The Coleman Company began at the turn of the 20th century as a lantern manufacturer and would branch out to be one of the world's most recognizable suppliers of such outdoors equipment as tents, sleeping bags, stoves, grills, heaters, coolers and much more.

Coleman is proud of their heritage as a company full of innovative ideas. It started with W.C. Coleman himself selling lanterns with mantles instead of wicks that emitted brighter white light, and progressed through to the introduction of plastic coolers and the distribution of a million portable "pocket stoves" to GIs in World War II.