photo from reddit Outdoors
Coleman Powerhouse Lantern
by Coleman
47
3 endorsements on r/BuyItForLife first recommended in Mar 2025
A white gas (liquid fuel) camping lantern using fragile mantles to produce bright pulsing light, with a decades-long production history and a repairable design.
Added Jul 5, 2026, Updated Jul 5, 2026
Why it's buy-it-for-life
Redditors report units from the 1980s still running today, needing only periodic mantle replacement and occasional internal refurbishment (~$50) to keep going indefinitely.
What redditors say
Recommended on reddit as recently as March 2025
Tags
camping-gear white-gas repairable vintage
This one is from the 80s and has been on more camping trips than I can count... the only maintenance it has ever been done to it is replacing the mantles every couple of years.
You'll need a small box of spare parts but the main unit is for life. I have half a dozen.
I can still hear the sound of that from camping as a kid. They put out so much more light than an LED.
their time really has passed IMHO. They make a great novelty today... but I see no reason to use one for regular use any more... LEDs are cheaper, brighter, more convenient, easier, and MUCH safer than these old lanterns.
They are still nice to have on the cooler night, they can keep a tent warm on low, CO and CO2 are a concern but unless you have an airtight tent a small draft will be fine.