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partinj
12-31-2006, 19:13
Hi anyone has anyone ever took a candle lanter to use at night i have a mini mag lite i plan on bringing but i use the candle lantern to read by and save on batteries what do you think:-?

adamkrz
12-31-2006, 19:17
I use the spring loaded enclosed one which burns around 8 hours,Works well.

Lone Wolf
12-31-2006, 19:19
Hi anyone has anyone ever took a candle lanter to use at night i have a mini mag lite i plan on bringing but i use the candle lantern to read by and save on batteries what do you think:-?

Sure, take it. But folks are gonna tell you it's too heavy, etc., etc., etc. I used a candle to read for many years. I never owned a headlamp till 3 years ago.

Frolicking Dinosaurs
12-31-2006, 19:19
I have used a small glass jar (holds about 3/4 oz) with a metal screw on lid and wick thru a hole in the lid - burns cooking oil.

JimSproul
12-31-2006, 19:22
I have two, both the UCO brand. The spring loaded one is heavier so I normally take the lighter one that uses tea lights. I only use them early in the year when the nights are really long. I don't find them as good to read by as my head lamp.

Jack Tarlin
12-31-2006, 19:23
Partinj:

Most folks don't want the extra weight and manage to get by with a headlamp.

Plus, most of the small lanterns I've seen have a glass case surrounding the light.

I guarantee you, on a thru-hike, just about anything you carry in your pack that is made out of glass is unlikely to survive your trip.

Tipi Walter
12-31-2006, 21:32
Hi anyone has anyone ever took a candle lanter to use at night i have a mini mag lite i plan on bringing but i use the candle lantern to read by and save on batteries what do you think:-?

I used to use a candle lantern frequently, the one with the glass globe and the spring. One time the candle burned completely down and cooled and it was a #$$%%^ to clean. Never carried one since but I do carry several small candles on each trip and in the winter about one for every 3 days. When it gets dark at 5:30 pm a candle is a nice thing to have, it warms the cold fingers and brings a warm glow on a lonely cold night. You just don't need a lantern for them.

I used to use the mini mag flashlight but the LEDs have pretty much taken over the flashlight market. There is an LED upgrade for the mini mag that I found at Walmart and easily attaches to any old double AA mini mag. Right now I carry a little Dorcy single triple AAA LED flashlight for reading purposes but it seems most any headlamp will work, especially if it has a low-medium-high switch.

Blissful
12-31-2006, 22:24
We took a candle lantern for our past hikes, but for me the lighting is too poor to read by (and dangerous too, IMO). Since the advent of headlamps, many of which burn a long time, even on batteries, it's worth getting. I like the Princeton Tech Aurora myself and it has 3 different beam strengths to save battery life.

rafe
12-31-2006, 23:20
Sure, take it. But folks are gonna tell you it's too heavy, etc., etc., etc. I used a candle to read for many years. I never owned a headlamp till 3 years ago.


Gram weenie!

soulrebel
12-31-2006, 23:45
Birthday CAndles are great!!!

Lyle
12-31-2006, 23:55
Used to carry a lantern (spring loaded) - liked it. Since LED lights tho, no longer use the lantern. Plus if you are using a silnylon tarp or tarptent, I'd stay away from any candle lanterns, no fire retardancy with silnylon!

butter123
01-01-2007, 02:37
to heavy
forget it when its dark go to bed you had a long day

Frolicking Dinosaurs
01-01-2007, 07:10
JT's observation in re: glass and thru-hiking is spot on. Since the flame is atop the container rather than inside, perhaps a small metal container would work.

I like a candle for the reasons cited so eloquently by Tipi Walter - "a candle is a nice thing to have, it warms the cold fingers and brings a warm glow on a lonely cold night." The flickering of a real fire invokes some primal magic that LED’s just can’t match and a candle is a far more eco-friendly option than a campfire. I have heated small amounts of water in a Sierra cup over my oil candle for a warm drink and very cautiously brought it into my tent for 5 – 10 minutes to knock off the chill after crawling into my sleeping bag (extinguished before I retired).

Peaks
01-01-2007, 09:38
Generally speaking, most thru-hikers are ready for sleep when it gets dark. While it sounds like a good idea to pack along a candle lantern for reading after dark, you frequently see them in the swap boxes down south.

That being said, it does get dark early in the fall. I might carry a lantern then, but not during the summer.

rickb
01-01-2007, 10:23
Used to be rather common for late fall hikers to carry a Coke can with a door cut into the side for use as a lantern.

Apart from reflecting light and protecting the flame from puffs of wind, this can-lantern kept the shelter floor clean of dripping wax.

the_iceman
01-01-2007, 10:25
If I feel compelled to read on the trail I usually do it on my mid-day, big meal, dry out the feet break. When I get to camp I do my chores and I am ready for bed. An hour on a mountain top, boots off, aaaahhhh.

Frolicking Dinosaurs
01-01-2007, 10:27
Used to be rather common for late fall hikers to carry a Coke can with a door cut into the side for use as a lantern.

Apart from reflecting light and protecting the flame from puffs of wind, this can-lantern kept the shelter floor clean of dripping wax.Precious memories... I'd forgotten about those.

Toolshed
01-01-2007, 11:45
For Winter, Early Spring and Fall, Candle lanterns make a wonderful addition to any hiker's arsenal if they are willing to carry the weight. Once the days get past 12 hours long, (between Spring and Fall Equinox), there isn't much of a need. For any other longerish night (is that a word) it is a bit of cheer...

I like them (spring loaded model) for the same reasons FD said. In addition, I still sometimes carry a 2 man tent (and now a very versatile MSR Trekker Tarp) and it hangs quite nicely from a small bit of string - It certainly helps a bit in cold wet damp weather.
As far as cleaning it, I kinda like playing around with gear at home on some nights - It isn't that difficult to clean with some hot water.

art to linda
01-01-2007, 11:57
I use a cut down, clear soda bottle that has a strip of aluminum flashing tape on one side (inside) with a tea candle. I put a little dirt/rocks in the bottom while setting up camp, add the candle, and have had enough light to cook or read. It burns for hours and can warm up a tent nicely on a chilly Fall evening.

Outlaw
01-02-2007, 10:43
Anyone ever try one of Tinny's "Waterlites"??? Go to http://www.minibulldesign.com/fs2.htm and scroll 3/4 way down.

Frolicking Dinosaurs
01-02-2007, 11:02
After going out to the minibulldesign site and scrolling thru all the can stoves to get to the waterlite, an idea hit me -- why not design my own coke can oil candle similar to the can stoves? light, small, easy to make tiki-torch.

Outlaw
01-02-2007, 11:58
After going out to the minibulldesign site and scrolling thru all the can stoves to get to the waterlite, an idea hit me -- why not design my own coke can oil candle similar to the can stoves? light, small, easy to make tiki-torch.

FD, that sounds like a great idea. You'll have to report back and let us all know how it works out. Good luck!

Appalachian Tater
01-02-2007, 19:41
Just take a headlight--you're going to buy one at Neil's Gap if you don't start out with one anyway. The batteries last a lot longer than you think unless you hike at night using the light. A set of lithium batteries would be lighter than regular batteries and last the whole thru-hike.

CaptChaos
01-04-2007, 23:32
Hi anyone has anyone ever took a candle lanter to use at night i have a mini mag lite i plan on bringing but i use the candle lantern to read by and save on batteries what do you think:-?

Well, by now you have heard all of the stories about weight, cleaning, etc, etc, and they are all true.

When I first started backpacking a brass candle lantern was one of my first purchases. I used it for about three years and then I burned the netting off my solo tent trying to light it one night when I went to bed. Stupid, stupid, stupid. So after that I quit using one.

Being an old Boyscout I used for the first 20 years of my camping life my single mantle red coleman lantern. It never let me down. I caved for a number of years and it was my primary source of light and it never failed me. One year I took my son to Scout Camp and we had it running when it gave up the ghost and exploded on a picnic table, wood, and we burned the table down from the ****e gas that had blasted all over the table when the lantern went up. Hence you see why I went with the candle lantern and did not putchase a new coleman lantern when I started backpacking.

After many different attempts at light I ended up with a canister stove, prius and my wife got for me a light attachment that puts out 75 watts of light when turned on. Being a section hiker in the Smokies I keep one big cansiter for my cooking and I use the last years canister for my light. I have used the smaller cansister and it has lasted me almost 6 days before running out of gas for the light and there have been times on very low that it has run for hours and never used all of the gas. Since I like the shelters, sorry WhiteBlaze members, I usually hang it in the shelter and burn it for the thru hikers so they can save their batteries and candles.

I would have to agree with some of the other members that going with the led lights now might be the best for light if I was going to do the thru.

My 2 cents for what it is worth.

CaptChaos :cool:

Johnny Swank
01-05-2007, 09:18
I think I changed my batteries twice on my thru-hike, and never carried extras. LEDS have totally changed the battery equation.

I did carry a tealight that I found in a hiker box, but it was for ambiance more than anything. I lived in a yurt for a couple of years and still light an oil lamp everynight for that matter.

bigcranky
01-05-2007, 11:00
I think I'm going to agree with Lone Wolf -- bring the candle lantern, especially for early in the hike. You can make up for the weight by dumping the mini mag light, which is appallingly heavy and eats batteries like nobodies business. Seriously. A sub-3-ounce LED headlamp is a better choice, if only because you don't have to hold it in your teeth when setting up your tent. (Try that with a mini mag light at about 15 degrees. Been there, not fun.)

JP
01-05-2007, 11:12
I have used a tea candle and put it in my metal cup if its windy. You can save the aluminum base and make an alcohol stove that weighs 5 grams and has a burn time of 7 to 10 minutes.

Old Grouse
01-05-2007, 17:36
A salesperson at a reputable outfitter suggested hanging a candle lantern near the top of a single wall tent to increase air circulation by convection, thus reducing condensation. Does this work? Or was it just a way to sell a candle lantern and the tent?

Johnny Swank
01-05-2007, 17:38
That, or buying a new tent after the first one catches on fire.

mweinstone
01-05-2007, 18:05
lanterns for wax candles do three things well.they burn everyone who owns one. they leave piles of wax carvings from idiots trashing after they clean them.and they give poor use, light etc.
heres a cool light i use since birth. lite candle on msr windscreen. the small round one that goes on the ground. fold large msr windscreen into a half an ark of a circle and stand it behind the candle to the wind. directional and way magnified by shinny foil, the candle now strobes the whole site giving light to all and folding the big one almost shut around the candle allowing light to concentrate thru a small opening lets you dim and intensify! lets see matthewskis set up shall we?

chelko
01-05-2007, 18:05
Started using spring loaded candle lanterns years ago with the younger scouts, nice to have a constant light in camp. Later discovered they work well at keeping the mice at bay in the shelters. I also like shelters, sorry LW, I know how anti shelter you can be.

mweinstone
01-05-2007, 18:19
heres a little beauty i use since i was a kid. i call it my coffie table. it is two boots turned one on top of the other with a candle on it resting against the center pole of my megmid lite tent. obviously its way dangerous but in all these years it never burned anything. still its not to fall asleep around and my tent has no floor most of the time.its still cool to use as a table when the candles out for tp and a small light and maby your pipe.lets take a look.

stumpknocker
01-05-2007, 18:26
heres a little beauty i use since i was a kid. i call it my coffie table. it is two boots turned one on top of the other with a candle on it resting against the center pole of my megmid lite tent. obviously its way dangerous but in all these years it never burned anything. still its not to fall asleep around and my tent has no floor most of the time.its still cool to use as a table when the candles out for tp and a small light and maby your pipe.lets take a look.

That's very nice. Is that a lightweight iron in the background. It looks almost like the one I carry. :)

Now, go over to the thread 'bout you and make your "prescense" known. Thanks :)