The Klymit Everglow is a portable lighting fixture for your camping or backpacking adventures. Think a garage light that packs down to the size of a racquet ball. It’s a USB powered LED strip light inside of an inflatable tube. I outfitted my truck and tent with 2 of these in large for a recent trip into the Colorado mountains.
This little USB powered inflatable light is great for backpacking or car camping. It draws about 3W on the high setting and 1W on low. They serve as auxiliary lighting in my truck cap when camping from the car. I use a Y cable and two Klymit Everglow lights in large and there’s more than enough light to prepare breakfast and get my camo on truck side.
On the highest setting the strip puts out 220 lumens for the large size light. That worked plenty well in the star lit early mornings of my 2021 elk season that just wrapped up. I will say that getting power to the light fixture and making use of the magnets in a way that kept the light aerial was tricky. There are several magnets embedded in the LED strip such that you can stick it to a metallic surface for use.
Operation
The Klymit Everglow comes from the factory in a sealed zip top back not unlike a backpacking meal. Open that bag and you have a white poly tote bag, your light, and a USB protector. If you unravel the Everglow tube you’ll be met with the familiar Klymit air valve. Twist to loosen the knob and deflate the unit, tighten to allow air to be retained. A removable cap allows you to blow into the one way valve to inflate. It takes less than one full breath in order to inflate the single tube. Then you have a light ready to be used.
The controller has three buttons, a plus and minus button to change the five levels of light output, and a power button. Pretty straightforward. The lighting on the highest output is different for each size light, and there are three different sizes. The light output is 160 lumens for the regular, 220 for large, and 270 for extra large. The Everglow does require a USB 12V power supply, and the cord is painfully short.
If you’re thinking of putting this high above you to get light for a wall tent or tipi you’re going to need a bigger cable or to mount the power supply skyward. That wasn’t an option for me. So I had to acquire a USB extension cable, and a Y adapter to be able to use both lighting fixtures. However Klymit thoughtfully made the light-facing part of the inflatable tube translucent so as not to burn out your retinae when operating — knowing you’d likely use this in close quarters.
To affix the Klymit Everglow to a surface you have two options. There are several built in magnets strong enough to stick the light practically anywhere, and there’s at least one loop for a carabiner. On the Large there’s only one center mounted loop, which got tricky if I tried to mount it in my tipi tent. I’d recommend something like a Nite Ize Gear Tie in order to affix it and be infinitely reusable. Or, you know, 550 cord.
The Klymit Everglow light is available in two colors, Black and White, presumably that’s just the USB cable color and three sizes: Regular (18 inches $19.95), Large (26 inches $29.95), and Extra Large (34 inches $39.95)
Overall
I’d recommend this product to someone that is already out using a USB battery backup to keep their gear running. For someone who has a big battery backup this is perfect to add some light to camp. The light itself is much brighter than my current camping lantern, the BlackDiamond Moji that only puts out 100 lumens. However, having the added requirement of a power supply may hinder it’s usefulness to some users. Having the short USB cable is both a blessing and a curse. As an up-lighting option inside a tent with a battery backup it works plenty fine, but if you want to mount the light to shine from above you have some cabling and mounting issues to contend with. The price point is right to be a stocking stuffer for your camping gear loving friends.
