Camelbak Better Bottle in Tritan and Stainless Steel

Camelbak Better Bottles are my preferred delivery method for hydration, with their high durability, ease of use, and no spilling.  I talked about them a while back and my enthusiasm has not diminished.

I always go overboard with the tipping of the wide mouth bottles and end up with a shirt (and chin) dribbled in water, so finding a high quality bottle that eliminates that problem was refreshing. I’ve been using the Better Bottles daily for several years now for work, home, and outdoor use, so I am excited to finally have some in stock. Recommending my favorite product that I didn’t even carry in the store made my inner capitalist cry.

The bottles come in quite a few different BPA free Tritan plastic colors and a few different sizes. I personally prefer the .75L one, but they also have .5L and 1L as well. Starting this year, they even have a stainless steel version.

Review – Camelbak Sippy Cup/Better Bottle (BPA Free)

I’ve been using a Camelbak Better Bottle (BPA Free!) on a daily basis for several months now and figured it was about time to let the three of you world know how it performs. In short, I like it and would recommend it to others. If your attention span hasn’t yet been ruined by the Internet, read on for the details.

I had a Better Bottle for about a year before I got this one, but I honestly only used the bottom portion and then only as a cup. When the BPA free ones replaced the old stock at all the outdoor stores, I grabbed a few of them to see if there was a difference. There wasn’t a difference in taste, performance, or any other noticeable bullet point, which was not a negative in any way.

The bottle is sturdy enough, along the lines of the millions of polycarbonate bottles out there that have been dropped on driveways, trails, boulders, and office building floors. It can handle just about any abuse with ease, maybe with a scuff or two in tow.

The cap on the one I have is the sippy cup kind, which I was at first hesitant about. They also make it with a more traditional screw off cap, but I wanted to give this kind a try. I am not able to guzzle water like normal, but that is a good thing. In my almost thirty years on this earth, I still apparently have not mastered the skill of drinking from a container and end up with half a liter spilled down my shirt every time. Drinking out of a Nalgene or similar bottle while driving was an even worse spectacle, having me looking like my bladder control was no longer sufficient. The sports top (or whatever they call it) forces you to drink water at the proper rate, keeping you from spilling the water, drinking too fast, and any other potential downfall that comes with a large mouthed opening. I have seen reviews complaining of leaks with the bottle, but these seem few and far between, and I can honestly say that not a single drop has ever leaked out of the six Better Bottles that are now in operation between my wife and I. Maybe the reviewers forgot to flip the mouthpiece down or did not screw the lid on tight enough, who knows.

The aluminum and stainless steel bottles don’t really do it for me, so the Better Bottle is my new water providing container of choice. One caveat I can give you, from looking at my wife’s bottles, is that the mouth piece will become quite gunked up if you wear lipstick (it cleans off easily enough), but I suppose that might be an issue with any bottle. Thankfully, I wouldn’t really know.

Platypus Collapsible Water Bottle

I was wandering around at an REI store, trying to find some decent items on super clearance, when I came across a nifty little item for a survival kit. It is the Platypus 1 Liter Water Bottle, a collapsible water bottle. I know these have been out for a while, but I wanted to point them out to anyone who has not seem them yet.
Read the rest of this entry »

Review: MSR Sweetwater Filter

I have been using the Sweetwater for a few years now, and have used it on several trips, so I have a pretty good idea of how well it works and holds up.

I bought it for my first backpacking trip, since I didn’t want the extra weight of enough water for the entire trip. The entire trail ran along (and through) a river, so finding water to filter was not a problem.
Read the rest of this entry »