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Brunton Liberty Mantleless Lantern

rated 4.0 of 5 stars

The Liberty Mantleless Lantern has been discontinued. If you're looking for something new, check out the best fuel-burning lanterns for 2024.

photo: Brunton Liberty Mantleless Lantern fuel-burning lantern

Ok here's the deal, size wize, weight wize this lantern CAN'T be beaten, but it will only output 80 watts of light in the IDEAL condition like no wind below 15 degree celsius. That being said I think some reviews are not fair.

First, they didn't take the time to learn how to set it up properly. What I mean is that this lantern isn't quite friendly, first you have to let it heat for like 30 sec, second you will need to play a lot with the air/gaz ratio witch is kind or akward at first. But the first trip I made with it it was like minus 5 and I've been able to get a decent 60 watts of light out of it which I find fairly good considering that it was windy a lot.

NOT CHEAP, listen if you're not a backpacker go buy yourself a good old propane 2 mantel lantern and you'll be happy, but if you want to save a LOT of space and a lot of weight then I would defenitely (spelling anyone?) recommend the Liberty. Great product, not price attractive though ;).

Price Paid: $140

sOrr y aBout m y typing, J ust finnnished play ying with my BRUnton LLiberty L antern. DAMn that thing i s BrighT. Can"t see what I"M tyPing.

All kidding aside. Wow! BRIGHT. And, wow! HOT. Literally. Won't be using this thing inside my camper before September or October. It must put out at least 2500 - 3500 BTU's of heat. MINIMUM.

Also, it is VERY movement sensitive. Jiggle it and the little bit of liquid gas that gets shot into the element puffs the "flame" away from the platinum element and leaves you with a blue flame burning above the dome. Half the time it relights itself, the other half you have to adjust the pressure and air mix to get it producing light again. It's definitely a tabletop light only.

Other than that though, awesome lantern. Packs as small as two Mars Bars stacked on top of each other. Super lightweight. Tons of directable light.

MY GOD. This lantern is awesome. It is one of the brightest lanterns I have ever used. It is brighter then the two mantle Coleman lantern I use for truck camping. It is almost too bright. I never have to worry about the mantle or glass breaking on this thing because there is none.

It puts off more of an orange light then white, but this is not a big concern for me. When lanterns start putting off colored light (pink, green) I will complain. It’s fairly lightweight and packs down small. My only gripe had been that you could not hang it. I used a little ingenuity, rigged a small steel flexible wire to hang this from. It works great now.

Price Paid: $50

I read the other reviews and I agree with the ones who said the people with the orange glow didn't adjust it correctly. I was a little timid at first about the adjustments but found it was actually really easy to use. With no glass to shatter and reflectors that keep it pointed where you need the light I have found it to be a great car camping asset for the 6 of us (small small small) and great for back country nights playing cards and games with a group. My only complaint is there is no way to hang it and... I want one more because it is so small! That being said you really can't go wrong with this lantern.

Price Paid: $99

Having been given the Liberty for x-mas I was terribly exicited to use it. It has a neat cutting edge look to it and is incredibly small when folded up. Having said that I will tell you this, I will go back to using my GAZ 270 lantern! The light from the Liberty is an orange light that doesn't compare to the bright white of the GAZ mantle lantern, the mantle only having been replaced once in many many years of backpacking use. The claimed eighty watt output seems a real stretch. Plus the fact that it can only sit on the ground, or level rock, while the GAZ has a chain and is always hanging around my camp.

Price Paid: $110

I'm a ultralight backpacker so the size and weight of this lantern was very appealing. When I brought my new lantern home and fired it up I asked, "Where's the 80 watts of light at?" as stated in the instruction manual. The light it puts out is a dull orange color equivalent to maybe a 15 watt light bulb or a kerosene oil lamp. Just bright enough to pitch your tent, maybe read a map. It's easy to light, usually with just one click of the ignitor and wind does not effect the light at all. I rated this 2 stars mainly because I'm really disappointed with the light output.

Price Paid: $110

All you orange glow people - there is a little black control lever on the back that will change the amount of air entering the burner. Adjust this, look directly at the bright light and enjoy seeing spots for the next 10 min. This thing is bright! Brunton doesn't play around with anything.

Downfalls: Expense (platinum mantle), a little heavy, burns up all your gas in a few hours. -- Get a Brunton Glorb LED- $30, 250 hours on a few AAAs- save your gas for cooking. And you can use it in the tent without burning it down.

Price Paid: $99

This is a great little lantern. I bought it after hearing an outdoors store clerk telling me how great she found it to be on a recent backpacking trip. Indestructible and bright! Like some of the reviewers, I at first got a dull orange glow. After tweaking the fuel and air flow, though, it came on at a "painful to look at" brightness.

Price Paid: $98

For those who really hate the prospect of fitting a new mantle to a lantern in the dark, this lamp is for you. While it is not the brightest lantern out there, mine certainly produces much more than the dim orange glow that others have described. I would describe it as intimate, but not dim.

It's easy to pack and easy to light.

Price Paid: $119

Pros

  • Love it. Great light and source of heat.

Cons

  • The limited lifetime warranty is a joke.

Does anyone know if the mantle on the Liberty can be replaced? Mine has several holes now on it and I hate to toss it away if it can be fixed. I've tried several times to contact Brunton and no response.

Source: received it as a sample, freebie, or prize (Brunton)

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Specs

Price Historic Range: $79.83-$131.04
Reviewers Paid: $50.00-$140.00

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