself has other emergency uses if required.

The only thing I find tough is cleaning the glass, which can sometimes get covered in soot or wax if the lantern is disturbed after a long time of burning. I find boiling the glass portion in water for about 5 minutes followed by a quick wipe does the trick.

So who else tends to keep these things close to their packs?

candlelantern.jpg
 
Great lanterns, very simple, light weight, and easy to maintain. I use the "bug candles".
 
I often pack mine - warmed up the tent a few times with it too (using a high degree of caution in the relative safety of the tent's vestibule since flames inside tents are inherently risky). It probably only warmed it a few degrees but it made going to sleep easier.

They're also great for heating up a cup of water for tea - just put your sierra cup on top and wait five to ten minutes. Doesn't quite boil the water but gets it plenty hot for tea.

The only drawback I think is the weight - the candles are quite heavy. But considering it's a 9-hour stick of sure-fire fuel that can ward off hypothermia, pasteurize water, and provide a sense of safety and comfort, I usually decide the weight cost is worth it.
 
I have one, great little light if you don't bump into it. I have the optional reflector that slips over the handle and allows the light to be reflected downwards. great for bedtime reading in the tent.
 
i've used them on my first big run away plan when i was 14 :D . i thought if i had a flash light, id eventually run out of batteries, but if i had a lattern i can make candles from fat. :D but now, i switched to a hand generated flash light
 
I have the ECO candle lantern with the reflector. It's a great little lantern. With the reflector is good enough to read. When I camp, I usually leave it lit; hanging over the supplies, water and snacks when we go to bed, so no one has to bother with a flashlight when midnight snacks call (or when the kids need a cup of water, or a glass of milk, or they're hungry, or... you know). :D
 
I have a couple I keep at home in case of a blizzard- or storm-caused blackout, but I don't take them on trips into the outdoors for the same reasons others have stated (weight, danger, etc.). My Coleman LED lanterns serve as my camp lanterns (supplemented by flashlights as necessary).
 
I keep a couple in the house and when I did a lot more packin' I'd always carry one for light warmth and boilin' water.:thumbup:
 
I have been thinking about grabbing one of these. The weight of the candles is pretty lame for a multi-day trip, but it would be nice to have something that is not a white LED to stare at for once. Being able to heat up small areas or small amounts of water is also a bonus.

For backpacking till now, I always just used an LED flashlight with a diffuser on it for a lantern. If the light didn't have a diffuser specifically made for it, pretty much any piece of translucent plastic will work. Those white water bottle caps works especially well. I just got a new light from dealextreme.com that came with a screw on diffuser and 2 AA extender (default is 1 AA) that I am really liking. I think it is my new favorite light source other than the sun. :)
 
I bought one of 9hr laterns and one of the tea candle lanterns, used them last weekend when the power went out, liked em a lot.
 
I use them quite a bit. My version is a bit heavy for regular hiking, but they are home-made and cheap. There are various ways to remove the bottom of a bottle, but I removed mine by shaking a 4" nail up and down in the bottle. This is not always successful, and a few bottles may not break as planned. However the bottom is removed, it is a good idea to smooth off the sharp edges with a hone stone. Be careful when working with glass...maybe break the bottle over a bucket and make sure children cant get at the glass.

The top of the lamp and the wire hanger can get helluva hot, as can whatever is above the lamp. You should hang these well below the ceiling of a building, and be extremely careful near tents.

Now that I've got the safety information out of the way, here is a drawing:
bottlelantern2.jpg
 
I use the style as pictured at the top. They are great to leave hanging/burning from a branch to act as a beacon when I go out for a late night paddle to get away from the bugs. Some stores carry the beeswax candles that are sized for the lantern. I highly recommed them. They seem to give off a brighter light and are less toxic than burning a stick of petroleum in your tent. :)
 
Awesome drawing Coote! If you could wedge in a heat reflector between the wires about 2" above the bottle opening, that might help reduce the heat transferrence at the top of the wire. Now I just gotta try making a home made one like Coote's!

Would it be possible for someone to post a pic of the diffuser that attaches to the regular candle lanterns to allow you to read under them? I've been using mine for about 10 years and didn't know this existed --> now I am intrigued!

Thanks for all the posts everybody!
 
Wow Coote, your latern looks great! I believe I will try that sometime! Thanks for sharing!

I have two candle laterns. One is a UCO that I have had since I started camping, and the other is an aluminum Outbound Galaxy model that I found on super-clearance somewhere last year. The Outbound lantern is very similar to the UCO, but there are a few minor design changes. The Outbound has a rolled edge where the candle emerges, the top heatshield protrudes a little more and has a smaller top diameter, and the lantern bail has a half-circle bend allowing it to fit snug against lantern when folded. The candles, candle bases, and globes all appear to be interchangeable. The Galaxy also came with a nifty clear plastic cylindrical case for protection. Outbound is a camping company based in British Columbia, though the bottom of the latern states 'Design in New Zealand.'

Ok, now that I have my little OCD detail episode out of the way, My candle lantern doesn't see as much use these days as it has in the past. It'll get used occasionally on car camping trips, but I never take it anymore when backpacking. I have used the candle latern in the past inside small 2-man tents, but even when winter camping, I never went to sleep while it was lit. It can be a handy item to have around.
 
I use candle lanterns I love them not only that one saved my hide one night. Just got a bag back from the dry cleaner this was years ago this happened at an early fall scout camp. Didn't realized the cleaner had done my bag wrong and cleaned it improper;y and killed off the rating. During the night I got up just shivering I pulled out my safety blanket and sparked up the candle lantern. The tent got just right at that point and I was able to warm up and get some sleep. It is amazing how much heat those things will put off.

Abe
 
I have one of the full size ones I've had for about 25 y. Brass.

Sometimes we still bring it if we have a few folks.

Mostly anymore I have one of the little tea light ones that is lighter aluminum and I bring that unless space is really tight.

I like to hang it by the tent so I can find the tent from the fire:thumbup:
 
A disposable aluminium plate, or even aluminium foil, might serve as a heat or light reflector.

Reading by candle light is not always easy. I like to hang the lantern so that it is just behind my shoulder. That way I don't get the direct glare and the light shines on my page. Gotta be careful when you stand up though...otherwise the shoulder might connect with the lantern and knock it off the hook. I've made extra long wire hooks with a 'curl' at the end of the wire to help prevent such disasters.

I should have mentioned that when the bottle is hot after the improvised lamp has been going for a while, it is likely to crack if you splash it with water or take it out in the rain.

I think some old timers used to knock the bottom out of bottles, then invert the bottle and jam a candle inside the neck to get some protection from the wind.

I use LED headlamps a lot when Im away from the grid...but I still light up the candles.
 
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