Gear Closet: Tryton Drylite Dive Flashlight

Scuba divers listen up! I've found the next piece of gear that you need to add to your arsenal. The Drylite from Tryton is an innovative, incredibly well built flashlight designed to meet the specific needs of divers, although it is also so good that it will come in just as handy on dry land too.

Tryton has clearly put a great deal of thought into the design of this flashlight and that shows from the moment you get one in your hands. Everything about the Drylite screams quality, and the entire unit feels incredibly solid to the touch. The handle is made of soft, rubberized material that is ribbed to make it easy to grip, while the the aluminum head not only looks great, but serves as a heat sink for the incredibly bright light contained inside.

The Drylite was built to be completely waterproof and is guaranteed not to leak. Tryton pulled off that feat by creating a completely new charging system that doesn't require the device to be opened in any way. That charging system uses an inductive charging coil to transfer a charge without actually touching the battery itself. It takes roughly 10-12 hours to fully charge the light, which results in a 5 hour burn time with a brightness of 135 lumens. Thats pretty impressive for a light that bright. And when the battery falls below 20% battery life, the light will blink once ever minute to indicate that it is getting low.


In real world testing, the Drylite was able to actually last more than 6 hours on a single charge. Although the light slowly diminished in brightness over that final hour. It was still bright enough to be useful almost all the way up to the end. In this day and age, when many companies exaggerate the battery life of their devices, it was refreshing to find one that exceeded those estimates by a sizable amount.

I was sent the Drylite Nautilus kit, which includes a durable and lightweight custom case. That case makes it a breeze to take the flashlight along when you hit the road, whether you're going camping or a dive trip to the other side of the planet. The box can securely hold the Drylight and its charging system, as well as all the necessary cables. The device even comes with a charger for your car, which makes it incredibly useful just about anywhere. A durable wrist lanyard is also included.

While the flashlight works great above the surface, it was most definitely design with divers in mind. It has been rated to function down to 250 feet (76 meters) beneath the surface and its sealed-tight design will keep the water out. Its narrow 8º beam gives divers a very focused light that allows them to explore more safely.

As impressive as the Drylite package is, the price tag might be the most impressive thing of all. The flashlight alone costs $99.99, which is a great price for such a solid piece of technology.  If you want the more robust Nautilus kit, it will set you back $149.99. Personally, I think it's worth the extra $50 to get the kit, as the included extras are quite nice.

If your'e a diver who has need of a flashlight on your adventures, it's tough to beat the Drylite. It is an impressive piece of gear that I can't recommend highly enough.