Coleman Duel Fuel Lantern

Coleman Duel Fuel Lantern

As we prepared for the 2006 camping season, we were fortunate enough to get some great products from Coleman to add to our camping gear. The Dual Fuel Lantern is one of them.

We have had a number of lanterns of the years, as I'm sure that everyone has. You start off with the battery lanterns. Yes they are fine, until after a few hours the battery's start to drain and the light fades. And lets face it, battery's are bulky, heavy and expensive!

Then we move on to the propane powered lanterns. They give off more light than their battery powered counterparts, last longer and you can share the fuel cylinders with your other camping devices, such as stoves and ovens. The biggest drawback however, is also the fuel. While the cylinders last for a while, they are also bulky.

The next step is to go into a fuel lantern. While the propane cylinders last longer than battery's, Coleman Fuel powered items last much longer than propane powered units. How much longer? While there are a lot of variables, a rough comparison would be that for one gallon of Coleman Fuel, you would have to use 4.5 standard sized (16.4oz) propane cylinders. Now that you know that, think about the size of all those cylinders compared to one tin of Coleman Fuel!

The Dual Fuel series of camp appliances takes it one step further. Instead of using Coleman Fuel, you can simply pour gasoline into the tank. Now you don't have to carry any extra fuel for your camp appliances at all. The same cans that you use for your 4x4, ATV, Dirt bike or watercraft can also fill your camp appliances.

So what are the differences between running Coleman Fuel or gasoline in your appliances? There are a few, but they are minor. There is no run time difference in the Dual Fuel lanterns using either fuel. The differences between the fuels are:

1) The generator is designed for use with unleaded gas so it will last significantly longer if you use Coleman fuel as opposed to unleaded gas.

2) The boiling (vaporization) temp for Coleman fuel is lower than with gasoline, so in theory Coleman fuel will work better in colder temperatures.

3) Coleman fuel has an additive that is designed to keep the burning components of your lantern or stove running smoother longer.

4) Some say they prefer the lessened smell associated with Coleman fuel, but some of us here kind of like the gas smell, so it's a matter of personal preference.

Here is the unit and the carrying case. The case has a spot on the bottom where you can store extra mantels and matches.

The case is durable and does a wonderful job of protecting the lantern. However a severe fall can still shatter the globe. The case will keep the glass contained.

To use prepare the lantern for use you must remove the knurled nut on top of the cap, and remove the top and glass globe.

Tie two silk mantels to the ends of the two pipes. There are collars to hold them in place. Do not tie them above the collar, but in the provided groove.

There are wire tie mantles available if the string is hard to manipulate.

Trim the strings if you want.

In order to use the lantern, you must burn the mantles. These are made of silk and when they burn they leave an ash mantle. It is the ash that glows bright white in the heat of the flame. It also provides the 'burner'.

Do not breath the smoke, (smoking is bad for you!). Do not worry if the mantels look deformed, they will fix themselves.

The ash mantles are delicate, but they can last for years under the proper use, and shock avoidance.

Replace the glass and cap, secure them with the knurled nut. Be sure to tighten the nut well, you don't even want to think about touching that nut after the lantern has been on for even a few minutes.

Fill the base with clean unleaded fuel, or better yet clean Coleman white fuel. You need to replace the cap securely. To Pressurize the fuel you need to pump. Unlock the pump by turning the pump knob 1/4 turn left. Start pumping the pump with long even smooth and quick strokes. The amount of pumps needed depends on the amount of fuel in the tank. A full tank pressurizes quickly and may need to be re pumped after a shorter period of time.

To light the lamp, get a long match or long lighter. Strike the match / lighter and insert it into one of the larger holes near the bottom of the glass. Turn the gas on FULL.

It will spit and make noises until the heat transfers to the fuel in the copper line in the middle. This vaporizes the fuel better and the lantern will glow bright and reliable.

On a full tank of fuel the and set to the brightest setting we started at 4:45pm and ending 11:20pm, occasionally pumping the tank for optimum pressure. This gave us a total run time of 6 hours and 35 minutes. Not bad for a single tank on high! Of course, running it on a lower setting will make it last even longer.

Overall, Dual Fuel is the way to go!

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Coleman Duel Fuel Lantern As we prepared for the 2006 camping season, we were fortunate enough to get some great products from Coleman to add to our camping gear. The Dual Fuel Lantern is one of them. We have had a number of lanterns of the years, as I'm sure that everyone has. You start off with the battery lanterns. Yes they are fine, until after a few hours the battery's start to drain and the light fades. And lets face it, battery's are bulky, heavy and expensive! Then we move on to the propane powered lanterns. They give off more light than their battery powered counterparts, last longer and you can share the fuel cylinders with your other camping devices, such as stoves and ovens. The biggest drawback however, is also the fuel. While the cylinders last for a while, they are also bulky. The next step is to go into a fuel lantern. While the propane cylinders last longer than battery's, Coleman Fuel powered items last much longer than propane powered units. How much longer? While there are a lot of variables, a rough comparison would be that for one gallon of Coleman Fuel, you would have to use 4.5 standard sized (16.4oz) propane cylinders. Now that you know that, think about the size of all those cylinders compared to one tin of Coleman Fuel! The Dual Fuel series of camp appliances takes it one step further. Instead of using Coleman Fuel, you can simply pour gasoline into the tank. Now you don't have to carry any extra fuel for your camp appliances at all. The same cans that you use for your 4x4, ATV, Dirt bike or watercraft can also fill your camp appliances. So what are the differences between running Coleman Fuel or gasoline in your appliances? There are a few, but they are minor. There is no run time difference in the Dual Fuel lanterns using either fuel. The differences between the fuels are: 1) The generator is designed for use with unleaded gas so it will last significantly longer if you use Coleman fuel as opposed to unleaded gas. 2) The boiling (vaporization) temp for Coleman fuel is lower than with gasoline, so in theory Coleman fuel will work better in colder temperatures. 3) Coleman fuel has an additive that is designed to keep the burning components of your lantern or stove running smoother longer. 4) Some say they prefer the lessened smell associated with Coleman fuel, but some of us here kind of like the gas smell, so it's a matter of personal preference.
	Here is the unit and the carrying case. The case has a spot on the bottom where you can store extra mantels and matches. The case is durable and does a wonderful job of protecting the lantern. However a severe fall can still shatter the globe. The case will keep the glass contained.
	To use prepare the lantern for use you must remove the knurled nut on top of the cap, and remove the top and glass globe.
	Tie two silk mantels to the ends of the two pipes. There are collars to hold them in place. Do not tie them above the collar, but in the provided groove. There are wire tie mantles available if the string is hard to manipulate.
	Trim the strings if you want.
	In order to use the lantern, you must burn the mantles. These are made of silk and when they burn they leave an ash mantle. It is the ash that glows bright white in the heat of the flame. It also provides the 'burner'.
	Do not breath the smoke, (smoking is bad for you!). Do not worry if the mantels look deformed, they will fix themselves. The ash mantles are delicate, but they can last for years under the proper use, and shock avoidance. Replace the glass and cap, secure them with the knurled nut. Be sure to tighten the nut well, you don't even want to think about touching that nut after the lantern has been on for even a few minutes.
	Fill the base with clean unleaded fuel, or better yet clean Coleman white fuel. You need to replace the cap securely. To Pressurize the fuel you need to pump. Unlock the pump by turning the pump knob 1/4 turn left. Start pumping the pump with long even smooth and quick strokes. The amount of pumps needed depends on the amount of fuel in the tank. A full tank pressurizes quickly and may need to be re pumped after a shorter period of time. To light the lamp, get a long match or long lighter. Strike the match / lighter and insert it into one of the larger holes near the bottom of the glass. Turn the gas on FULL. It will spit and make noises until the heat transfers to the fuel in the copper line in the middle. This vaporizes the fuel better and the lantern will glow bright and reliable.
On a full tank of fuel the and set to the brightest setting we started at 4:45pm and ending 11:20pm, occasionally pumping the tank for optimum pressure. This gave us a total run time of 6 hours and 35 minutes. Not bad for a single tank on high! Of course, running it on a lower setting will make it last even longer. Overall, Dual Fuel is the way to go!
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