Choosing a lantern for camping can be confusing with the range available. Your choice of camping light enables you to read or enjoy family activities after night has drawn in.
LED camping lanterns are becoming more popular, as LEDs become brighter and more effective than ever before - the low current drain of an LED lantern means a longer battery life - plus no bulbs to change as LEDs have an operating life of many thousands of hours.
A rechargeable camping lantern offers even better cost-effectiveness - with no need to carry spare batteries around, models available allow recharging from a mains supply, ideal for pre-charging before you leave home, and from 12 volt car cigarette lighter meaning that you can top up your rechargeable lantern as you drive on a day trip away from the campsite. Wind-up lanterns can be recharged by winding the dynamo handle meaning that there is never any need to be without light even in the remotest of camping sites.
Gas lanterns can be particularly ideal as they give off heat as well as light and are ideal for use out of doors. The most popular type of camping gas lantern uses disposable gas cartridges, and are adjustable to control the amount of light. However it is not recommended to use a gas lantern within a tent, so an electric lantern may also be necessary.
A third option is a petrol lantern / Coleman fuel lantern. Coleman fuel is essentially a cleaned version of petrol from the pump and does burn cleaner than regular petrol, but for light out of doors, you may find using regular petrol the cheapest form of campsite light - this type of camp lantern is particularly convenient when using a Coleman fuel / petrol stove as the same fuel is used for both.
Families may feel safer using an electric lantern for camping with children as these do not involve storing fuel and do not give off any noticeable heat.