At Forest Fundamentals, we are longtime UCO lantern users. Over the years, we’ve made numerous DIY Oil Inserts from old aerosol cans. Eventually, we decided to create our own—introducing the Forest Fundamentals Oil Inserts!
COST EFFECTIVENESS: Oil Inserts are far more cost-effective than candles. A 20-pack of candles costs approximately £44.99 ($56.52) and offers 180 hours of burn time. In contrast, a 4-litre bottle of paraffin lamp oil costs about £16 ($20.12) and provides approximately 560 hours of burn time. That’s approximately 22p ($0.28) saved per hour of burning—excluding the cost of the oil inserts!
ADJUSTING THE FLAME SIZE: Another benefit of using an Oil Insert over candles is the ability to adjust the flame size. Simply lengthen the wick to make the flame bigger. Oil also burns brighter than candles and withstands wind more effectively.
EASILY REPLACE THE WICKS OUTDOORS: No special tools are needed to replace the wicks. Each Oil Insert comes with detailed instructions and 60cm of spare cotton wick, offering approximately 800 hours of burn time.
LONG BURN TIMES: We have maximised the size of the oil chamber for longer burn times. A full lantern holds 25ml of fuel and provides around 3.5–4 hours of burn time. For multi-day use, a small 500ml bottle of lamp oil will provide around 70 hours of burn time—equivalent to 8 replacement candles!
SAFETY-FOCUSED DESIGN: The inserts are CNC machined from 6061 aluminium. Corrosion-resistant O-rings ensure the Oil Insert is fully watertight to prevent leaks, allowing fuel to be safely carried inside. All edges are deburred to remove sharpness.
STORAGE BAGS & LANYARD TOGGLES: The bag contains any residue left on the insert after refuelling. The high-vis orange bags and toggles ensure everything stays visible and easy to find. During use, the insert lids also easily attach to the lanterns with the elastic lanyard.
NOT AFFILIATED, JUST COMPATIBLE: This Forest Fundamentals product is designed for compatibility with UCO Original Lanterns but is not affiliated with, endorsed, or manufactured by UCO. It is independently developed and produced by Forest Fundamentals.
DESIGNED FOR FULL COMPATIBILITY: The height of the inserts allows the lantern to fully close with the Oil Inserts inside for easy transport. They work just like candles—only with oil!
PLEASE NOTE: Forest Fundamentals Oil Inserts are designed specifically for UCO Original Candle Lanterns. Compatibility with other UCO models or brands is not guaranteed. Please see our store for available wick refill pack purchase options.
REPLACEMENT WICKS: We also offer 250cm cotton wick refill packs—please see listing for details.
COMPONENTS INCLUDED
• 1x Forest Fundamentals Oil Insert
• 1x Paper & PDF Instructions
• 4x Replacement O-rings
• 1x 60cm (23.62") of cotton wick
• 1x Orange Ripstop Nylon Carrying Bag
• 1x High-Vis Elastic Orange Toggle
• 1x Stainless Steel Wick Trimming Scissors
WHY DID WE DECIDE TO DESIGN OUR OWN OIL INSERTS?
Over the years, we created various DIY Oil Inserts using everything from mini aerosol cans to metal tubing and old bolts.
The biggest challenge we encountered with DIY options was achieving a watertight seal and replacing the wicks easily.
Eventually, we set out to solve these design flaws and upgrade DIY Oil Inserts by designing something fully compatible with the lanterns. Meet the Forest Fundamentals Oil Inserts!
A Detailed Look At the Design of our oil inserts
Optimised for use with the UCO Original Lanterns
A Detailed Look At the Design of our oil inserts
Replacing the Wicks and Refilling the Inserts
A Detailed Look At the Design of our oil inserts
Other Design Features of the Inserts
The designing
of the inserts
The design process: Why we chose to design our own inserts
The designing
of the inserts
The CAD and
3D Printing Prototyping Phase
The designing
of the inserts
The CNC Machining Prototyping Phase
The designing
of the inserts
The Wick Testing & Development Phase
