At least as far as the desert Southwest is concerned, car temps will reach levels that will melt any candle. Everything I tried eventually became a shapeless blob with a wick.

I bought a few of these little lanterns for backpacking, camping etc and have been very pleased with them. If you've owned other UCO lanterns then you should have a decent idea of the quality level of the product.

Heat shouldn't be too big of a problem with tea candles inside cars, just keep them upright and the cup will hold them in shape.

I didn't like this smaller version of the UCO candle lantern at all.

The cheaper tealight candles become completely liquid very quickly as they heat up. As soon as you move the lantern, you're guaranteed to have wax dripping on the sides of the lantern...

I much, much prefer the regular size one with the UCO candles which are practically dripless, therefore allowing you move the lantern around a bit without needing much attention.

If you use the lantern on a stable surface such as a table, sure, it might work and be a nice novelty item. However, if you intend to use it in a real life situation (such as in a tent vestibule, on an uneven surface such as grass or rocks), it won't work as well.

As usual, YMMV.

I urge you to try whatever tea candles you get well before you need to depend on them. I have found some that do not burn well at all. Once the top part of the wick burns down, the candles would not stay lit at all.

Actually, for my money, the regular sized UCO candle lanterns are fine, and work well IMHO. There's not that much difference in the size, and there's less fussing around.

Agree, I have a couple of the standard UCO candle lanterns and a small supply of bees wax candles. Those are for the car/truck kit. I don't see a need for micro-sized candle lanterns.

Have you considered a candle made of liquid paraffin? While they aren't the size of a tea candle, they last 100 hours and are for most intents and purposes smokeless.

Example http://beprepared.com/product.asp?pn=CL%20C700

It has a wider base to be more stable. Could be hot glued to the bottom of a small coffee can with a rubber snap lid. You could even fasten up your own handle to hang it by. Best option I'm aware of for an emergency candle in a car winter survival kit.

Goatman,

Thank you for that link. I have not tried liquid paraffin and that candle looks very appealing. Especially for only $4.50

Have you ordered from that business before?

Clear Mist 100 Hour Emergency Candle

Remember safety first! This 100 hour candle burns liquid paraffin and is clean burning, odorless and smokeless, making it a great choice for indoor use whether for emergencies or decorative lighting. Light this candle and four days later it will still be burning. It comes packaged with a plastic storage cap, so you won't have to worry about messy spills.


I'm not going to worry about tea candles melting in the car here during fall-winter-spring.

The other UCO candle lanterns are terrific, fortunately this is not an either-or decision. I'm fond of the "original" and have several I bought nearly twenty years ago for camping and home use and one is in the car with a couple 3-packs of beeswax candles and a couple packs of their standard 9-hour candles.

I especially like the bigger "Candlelier" which burns three candles at a time -- can boil a cup of water on top of that one in a reasonable amount of time.

What I like about the Micro lantern is that it is very small and the tea candles are tiny and featherweight. And super cheap!

I could have carried a Micro lantern and some tea candles in my Miata. Am not as pressed for space with the Element.

I'm also thinking that the tea candles would be a good use of space in my PSK.

UCO also make a liquid paraffin insert for their original lanterns

http://www.survivaldepot.co.uk/UCO_Oil_Insert/p474753_1766432.aspx

Isn't liquid paraffin another name for kerosene?