Gear Review - Guyot Designs Firefly
- Nylon Tether
- Granite-Grade Glass Filled Nylon
- On/Off Button, Dimmer
- LED lights
- O-ring seal for tight fit
Some gear just begs to be tested. Ever since I saw this little gem this past summer I had to get my hands on it. A paddling partner busted it out on a sandy island we were hunkered down on for the night. When the light faded outside. He clicked a button on the top of his Nalgene bottle and it lit up. I had seen ads for it, but assumed the light wasn’t sufficient enough to do much good. But I was wrong. This little Firefly lit up a 4-5 foot radius with a light glow. It wasn’t exactly beaming with light, but it gave off an ambient glow which was easy enough to do simple chores under and not trip over the tent guy lines when going to pee.
Guyot Designs created the Firefly, and it is easy to see why. It fills two purposes, which is something backcountry travellers love. It is a lid for your bottle and it turns your water bottle into a lantern as well. A nylon tether keeps the lid attached to the bottle. Which I found nice. Often when I drink from a Nalgene or other plastic bottles, when I turn the bottle up, the lid comes clapping down in my face. With the tether, the lid dangles below the bottle as you drink. Another nice feature is that it is easy to grip. It has small handles around the edges to grip with. A small screwdriver is needed to access the battery compartment in this lid. It does take a minute or two to change them out. The on/off button clicks easily and has a dimmer switch as well for those close encounters in the tent. Also remember that if you use a splashguard on your bottles to prevent splashing while you drink, then you’ll need to use a transluscent one so the light will shine through.
The Firefly is not for the ultralight trips. It weighs more than the bottle itself. But if you take a lantern on trips, it is an extremely efficient way to make your bottle pull double-duty. Not to mention it will wow your friends and make them jealous. Which is always nice.
2 comments October 15th, 2007
