Lighting

Fuel lanterns and lamps come in all shapes and sizes and can range from around 15 to

hundreds of dollars. There are lanterns that run on propane gas, unleaded petrol, paraffin

and lamp oils, kerosene and camping fuels such as Shelite and Coleman Fuels. Be sure to

always carry enough fuels and also the right tools and spares for your type of lantern,

which may include: spare mantles, wicks, cleaning equipment and tools to clear the jets for

gas appliances.
Wick Lamps
Also known as an ‘oil lamp’ is a simple type of kerosene lamp which works in much the same

way as a candle. The wick, which is normally made of cotton, absorbs the kerosene and when

lit, burns and produces a yellowy flame. As the kerosene is burnt, capillary action inside

the wick draws more kerosene up from the fuel tank to be burnt. These traditional lanterns

are commonly made of wrought iron or bamboo and are usually found in hardware stores.

Pure Paraffin Oil
This oil is known to be the cleanest burning fuel suitable for wick lamps. Unfortunately for

the consumer, due to additional refining, this fuel proves to be one of the most expensive.

The flame produced by this odourless fuel is not as bright as with other fuels and may

damage some lamps due to the ignition temperature being higher than other lamp oils such as

kerosene.

Generic Lamp Oil
This can be found in supermarkets or hardware shops and it costs less than pure paraffin

oil. Although lamp oil may cost more than kerosene, this oil burns much cleaner and emits

fewer odours.

Kerosene
Kero is a much cheaper alternative, especially when it is bought in bulk. This fuel contains

more impurities such as sulphur and aromatic hydrocarbons than lamp oil and the odours

produced by burning kerosene in wick lamps can be quite objectionable indoors.