Not Your Father's Lantern
By Peter B. Mathiesen
Whether you're camping out near a trout stream in summer or in a wall tent on a fall elk hunt, having a reliable lantern makes life a lot more enjoyable. And as millions of Gulf Coast residents can attest, lanterns can be lifesavers during emergencies. We compared three propane lanterns for convenience and brightness, and then tested three alternatives. Here's what we uncovered.

The Test: Lanterns
I measured the following three propane lanterns with a Canon handheld digital light meter under similar conditions and found that the Coleman Pinnacle was 10 percent brighter than the Brunton, which was 60 percent brighter than the Primus. Of the non-propane group, the Coleman NorthStar was the brightest of the three, just shy of the Brunton. Battery lights can't compare to fuel-"the Essential Gear measures at only half the glow of the miniature EasyLight, and the Gerber at much less than that.