It is essential that we have a good reliable torch and lantern when we embark on our camping trip. How else would we find our way back to the tent in the dead of night after that toilet visit - and also trying to see what you are doing in your tent in the middle of the night?
Most campers' choice comes down to either a torch or lantern or indeed both. In recent years you can have little spotlights that hang from the inside of your tent. These are useful but not very powerful, no good to read or cook by for example. For seasoned campers the most popular are gas lanterns which are powered by small disposable LPG cartridges. This can be turnoff for some people as they see gas and a lantern to be potentially dangerous, but that is not the case. If used sensibly gas lanterns have an exemplary safety record.
Liquid fuel is also a choice for camping lanterns, most notably Coleman lanterns. They use a special fuel which is essentially a cleaner form of unleaded petrol. It can be expensive when purchased in a camping outlet but many campers who have this lantern fill it up at the local petrol station. This is certainly a cheap way to light your lantern so to speak. But not to everyone's taste, for me I find the smell of petrol unbearable and I don't much fancy taking all my lanterns to the local BP garage.
One of the best choices and also a happy medium for many is the electric lantern. Modern electric lanterns have a very powerful fluorescent bulb which okay may not be as powerful as a gas lantern. But they are considerably cheaper and battery life is very good. If you are running several electric lanterns it would be worth your while in investing in rechargeable batteries as this will keep cost down.
Once last alternative to note, in the last few years rechargeable lanterns and torches have become very popular. These are initially charged by mains, and then when it is running out of life you have a lever which you can turn to re-charge the battery. My experience with these lanterns is that on paper they sound great; never need to buy any gas or batteries etc. But the reality is they take an age to charge, you end up with a sore wrist and the initial price is expensive. In my view not worth the purchase, I think in time they will get better but they are still quite crude.
You can check out Max's latest website which gives you the latest product reviews on the best Coleman camping equipment which has been tried and tested by me such as the great Coleman portable grill and the latest Coleman two burner stove for your camping vacations and barbecues.
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