Originally Posted by
KC8QVO
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I have one of those spring load/collapsible "candle lantern"s also. In fact, I had that along with me on my last trip. It can help with heat, but I mostly had it for the candle light. It is not nearly as good of an option for warming hands as you have no where to rest them - just hover above the top.
when we car camped with the kids in a tent, I always used to bring my spring load candle lantern, and when it was cold and damp, regularly would hang it from a permanent strung up piece of cord we usually have in a tent. In the bag I carry the candle lantern, spare candle and candles, I've always had a shortish piece of stiff wire that has two hooks bent into it, one at each end of the wire-one loop goes over the cord and one under the flip upable handle of the small candle lantern. Always found it great to take out the blah dampness of a tent thats been wet and cold , and using common sense for safety alls been well for eons doing this. Even bumping into the candle in teh tent has been ok because it just swings a bit, never fell once in all the years doing this.
Never took it on a bike trip, but might consider if in cold months.
I assume you mean one of the French candle lanterns that we bought in the 1970s because back then flashlight bulbs would frequently burn out and batteries did not last very long. I have not used my French candle lantern in decades. I remember thinking that looking at it made me feel warm, but only when I was looking at it. But they were good for light. And at that era you could buy a little lantern that used those tiny little candles (tealight candles) that are about a cm high. A couple years ago I brought one of those that used the tiny candles on a trip hoping it would produce some light in a shelter, it didn't but the tiny candles had much smaller flames than the French lanterns. I suspect that the French one would have provided enough light in that shelter.
But realistically, if you eat a bit of butter, that fat will give you more warmth than the candle ever would. Yeah, looking at a flame made it feel warm, but that was just for looks. More calories is what makes you actually warmer.
Back in the 70s, I would use a safety pin in the tent ceiling in a dome tent to hang my candle lantern from if I was in a fairly tall tent. But the little A frame tents I thought were too low for that to be safe. Only did that in a double wall tent, inner was not waterproof so the pin did not damage waterproofing.