Candle Lantern | SouthernPaddler.com

Candle Lantern

islandpiper

Well-Known Member
Based partly on the glowing review of this glowing item by a fella in Florida (I won't mention his name but his initials are C H U C K), i popped for a candle lantern.

I got it from America's favorite outdoor shop, WalMart. It cost me about $20 and i got some extra 9-hour candles with it. It "figured out" easy, set up, lit up and worked right away. Hey, how tough is it to light a candle?

I will take it this week out to the swamp and burn through a couple of candles. I seems real wind proof and in the real dark, after a few minutes, it gives about exactly one candle power of light. Some engineer, Chinese no doubt, worked that out on his 'puter i'll bet.

Chuck (oops...) said he hangs his in his tent. i am not sure i have a hanger loop in mine. if not, it will be there by the next trip. It should be nice to have along, as it gets REALLY DARK in the swamp and sometimes having "fire" already going is a good thing.

I'll let you know how it al works out. piper
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
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Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
I have no idea who that guy is in Florida but he has to be one smart fellow. :?
All I know for sure is that after many years , to many to mention , I have been using one of the candle lanterns and it has always worked for me. A light in the night whenever it is needed. They even make a reflector for it so all the light is focused downward. For some reason I have no idea where the one for mine is , it's somewhere around here.
It is sort of the old fashion way of having some camping light in your tent and best of all , it is one piece of camping equipment that does not require batteries. :lol:

The investment in one is pretty good , I think I paid around $15.00 for mine a good 30 years or more ago and it is still like new. The brass is tarnished ( discolored) and needs polishing but by leaving it natural it adds more character to it. :lol: It has been on a lot of trips here in the States and even into Canada with me. I keep it in a pile Pouch ( a small stuff sack made for it ) when it is not in use and /or when packed up.
Yes .... I consider it a valuable piece of camping equipment and as I said , it has been with me for a long time. In buggy situations you can have Citronella Candles to use in it , from Campmor and they are like the rest , a 3 pack.

The little lantern can be hung in the tent and when lit it provides a little extra warmth on a cold night while you sit there writing in your trip journal. The way it is designed it does not drip hot wax on anything , heck it does not drip wax at all , just burns every bit of it. Plus there is no exposed flame to worry about burning your tent down.

Now that I am going to be using a single walled tent , at times , they say that condensation builds up in them really good from a persons breath if the tent is not well ventilated , as in a hard , overnight , rain. I was reading where a guy hung one of the candle lanterns in his tent in the morning just before daylight. He would light it and when all his stuff was packed it had removed most of the condensation from the inside of his tent. Remember this are single persons ( solo) tents and not that large ( rather small ) plus they are the quick drying silicon nylon material.

Chuck...........
 

islandpiper

Well-Known Member
Here's the report: I used the candle lantern both nights out this week on Grays Creek. I burned it all night, both nights. I have a tent with a fly and big mesh panels, but still thought the tent stayed nicer with the candle than it would have without. As i tend to wake up at times it was nice to be able to look around and remember where i was. It is nice, too, to be able to hang out at the campfire, and see the tent glowing faintly in the woods, and it feels more "homey" when you get there and unzip the door. Sort of welcoming, you know. Nicer than the glaring blue white of an LED lamp. I'm guessing that the candles probably burn a good nine hours, as advertised. No muss, no fuss, and mine did not heat up the fabric above it. My tent, probably like most newer tents, has a ring in the center of the roof to hang a lamp there.

Overall? One more thing i will be packing along. Not probably NECESSARY, but certainly NICE TO HAVE. piper
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
islandpiper said:
Overall? One more thing i will be packing along. Not probably NECESSARY, but certainly NICE TO HAVE. piper

It's not a required item for camping but it sure is nice to have along. That little flame does create a nice atmosphere in a tent when the weather is nasty. Plus as you said it makes that tent seem a lot more welcoming when looking for it after the campfire.

By the way there is another use for it if your tent zipper starts to stick. Take the candle out of the lantern and gently rub it against the zipper , the wax will help to lubricate that stubborn/ornery zipper. I haven't had to do that ...YET...But I have been told that it works. :wink: