Coleman F1 Lite Lantern (8)

I apologise, kcampbel, but it might be you... :-)These lanterns are a breeze in my opinion. They are very light in a backpack, good light-and-heat output for size - can even warm up my 2-man tent - and no more easy nor difficult than other similar mantle lamps to change over mantles, even with my butterfingers (always carry spare mantles!). The plastic case and textile carry pouch are handy, too. I'm much more happy with the F1 than the other lanterns I have tried: the Vango - piezo ignition unreliable, poor build quality; the Gelert Mini - much more fiddly to use.We have two of these, for individual use and both together for family camping. And whatever the virtues of battery/wind-up powered LED lamps, there's nothing quite like the glow of these lanterns.Yes, you lose a little light with the gauze cover in exchange for a little heat. Yes, the output can be affected by windy sites. At the time of buying these there was a choice of glass or mesh globe, and I wish I had bought one of each. My only gripe is that the glass globe version is no longer offered for sale.

It's not as bright as you think but works as a great tent prewarmer also. It's so light that there is no reason not to take one. The only downside is the mantle is fragile. So take a spare

Quality product at a great price. Very light and compact yet very robust and practical. Does what it says and more . Used this for the first time and it's just pure quality would highly recommend.

Bought this lantern and managed to get 1 C250 worth of use (1 canister)and its finished. The canister ran out and in the dark it took time for the lantern to cool down whilst i got another, this cooling down with the valve open i think is what has broken it . I closed the valve to place new can on and upon re-opening it to light it it had ceased to work , the needle in the jet valve has seized closed .Also i was quite dissapointed with the valve as it was wearing and getting loose after very litte use making it difficult to get the required brightness,and the clips to the lanyard are very poor So i would advise owners of this item to not let the canister run dry,and have a backup. However despite its poor valve and jet plus the dodgy lanyard and clips when its working its bright easy maintanence, and kicks out some heat on cold nights, an less than £20 quid.

This is a great little camping light. There's no glass to break and its small size and protective case means it's easy to pack away. Light output is pretty decent, only used it outdoors but it was enough to read by if I sat close to it, with the added bonus that it throws out a good amount of heat for those chilly evenings. I was a little worried on this front, as it was being used under an awning, but in actual fact the heat above the lantern dissipates fairly quickly, so anything over a few feet above the lantern is probably safe enough.The mantel was a little hard to fit, but I guess practice makes perfect. The top of the lantern has discoloured with use, but this seems to be more cosmetic than anything. However, the clips for the hanging wire are looking pretty black - not sure how long they will last, but as I don't hang the light I'm not that worried, but it could be something to watch out for. It should run for around 18 hours from a C500 canister, according to the box. I've had maybe eight hours out of it so far and the canister seems to be still be pretty full.Although the top of the mesh cage does glow red hot when you turn the lantern off, it cools down in just a few minutes, which means you can pack it away quite quickly, without it melting your tent.

Unfortunately this was trouble from day one on camping, terrible thing to light and when it did light my candle put out more light than this thing. So ended up flinging it in the bin and bought another hence the 1 star it doesn't deserve that

I have 2 units, bit fiddly fitting mantles until you get the hang of it, used for fishing trips, good light and heat output, make sure bivvy / tent is well ventilated, not sure how long the C500 cylinders will last, great product at competitive price 🖒☺

Probably subjective but I reckon this puts out about the same as a 40watt bulb, maybe a little less.When you think it's about 2/3 the size of a coke can and weighs less than a can of coke that's not bad at all.More than enough light for a 3 man tent which I'm using it in.It gets HOT, obviously but at this time of year that's a good thing, 15 mins or so is enough to take the chill out of the tent and allow you to get settled in comfort.Nothing earth shattering here, it just works well and weighs next to nothing.