CamelBak BPA-Free Better Bottle with Bite Valve Review.
"Holy Grail Bottle!" 2007-01-23
By doctorsirena (Minnesota, USA)
If you have been looking for a great water bottle, this is it!!! I am not a hard core workout person - I just want to drink more water for my health. I use this bottle at work, going from meeting to meeting and bring it with me when I am on the go in the car. I never thought I would be so excited about a bottle, but I am - Camelbak really thought about useful features and it shows.
The bottle holds quite a bit of water (25 oz, 750mL). The bottle is leakproof. I like drinking from the straw - no tipping the bottle required. No unscrewing a cap, just flip up the valve and drink. I removed the flexible bite valve cover and just drink normally from the hard plastic straw piece since the bite valve seemed a little weird to me. I have had no problems with leaking with the valve cover removed - just flip down the valve when I am on the go and there is no leaking. The valve system seems very well designed. I generally sit the bottle on its side on the car seat or throw it in a bag with no leaking, just like a regular screw-cap bottle. The carry loop is nice - fits in your finger. It is easy to fill, with the wide mouth. It comes in lots of colors.
As for minuses, there is only one minor annoyance and that was mentioned by a previous reviewer - the straw does not reach the bottom of the bottle. Note that this size bottle does not fit into the car cupholder - would need the 16oz=0.5L for that. Also, the plastic has scratched slightly from rolling around on a sandy car mat.
I have decided to purchase another bottle so that I can have one at home and one at work. I highly recommend!
Updated 12/24/07:
I still love this bottle, although I am now accustomed to it and it is not quite as exciting as when I first got it :-) I fill it every morning and bring it to work with me and also fill it when I get home from work. It has really helped me to increase my water consumption. The plastic has scuffed up a bit, but there is no change in function. I wanted to mention that water will come out when the bottle is opened after a pressure change - like going from air conditioned space and leaving it in a hot car. Physics at work.
Updated 6/28/08:
Yes, I STILL love this bottle and purchased another (the BPA-free version). I was pleased to find that the straw in the new bottle does reach nearly the bottom of the bottle, so that annoyance has been corrected. If you already own the previous (BPA) version of this bottle, note that Camelbak makes the BPA-free bottle with a "classic cap" that can be swapped with your previous straw assembly (classic cap version is slightly cheaper but does not come in as many fun colors).
"Perfect Water Bottle" 2006-11-30
By L. J. Klein (Florida)
This is just about the perfect water bottle. The polycarbonate is shatter proof, it holds three cups of liquid, and it has a built-in carry loop. The nozzle is easy to flip down with a built-in thumb tab, and the nozzle works by opening when you bite it. This makes the bottle pretty much leak-proof even when the nozzle is down, and since it is meant to be bitten, you don't end up with ugly teeth marks on it. The included straw makes it convenient to use, but it can be used without the straw if you prefer to tip it. I also like the vivid translucent color (I got a blue one). The only thing that would make it better is if the straw went all the way to the bottom; it stops about 1/4 or 1/2 inch above the bottom.
"GREAT BOTTLE! but remove the bite valve for washing or it will mold!!!" 2007-08-11
By Scones and Tea
I love these bottles. My kids love these bottles. They are AMAZING. We drink more water with them than we ever did before.
However, you need to know that the blue bite valve needs to be removed often for washing. I didn't realize this for the first few months I used the bottle! When I finally took it off, there was black mold all inside the bite valve and on the white straw! I was mortified! We had to bleach everything to get it clean again.
Now, I keep a slim toothbrush handy for the purpose of cleaning out the inside of our bite valves. It fits snugly inside of the bite valve and scrubs off the inside ridges.
"Love it!!!!!" 2007-06-07
By LLK (Cleveland, OH)
I love love love this bottle! I drink a lot of water throughout the course of the day. In fact, I hardly go anywhere without a wattle bottle. What was most troublesome for me was trying to drive and drink water at the same time. Bottles with the screw-on lids were just too cumbersome: either I couldn't get the lid off with one hand while trying to watch the road, or if I was a passenger, it never failed that the driver would accelerate while I was taking a drink and because of the large mouth of the bottle, I'd end up spilling water all over myself. This bottle was the perfect solution. It is truly spill proof, and I can easily drink out of it while driving, walking, or wherever. And its dishwasher safe!
I have the largest size, the full liter, but I'm planning to buy a smaller one too, just because. :)
"Best Water Bottle I Found!" 2006-12-28
By A. Wirtanen (Cape Cod, MA USA)
After a long, hard search for the perfect water bottle I ended up with the Camelbak 0.5L. All of the other water bottles I tried were either too small, could not fit in the cup holder of my Jeep, or did not have a straw. The Camelbak passed the test.
The straw is a little weird, because you have to bite the "big bite valve" to take a sip. It was designed that way to minimize spilling. The "big bite valve" also folds down to avoid spilling when not in use. I also like the handle, which is perfect for carrying it with one finger or tying it to something.
The only flaw is that the straw does not reach the bottom so it is impossible to drink every last drop. But, I can live with that so I am still giving it five stars.
By doctorsirena (Minnesota, USA)
If you have been looking for a great water bottle, this is it!!! I am not a hard core workout person - I just want to drink more water for my health. I use this bottle at work, going from meeting to meeting and bring it with me when I am on the go in the car. I never thought I would be so excited about a bottle, but I am - Camelbak really thought about useful features and it shows.
The bottle holds quite a bit of water (25 oz, 750mL). The bottle is leakproof. I like drinking from the straw - no tipping the bottle required. No unscrewing a cap, just flip up the valve and drink. I removed the flexible bite valve cover and just drink normally from the hard plastic straw piece since the bite valve seemed a little weird to me. I have had no problems with leaking with the valve cover removed - just flip down the valve when I am on the go and there is no leaking. The valve system seems very well designed. I generally sit the bottle on its side on the car seat or throw it in a bag with no leaking, just like a regular screw-cap bottle. The carry loop is nice - fits in your finger. It is easy to fill, with the wide mouth. It comes in lots of colors.
As for minuses, there is only one minor annoyance and that was mentioned by a previous reviewer - the straw does not reach the bottom of the bottle. Note that this size bottle does not fit into the car cupholder - would need the 16oz=0.5L for that. Also, the plastic has scratched slightly from rolling around on a sandy car mat.
I have decided to purchase another bottle so that I can have one at home and one at work. I highly recommend!
Updated 12/24/07:
I still love this bottle, although I am now accustomed to it and it is not quite as exciting as when I first got it :-) I fill it every morning and bring it to work with me and also fill it when I get home from work. It has really helped me to increase my water consumption. The plastic has scuffed up a bit, but there is no change in function. I wanted to mention that water will come out when the bottle is opened after a pressure change - like going from air conditioned space and leaving it in a hot car. Physics at work.
Updated 6/28/08:
Yes, I STILL love this bottle and purchased another (the BPA-free version). I was pleased to find that the straw in the new bottle does reach nearly the bottom of the bottle, so that annoyance has been corrected. If you already own the previous (BPA) version of this bottle, note that Camelbak makes the BPA-free bottle with a "classic cap" that can be swapped with your previous straw assembly (classic cap version is slightly cheaper but does not come in as many fun colors).
By L. J. Klein (Florida)
This is just about the perfect water bottle. The polycarbonate is shatter proof, it holds three cups of liquid, and it has a built-in carry loop. The nozzle is easy to flip down with a built-in thumb tab, and the nozzle works by opening when you bite it. This makes the bottle pretty much leak-proof even when the nozzle is down, and since it is meant to be bitten, you don't end up with ugly teeth marks on it. The included straw makes it convenient to use, but it can be used without the straw if you prefer to tip it. I also like the vivid translucent color (I got a blue one). The only thing that would make it better is if the straw went all the way to the bottom; it stops about 1/4 or 1/2 inch above the bottom.
By Scones and Tea
I love these bottles. My kids love these bottles. They are AMAZING. We drink more water with them than we ever did before.
However, you need to know that the blue bite valve needs to be removed often for washing. I didn't realize this for the first few months I used the bottle! When I finally took it off, there was black mold all inside the bite valve and on the white straw! I was mortified! We had to bleach everything to get it clean again.
Now, I keep a slim toothbrush handy for the purpose of cleaning out the inside of our bite valves. It fits snugly inside of the bite valve and scrubs off the inside ridges.
By LLK (Cleveland, OH)
I love love love this bottle! I drink a lot of water throughout the course of the day. In fact, I hardly go anywhere without a wattle bottle. What was most troublesome for me was trying to drive and drink water at the same time. Bottles with the screw-on lids were just too cumbersome: either I couldn't get the lid off with one hand while trying to watch the road, or if I was a passenger, it never failed that the driver would accelerate while I was taking a drink and because of the large mouth of the bottle, I'd end up spilling water all over myself. This bottle was the perfect solution. It is truly spill proof, and I can easily drink out of it while driving, walking, or wherever. And its dishwasher safe!
I have the largest size, the full liter, but I'm planning to buy a smaller one too, just because. :)
By A. Wirtanen (Cape Cod, MA USA)
After a long, hard search for the perfect water bottle I ended up with the Camelbak 0.5L. All of the other water bottles I tried were either too small, could not fit in the cup holder of my Jeep, or did not have a straw. The Camelbak passed the test.
The straw is a little weird, because you have to bite the "big bite valve" to take a sip. It was designed that way to minimize spilling. The "big bite valve" also folds down to avoid spilling when not in use. I also like the handle, which is perfect for carrying it with one finger or tying it to something.
The only flaw is that the straw does not reach the bottom so it is impossible to drink every last drop. But, I can live with that so I am still giving it five stars.
