Old Coleman Lanterns

3ringer

Senior Member
I have spring fever and have been reminiscing about camping and Coleman Lanterns. Does anybody else like the sound of an old Coleman Lantern that makes that " auuuuugh " sound ? Forget the propane or electricity , I like the old school Coleman Lantern.

I went trout fishing years ago on Sara's Creek in NE Ga. with my ex brother -in -law. We had a great site picked out on the creek. When it got dark , I cranked up my old trusty Coleman Lantern. The sound of the lantern, stream and wildlife, that is what it is all about. Well my ex brother-in-law cranks up a massive generator and a flood light. I said what the heck to you need all that for ? :crazy: All you could here is this massive generator and this god awful floodlight. Sometimes, modern is just too much. I am set in my old ways .
 

Wild Turkey

Senior Member
ive got 2 WWII army issue coleman lanterns with all the GI paperwork etc. I use one of them and the other stays in the box.

I even contacted coleman years ago to see if they wanted one for their museum. The jumped all over it and offered me a new dual fuel lantern in trade. I told them to stick it.
 
ive got 2 WWII army issue coleman lanterns with all the GI paperwork etc. I use one of them and the other stays in the box.

I even contacted coleman years ago to see if they wanted one for their museum. The jumped all over it and offered me a new dual fuel lantern in trade. I told them to stick it.

I had a couple of military lanterns that would run on regular or unleaded gas. Come to think of it I don't know what happened to them.
 

sinclair1

Senior Member
I have 5 of the green 200a from the 80's and the stove from that era. I am surprised we didnt die back then as we would hang all of them over the side of the boat and idle out to the bridge to crappie fish:crazy:
 

pnome

Senior Member
ive got 2 WWII army issue coleman lanterns with all the GI paperwork etc. I use one of them and the other stays in the box.

I even contacted coleman years ago to see if they wanted one for their museum. The jumped all over it and offered me a new dual fuel lantern in trade. I told them to stick it.

Nice piece of history!
 

Sargent

Senior Member
My mom worked for a sporting goods distributor in the 70s. So they (and now, I) have a lot of 70s vintage stuff including 2 Coleman lanterns and a Coleman catalytic heater.

The roar of the Coleman lantern brings back lots of memories.
 

fishfryer

frying fish driveler
Great thread,I too remember that sound.The thing is,my memory is sound combined with burnt bug smell.We used to hang them off bridges and off boats to attract shad and crappie in Lake Sinclair a bunch of years ago.When it's cold and after a brisk boatride,the heat is real nice too.
 

LKennamer

Senior Member
good stuff

Between my dad and I we have probably 8 or 10 from as far back as at least the 70s and several stoves as well. Operating the old style is a talent a lot of young campers don't have who are used to the propane types (after watching one such newbie try to get one lit I was obliged to take over before he burned his hair off). Coleman actually has an extensive catalog of replacement parts for even the older stoves and lanters, that's a really great thing about them, you can actually repair them rather than having to throw them out and replace them. It is a distinctive sound for sure, camping wouldn't be the same without it for me.
 

Fishin & Hunting

Senior Member
Back when I was 13 years old six of us pitched in $0.50 a piece to buy a coleman stove at a yard sale, this was in 1972. I ended up with it. It is a 1950 model. Still works.

Funny thing about this is that this stove has been up north to Canada to down south to Mexico. Out west to CA and east to SC. All families of us six kids used it for vacations, fishing, hunting, and camping trips. It was taken all over. I guess I got it last.
 
I bought 3 of the old green ones last year at a yard sale for a family friend who prefers them to propane. I paid $5 for all 3 of them. He burns regular unleaded gasoline in them instead of the $10/can coleman fuel.
 

jcinpc

Gone but not forgotten
I use mine all the time when I`m night digging for artifacts. I never cared for the propane either.I always have my fuel and extra socks for it
 

Swamprat

Swamprat
I even contacted coleman years ago to see if they wanted one for their museum. The jumped all over it and offered me a new dual fuel lantern in trade. I told them to stick it.

So what were you wanting, thosands of dollars. Why did you even waste their time.

Back to the subject....I have 2 of the older ones and a newer dual fuel.

I remember once up in Georgia I stopped to get gas and when I got done with the truck I decided to throw a few pennies of gas in the dual fuel. A deputy comes pulling into the parking lot sees me and then backs up and rolls down his window. After several long seconds he gives me "You are a idiot boy"

I told him what it was and pulled out the box it came in. After he looked at it he then said sorry for the idiot comment, that is a good idea right there.

Something about the hiss of a Coleman lantern that brings back some great memories. Also they are one of the best things to use instead of a flashlight for tracking at night.
 

RUTTNBUCK

Gone But Not Forgotten
So what were you wanting, thosands of dollars. Why did you even waste their time.

Back to the subject....I have 2 of the older ones and a newer dual fuel.

I remember once up in Georgia I stopped to get gas and when I got done with the truck I decided to throw a few pennies of gas in the dual fuel. A deputy comes pulling into the parking lot sees me and then backs up and rolls down his window. After several long seconds he gives me "You are a idiot boy"

I told him what it was and pulled out the box it came in. After he looked at it he then said sorry for the idiot comment, that is a good idea right there.

Something about the hiss of a Coleman lantern that brings back some great memories. Also they are one of the best things to use instead of a flashlight for tracking at night.
:cool::cool:
 

Sweetwater

Senior Member
We used to run Amoco white gas in em.
 

Dr. Strangelove

Senior Member
I have spring fever and have been reminiscing about camping and Coleman Lanterns. Does anybody else like the sound of an old Coleman Lantern that makes that " auuuuugh " sound ? Forget the propane or electricity , I like the old school Coleman Lantern.

Yep, same here. Sitting around the campfire, listening to the lantern and the stove hiss while waiting for the chili or stew to be done, that's the ticket...
 

3ringer

Senior Member
I used my old Coleman to light my fishing rods when I was night fishing for cats. I would have all my rods tight lined in a row. I had a shield on my lantern to block the glare. We would sit there all night staring for the smallest movement of a rod tip while listening to that old lantern sing.

Another memory is going camping and leaving the lantern turned on low , so that no monsters would come into camp while we were sleeping. Sometime during the night, the lantern would run low on fuel. The lantern would get dim and bright again over and over. It would make a wicked sound trying to stay on. This would take several minutes until it finally gave out.

I may have to go on Ebay and buy me a couple old gooden's for old times sake.
 

Fletch_W

Banned
I specifically remember the smell of the burnt insects. I can't eat a vienna sausage without getting a whiff of that in my mind.
 
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