Anyone out there remember when Caravans had gas lighting.I can remember my dad replacing the mantels,very flimsy things I wonder what they made from?.,In another thread questions are being asked on TVs digital and satellite.From gas mantle to satellite aerials its nice to know goodtimes are to be still to be had.Speaking of goodtimes I'm underneath mine tomorrow replacing the girder clips that carry the 12v cables.Gary
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- Thread starter toad a caravan
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Yes. Plus we then found out they were radio-active Thorium dioxide, but 60 years on I have probably got away with it.
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- Nov 11, 2009
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You were probably using them when pitched up in a radon area, with a wristwatch with radium or tritium luminescent dial.
Quite probably, but not fingering the stuff and getting covered in the dust or blowing that out of the way.
I did like these lights and the warmth from them, I still could find a couple somewhere in the shed; well "find" is probably too specific, it would be more rediscover them one day.
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- Nov 16, 2015
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It possible was as we were in Cornwall if I recall they have a lot of radon.i prefer a lot of pasties. Gary 😊
- Nov 16, 2015
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I remember, lighting a new one, as it shriveled up and then went "pop" into shape.
I was aware of the use of gas lighting in caravans but they'd changed to 12v by the time I bought our first in '83 - I do though remember mantles used in "Tilley lamps" when I was in the Scouts - the mantles used to be very delicate until they'd been through a heat cycle.
- Jul 18, 2017
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We had gas lighting in the caravan and strangely the mantels never broke even when traveling on some very rough and bumpy roads in Africa. Fridges were gas only with an icebox that was smaller than a shoebox! To cool the beer or drinks we used nearby rivers. In those days it was initially steak, sausage and fresh veg followed by tins of food and you lived on that for weeks.
I remember a relative had a static caravan with gas lighting ........... over 40 years ago 
It always amazed me when setting a new gas mantle, you could fit easily, then catch fire to it, it would go black then back to white again, once you had done that if you touched the mantle again it would just fall to bits, but untouched lasted years.
I also recall how the new mantle changed so much as it "conditioned" itself on first lighting, including how much it shrunk and reshaped into a globe form. On this latter point, discovering that before lighting, when nice and flexible, it paid to ensure it was as uniformly distributed so could "inflate" with minimum risk of ending up hardening in a deformed shape, but into the right nice little globe it ought to be.
By todays standards camping was less refined, but still remembered as being every bit as enjoyable, then it was in our younger days with that's many pluses.
Reading the comments on this post brought back memories of caravaning with my parents in our Eccles around early 1950's at Pentewan sands ( didn't look then as it does today)
- Jul 18, 2017
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Living in a rural area subject to the occasional power break, we now have the two Gaz lamps, a gas BBQ and a small camping gas one burner stove. Just like the good old days! LOL!
Living in a rural area subject to the occasional power break, we now have the two Gaz lamps, a gas BBQ and a small camping gas one burner stove. Just like the good old days! LOL!
We re-camp to the caravan, not quite back to the days of old but far from all negative, as long as the gas holds out.
One of our mantle lamps is paraffin powered, now buying fuel for that might present its own challenges if I ever unearth the lamp and spare mantles?
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I can remember going on holiday in early sixties and the holiday cottage never had electric. We only had those funny shape lanterns with a wick. They worked quite well and never went out even if walking outside in a howling wind.
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We occasionally used a paraffin lamp in the lounge until we moved house in 2019, but gave it away as part of the declutter project. But I’ve still got a working miners lamp but the price of paraffin makes electricity or diesel look a bargain. No more greenhouse heating for me. Even though it was insulated with bubble wrap.
I started camping in the late 60s and had those little Blue Gaz Lanterns with the mantle. Being an engineer I was tempted to poke one after it had been used.... very fragile. I seem to recall you could buy replacements but not easy to fit.
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We always carried a spare mantel with us and now at home I also have a spare although it must be several or more years old.
First went down to Cornwall early sixties and it has changed a lot.We found a site called trelispin near Gorran I went with my parents,my son first went down there at 3 months old in a Reliant robin van .my grand kids now go down next year my great granddaughter..note didn't have a caravan on tow when in reliant😊
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