Sunday, April 4, 2010

Happy Easter

Before I kick off this weeks review I want to wish everyone a Happy Easter. It is days like today that I like to stop and reflect on all that we have and all that has been sacrificed by others for us. As well, I would like to take a moment to say thanks to those serving both at home and abroad to make sure that we at home are safe.

This week has been another busy week of working on projects and creating unique solutions for our customers. Look some more APC exclusives in the near future. As well as keeping busy at work, I was happy to welcome my lovely wife home from her 30 day medical rotation in Honduras and get her feedback on "all that stuff you made me pack". After a week of relaxation I convinced her and some friends to head out for some camping as the weather was just perfect for some time outdoors and so we packed up and headed out. This leads us to this weeks product of the week...

The UCO Candle Lantern:

I have been using these for years with great success. They provide a nice warm light source in a compact package. In the picture shown below you will see my wonderful hot pink model which I picked up in 1993 and have been using since. I would like to say that my memory is good enough to remember when I picked it up but I was lucky enough that it still has a sticker on it where it was produced for a major outdoors chain anniversary celebration.

From Blog album


A little hard info on this things from the manufacturer:

The classic, long-burning collapsible candle lantern that has provided warm, natural light to thousands of outdoor enthusiasts since 1982, the Original Candle Lantern is still our most popular model. Lightweight and compact, the patented Candle Lantern provides 9 hours of warm light from a single candle. It is perfectly suited to backpacking, mountaineering, snow camping and similar outdoor pursuits and simple to maintain and operate. Our unique, spring loaded candle tube insures a constant flame height and minimal wax spillage. This lantern works exceptionally well inside a tent on winter hiking and camping trips.

Now lighting the candle lantern is easier than ever with our easy lighting system. The chimney quickly and easily slides down inside the lantern to give the user instant access to the candle area. Once lit, the chimney slides back up into its original position - providing wind protection for the candle flame. We sell it by itself or in a value pack. Value Pack: Includes the Original candle lantern, 3 candles, and a fleece bag.

The Original UCO Candle Lantern has these additional features:

  • Collapsible - our patented design allows the lantern to telescope closed, protecting the glass chimney while traveling or hiking.
  • Convenient Handle - Stainless steel handle makes the Candle Lantern easy to hang and carry.
  • Constant Flame Height - our unique spring loaded candle tube keeps the flame height constant while a small viewing window shows how much candle remains. Each candle burns for up to 9 hours.
  • Economical - the Candle Lantern is affordable to purchase and economical to use. Other lanterns can cost up to $2.00 per hour to operate, the Candle Lantern costs only about 9 cents per hour.
  • Efficient - lightweight aluminum or brass frame holds the glass chimney securely in place, creating a windproof environment for the flame.
  • Safe - No combustible fuels, no complicated starting procedures.
  • Reliable - no batteries to fail and replace, no mantles or bulbs to break.
  • Environmentally Friendly - no batteries or fuel cartridges to dispose.
  • Lifetime Parts Guarantee - see below
  • Made in U.S.A. with top quality materials and workmanship.
A little info from my use:

As I mentioned before I have been carrying and using these for years and for a number of good reasons. They are fairly durable considering they do contain a glass globe, I have yet to have to replace a globe in any of the ones I have used including the "pinky" from 1993. Keeping them in the case and careful packing during travel helps with this. Outside of durability the actual function of the lantern is of course primarily light and these lanterns provide a nice comfortable and quiet light. If you need something brighter you may consider a fuel or electric lantern but you will be trading off the quiet (liquid and compressed gas lanterns) or the soft comfortable light (electric lanterns), something to think about. Along with offering a soft quiet light these lanterns are a great source of heat if used with care. A perfect example was our trip afield this weekend. I am pretty tolerable of cool temps but even I like to warm up the tent before heading to the sleeping bag on cool and cold nights. One technique I have found useful is to rig up a section or two of 550 cord from loops inside my primary tent so that I can hang one or more of these lanterns inside and keep them a safe distance from the tent and occupants during use. This weekend I set this up while we were bedding down for the evening and was nice and warm even in a light summerweight bag with outside temps in the mid to high 40s and a pretty solid breeze.

One other place I have used this concept successfully has been in caving. It is quite common to get quite cool when underground, particularly when wet. On a number of occasions I have used one or two candles under an improvised shelter (a large trashcan liner) to create a microclimate capable of warming up a cold team mate.

NOTE: Caution should be used in both of these techniques as you can very easily burn yourself, your team/tent mate and even light your shelter/tent on fire. Very close attention should be paid to making sure that nothing comes in contact or even close to the heat source.

So what about that other item in the picture above? That is the UCO Candlelier which contains 3 of the standard candles for even more light and heat. The Candlelier is a rigid non-collapsing body design which allows you to place a mug on the heatshield to warm liquids. During my testing I was not able to get it water to a rolling boil but it did start bubbling and was more than warm enough be uncomfortable on the fingers or the tongue without letting it cool.

So if you need a good source of warm heat in your travels I would encourage you to look at some of the options we have available at Austere Provisions Company:

From Blog album

UCO Candle Lantern Value Pack available at Austere Provisions Company
Includes a complete lantern with candle installed, 3 replacement candles, and a soft fleece bag.

From Blog album

UCO Candlelier Deluxe Kit available at Austere Provisions Company
Includes the complete Candlelier with 3 candles installed, 3 replacement candles, and a padded case.

From Blog album

UCO Regular Candle 3 Pack available at Austere Provisions Company

That is all for this one, thanks for checking in and have a great week.


Stay sharp,

Mike

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