I just returned from a family camping trip in Northern Saskatchewan last week and I had such a wonderful time! Camping is one of those things that can be as simple or as complicated as you want depending on the accessories that you have with you. And for the best and most innovative camping accessories, no brand has earned as much renown as Coleman.

I was lucky enough to receive a few fun and useful Coleman Canada products for our recent trip and I couldn’t wait to try them out. I received a Coleman 4-in-1 Mini Quad Lantern with Marker and a Stearns Puddle Jumper Deluxe to review. The lake we were visiting for our vacation had an absolutely gorgeous long sandy beach, so I was especially excited to see how the Puddle Jumper worked for Zackary.

I loved the way the Puddle Jumper fit not just over Zackary’s arms but also around his chest. Like so many beginner swimmers, he has a fear of putting his face in the water and the Puddle Jumper’s design does a much better job of making sure that his face stays out of the water than traditional inflatable water wings.

Zackary loved his Puddle Jumper, especially since I told him that he could go out a little deeper when he was wearing it. For a child that is afraid to put his face in the water, he absolutely loves having the rest of his body submerged, and despite the fact that the water was extremely cold, he spent at least an hour every day playing in the lake with his Puddle Jumper.

The Coleman 4-in-1 Mini Quad Lantern had a design that made it just perfect for family use. The lantern is comprised of four individual LED lights that clip into place around the top of the lantern base. If someone has an errand away from the campsite, lighting the way is as effortless as unclipping one of the four individual lights and heading off.

I liked the way that the individual lights each featured a rubber ring handle, a magnet and a belt clip so that they could easily be used in various locations. I also enjoyed the fact that every individual light featured separate switches to turn it on and off as well as a master switch on the top of the lantern. In other words, if the individual LED lights were all switched on but the lantern was switched off, the lights would turn off as soon as I placed them on the lantern’s base. And if the lantern was on but the LED switches were off, the individual light would turn off when it was removed. What a great power saver!

Everyone in the family loved the convenience of the lantern, but the feature that we all loved best was the fact that we could put the included snap-on coloured lenses over the lights to create a fun rainbow-hued light for our campsite! The red, green, blue and yellow lenses snapped over the front of the individual lights quickly and easily and when we wanted proper lighting instead of just fun ambiance, the lenses stored conveniently in the screw-off bottom of the lantern.

The only thing that didn’t excite me about this lantern was the number of batteries it used. The base is powered with 4 AA batteries and the individual lights are powered with CR2032 coin cell batteries. But the batteries are all included with the lantern and the estimated life of the lantern is 32 hours, so I knew we would be using it for quite awhile before we had to worry about replacing batteries!

Our camping trip would have been wonderful in any case, but Coleman Canada really helped to make our trip even more enjoyable with innovative and useful camping gear. And Coleman wants to make your summer adventures more enjoyable too by offering one lucky reader a fabulous Coleman Cooler and Auto-On LED Cooler Light! This winning combination will be perfect for everything from week-long trips in the wilderness to summer parties in the backyard, so don’t miss out on your chance to win. And if you’re heading out on a summer adventure of your own, check out Coleman Canada’s amazing line of camping and outdoor products!

Buy It: To purchase any of the great products from Coleman Canada, check the website for a retailer near you

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