I have absolutely no doubt that someone will chime in with “I bought a bunch of tea lights at WalMart for a dollar! You don’t need any yuppie survivalist candle holder!” May be. But there won’t be any awards given for the person who went through a crisis and survived using the cheapest gear. I mean, let’s be realistic…when you need gear in an emergency don’t you want the best quality you can get? Or, put another way, you’re on a sinking ship…would you like the ‘Made In China’ lifejacket that was on sale at WalMart or would you like the USCG-approved, meets-SOLAS-requirements, double-stitched, inspected-once-a-year lifejacket? Thinks fast, both are sitting on the railing in front of you and the water is sloshing around your knees. Which one do you grab? Yeah..I thought so.
The candle lantern is in the Box O’ Gear because, to me, it seems a good choice for when you’re stuck in the snow and cold in a vehicle. It provides light, heat, warmth, and is just generally soothing. Yes, there is a carbon monoxide threat, I suppose, but cracking the window just a tad should cover it. They usually come with a nice length of chain so you can suspend it from your rearview mirror…the nice thing about that is the heat will rise and keep a spot on the windshield clear of ice and snow so you can see what the heck is going on out there.
The reason I prefer the candle lantern over a bare candle (because someone is going to say ‘just get a plumbers candle and a mason jar!’) is that I don’t feel comfortable with a naked flame in a closed environment where it would be too easy to knock the damn thing over. At least with the candle lantern, you can knock it over onto a pile of newspaper shreds and still be safe. Additionally, used with a canteen cup or similar container, you could melt small quantities of snow as needed.
Possibly the difference between a cold and dark night of misery in a stuck vehicle or a safe and reasonably not-unpleasant night. Add wine and a morally-challenged coed to create your own romantic experience.
Sitting in the box is:
I’ve used these candle lanterns and been very pleased with them. They are clearly no substitute for a good LED light in terms of lumens, but the heat and other benefits make it an excellent choice for when you’re stuck in a vehicle. The reflectors are, admittedly, luxuries but they came with the bundle and they do help make the most of the light the candle provides.
A word about the knock offs: don’t. As with any good idea, the Chinese jumped on it and started making their own copies. The ones I’ve seen have sharp metal edges, loose fitting parts, and are generally not something I’d want to trust my safety and comfort to. Spend the extra bucks and get the real deal. Make sure you remove the candle from the lantern to extinguish it…blowing into the lantern to put out the flame will blow wax against the glass and it is a major pain in the ass to remove it.
The stuff sack has enough room for extra candles, matches, cigarette lighter, and any other goodies you want to add. But, really, who cares? If the supplied stuff sack is too small go grab a Crown Royal bag or a small cardboard box. It’s about what works for you.
Like all gear that you think you might need in an emergency, test the stupid thing. Don’t just jam this stuff into your box o’ stuff and think you’re done. Put it together and make sure you know how it works, make sure all the parts are there, and make sure you know what you’re doing with it.
REI or just about any camping store will have these things but for one-stop shopping you may as well swing over to Amazon and just get the whole kit and caboodle.
I have used the UCO version of these for decades in my normal camping gear. Never have seen the reflector before, I kinda like it. Ditto on the naked candle in a vehicle idea, I shudder to think of someone trying to jury rig something to keep it upright on today’s curved dashes. Also your vehicle may not be level when it comes to a stop (sudden or otherwise) and this hanging from something is better than burned to death in a vehicle filled with fabrics and foams.
In the normal camping gear I use the citronella candles, but have stopped using them in the BOB as I believe the smell would be a no-no if I’m snooping and pooping to get home. A single candle will last more than 8 hours but YMMV.
I would like to add a note on storeage, I keep mine in neoprene long neck beer coozies. A lantern and 3 candle stacked on top are just about all you can get in there and then it zips up tight.
Just love the candle lantern, just picked up the mini that uses the tea candles and it works for what it is. I’ve also found that the slightly cheaper Coleman candles for a similar unit fits the UCO lanterns. Buddy has the oil lamp insert, he switched it back to standard candles after two uses.
I imagine the carbon monoxide threat from a single candle flame is negligible, even in an enclosed space like a vehicle. Like you suggested, it’s probably a good idea to crack a window an inch every hour or two just to get some fresh air, which will more than negate any CO created by the little candle.
For around the house, I’m a big fan of the 7-hour tea light candles sold on Amazon. You can buy a big box of 50 or 100 for a very reasonable price, they put off decent light, can be easily placed anywhere a small amount of light is called for (stairwells, bathrooms, kitchen counter tops), and in my experience you get close to the entire advertised run time out of them. They don’t require batteries or periodic inspection, and their shelf life is nearly infinite. I still have flashlights and lanterns for people to have on their person, but that many lumens are rarely needed simply for navigating a familiar house.
LOL… I learned the hard way about getting wax off of the inside of one of those candle lanterns. PITA.
I was given a candle lantern years ago by a thoughtful cousin – I love it! Much safer & more practical than a bare candle. I do use tea candles, but only at home & I don’t depend on them for emergency lighting. They’re more like night lights.
I don’t keep a flashlight in the car in winter as I’ve found that cold temps are hard on batteries. I keep a headlamp in my purse.
Use a flashlight that runs on lithium batteries. My experience has been that they are far more resistant to temperature issues.
Other than the reduced run times that you get with everything battery related in extreme cold, I didn’t have any issues with flashlights with CR123 batteries in them during the 2 winters I spent in central Wisconsin.
Lithium batts, like CR123, handle temperature extremes leaps and bounds better than regular batteries.
you’re on a sinking ship…would you like the ‘Made In China’ lifejacket that was on sale at WalMart or would you like the USCG-approved, meets-SOLAS-requirements, double-stitched, inspected-once-a-year lifejacket?
This.
I’m astounded at the number of times I’ve encountered: 1) Tool wears to point of near uselessness; 2) User buys new tool; 3) Old, worn tool “goes in the truck toolbox.”
I understand not wanting to sacrifice potential value, but I completely fail to comprehend why the worn tool goes into the vehicle where it – probably – will be used, in the dark, while it’s raining, on a muddy road shoulder, while the shiny, new fully-functional tool gets reserved for use in a lighted, heated, garage.
Candle lanterns are used by hikers and campers for a good reason. If they spill or get knocked over, they don’t burn you or your equipment, either of which could be life threatening in many situations. (And still be careful! Burns HURT!) Burns also leave the damaged skin open to infections.
I had the cheap ‘Coghans’ brand candle lantern as a Boy Scout. Used it for years and was happy with it. Later on the glass broke when it was poorly packed in a move and they didn’t offer a replacement. I inherited a name brand one. Otherwise I would have replaced it with the same.
There are some folding candle lanterns on the market that work pretty well. Garrett – Wade sells an old folding design (Stonebridge Candle Lantern) that looks good to me. With lantern lid folded open, a good platform for cooking vessel ?
cool, never thought about the vehicle not being level and on all fours. they just found a poor girl that had been missing here for days trapped in her crashed car. hanging candle lantern next in my amazon basket. i have a little msr stove in my truck but if there’s no flat spot to set it up, its useless. thanks for the tip. wish i already had one, snow today and cold as heck. i have to go over the mountain to work monday, 6 degrees forecast.