Product Description

The Coleman Tent Light is a great addition to any camping trip. The strong, built-in magnet allows for easy attachment without damaging the tent fabric. The light operates on four AA batteries (sold separately). The powerful xenon bulb is replaceable.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #538 in Sports & Outdoors
• Brand: Coleman
• Model: 830A250T
• Dimensions: .80 pounds

Features

• Tent light with powerful built-in magnet
• Secures to tent poles without damaging tent fabric
• Powerful, replaceable Krypton bulb illuminates tent's interior
• Runs on 4 AA batteries (sold separately)
• Easy on/off switch; made in China

Amazon.com Product Description
A great addition to any camping trip, the Coleman tent light will keep your tent illuminated during the evening hours. The light attaches to your tent poles easily and securely via the built-in magnet, so you needn't worry about damaging your tent fabric. The light's powerful, replaceable Krypton bulb, meanwhile, offers plenty of light for reading, playing games, or chatting. Best of all, the light--which operates on four AA batteries (sold separately)--won't get in your way while you sleep or hang out, unlike standard lanterns. Made in China, the light includes an easy on/off switch.

About Coleman
The Coleman Company has been creating and innovating products for recreational outdoor use since W.C. Coleman started selling gasoline-powered lanterns in 1900. Inventor of the hugely popular fold-up camp stove, Coleman developed a plastic liner for his galvanized steel coolers in 1957--the birth of the modern cooler--and the company has been improving their utility and design ever since. The array of products that bear the Coleman name now includes just about everything you might need to work or play outdoors, from tents and sleeping bags to boats, backpacks, and furniture.

Customer Reviews

A Nice Piece of Kit, Somewhat Bulky
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.

The light is incandescent, inside a more or less traditional sealed bulb. I have had no problem with the light or bulb in the 2+ 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 08
Now about a year on, here are additional comments on this piece:

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 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 09

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.

Really cool gizmo

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.

Good light - not so bright
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.