Now that we’ve seen some of the battery powered lanterns out there, let’s take a look at some of the fuel and gas powered camping lanterns available. One thing you’ll notice about these lanterns is that they are generally larger and have shorter run times than the battery powered ones. They do, however, provide a brighter and clearer light in exchange for this.
First up are a couple of propane powered lanterns. This first one is made by Brunton and is available at Amazon for about $120 US. It will run for 3.5 hours on high and probably double that on a lower setting.
As you can see, it is larger than the battery powered lanterns and, due to some fragile parts inside, these sort of lanterns usually need to be transported in their carrying case. Due to their bulk, these propane lanterns are generally not a good choice for backpacking.
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Next up is another propane lantern from Coleman. It’s also available at Amazon and is priced at $35 US.
This lantern will run for up to 14 hours and has two mantles inside for additional light. Once again, as you can see, fairly large and bulky. Great for car camping, but not for backpacking.
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This next lantern is powered by butane and is great for backpackers looking for a small and light lantern to take on hikes. Made by Snow Peak and available at REI, it stands only 4 inches high and weighs under 5 ounces (without the butane canister).
In addition, the butane canister is multifunctional and can be used to power a camp stove as well.
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Our last two lanterns are powered by liquid fuel (also called Coleman fuel) and would be great for severely cold conditions. The first one is available at Amazon and would be great for car or RV camping. It weighs in at 5 pounds and will run for 7 to 14 hours, depending on the light setting.
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And the last lantern is also by Coleman, available at Amazon for $60 US, and would be a great option for backpackers looking for a liquid fuel lantern.
It weighs only 2 pounds and will burn for up to 3 hours on one canister.
