The LAMPAK Company, North Hollywood, California, made these galvanized steel cases circa the early 1950s. This case, in Bill Whitten’s collection, is 6 1/8″ square x 13 1/8″ tall without the gas can and holds a Coleman 200A. The funnel and spout fit in the upper corners of the case. This 220D (dated B 50) is mounted in a Clamp-A-Hood marketed by the Ernie Brow Sales Co., Anderson, Indiana.
It can get messy trying to refill it with gas, but other than that, I don’t mind using this one. It has a nostalgic feel to it, and brings me back to the days when I’d go ice fishing late at night with my Dad. Of course you still have to buy the lanterns, so lets take a look at the cost of buying a new lantern. Prices will vary from store to store, but they are all going to be in the same ballpark. The specs say this LED lantern will run for 85 hours on hi. That brings the operating cost to $0.14 per hour.
If you want to drop the operating cost, then all you have to do is fill the tank with unleaded gasoline. At an average price of $2.50 a gallon, that will bring the operating cost to $0.07 per hour. You can adjust the light output with the tip cleaner stem or the valve, depending on the model.
It doesn’t have the engraved OCD number on the fount but has the same parts noted above from the Coleman – Toronto factory as on the OCD model. This lantern has it’s original box with the same label as on the OCD lantern boxes (right image). Collectors coleman canopy have found a number of these non-engraved lanterns in California as well as three, including the one pictured here, that Ron Becker found in Wichita. These lanterns apparently were made in excess of the ones purchased and engraved for the OCD.
It packs into its plastic carrying case with ease once the propane canister is removed. The carrying case is light and closes securely. This product comes with a metal guard to protect the globe and reduce rattling. We used it for months during which time we took an RV trip for over ten weeks straight and used this light almost every single night. On a few nights the Northstar sat out in the rain without a cover and it still started the next evening without any problems. The Northstar was the brightest of all the lanterns that we tested.
This picture shows pretty clearly the difference in brightness and color. The other thing to notice is the the color of the light. The gas lantern gives off coleman canopy a very warm yellow light. The propane lantern is still warm, but not as yellow as gas. The LED was much different with its white, daylight balanced light.
These may have been made in a limited number to give to dealers that Coleman wanted to recognize for their service to the company. There is nothing engraved on the lantern as on a plated fount presentation lantern. This lantern, dated December ’53, is in Jamie Oren’s collection. Coleman models 228E (left) and 220E (right) had steel founts.