A good camping lantern is an important piece of camping gear that needs to be chosen carefully. When you go to buy one, you will likely see that there are a variety of camping lanterns, so how do you choose the right one? The best thing to do is make an informed decision by learning more abut the different types of outdoor lanterns.

The camping lights are available in four types and they are the lights with battery, gas, liquid fuel, and candle. The four types of camping lanterns have some advantages and disadvantages. You should consider all these limitations before buying any lantern for your camping. But make sure that you get the best lantern and you can actually do that if you understand how you can use each type of lantern for your camping.

Battery camping lanterns use a battery for power. The battery can be rechargeable or disposable. The advantages of a battery lantern is that it is easy to use, quiet during operation and provides a dependable light source. Additionally, a battery lantern is rather safe as there is no open flame to pose a fire or burn risk. The disadvantages are that the light is rather dim compared to other types of lanterns as the amount of power left in the battery directly relates to the brightness of light.

Gas camping lanterns use gas for power. There are different gases that you can use, but butane and propane are the most popular choices. The gas fuel comes in a canister. These lanterns are convenient to use and produce a very bright and stable light source. However, gas is often quite expensive, especially if you will be needing a lot of it and then these camping lights operate they can be noisy. An additional concern is that weather can affect the gas pressure, so in colder weather the gas may not work or it will be used at a faster rate. The canisters, usually weighing about 2 pounds each, can be heavy if you need to carry a few of them. Lastly, gas camping lanterns get very hot to the touch and do have an open flame, so care must be taken during operation to prevent accidents.

Liquid fuel camping lanterns use camping fuel, kerosene or unleaded gas for power. This type of camping lantern produces a bright light, is relatively a cheap fuel option and also provides heat in addition to light. It is also more quite in operation than a gas camping lantern, but does emit a soft noise, so it is not completely quiet. As with the gas camping lanterns, liquid fuel lanterns get very hot to the touch and have an open flame which can both produce safety risks.

The fourth type of lanterns is the candle camping lantern. This requires the use of candle to directly lighten the camping area. The lantern serves as the candle holder and there is no need for more complex design or structure to use it. The candle can be lit anytime and it can be acquired at affordable costs than other lanterns. Some candles are also made of citronella which serves as insect repellants and it has no disturbing sounds. What you need to guard when using candles is its open flame which may harm you or put your life to risk. You cannot also use it when it is windy as it may turn down the flame.

Some people prefer two or more types of lantern when camping. This is not only to provide brighter light, but also to save on expenses. If you are saving on camping costs, you can use some candles and gas lantern at the same time. The costs are only minimal but the lights are great.

Knowing all these different types of camping lanterns and how it can affect your lighting purposes, you can now make the right choice for your camping light. Weigh the limitations and usefulness of each type of lantern before you buy one. This will help you ensure that you will get only the perfect source of light for your camping area.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 5th, 2009 at 5:22 am and is filed under Exercise. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.