Coleman Tent Light

This is a really nice piece of camping kit, as it “clips” with the magnet to any part of your tent in seconds. (It’s got a pretty strong magnet bar, which goes on the outside of your tent, and the metal bracket of the light anchors it on the inside.) At first I wondered if the tight contact of the light would cause the tent to leak, and so far the answer has been a very clear and dry no.

The light is incandescent, inside a more or less traditional sealed bulb. I have had no problem with the light or bulb in the 2+ years I’ve owned this light. The lens diffuses the light nicely, so if you put this light at the crown of your tent, you will have light throughout.

My only problem with this unit is that it’s kind of big and bulky. It’s not that heavy, even with the four AA batteries installed, but it’s kind of large. In a camping world in which we’ve got wind-up LED systems and increasingly smaller lights which provide more and more light, I would think that an up-tech’d version of this light could be smaller and throw out more light. If you’re doing backwoods trekking where every ounce counts, this is probably not the solution you need. But if you’re doing family camping, car camping, or going to camps that have existing tents (summer camps, scout camps), then this is a really fantastic piece of gear.

———-

Update, 24 July 08

Now about a year on, here are additional comments on this piece:

It continues to function just fine, but I have one complaint. I do not store this unit with batteries in it, so each time I go camping I open the case to install and then later remove the batteries.

(The case opens by way of gently pinching the two sides together at the lamp’s waist, between the on/off switch and the lower magnetic housing. There are no locks, screws, springs or mechanical latches; the two parts of the lamp are kept together only by the flex of the upper lamp housing itself.)

After a year of easy and careful use the upper plastic housing around the pinch points has started to crack. The unit still works just fine (I just got back from a week in the woods), but it’s only a matter of time now until the housing splits or a large chunk of the plastic comes off, preventing the unit from coming together and thereby ruining it.

—————-

Update, 26 May 09

The cracks at the waist are slightly bigger, and slowly growing. The light still works fine, and just served me well on yet another campout, but the day is coming when that plastic housing breaks permanently, and this light will be finished.
Rating: 4 / 5

This is a pretty good tent light and reasonably priced.

Pros: It’s small and easy to pack. It safely attaches to the tent without causing and problems. It’s easy to use. It works. Flexible.

Cons: The light it gives is a bit dim. Many battery based lanterns give off much more light (although not as flexible in positioning). It’s difficult to position with just one person because you have to have the magnet outside the tent and the light inside, so unless you can reach to the point outside where you want it, then you need to have someone else hold the magnet in place while you place the light inside the tent. This isn’t much of a problem though.

Overall I gave it 4 stars because it works and it’s easy to use and low priced. It could use a brighter light, but otherwise is pretty good.
Rating: 4 / 5

The Coleman Tent Light is a specialized flashlight that’s versatile and lightweight. It has a xenon bulb that’s about the brightest bulb available in a flashlight and it only requires 4 AA batteries. The diffuser disperses the light throughout your tent or other area. It attaches safely to your tent without taking up a lot of room nor does it add any heat load to your comfort space.

The bottom line: the Coleman Tent Light is a nice addition to your camping equipment list unless you absolutely must cut to the bare minimum.
Rating: 4 / 5