Customer Reviews

Coleman Tent Light

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(44)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

This is a really nice piece of camping kit, as it "clips" with the magnet to any part of your tent in seconds. (It's got a pretty strong magnet bar, which goes on the outside of your tent, and the metal bracket of the light anchors it on the inside.) At first I wondered if the tight contact of the light would cause the tent to leak, and so far the answer has been a very clear and dry no, on many tents of different fabric.

The light is incandescent, inside a traditional sealed bulb. I have had no problem with the light or bulb in the 4+ years I've owned this light. The lens diffuses the light nicely, so if you put this light at the crown of your tent, you will have light throughout.

My only problem with this unit is that it's kind of big and bulky. It's not that heavy, even with the four AA batteries installed, but it's kind of large. In a camping world in which we've got wind-up LED systems and increasingly smaller lights which provide more and more light, I would think that an up-tech'd version of this light could be smaller and throw out more light. If you're doing backwoods trekking where every ounce counts, this is probably not the solution you need. But if you're doing family camping, car camping, or going to camps that have existing tents (summer camps, scout camps), then this is a really fantastic piece of gear.

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Update, 24 July 2008
Now about a year on, here are additional comments on this product:

It continues to function just fine, but I have one complaint. I do not store this unit with batteries in it, so each time I go camping I open the case to install and then later remove the batteries.

(The case opens by way of gently pinching the two sides together at the lamp's waist, between the on/off switch and the lower magnetic housing. There are no locks, screws, springs or mechanical latches; the two parts of the lamp are kept together only by the plastic flex of the upper lamp housing itself.)

After a year of easy and careful use the upper plastic housing around the pinch points has started to crack. The unit still works just fine (I just got back from a week in the woods), but it's only a matter of time now until the housing splits or a large chunk of the plastic comes off, preventing the unit from coming together and thereby ruining it.

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Update, 26 May 2009
The cracks at the waist are slightly bigger, and slowly growing. The light still works fine, and just served me well on yet another campout, but the day is coming when that plastic housing breaks permanently, and this light will be finished.

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Update, 8 October 2010
Another spring and summer gone, and this light continues to soldier on. It's still got its original bulb and all other original parts. No corrosion, no rust inside or out. No clouding of the plastic lens. The cracking of the waist area I mention above has stabilized somewhat, with no plastic pieces having come off. It still works great, and it'll be with me into another fall and winter of Scout camping.

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Update, 2 June 2011
Getting ready for another campout this weekend, and this light is packed and ready to go. No changes since the last update, still working just fine.

This is a pretty good tent light and reasonably priced.
Pros: It's small and easy to pack. It safely attaches to the tent without causing and problems. It's easy to use. It works. Flexible.
Cons: The light it gives is a bit dim. Many battery based lanterns give off much more light (although not as flexible in positioning). It's difficult to position with just one person because you have to have the magnet outside the tent and the light inside, so unless you can reach to the point outside where you want it, then you need to have someone else hold the magnet in place while you place the light inside the tent. This isn't much of a problem though.

Overall I gave it 4 stars because it works and it's easy to use and low priced. It could use a brighter light, but otherwise is pretty good.

I love,love,love,this light.Take my word for it buy this and you will not regret it.I bought this becuase,i'm going backpacking across europe this summer.I took out my gear for a test run this weekend and fell in love with this light.The light really lit up my tent and is easy use.You can put it anywhere in tent or anywhere you need an extra light.This light runs off 4 AA batteries and takes up little space in your bag.

The Coleman Tent Light is a great idea. This wedge-shaped light is backed with two powerful magnets and a removeable metal mounting plate. Take the mounting plate off, put the light wherever you want to in your tent, put the mounting plate on the outside of your tent behind the light and viola! You now have light, and it easily clicks on and off with one hand, which is important when camping. The magnets are strong enough to mount the light to either horizontal or verticle surfaces. It takes AA batteries and it's easy to get the unit apart to put the batteries in or replace them.

In fact, it's too easy, and that is one of my complaints. The magnets are so poweful that pretty much anytime I take the mounting plate off, the light comes apart, too. I guess it's not that big a deal, but seems to me that it just could have been designed to avoid that. Things that continually fall apart have that "cheap" feel to them, and that's not what I want to feel when I'm in the middle of the woods. I want to have confidence in my gear!

My second "complaint" is that the light is also not that bright. I put this in a four-person tent and it was just a little more dim than I would have preferred. It was certainly bright enough to see and get ready for sleep; this is not going to be a reading lamp, though.

All-all-all, this is not a bad product and I'm happy I have it for the price at which it was sold. I just wonder if there maybe isn't something a little better out there.

The Coleman Tent Light is a specialized flashlight that's versatile and lightweight. It has a xenon bulb that's about the brightest bulb available in a flashlight and it only requires 4 AA batteries. The diffuser disperses the light throughout your tent or other area. It attaches safely to your tent without taking up a lot of room nor does it add any heat load to your comfort space.

The bottom line: the Coleman Tent Light is a nice addition to your camping equipment list unless you absolutely must cut to the bare minimum.

The product works so far, but it's pretty much obsolete now. Meaning, everything now is LED powered, which are incredibly light and compact. This guy is bulky, very heavy (with the batteries and magnet), and the light is pretty dim. I have an LED flashlight which is powered by watch batteries that is far brighter than this light, and it is the size of a large pen. This light takes 4 AA batteries and still gives off a pretty dim light. And did I mention it's bulky and heavy?

Hey, the light works, the magnet is strong, and it does the job, but I'll bet (if it already doesn't exist) someone will come out with an LED tent light that is far brighter and much less bulky. I'd recommend this light only for car camping and just for basic lighting needs, not for reading.

What a great Idea this is. I just used it on my Camping trip and it worked out great. Before I was using a Flashlight or whatever else that was handy and it was a hassle. Only light up a small Area, hunt for the light, etc. This light uses some AA battery's that pop right in. It's Magnetic. Really Strong and a Metal plate that you remove. Just turn it and pull off. You place the light inside the tent on Top. either after it's put up if it's a small tent, or before it's up, and place the metal plate on the outside. This holds the light up. Then you can put the Final Covering over the top of the tent and your done. Then just push the button on the side to turn it on and off. It will light up the entire tent. It's not that large and doesn't weigh very much, but does a pretty good job and the light should last for quite a while. Mine worked full power for a week of camping. If you have a really large tent, maybe having 2 would be a good Idea. The price is right. 1 was more then good enough for my use.

it is bright enough, runs off 4 AA batteries and has great battery life. I just wish i had done more research first, cuz for a few bucks more you can get one with a 50' range remote control. That was my fault though. But other than that gripe, this light definitely works, and has a VERY powerful magnet. Requires 2 people to mount/remove the light; one outside the tent and one inside.

On a side note, if you are camping with people that like to play pranks, DO NOT mount this light over your head in the tent, because someone outside can pull the magnet off and it will fall on your head which i imagine would be quite painful.

I've owned this little tent light for years. I've yet to go camping without it. It's super handy!

Pros:
1. A dedicated tent light (Wow, that's really nice - I don't know about you, but someone always steals my flashlight! If it's not nailed down...)
2. This magnet is STRONG! it will stay wherever you put it. Wind/rain won't move it.
3. Magnet mount lets you put it darn near anywhere!
4. Not the brightest light - which is actually nice in the middle of the night, when you need to see, but not blind yourself & wake the whole tent.

Cons:
1. This really is not the brightest light. Don't buy if you're looking for a BRIGHT light. Still a good light - but certainly not blindingly brilliant.
2. Somewhat heavy. The weight is in the batteries, so... what can you do. Just consider this fact when you mount it, and it's no big deal.

Summary:
GREAT light. We have two. I want more!
NOT bright. That can really be a bonus (i think so, personally), but better to know ahead of time.

HIGHLY recommended as a tent light! :)

Purchased two Coleman Tent Lights this spring. Worked great! They don't give off enough light to read by but I didn't buy them for that reason. Provided enough light to see and move around in the tent in the dark. Would purchase again.