When we decided that we were first going to take the kids camping i knew that despite how good battery operated lighting has got and that most sites offer electricity for campers i had to have a gaz lamp. simply because thats we had when i was a kid! Love the sound, love the smell.. it all comes flooding back everytime. which is great but is it anygood? Well im going to compare to the battery/electric hook up that we also use. its a double lamp rechargable fluorescent purchased at cosco. (no link as costco dont list products on the web.) Size and weight. Well the Camping Gaz lamp wins hands down on both counts, its small and light nothing more i can say! Brightness. Well it loses out on this one! it is simply just not as bright. however the light generated is a much warmer glow. Usability. The top of the lamp gets very hot as its metal. hot enough to burn. so im not comfertable hanging inside the tent, and im not happy using it around the kids. the surround is also glass so fragile. so again loses out here. So overall as im sure you can tell the rechargable option is so much better (not including small led lamps these are just not as bright) however for me i would not be without it. its kind off turned into my own personall reading lamp late at night when the kids are asleep. would not be without but at same time not ideal, (oh and it wins hands down when the electric drops out and you run out off charge!)