A few days ago, I reported that Coleman had a new LED lantern that looked interesting.
I searched every outdoor outlet here in Houston, with no luck finding it. But today, I found it at Bass Pro Shops for $ 35.00. Below is my initial test of this lantern. [ Disclaimer: Test performed under a nearly full moon. ] This is a very well designed Chinese product, that cavers, hikers and campers are going to like. I will be keeping this one. When you first get it in your hand, you can feel that some quality was put into it. The most notable feature is that it collapses into a pocket-size rectangular cube. It fits in the hand like the mic of a CB-radio, but only heavier. The light pattern coming out the long sides of the rectangle is perfect for lighting up the camp. However, the light coming off the short sides is awkward, but usable. Only a little light is wasted in the vertical direction, and this can be fixed, as I will discuss below. There is a dark shadow underneath the light ( if you hang it up in the air at 7 feet high. ) A small piece of aluminum foil placed on top, helped a little with that problem, as it bounced the wasted vertical light downwards. The light has one dimmer setting, which seems perfect for lighting up your camp area. Coleman claims 12 hours on low and 5 hours on high, but that is with regular alkalines. [ Lithiums or better alkalines or the new oxide batteries are probably going to improve that. ] The battery compartment seems well designed for 4 AA batteries, but does not have any kind of o-ring. [ Duct tape can help a little with that. ] There is a folding hook, that stays shut. It requires a good fingernail to pry it open. The lantern hangs easily from a twig branch of a small tree. This is a very practical product that I am sure cavers are going to find useful. I am guessing this would be a good expedition light if you are camping underground for several days in a large room. This lamp is called the "K2 LED Pack-Away Lantern" and is part of their Exponent line. The light appeared to provide a 100 foot diameter circle with enough light to safely walk around camp. I am going to give this lantern 5 stars out of 5 for stylish appearance, and 4 stars of 5 for design. It is a far superior lantern than the previous Coleman lantern that came out about 2 weeks ago - the MicroPacker. It is also better than other LED lanterns I have tinkered with. I would say it currently the best LED lantern on the market and one of the best lanterns period. My improvements to this lamp would be to give it a rubber base that would help resist dust and water, and protect it from being dropped and to stabilize it when standing on its own. For now, duct tape and a thin foam pad will have to do. And I would integrate a tiny LED light ( powered by one AAA ) to the side of it pointing directly down. I will probably just duct tape one to it. Since the lamp is collapsible, it would be impossible to make it water proof, however, I think they can make it waterproof in the collapsed position by just adding an o-ring on the battery compartment and the lid and adding a latch like on the plastic cases that kayakers carry. For now, I will just carry it in a tiny waterproof bag. 2 of these lanterns should light up a large campsite pretty good, replacing the large heavy lantern that you grew up camping with. On a related note, Coleman has a new propane lantern that is very tiny. It is called the F1, and is also part of their Exponent line. I think I saw it at Academy for around $ 40. Maybe if you were camping in a cold cave, then that lantern might be worth taking a look at. If you are carrying a stove and propane tank on a hike, then this lantern would take up very little space in your pack. Anybody want to give us a report? Coleman also has a new lantern that uses 2 spiral flourescent bulbs. Anybody want to give a report on that? I have a question about a different topic. We don't have a Cabela's in Houston, and I have only seen their catalogues. Are they identical to Gander Mountain or Bass Pro Shops? In my opinion, Houston is really lacking a good backpacking store. I guess with 2 REI's and one Whole Earth Provision being here, there may not be a market for it. I would bet that if someone opened up a more specialized store in the area just north of Sugarland, that they would make a profit. We had a store called Trekker many years ago, but he called it quits before his area boomed. And we had "Wilderness Equipment," but I think they got scared when REI opened up and decided to quit while they were ahead. David Locklear --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
