Reviews > Lighting > Lanterns > Coleman Exponent Xcursion Lantern > Jodi Cornelius > Field Report

Date: December 10, 2005

My Background: I have been backpacking for 3 years now and before that I car camped quite a bit. I consider myself somewhat new to backpacking and am on my way towards becoming a lightweight packer. I tend to use a Hennessey Hammock since my only tent is a bivy tent. I prefer the hammock to a tent as the hammock leaves me swinging gently in the breeze with no hard spot from rocks on the ground. Nor do I need to dig troughs for my hips and shoulders (side sleeper) so I can practice LNT (Leave No Trace) much better.

Please see my Initial Report  for more in-depth detail.

After having a major struggle as noted in the Initial Report , the lantern has been a nice addition to my backpacking equipment. There haven't been any further flare-ups although it does tend to take a couple of tries to get it lit when I first light it.

So far, I have lit the lantern in temps down to 25 F (-4 C) at an altitude of 1829 ft (557 m) and other than the already noted lighting problems, it has lit and stayed lit at that temperature. Our temps are currently dropping quickly and for the Long Term Report I will be able to report on how the lantern works in lower temperatures.

At this point I haven't had to change the mantle. The lantern is proving to be nice and sturdy. The mantle has survived somewhat rough handling and continues to function well.

I lit the lantern and left it on just to check the length of time that the lantern stays lit. It remained lit for 5 hours and 29 minutes. Although that's not the six hours that Coleman claims, it is possible that I didn't have the tank full. Either way, I'm pleased with the length of time that the lantern stayed lit. Also, I noted when I left it on, the base did NOT get hot, or even warm.

Due to hunting season, I haven't gotten out for any weekenders yet, but I will be for the Long Term Report. Therefore, my experiences with the lantern have not been too extensive. I do have about 4 weekenders planned (barring any really bad weather) and will be using the lantern for those trips.

Test Plan: The box states that the lantern will operate in temperatures as low as 15 F/-9.5 C. I will be testing this to see if it is consistent. I will also be checking to see if it will possibly burn at lower temperatures for any length of time.

Temperatures from now on will run from 30 F (-1 C) to possible lows of -5 F (-21 C). I will be hanging the lantern on the Coleman Backpacker Gear and Table System when outside and plan on using it when the power goes out this winter. I'll be looking at how well the sliding doors work after a lot of usage . Do they stay up with no difficulty or after a lot of use, do they tend to want to slide back down? The altitude will average at 1829 ft/557 m with changes as low as 1100 ft/335 m to a high of 2476 ft/755 m.

Likes:

Dislikes:

Overall, I'm looking forward to testing this piece of gear.

Reviews > Lighting > Lanterns > Coleman Exponent Xcursion Lantern > Jodi Cornelius > Field Report