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.

Stainless steel bottles in the store

I’ve been looking to pick up some stainless steel bottles at a good price for a while, and finally did today. I picked up the Reduce Products line, and started out with the 27 oz stainless steel bottle at $13.99. I’ll have the 12 oz and 20 oz models in stock soon.

I looked for a manufacturer with products that fit a few simple criteria:

• low price
• all stainless bottle with no liners or plastic on the neck threads so it can handle being on a stove or in a fire
• quality construction

The Reduce bottles were the only ones I could find that fit all of these criteria, so they are the ones I went with. A big bonus is that the company is local, so I can drive over and pick up stock whenever I need them, which helps me save significant money on shipping and keeps my prices down.

I’ve been using and abusing one myself for a while now and have been very happy with it. I have had no problems with leaks, damage, or anything else. Sure, it will ding and dent, but so will any other metal bottle. Luckily, metal still works with dings and dents, so no worries about your water suddenly poisoning you because of light damage.

I’m sure someone will ask this at some point, so I’ll get it out of the way now:Â Yes, they are BPA free.

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.