HH
i was just thinking about getting a propane lantern for myself and was wondering what everyone would recommend... i would primarily use it in the ice tent this winter and occasionally camping and fishing in the summer.... is there a different type of lantern that would work better? such as one where the mantles dont break off when bumped.?
has anyone used the LED battery operated lanterns? thanks for the input guys/gals.. .i appreciate it in advance
seanI've got the basic Coleman Propane Lantern with two mantles and elctric start ($30-35 I think). I like it alot. They work much better than the gas lanterns. I like using the mantles with wire ties instead of the ones with the string ties, they last longer,
AC
I saw the LED lanterns in a catalog and thought about it for this ice season- The Coleman lanterns are nice, but it might be nice not to worry about mantles, fuel, and burning things, especially since my LED headlamp seems to last forever on a set of batteries and I don't need an extremely bright light source in the ice shack.
are the mantles in the coleman propane lantern any different (stronger)?? dont know much about mantles and lanterns.. i have an old school coleman later that runs on coleman fuel... its real big and heavy.. seems like the smallest bump will shatter the mantles.. thx again..
seanI have two coleman lanterns that use the little propane bottles. I have used the same mantles in them for two seasons. A bottle of gas usually seems to last about 20-30 hrs depending on the brightness. I use the mantles with the wire snaps. It is a single tube mantle and very durable.costs About 30-40 bucks.
I use the Coleman Northstar....very nice, it has a single tube mantle with the wire clips. This baby can double as a heater on those not so cold days
HH
I haven't tried the LED-style lanterns--here is what I have found. I used to use a battery-powered lantern. The Coleman model I had was heavy, used up a lot of batteries (six at a time), and didn't cast all that much light. So last winter, I bought a Coleman two-burner propane lamp. It casts a lot more light, is lighter, and like someone else said, it can double as a heater. On the downside, the lamp is fragile, and requires hauling propane cylinders around. I recommend the propane models over the battery models, as the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
FYI,
If ya use a "GAS" lantern or heater, in an inclosed environment eg; Ice-shack/tent, ect. Be sure to frequently, exchange the "air" inside-to outside, due to build-up of (CO) Carbon Monoxide. As little as 35ppm (Parts-Per-Million) of CO, will give you symptoms of CO poisoning 
. Be-wise 
.
By the way Carbon Monoxide...is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. One cause of CO, is by incomplete combustion of fossil fuels.
Last fall, 2-young guys died in a tent in their backyard. From not fresh-air venting, in my town 
I bought the coleman northstar this summer and love it. I cracked theglass casing on my second fishing trip but that was because the mantle was crooked and was overheating one side of the glass. I still have not changed that glass since it works still. It's probably more light than you would need in an ice shack but on a low setting it may last for a long time. I usually ran mine on high and it lasted around 6 hours.
Rooster
For Ice fishing I would go with the gas lantern. I use a small propane bottle lantern and it is top heavy and I knock it over several times a winter and break the glass. The gas lantern will double as a heater and do fine on the not so cold days. The gas lanterns are shorter and have a bigger base. Plus you do not have to worry about the cold ruining your batteries in your battery operated lantern. Make sure to vent your tent I usually leave the top part of the zipper open so the draft will bring in new air from where the tent meets the ground. The vented top of the door lets out some of the hot CO filled air. Some times I will just completely open the doors and totally exchange the air to be safe.
I have a Coleman and it is no big deal to carry an extra mantel or two and almost no time lost doing so. There would be a memory lost of no hearing that old reliable hiss of the lantern thou. Part of enjoying something is to make good memorys or why do it.
I've got a Coleman double with the electronic start. it runs on the basic propane cylinder. It's made it through several camping and canoeing trips with my drunk friends without an issue. These guys have managed to rip a lid completely off a steel Coleman cooler... true story.
I JUST BROUGHT ONE THIS YEAR ITS BATTERY OPERATED YOU CHARGE IT UP AT HOME OR IT EVEN COMES WITH A CIG LIGHTER CORD ...SO IF YOUR OUT AND BATT GETS LOW THEN YOU CAN CHARGE IUT ON YOUR CAR AND YOU WILL BE GOOD TO GO.....
If you go with a gas or LP lantern, buy one of the steel mesh globes for it. They seem to radiate the heat a little better, they knock down the brightness to a level perfect for an ice shack AND you never have to worry about breaking a globe again!
Munchy
I must admit I shy away from anything battery powered, especially in the cold..but thats just me.. but I do own a double mantle coleman & have never had a problem with it. tanks seem to last forever, and we also used it for heat last year (this year we have a coleman catalytic! also propane). always be sure to have enough ventilation though!
Here is why I recommended a propane lantern. Yesterday morning, I was icefishing in Minnesota, where the air temp was about -5. I left my Coleman catalytic heater outside in my truck the night before, and when I got out on the ice and got my shelter set up, I found that the gasket in my heater's connector had shrunk due to the cold. When I screwed a propane canister in, the gas leaked out in a steady flow. Luckily, I had my one-burner propane stove with me, which had been kept inside, so I was able to use that to heat my shack with proper ventilation. Had I been fishing in the evening, I would have used my lantern for the same purpose, as mentioned in a previous post. An LED lantern, on the other hand, doesn't throw off much heat. 
I went from gas to Propane and won't go back myself. Never had a poblem yet
OLD SCHOOL stick to gas ... common sense.. I use tie on mantles .. if you drag the house ... carry the lantren... Pull it w the 4wheeler CARRY THE LANTREN same mantles going on my 3rd year !!!
I had a propane and went to gas Love my coleman gas lantern have a carrying case and love it.
I use two gigantic *ss*d candles when I go ice fishing. No gas, no propane, and they always work 
Isn't there a trick to pre-burning your mantles to prolong life? I don't know. My old man owns the old single mantle coleman and he loves it. I think he wore one out and had to hunt down a used one. I don't think they make the single any more. Anyways he always runs the lantern is why I'm ignorant.
Shane
I like the fuel & mantle lantern I use for ice fishing, but not enough to not search for something better (sorry, but if you use it a lot year-round like I do, mantles are bound to break at the wrong time - not a crisis if you have more, but a pain in the arse)....so I used part of my Cabelas gift certificates to order the new LED lantern.
If you've ever used an LED flashlight you know that going through batteries at a fast pace is a non-issue, and my shack stays warm enough that cold batteries are a non-issue. The only "issue" (I hope) is brightness of the lantern, and it doesn't have to be terribly bright to servce its purpose for ice fishing. Sometimes new technology doesn't beat the "old stand-by's", but sometimes it does...
I always have a backup headlamp and glowsticks, so could "survive" if it's not all I hope it is! We'll see
I had always used a gas two mantel lantern until last year. I bought a 2 mantel propane lantern that came in its own carrying case and has electronin ignition. The base fits over the propane tank and has 4 fold out legs to make the lantern more stable. The extra heat is nice especially on those days when the heater is a little too much but you need some warmth just to take the chill out. Another thing that I have not seen mentioned is that the brightness of th gas lanterns can charge up those glow jigs very nicely if your tazer or flash run out of juice. As far as mantels go I use the string tie ones. How well they perform compared to the wire tie ones I say is the same. Its how you transport your lantern that determines how well and how long they are going to last. I always pre-burn mine before I fire up the lantern but I don't think that matters a whole lot either. The propane lantern is also a lot less smelly than the gas one. The gas fumes can be quite strong. I still carry my gas lantern too just in case something happens to the propane one. It is all basically a matter of preference. I prefer propane, then gas over battery power any day. My 20 cents. LOL
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