I want to introduce you to a little gem that just may have saved my life.
If I am overstating it then, it made me comfortable in a “edge situation”.
Let me explain, we were backpacking in the Supersistion wilderness in Arizona and camping in a place called Reavis Ranch.
It was a working ranch in the early 1900’s. There was a ranch house there but, it burnt down in the 70’s and the rangers knocked down what was left to keep anyone from hurting themselves. It is famous because it still has an apple orchard that produces quite a lot of delicious apples in the fall. It is equally popular with hikers and the local bear population and anyone else willing to walk 9+ miles for heirloom organic apples.
As you can see I am not overstating the apples, this place is truly amazing and is worth the hike in. There is year round water there, which is rare in the Superstitions.
So how did the UCO micro candle lantern save my life? Well, we were hiking in January and in the Phoenix area, which is next to the Superstitions, is quite mild that time of the year. Maybe 60-70 degrees during the day and above freezing at night. Reavis Ranch is at 4800′ and even though we knew it would be quite cold, I still didn’t bring enough to keep me warm. I have Kelty Cosmic 20 degree down sleeping bag and I slept with my Patagonia Down Sweater on and wool long johns. I was still uncomfortable (and a little concerned). As I get older I seem to sleep colder. I hung the candle lantern up in the middle of the tent, lit it and I found that with in a short time it has managed to bring the temperature to just above freezing and I was able to get to sleep.
The overnight low was 19 degrees!
Needless to say that the UCO Micro goes with me on all my winter backpacking now.
It is quite the champ, even for all you “gram-weenies” out there. It comes in at 4.2 ounces and the collapsed height is 2.5″ and extended is 3.5″. There is a bail and chain on top with a diffuser above the flame to keep hot spots from forming. The lantern has space for one tea light in the window and space to hold another the body. The tea lights are cheap and light so, if you are on an extended trip it’s not a bother to carry more. I have also found citronella tea lights for when you are bug territory. The light that it gives off is pleasing and is more than enough to read and maneuver by. One down side is that if you have a bouncy tent mate, make sure that they are settled before you light the lantern. The tea light candle turns to liquid after the candle has been lit for a while and if bumped it can spill and leak out the bottom ventilation holes. I discovered this the hard way, molten wax hurts.
Pack Rat's Cellar 