Outdoor Adventure USA

NET PREVIEW FOR 5/4/23

Next week's net will ne on enjoying in the outdoors and cooking with wine. The OZV wine, pictured below, will be featured during the net. Available at Total Wine. Get a bottle and give us your impression during the net.



Coleman Outdoor Products

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.

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.

My favorite Coleman products are the early lanterns and stoves. In addition to those iconic products, Coleman still produces some very practical and cost effective products.

Just a little bit about where Coleman Outdoor Products came from...

Carl Auer von Welsbach (1 September 1858 – 4 August 1929) was an Austrian scientist and inventor who worked extensively with rare earth elements. On 23 September 1885, Auer von Welsbach received a patent on his development of the gas mantle. It used a mixture of 60% magnesium oxide, 20% lanthanum oxide and 20% yttrium oxide. Later, in 1890 he introduced a new mantle that used 99% thorium dioxide and 1% cerium oxide that he developed with Ludwig Haitinger. The new Thorium mantle produced a much whiter light and was a game changer for gas lamps.

William Coffin Coleman (May 21, 1870 – November 2, 1957) While selling typewriters in Alabama, he saw a bright light, which came from a lantern that used gasoline and a mantle instead of kerosene. This was just ten years after the Thorium Mantle was invented. W.C was so impressed with the device that he decided to switch his sales efforts to lanterns. He began by marketing the company's lighting to local merchants and eventually obtained the rights to sell the lanterns. Then he began to perfect his own lantern, which was marketed under the name of the Coleman Arc Lamp.

In 1901, he married and moved to Witchita Kansas and eventually added stoves to the product line of lanterns.

During WWII, stoves and lanterns were widely used and were very sought after by G.I.s in the field. Many soldiers parachuted into Europe with Coleman stoves in their backpacks. In the 1950's coolers were added and in the decades to follow, the company added tents, sleeping bags, lighting and much more.

Here is a picture of a vintage Coleman Tent. As you look closely at the early Coleman tents you may see an amazing resemblance to the modern Springbar canvas tent that so many are proud to own. While it is difficult to know just how long or when Coleman sold Springbar tents, it is clear that they had a version of the springbar tent we are familiar with. Here is an ad for the "patented Coleman Springbar Tent" from about 1966.

My Favorite Coleman Camping Products

1. The Coleman 220A While not exactly a "current" Coleman Lantern Product you can still find them all over ebay. My favorite versions of these little lanterns are the early 1960's. 2. The current Lantern available from Coleman is the Northstar. Very reasonably priced and still available. 3. My favorite Coleman Stove (other than the 425 or the 413) is the Cascade™ 328 3-Burner Camping Stove. It has a third burner and is a great stove for griddles. 4. The Coleman Extreme line of coolers. Okay, They don't make them anymore but you can still get them. I think they are the called the "Atlas Series" but the best performing cooler would be the Convoy™ Series 55-Quart Cooler.

Coleman Outdoor Heaters

In countless ways, Coleman was, and still is, the leader in innovative, well made, durable, long lasting, and affordable outdoor products. The evidence of this is the number of adult campers who have inherited their parents Coleman camping gear, and its gear that is still working, and as good or better than similar modern products. The first part of this post will be about Coleman's outdoor heaters, which was a product line marked by innovation and quality, but unfortunately, is no more. For those fortunate enough to have acquired one of these heaters, you have some of the best.

Best to get this out at the start. Outdoor heaters, whether made by Coleman or others, when used as tent heaters (or in enclosed environments) is lethally dangerous. More on the net.

Coleman's First Outdoor Heater

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

Way back, many years ago, my Dad decided that he would make our cold climate camping trips more enjoyable, and he bought us a new Coleman catalytic heater. Our model was the 513 adjustable heater, (3000-5000 BTUs) made in 1967, a date that was stamped on the bottom of the fuel reservoir (like the lanterns.) Made in the USA. Here are the instructions, from 56 years ago:



Coleman explained their new technology:



For our family, the Coleman served as an outdoor heater, either on top of the meal table or underneath, for warmth at dinner time. In a testament to Coleman's legacy of durability and reliability, I fired up the heater a few days before the net. The heater had not been in use for well over a decade. Following the directions, I started it, and without a single hic-up, it came to life. I had forgotten how much heat it put out at the highest setting. Here are the sequence of steps I took to get it started, along with some shots of the heater, just for reference:

Front and Back of the Heater - NOTE the Instructions


The Heater Head



Preparing the Heater Head


Fire



How to Extinguish the Heater




The Fate of the Coleman Catalytic Heater

This original cat heater was a great idea, and to it's credit, it produced a lot of heat, was well made and was built to last. It was however, not destined to survive, for three reasons, on the net.


Coleman's Last Outdoor Heaters


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 lot 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 in a tent, 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.


Complete instructions:
My 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. While this Coleman outdoor heater was likewise a great product, it too was destined not to survive, and this time, there was only one reason, on the net.


COLEMAN LANTERNS

In years past, the Coleman lantern was the king of the campsite. Camp lighting however, has been transformed to a certain degree by LEDs. While it would be disingenuous to deny this, sales and camp use surely make it so. But, to say that the Coleman lantern is dead, would likewise be less than candid. On a recent camping trip to the east Mojave Desert, in the heart of winter, I showcased, AGAIN, the value of a Coleman lantern. On a 4 day trip, my Coleman Dual Fuel Powerhouse lantern was our sole source of outdoor lantern for the entire trip, on a single tank.

Early checkin please.

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Phil

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John - KN6VL

Bruce - KD6GCO

Early check in. I haven't been around for weeks, because I've been having issues displaying the net pages and signing in....but hopefully, I'm here now.

Rain, rain.....go away....the streams are full enough today. Thank you.

Traveling this week. Please check me in.
Kevin KK6DGL

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