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has anyone had any horror stories with these pieces of kit.
coleman stoves and lanterns
- Thread starter someguyincanada
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oh man, do i!
this one private in my platoon was trying to refuel a lantern when a spark flew outta nowhere and ignited the nozzle on the jerry (sp?) can. He threw the can across the room (they were in a fibua basement) where a Cpl tossed it into the "closet" a few seconds before it exploded into flames. The lanterm was on fire, so that same Cpl tried to put it out, only catching his own hands on fire too. Meanwhile the private's hand and chest were on fire. Luckily everyone was ok. But holy shit it was hilarious.
P.S. I typed that really fast, and I'm dead tired, please excuse my lack of proper punctuation and/or spelling.
this one private in my platoon was trying to refuel a lantern when a spark flew outta nowhere and ignited the nozzle on the jerry (sp?) can. He threw the can across the room (they were in a fibua basement) where a Cpl tossed it into the "closet" a few seconds before it exploded into flames. The lanterm was on fire, so that same Cpl tried to put it out, only catching his own hands on fire too. Meanwhile the private's hand and chest were on fire. Luckily everyone was ok. But holy shit it was hilarious.
P.S. I typed that really fast, and I'm dead tired, please excuse my lack of proper punctuation and/or spelling.
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Armymedic said:
Yup. I'll go with that. I have numerous Coleman products at home, some well over 30 years old. Never had a bit of problem with any of them. Hell, my daughter used the same ones by herself in Guides, after a simple instruction period from me, with no problem and is still borrowing them from me 12 years later. Guess people that can't operate them aren't as smart as Girl Guides?
;D
Michael Dorosh
Army.ca Veteran
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The Army fuel sometimes sucks; best to use Coleman brand right out of the tin. My CSM and I spent an hour one ex trying to get a lantern going with the fuel in the little orange jerries. The fuel had become so diluted that we found putting a naked match directly onto a capful of the fuel wouldn't get it to ignite!! It actually put the match out. We had a little bit of the "commercial, off the shelf" stuff but not enough for the weekend.
We presumed the stuff from the jerries came from some large drum of naptha somewhere in the brigade POL shed...
We presumed the stuff from the jerries came from some large drum of naptha somewhere in the brigade POL shed...
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Michael, or maybe the storeman was flogging it and diluting what was left. I remember at Pet we had to fill up our vehicles every night. I was riding a motorcycle at the time and got pegged for a gallon every night. The POL people were laughing all the way to the nearest pub.
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one night in Farnham this past summer, me and my fire buddy were responsible for gettin some water hot and breakfast goin for when the rest of the platoon got up. We had three stoves, all fully fueled. We couldn't build up any pressure in one, and the other two would not light no matter what. a whole bunch of folks tried to light'em, so it wasn't just my lack of experience with the things. But either way, it sucked goat :-\
Arctic Acorn
Full Member
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I used to really hate lighting them, but after getting used to firing up Coleman stoves and lanterns in extreme cold conditions for a year, doing it down south in more temperate is a breeze.
They really suck to light in extreme cold (as anyone with winter warfare experience can attest). But, a little stove paste can work wonders.
:dontpanic:
A.A.
They really suck to light in extreme cold (as anyone with winter warfare experience can attest). But, a little stove paste can work wonders.
:dontpanic:
A.A.
A
aesop081
Guest
Arctic Acorn said:
Yeah, pouring fuel on the burners and lighting it for a second or 2 works good as well.
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This almost belongs in "So there I was" ... but, here goes ...
Once upon a time I was on Winter Indoc - we had guests from the 107 Armd Cav (US), and I ended up in the CO's tent (probably to amuse the guests, more than anything else ...)
Anyway, in the middle of the night I'm rudely awakened by the sound of somebody struggling with the stove ...
Sitting up in my sleeping bag, I see somebody kneeling by a ball of flames that once was the stove ...
(turns out he'd refuelled the stove and tried to relight it ... inside the tent ... which can be a bad thing ... as you'll soon see ...)
He turns around and hands me the fuel tank (which is still hissing fuel ...)
I immediately start doing my best imitation of a green caterpillar, humping my way backwards away from the flames that are now consuming the liner of the Artic tent, and then trying to burrow my way out the opposite side of the tent (... but, of course, the sides are all dug in and buried with snow on the outside ...)
Anyway, I obviously survived ...
Later than same night, when an OCdt was on stove watch and trying to disconnect the fuel tank again so he could go outside and refill it ... I wasn't sleeping as well, so the noise woke me again ... and apparently I hissed at him something like "TAKE THAT OUTSIDE OR I'LL LIGHT YOU UP!!" ...
Moral of our story: Don't burn your tent down, especially not from the inside out ...
Once upon a time I was on Winter Indoc - we had guests from the 107 Armd Cav (US), and I ended up in the CO's tent (probably to amuse the guests, more than anything else ...)
Anyway, in the middle of the night I'm rudely awakened by the sound of somebody struggling with the stove ...
Sitting up in my sleeping bag, I see somebody kneeling by a ball of flames that once was the stove ...
(turns out he'd refuelled the stove and tried to relight it ... inside the tent ... which can be a bad thing ... as you'll soon see ...)
He turns around and hands me the fuel tank (which is still hissing fuel ...)
I immediately start doing my best imitation of a green caterpillar, humping my way backwards away from the flames that are now consuming the liner of the Artic tent, and then trying to burrow my way out the opposite side of the tent (... but, of course, the sides are all dug in and buried with snow on the outside ...)
Anyway, I obviously survived ...
Later than same night, when an OCdt was on stove watch and trying to disconnect the fuel tank again so he could go outside and refill it ... I wasn't sleeping as well, so the noise woke me again ... and apparently I hissed at him something like "TAKE THAT OUTSIDE OR I'LL LIGHT YOU UP!!" ...
Moral of our story: Don't burn your tent down, especially not from the inside out ...
C
Cooper
Guest
One day my sectionmates and I were trying to light a coleman stove, and for the life of us we couldnt figure out why it refused to light. Then with about the 12th attempt, the stove suddenly exploded into flames, the entire stove was consumed by flames which reached about 6 or 7 feet into the air. Luckily one of the guys managed to pull the tank (which was spurting flaming naptha out the nozzle) away from the stove. After a few minutes the fire just burned itself out leaving the stove completly charred and ruined. Near as we could figure, the piece where the fuel tank nozzle and the stove connect was broken or clogged and the naptha was just pooling in the bottom of the sotve, awaiting our match.
Michael Dorosh
Army.ca Veteran
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Our regiment tells a similar story of a certain "M---- the Torch" (who has since passed away tragically) who, so the story goes, managed to burn down his 10 man (?) tent while on exercise in Norway. We have a pretty strict SOP about refuelling OUTSIDE the tent, which I believe is common across the Army, but we still have senior NCOs who remember the incident in question and the immediate rationale for same.
Apparently, northern Norway is a sucky place to be in winter without a tent.
Apparently, northern Norway is a sucky place to be in winter without a tent.
sdimock
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The most serious problem I've seen is flooding, where the fuel builds up in the delivery system then flows out into the bottom of the stove.
When the third, forth, or fifth match is struck â Å“because the damn thing won't lightâ ? the stuff on the bottom goes up. :evil:
Filling up out side is a no brainer but even lighting lanterns and stoves (a fire) in your tent should still be done with caution.
I think every unit has someone (or two) who is best closely supervised when operating these things.
I was told by a WO with the experience to know, that the cloth liner of your sleeping bag is fire proof enough that should you find yourself in a burning tent and your in your sleeping bag you can hunker down and ride it out.
I doubt the official policy is take cover in your liner but you never know.
Chimo
When the third, forth, or fifth match is struck â Å“because the damn thing won't lightâ ? the stuff on the bottom goes up. :evil:
Filling up out side is a no brainer but even lighting lanterns and stoves (a fire) in your tent should still be done with caution.
I think every unit has someone (or two) who is best closely supervised when operating these things.
I was told by a WO with the experience to know, that the cloth liner of your sleeping bag is fire proof enough that should you find yourself in a burning tent and your in your sleeping bag you can hunker down and ride it out.
I doubt the official policy is take cover in your liner but you never know.
Chimo
A
aesop081
Guest
I highly doubt that...i saw a liner go in flames once and it wasn't pretty.
sdimock:
Is Jen Hartmann still in 44 ?
sdimock:
Is Jen Hartmann still in 44 ?
sdimock
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Hi Aesop081,
Yes Jen is still here, I saw her this weekend.
The WO wasn't saying it was fire-proof just that when you're in your bag it would last the 45 or so seconds until your tent was done burning down, the bag itself from what I understand, melts.
Chimo
Yes Jen is still here, I saw her this weekend.
The WO wasn't saying it was fire-proof just that when you're in your bag it would last the 45 or so seconds until your tent was done burning down, the bag itself from what I understand, melts.
Chimo
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Push comes to shove, I'm going out through the side of the tent if I've got to crawl under, or if I've got to slice my way through...
We had a fellow on my basic, the poor boy was a good fellow, just lacked common sense to the point of being a safety hazard... should have been removed from the course, but he managed to graduate... that's another story though...
While on our field ex, he decided that he wasn't going to go outside to light the stove in the morning, because it was cold out, so he lit it inside... the thing turned into a large fireball, as sometimes happens... I was in the tent next to theirs, and just happened to be outside retrieving dry clothes from my ruck at the time...
Anyway, there was much cursing, as the zipper was jammed, and the stove wouldn't shut off... I was just on my way over to help when the zipper managed to open, and the stove, engulfed in flames, flew out the door, catching the bug screen on fire on the way out... end result was a good chewing out for the numpty, and no one injured, thank god.
We had a fellow on my basic, the poor boy was a good fellow, just lacked common sense to the point of being a safety hazard... should have been removed from the course, but he managed to graduate... that's another story though...
While on our field ex, he decided that he wasn't going to go outside to light the stove in the morning, because it was cold out, so he lit it inside... the thing turned into a large fireball, as sometimes happens... I was in the tent next to theirs, and just happened to be outside retrieving dry clothes from my ruck at the time...
Anyway, there was much cursing, as the zipper was jammed, and the stove wouldn't shut off... I was just on my way over to help when the zipper managed to open, and the stove, engulfed in flames, flew out the door, catching the bug screen on fire on the way out... end result was a good chewing out for the numpty, and no one injured, thank god.
