The Cool Camp gas-powered candle lantern is a simple little light to keep around the house for either ambiance or emergencies. It also has a particular feature that might, just might, lend itself to outdoors duty.

I can find little on the origins of this candle lantern, nor when it was first available. I purchased mine via Amazon for £22.99 and it, or similar, are also available via AliExpress/Alibaba. The only words that are shown on the gas powered candle are “ON-OFF” on the gas supply valve and “Cool Camp” on the side of the detachable gas canister. The simple packaging offers nothing further and no instructions are included. The brand name on the order site is Sportarc who appear to be a subsidiary of Shenzhen Yafex E-Commerce Co. Ltd., China. Similar candles fuelled by small canisters have been produced by Boundless Voyage and Camping Moon though their included canisters are slightly different in shape, with wider bases and are also heavier.

My Chinese made Cool Camp gas-powered candle lantern appears identical to the Japanese made Soto Hinoto, model SOD-251, released in March 2021 but unavailable to the European market for a long time. I even contacted Soto’s Japanese headquarters to see if I could buy one, but they refused to sell me one saying they had no plans on extending sales outside of Japan. But the Hinoto is now available, though you will have to do a bit of looking around and pay an inflated price. In the interim, I purchased the Cool Camp version. It could just be a very good clone but interestingly the storage case that Soto supply with their gas lantern is also made in China. Did their lantern also originate from there? Do we now have Japanese companies outsourcing manufacture of their products to China?

The gas powered candle can be connected to any screw-type EN417 lindal valve iso-butane gas canister. The ‘candle’ and valve control come as one block weighing 67.5g with a tight fitting removable cylindrical 50g glass chimney surround. The glass chimney is kept tight fitting to the main candle block by a thick O-ring. This glass is quite thick (2.7mm) and has a metal surround to the top. It is a tough little thing but could obviously break if dropped on to anything hard. It comes with a soft 7g fabric drawstring closure baggie but this has no padding and will do little beyond preventing scratching or rattling.

The complete candle with chimney weighs 117.5g. Dimensions are 38mm diameter x 48mm for the candle and 36mm diameter x 75.5mm for the glass chimney. 107mm high x 38mm diameter as a connected unit. When the candle is connected to its gas canister it stands 157mm tall and weighs a total of 226.5g with an empty canister. This can hold up to 10g of fuel, so the whole ensemble is a maximum of 236.5g with a full canister. So while no great lightweight, it is no heavyweight either. The similarly powered gas lantern from BRS is a little lighter and weighs 99g with no canister. That is largely due to a less robust chimney.

The candle lantern can be attached to any canister with a screw-on lindal EN417 valve which not only greatly extends the burn time but also makes for a much more stable light. Due to the greater pressure in a larger canister the candle flame can also be much larger but it is best to keep the flame below the top of the chimney for safety, and even lower than this to reduce the carbon build up on the chimney. If carbon (soot) does build up, simply pull the chimney off when it is cool and wipe off the inside with a cloth.

There are two ways of lighting the candle. Turn the gas on by rotating the cuff to ON, and light from the top of the glass chimney with either a lighter or match. The second way is to remove the chimney first, turn the gas on then light at the coils of wire, then replace the chimney. Adjust flame to what you want. To turn off, rotate as far as the cuff will turn clockwise. If the candle is accidentally tipped on to its side, it remains lit. Be aware that the glass chimney gets very hot in use and remains so for a good while after the candle is extinguished.

The candle lantern comes with a simple storage pouch and an empty steel, aluminium and brass gas canister. The canister is very well made and is intended to be refilled from another isobutane gas canister. To the tip of the protruding lindal valve it stands 55mm high with a slim diameter of just 37.8mm. This canister weighs 109g when empty. The weight coming from its robust construction. It has a 1/4″ brass-lined screw thread in the canister base so that it can be screwed onto and stabilised on a small tripod if wished. There are various small camera tripods available. Cool Camp have their own, though I found it impossible to source. Additionally Soto make their own canister stand for their Hinoto lantern, this is model SOD-2602, and purchased separately.

The candle flame is centred around some coils of metal that glow when the flame is lit. It provides a small gentle light that is quite atmospheric. It is low powered and heat is generated so the same care should be taken as with any other flame, heat source or candle. The gas supply and height of the candle flame can be adjusted from almost nothing to not much more than any standard wax candle flame. Adjustment is made by twisting and turning the plastic gas supply feed valve at the base of the candle unit. Firmly twisting all the way it will turn clockwise turns off the feed entirely. Depending on candle flame height, it will burn for one to two hours on a full tank. When purchased a thick rubber spacer is supplied, this goes between the gas canister and screwed on candle. When in place, this prevents gas escaping from the canister valve whilst in storage, so don’t lose it!

Refilling the canister is easy enough provided care is taken and an appropriate adapter used. A set of accurate digital scales is vital to this process. The Cool Camp gas canister has a maximum capacity of 10g of fuel and this should not be exceeded. I have discussed adapters and the process of transferring gas from canister to canister before in three dedicated posts. An adapter such as those made by G-Works are the best tool for the job and while there are cheaper versions of these, the G-Works Gas Saver Plus is probably the best constructed one available. Soto also make a little Fill Adapter (OD-TRC) for refilling their lighters from a lindal valve canister. This can also be used to fill the little gas canister on the Cool Camp candle.

• Adapters for gas canister lindal valves
• Adapter from butane cartridge bayonet connector to lindal valves
• G-Works Gas Saver Plus– transferring gas between lindal valve canisters

Now to discuss the potential for this little candle to lend itself to another application. I already own a BRS-55 Dream Candle and never purchased the Cool Camp candle lantern to use it as it is. Though I can always revert to that when the apocalypse hits!

I was more interested in the potential of the small gas canister for inclusion in a small brew-kit. It is a very small capacity canister and is no lightweight, but it’s small size is remarkable. Even with a small stove, it will fit in the smallest of pots or Ti cups and is easily capable of a couple of water boils. Perfect for a day walk but less so for even a couple of days. I’ll look at that set-up in my next post.

Alternatives:

Beside the Cool Camp lantern, Soto Hinoto and BRS-55 Dream Candle (sold under a few other names) there are alternative gas powered candle lanterns available. These may have different features, dimensions or weight, such as five from Blackdeer/Fire Maple. From these, the simpler in design metal and borosilicate glass Blackdeer Candle apparently only weighs 87g and their steel globed gas lamp just 79g, but that looks quite large. However, I have yet to see either of these. There is also the 122g Robens Snowdon Gas Lantern, that is both heavier and bulkier.

Three Points of the Compass has looked at a number of electric ‘light’ options. Also a few other candle options, both gas and traditional wax. Links below:

• BRS-55 Dream Candle, a gas-powered candle
• Light diffusers– small silicone shades that create a 360° spread of light
• Montbell crushable lantern shade, converts a headlamp beam to a 360° spread of light
• Nitecore ML21 magnetic lantern for attaching to Nitecore 21700 series HPi batteries 
• Nitecore NU25 headlamp, 2017 version, lightening the headband
• Olight Obulb, battery-powered 360° LED globe lantern
• Primus Micron gas lantern, with steel globe, an ‘almost’ unbreakable gas light for plenty of light and heat in camp
  • Primus Micron gas lantern: changing the mantle
• RovyVon Aurora A5x Red, what was probably the best handheld ‘glow-in-the-dark’ keychain light there is for backpackers, until…
• RovyVon Aurora A5R, third generation handheld ‘glow-in-the-dark’ keychain light (2022)
• Silicone light diffusers
• Sofirn BLF LR1 2.0 lantern. The best battery powered lantern available. Not for backpacking though
• UCO Candle Lanterns, old school light and heat
• UCO Candle Lantern accessories
• UCO Candle Lantern- servicing
• USB-A LED lantern– minimal 360° lighting in a small tent
• USB LED lights– there is nothing lighter, nothing smaller!