Outdoor Adventure USA

Coleman Camping Products

Notice

There was way too much to cover in one net, so we are continuing the second half to the following week. Here is your second opportunity to post your stories about your favorite Coleman products.

ORIGINAL POSTS

The Coleman name automatically stirs memories of camping. For many, it was a name we learned as very young campers, because it was a brand that the family relied on when camping in the outdoors. The life long bond with Coleman was probably forged when Mom and Dad gave us the responsibility to start the Coleman lantern or stove. At a young age, the responsibility to safely be a part of family camping outings, was HUGE!!!

For many, that bond has survived, even in the midst of a camping gear market that is loaded with a huge number of alternatives to the Coleman brand. And, let there be no doubt - Coleman still today makes some of the best outdoor gear anywhere. The reasons are many, and we intend to cover as much as time allows during the net. While we usually reserve a single net to cover our topics, it is clear that this one will likely require two.

Coleman has been making outdoor products for over a hundred years, and a great many of them have become iconic symbols of quality. Stories abound on our Coleman experiences and we encourage all who have one, to join us.

While there have been, and continue to be, a huge number of Coleman camping products, there is one that is synonymous with the name, and it is the Coleman lantern. So much so, in fact, that it is the symbol that appears on the Company logo, and on many of its products.

From the Coleman website:


Over the many decades of lantern production, and with many models from which to choose, there is one that is probably the most famous and most often associated with the Coleman name - the #200. There will be much more on the net, but here is a great example of this remarkable camping light:

A bit of Coleman History

William Coffin (W.C.) Coleman was born in 1870 and moved to the Midwest within a year. His family settled in a small town in Kansas, the state which would remain Coleman’s home for the rest of his life. W.C.’s father died in 1881, prompting the youngster to begin selling small goods in an effort to make money for the family. After an abortive attempt at law school, Coleman would return to sales as a young man, this time selling typewriters.

As the story goes, a young W.C. Coleman was taking a stroll after a day’s work selling typewriters, when he spotted a new type of lamplight in a drugstore window in Brockton, Alabama. This new light burned with a strong, steady white flame and was fueled by gasoline. The standard lamp of the era burned kerosene and produced a smoky, flickering, yellowish light. W.C. was stricken with poor eyesight, and was very interested in this new, steady white light that enabled him to see clearly after dark. Coleman saw potential in the new light, and began selling the lamps. Eventually he bought the company. He sold the lamps and experimented with improved designs. Eventually making what would become the Coleman lanterns that are common today. More than just a success story for his lanterns, Coleman was an example of resiliency and innovation. Once electricity and electric lights were becoming more common, a lesser entrepreneur would have simply gone the way of the buggy whip! Instead, Coleman created a new market for his lamps, stoves and eventually all sorts of outdoor and camping equipment.

My favorite Coleman Item has got to be the 200A lanterns.
Here is a a little write up I did for the net on 200A Lanterns

There are just a few select brand names that stand out when you think of outdoor activities. Brands like Jeep, Winchester, and perhaps Columbia Hat Co.

Well, in the area of outdoor gear, the company that comes to mind has to be that of Coleman, the 117-year-old maker of lanterns, camp stoves, tents, coolers, and a complete line of camping, cooking, and specialty lighting products.

The Net this week will focus in on various cool stuff from Coleman.

Please post your favorite Coleman gear if you would like to share about your experiences with any of the line of Coleman products.

We will be talking about how the Coleman got started, specifically, lanterns but also cook stoves, coolers, and other Coleman products.

As a contrast, to the older lanterns, one of Coleman's newest lanterns is a "double" Northstar.

Here is a glimpse:
Here is a link to the lantern on Coleman's Website:
Coleman's New Northern Nova Lantern

Old Thorium Mantles New Mantles Coleman Camp Fuel

Originally, white gas was simply casing-head gas or drip gas, which has similar properties to Coleman fuel. Drip gas was sold commercially at gas stations and hardware stores in North America until the early 1950s. The white gas sold today is a similar product but is produced at refineries and has a very low benzene content, benzene being a human carcinogen.

Coleman fuel has an octane rating of 50 to 55 and a flammability similar to gasoline, but it has none of the additives found in modern gasoline. Most burners will readily burn unleaded gasoline.

White gas, or drip gas, so named because it can be drawn off the bottom of small chambers (called drips) sometimes installed in pipelines from gas wells, it is another name for natural-gas condensate, a naturally occurring form of gasoline obtained as a byproduct of natural gas extraction. It is also known as "condensate", "natural gasoline", "casing head gas", "raw gas", "white gas" and "drip gas". Drip gas is defined as consisting of butane, pentane, and hexane hydrocarbons. Within set ranges of distillation, drip gas may be extracted and used to denature fuel alcohol. Drip gas is also used as a cleaner and solvent as well as a lantern and stove fuel

One more Coleman product that I like:

Old vs New

There have been a great many changes since Coleman started making lanterns. Today, the trend for camping seems to be the new kid on the block, the LED, and for many good reasons. Top among the good reasons to pick a light source is the amount of light it produces. There are others, of course, but at the end of the night, it is often the brightest light that can matter.

So, the inquiring minds at OAUSA conducted a little test to, at the very least, determine how close the new compared to the old. It's doubtful that many minds will change based on these results, but, now you will know.

Coleman Lanterns

So, to start with, we decided to not only compare earlier (older) Coleman lanterns with the new crop, but also to compare these lanterns to some LEDs that we use for camping. Here are the Coleman contestants, (with one slight deviation:)


From Left to right, they are:

• A Dietz Kerosene, wick lantern, made in the USA in 1954. The year 1955 was was the last time that Dietz made their lanterns here. Since that time, all have been made in China. This lantern was thrown into the test merely to illustrate the amount of light that was available for much of the 19th century, and to compare it to the other lights. Here's a hint - the light output for this monster is measured in "candle power" and the digits are single.

• A current vintage Coleman double mantle lantern, made in the USA, bearing the name of "Powerhouse, Dual Fuel."

• A current vintage Coleman lantern, made in the USA, bearing the "North Star" name. Note the significantly larger mantle, the purpose of which was to produce more light.

• A Coleman single mantle lantern made in 1966, in the USA. This is the famous Model 200, which today is fetching significant prices as collector items. In the spirit of full disclosure, I will admit that I may have cheated just a little bit with this lantern, as I used some special high output mantles for this test. None of the other lanterns had this edge, (Jack will explain these mantles.)

LED Lanterns

Our selection of LED lanterns was solidly scientific.......(it was all we had to test.) So, no need to get steamed if we didn't use your favorite. Just use this as a yardstick for comparison. Here are the two contestants:


There are way too many LED lanterns on the market that are suitable for camping, so we selected only these two, both made by Streamlight:

• The Siege X, a 325 Lumen LED compact lantern, see: https://www.streamlight.com/products/de ... iege-x-usb. This compact lantern is the perfect size for use inside the tent, (made in China.)

• The Siege, a 540 Lumen LED lantern, see: https://www.streamlight.com/products/de ... /the-siege. This lantern is more suited to use as a dinner table light, (made in China.)

The Results

So, being the kind of guys that "follow the science", we made this test scientific. All lanterns were placed on the same spot, in the same room, with the same conditions, and at the same distance from the light meter, (shown below.) Sooooo here are the results-------on the net.

Who wants to take a stab at the winner, and how each lantern measured up against the others?????????

Coleman Xtreme Cooler
Prior to acquiring my fridge freezer, I used a Coleman Xtreme for all the long adventure trips in the desert or on the Rubicon.

With proper prep and a block of ice, it was capable of the advertised 5 days. It was a bargain at $35 dollars about 20 years ago and still is at about $48 today. You might be able to purchase it for $37/40 at Target or Walmart.

Now, I use it to bring lots and lots of cube ice for drinks around the camp fire.
I believe this is the 70 qt. cooler



From the web site
About this item

Keeps ice up to 5 days at temps up to 90°F thanks to an insulated lid and extra insulation in walls
Holds 100 cans and has molded cup holders on top of lid to keep drinks close and prevent spilling
Leak-resistant channel drain lets you remove excess water without tilting cooler
Have-A-Seat lid supports up to 250 pounds so you always have a place to sit and rest
Comfort-grip no-crush handles for easy, pinch-free carrying
EZ-Clean top uses a smoother surface that easily wipes clean
Made in the USA with low CO2 insulation for reduced carbon emissions from foam manufacturing

Here are some Coleman products that I camped with in my youth, which means that they are NOT vintage, but rather great, will built gear that lasts a really long time if one takes care of their gear. All of these items were originally purchased by my amazing Dad and Mom, and ultimately handed down to me when they decided to transition to an RV for camping.

Coleman Lantern

This is a Coleman 228F 2 Mantle Gas Light. The estimated purchase date is between 1966 to 1968. The lantern is in original condition with all original parts, including the glass. I have about a half dozen mantels that were purchased with the lantern. I have not used this Gas Light much lately, but plan to start using it again soon. The wood box case was a Cub Scout project built by my dad and me. The sound and smell of this lantern when it is running truly is the smell of the outdoors...they need to bottle that smell as an aftershave.


Coleman 3 Burner Camp Stove

This is a Coleman 426D 3 Burner Camp Stove. The estimate purchase date is between 1964 to 1966. The stove is in original condition with all original parts (no instructions), and I have the original box and still store the stove in it. A lot of great meals have been prepared on this stove over the years, cooking for a family of six (thus the 3 burners). I have not used this stove much in recent years, but plan to start using it again soon.


Coleman Backpacking, Single Burner Stove

This is a Coleman Model 400 Peak 1 Backpacking Stove. The estimated purchase date is 1974 to 1975. This stove replaced a very hard to manage Optimus 8R. The Coleman Model 400 has been extremely reliable, from ski-in tent camping in the snow to car camping, from the low elevations of death valley to the thin air of the Mt Whitney area, this stove lights and burns hot, and runs exceptional once it warms up. This stove is still in regular use.

Coleman Heaters

Coleman's First Catalytic Heater

Coleman jumped into the camping heater market very early on. In the 60s, they introduced a portable camping heater based on a new technology which used a unique catalytic process.

Way back, many years ago, Dad decided that he would make our cold climate camping trips more enjoyable, and he introduced us to Coleman's new catalytic heater. Our model was the 513 adjustable heater, (3000-5000 BTUs) made in 1967, and it came with instructions similar to this:


The catalytic heater used a process of which we are all familiar - the catalytic converters on our automobiles. Here is what they said:


See the full instructions:

Here is the heater, made in the USA, in 1967:


Needless to say, Coleman stopped making this heater many, many years ago. While there is no record (that I could find) as to why, it's possible that it may have had something to do with the very involved and lengthy process of getting the heater started (not to mention the asbestos in the woven head.) Despite this, it remains a somewhat sought after camping heater, as it is effective.


Coleman's Last Catalytic Heater

One of the last camping heaters that Coleman made (whether catalytic or not) was the "Cat" series, (ProCat, BalckCat and SportCat.) These catalytic heaters were easy to start, more compact than the earlier 1960s models, and able to produce a reasonable amount of heat. One of the more useful features of the ProCat heater was the battery operated fan, which will distribute heated air quickly. When used wisely, these heaters are a terrific way to make cold evenings and mornings much more pleasant. They too, remain sought after by campers who travel in cold climates.

OAUSA safety tip - regardless of the tent heater, NEVER, EVER keep your tent heater on during the entire night. Warm up the tent for a few minutes before bed time and in the morning, ONLY!!!

Complete instructions:
This ProCat has been in use for the last 20 years, or so, and with the exception of replacing the fan switch, it has performed flawlessly.

My $15 425D Coleman Gas Stove

Picked this up at a garage sale for $15 in about 1994. The only item I replaced was the cap on the tank. The old one nearly blew my head off when I opened it for the first time.

This 425D was build in 1966 most likely January. (WXQ can confirm if this is accurate).



This is my go to stove for any trip I expect to do more then BBQ supper.



The leather seal in the pump needs to be oiled every so often to get a good seal.

In this picture the value is wide open -- Not as hot as gas. This is a very old adapter so it may need adjustments. But this flame is better for cooking eggs.

Telescoping Stool, Gen 2

• Compact (10" diameter, 2½" thick)
• Takes but a second to deploy or secure
• Can support almost 400 pounds
• Height is adjustable between 2½" and 17½"
• Not as stable as something with a wider base
• 10" diameter isn't comfortable for a long period of time

Note: competing favorite. Wider, so seating more comfortable. Wider base, so more stable. Comes in various heights to 18". Not as compact. My taller one broke as I was standing on it.




Telescoping Stool Review (YouTube)
Note this appears to be a Gen 1 version, but Gen 2 operation is similar.

Coleman makes reliable and durable products?