A hot, still night is the one thing a good tent can’t fix. A fan can, and if it lights up the tent as well, that’s one less thing to hang up. The San Hima Clip Fan with LED Light does both: it’s a rechargeable fan with a ring of LEDs around it, on a base that clamps onto almost anything.
One note before you read on: the San Hima version I tested is sold out at VicOffroad at the moment, though it may come back in stock. The button on this page links to the KickAss Portable 5V Clip Fan with White LED Light on Amazon. KickAss uses the exact same base product, just branded differently, so what you read here applies to that fan too.
What You’re Getting
A black fan with a white LED ring around the grille, sitting in a yoke on a round base. The head tilts in the yoke and turns on the base, so you can aim the air wherever you want it. In the box are the fan, a USB charging cable and a small bag of fittings.
What we like
- Fan and LED ring light in one
- Clips onto the rooftop tent
- Hook to hang it, base to stand it
- Up to 40 hours from 10,000 mAh
- Timer: 2, 4 or 6 hours
- Head turns and tilts to aim the air
What we don’t
- Heavy for a clip fan: 563 g
- Timer stops at 6 hours
- Controls are on the back
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | San Hima |
| Weight | 563 g |
| Type | Clip fan with LED ring light |
| Fan | 5 blades4 speed modes |
| Light | LED ring3 brightness levels |
| Battery | 10,000 mAh Li-ion |
| Run time | Up to 40 hours |
| Charging | USB-C5V 2A |
| Timer | 2 h4 h6 h |
| Mounting | ClampHookStand |
Fan, light and timer
The controls are on the back of the fan head: three buttons, each with a row of small lights. FAN steps through the four speed modes, LIGHT steps through the three brightness levels of the LED ring, and TIMER sets the unit to switch itself off after 2, 4 or 6 hours. The fan and the light work separately, so you can run the fan in the dark or use the ring as a lamp on a cool evening.
The timer is a useful extra on a camping fan. Set it when you go to bed, and the fan stops by itself after 2, 4 or 6 hours, with the rest of the battery saved for tomorrow. Six hours is the longest setting, though, so on a long, hot night it can switch off before morning.
The one thing to get used to is where the buttons are. They’re on the back, so once the fan is clamped up facing you, you reach around it to change anything.
Clamp, hook or stand
The base is the clever part. It opens like a big spring clamp. I clamped it onto a branch, and it held the fan there at an angle.
It also grips the edge of our Kings rooftop tent, and that’s where ours spends most of its time. We clip it onto the back of the rooftop tent, so there’s ventilation at the back door of the car when we prepare meals or sit down there.
Inside the car it clamps on as well, which is handy when you sleep in the back.
Under the base there’s a metal hook that folds out, so the fan can hang upside down from a loop, a carabiner or the roof of a tent. There are two keyhole slots there as well, for hanging it on screws. And with the clamp closed, the base is flat and the fan simply stands on a table.
How we use it
The fan comes along on longer trips, when we head for warmer areas like Mungo National Park in the New South Wales outback. We use it in the rooftop tent overnight, although the nights out there sometimes get cooler and it isn’t always needed.
Mostly, though, it’s a daytime fan for us. Clipped onto the back of the rooftop tent, it blows down over the back door of the car, which is where we cook and sit. On a hot afternoon in the outback, that moving air makes preparing a meal a lot more pleasant.
Battery, size and weight
The label on the base gives the battery as 10,000 mAh, which is the size of a decent power bank. That’s good for up to 40 hours on a charge, so it gets through several nights before it needs plugging in. It charges through the USB-C port on the back at 5V 2A, so a power bank or a USB socket in the car will do it.
All of that makes it a solid lump. It weighs 563 g on our scale, and the round head and base take up real room in a drawer. It’s a fan for the car or the camper, not for a hiking pack. If you only want a bit of a breeze from something pocket-sized, see our portable mini bladeless fan review.
Conclusion: San Hima Clip Fan with LED LightConclusion
The San Hima Clip Fan with LED Light is a rechargeable fan and a camp light in one. It has a 10,000 mAh battery, USB-C charging, a timer for 2, 4 or 6 hours and a base that clamps, hangs or stands, so it goes on a rooftop tent, on a branch or in the car. It’s heavy and bulky for a clip fan at 563 g, and the controls are on the back. We use it in the rooftop tent at night and, more often, clipped to the back of it for ventilation while we cook. For trips to warm country, it’s a very handy bit of kit.
A rechargeable fan with an LED ring light, a 10,000 mAh battery, a 2, 4 or 6 hour timer and a clamp that grips almost anything.
It’s heavy for a clip fan at 563 g.
- Rooftop tents
- Car campers
- Caravanners
Yes, if you camp in warm weather. One unit covers both the fan and the light in a tent or rooftop tent, and the timer means it doesn’t run all night. The San Hima is sold out, so our button links to the KickAss version on Amazon: the same base product under a different brand.
