Posts Tagged Camelbak
Camelbak All Clear Water Purifying Bottle
There are tipping points in technology where a seemingly simple innovation can have a huge impact on human behavior. I’m hoping this All Clear water bottle from Camelbak is one of these moments.
First their were iodine tablets, then less nasty purification tablets, then pump filter and cup filters. None were all that practical: they either made your water taste bad, they took too long to work, or they were bulky to carry around. Then came the SteriPen and suddenly we could purify water with a little battery-powered wand. It looked like magic, but it worked. The newest version is not much longer than a finger and recharges by USB.
This Camelbak bottle is the next stage in that evolution, using ultraviolet light to kill anything living in the water, but combined with the convenience of a water bottle that can be zapped pure with its own cap. Here’s a video demo on how it works:
What you don’t see in that video is that this UV cap is rechargeable by USB cord. After it runs out of juice (which is going to take a while—it’s supposed to go 80 cycles on one charge), you plug it into a laptop or just use an adapter and plug it into a 110 electrical socket. A few hours later you’re good to go again.
If you don’t want to watch the video, here’s a quick rundown on why this All Clear bottle is something special. You fill it up with tap water in a place where you normally can’t drink the water. You turn it on, shake it around a bit, and 60 seconds later you’ve got pure water you can drink straight from the bottle. A second cap comes with it (but without a drinking spout, unfortunately) that you can screw on, leaving the purifying one behind in your room for the day.
The bottle is a standard Camelbak size, so you can buy whatever kind of cap you want for the top or switch one from another bottle you have. It’s BPA free of course and fits into most standard water bottle holders or pockets, holding 3/4 of a liter.
And I’ll answer the inevitable questions: yes, I’ve been using this myself and yes, my digestive system is doing just fine. (But thanks for asking.) I’ve been traveling through Mexico for more than a week without purchasing a single bottle of water, in four cities. I just fill this up, hit the zap button, and I’m hydrating carefree.
It’s only available in the U.S. for now and just getting into the marketplace. It retails for around $100, which may sound a little pricey, but if you add up how much it would cost to buy 80 bottles of water in a convenience store or restaurant when you’re traveling, you’ll see you could have this thing paid for before the first charge runs out. After that it’s paying you back every week. On top of that, Mother Nature will thank you and your karma meter will rise significantly…
Get the CamelBak All Clear Water Purifier Bottle at REI.com.
Related review: A Camelbak bottle that makes your water taste better
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Kids and Family on March 28th, 2012
Our Favorite Travel Gear of the Past Year
We review a new item each weekday here on Practical Travel Gear, which means 200+ items a year we collectively try out in foreign lands, in airports, in the car, or in the great outdoors. Most of the stuff we think we’ll hate we don’t bother to even accept. Some items make us scratch our head or make us think the concept could be better executed. What’s really great is when our jaded selves put something through its paces and then go, “Wow—that’s really cool!” or “How did I ever get by without this?”
Kara Williams, who sadly is saying goodbye after more than 2.5 years, already provided a rundown on her favorite gear from the past two years. The items that stood out for her in 2011 were the REI Sunblock that was silky-smooth and only $6.50, the simple $12 Energizer Dual USB charger for the car, and at the other end of the budget scale the GoPro HD Hero waterproof helmet camera.
Pam Mandel stopped by for eight months before getting too bogged down with other gigs. Here’s what she loved from the items she traveled with in 2011.
She says this Digital Photography Rucksack from Kata “goes everywhere” with her. It holds a laptop, SLR, extra lenses, and more.
Pam also likes the super-bright flashlights and headlamps from Icon.
Speaking of light, Kelty’s Lumapivot Lantern wins the prize for the most interesting looking item we reviewed in 2011. See a photo of it at the top of this post. Pam says, “This cute, versatile little light could have been designed in an almost answer to my camp light wish list.” The “almost” part of that quote is for the inexplicable design decision to make the thing run on six AA batteries. Really, you couldn’t make that rechargeable like 2/3 of the other gadgets we reviewed?
We all try out a lot of footwear for this blog. The shoes that Pam kept coming back to were the Keen Voyageur hiking boots. She’d waterproof them if she were you, but otherwise great for hitting the trail.
Ramsey Qubein reviews most of the business travel gear and gadgets we feature on Practical Travel Gear. Here’s what impressed him this past year.
Ramsey likes this Solid Line iPad case because it solves the biggest problem with trying to replace your laptop with an iPad when traveling: with this case you can actually type at a semi-normal speed. It also protects the pad and serves as a stand for movie watching, so he says it “has lightened my carry-on bag by several pounds.”
Since he’s carrying that iPad on long flights across oceans, one of his other favorites has been the PressReader app, which allows you to download actual newspapers (not web versions) from all over the world, to be read without an internet connection.
When it is time to take the laptop, he says he keeps going back to the Jack Spade computer case from Bonobos. “It is neither the largest nor the most practical for lots of exterior pockets. However, it has a beautiful cotton fabric exterior and has yielded more compliments in the two months I have had it than any other bag.”
I’m Tim Leffel and I edit this thing, as well as reviewing two items a week for much of the year. That’s a whole heap of travel gear, so there are more than a few items that keep making my packing list.
I’ve worn (and in some cases given away after) a crazy number of different travel shoes this year. Three pairs are still in heavy rotation in both my home life and my travels: the Cushe Surf-slipper Loafers, the Ecco Tahoe shoes, and the casual comfy Sanuk Donny Primo loafers. Hey, I lived in (and traveled around a lot in) Mexico and Florida this year, so I guess I was in a kick-back beach mood.
I got a sneak peek at a prototype of the SteriPEN Freedom USB-rechargeable purifier almost a year ago and knew then and there it would make my list. If you’re traveling to countries where the water is questionable to drink, you need to buy one of these. End of discussion.
Probably one of the most expensive things I’ve reviewed since this site launched was also one that got used a lot—and will keep getting used a lot. The inflatable (but very high quality) kayak from Advanced Elements. It’s the size of a suitcase when packed, so you can take it anywhere you can drive—even if you have a BMW Mini.
It’s pretty hard to get excited about a water bottle, but I tried out two exciting ones this year. The Dominate water bottle resulting from a partnership between Under Armour and Thermos really does dominate, keeping liquids cold for an unbelievably long time, even in 100-degree weather. I also used the Camelbak filter one a lot for traveling around the U.S.
Since this is Practical Travel Gear, I have to give a shout-out to the best values I encountered: the unbelievably good for the price Roaring River jacket I reviewed from Hi-Tec and the whole range of Ryder Eyewear sunglasses that routinely come in at a fraction of the list price of their rivals.
We’ll continue to bring you reviews of great gear at fair prices in the coming year. Get our RSS feed so you’ll have them all on tap. Happy new year!
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, Business Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on January 5th, 2012
A CamelBak Bottle That Makes Your Water Taste Better
I’ve raged and barked plenty on here about the need to carry a re-usable water bottle (and compact water purifier when necessary) in order to keep from soiling our land and oceans on a daily basis. Sure, you can point to your house recycling bin and justify that case of plastic from Costco, but reality is that some 3/4 of those single-use bottles—even in developed countries—just get drunk from and tossed. Here’s what happens to them.
There’s a tendency among many to drink bottled water because it tastes more neutral, with no trace of chlorine. So if we can eliminate that problem, will you stop buying disposable plastic?
CamelBak is hoping you’ll say yes, because they’ve solved that issue with this new Groove water bottle with a built-in filter. All you need to do is fill it up and drink. The built-in filter removes all the tastes you don’t want.
I’ve used a few different bottles with built-in filters before and have been less than satisfied. Either they made me work like a p0rn queen to get the water out or the filter would eventually fall into the bottle and fill it with charcoal.
This one, I’m happy to say, is a different story. CamelBak is one of the best-known manufacturers of water bottles and they seem to be trying harder than anyone to wean our population off their bottled water addiction. So they did this right. This Groove one feels like a regular water bottle, with a flip-top bite nozzle and a normal shape. You don’t have to suck on that nozzle any harder than you would normally.
It’s BPA-free, dishwasher safe, and comes in a variety of colors. (Mine is cool white, but I like this picture because you can see the filter.) It holds 20 ounces of water, or 0.6 liters. The list price is $25 for plastic, $35 for steel.
Alas, as with a hybrid car, eventually you’ve got to cough up more cash to be a good citizen of the planet. Here’s the official word on the filter: “Each Fresh Filter reliably reduces contaminants for 300 refills of the bottle, or approximately 3 months of use at 3–4 full bottles per day.” That adds up to 48 gallons or 180 liters, which even a constantly water-sucking/bathroom-going health nut like my wife will take a while to cycle through. When it’s time to get more, you’ll pay $10 for two filters or $25 for six.
Also, don’t expect to use this in countries where you can’t drink the water to start with, or to drink from a stream where you don’t know the source. This is a primarily a taste filter, not one meant to keep you from getting sick. Think of it as a Brita pitcher to go.
Order the CamelBak Groove filter bottle from Backcountry in BPA-free plastic or metal.
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Kids and Family on April 7th, 2011
CamelBak Water Bottles for Kids
My family has been using CamelBak products for years — namely its backpack hydration systems for easy access to water while hiking and biking in our beloved Colorado mountains. I didn’t realize until recently that the company was my answer to the ideal water bottle for my kids’ lunchboxes, too.
For the past few weeks, my 8- and 10-year-old have brought to school these BPA-Free Tritan Kids’ Water Bottles by CamelBak. They are the perfect height (about 7 inches) and diameter (about 2.75 inches) to fit in their soft-sided lunchboxes. They come in a variety of colors and designs — from the “Light Blue Lake” pictured right to “Green Dinos” to “Berry Pink” (any kid can find a style he or she likes among the 10 options).
Carrying 12 ounces of liquid, this bottle is spill proof. The spout consists of a Bite Valve (kids must bite down to get water out), stem tube and a removable straw; the Bite Valve (pink in photo at left) folds forward and out of the way for storage, which also helps prevent any leakage.
The straw detaches for easy cleaning, and all parts are dishwasher safe. So far, we have managed not to lose a straw — but I can see how that might be a drawback for some moms who have dishwashers that tend to “eat” small items (sort of like dryers that eat single socks).
The lengthy FAQ (the most Q&A I’ve ever seen for a water bottle!) details the safety of drinking from the plastic container: more specifically, Tritan, a “copolyester polymer” that does not contain any BPA (Bisphenol A, which may or may not be harmful to your health, depending on whom you ask) or phthalates (another compound that may or may not be toxic in low doses). In any case, these bottles are BPA- and phthalate-free.
But if you’d like your child drinking from something other than plastic, check out the stainless-steel options from CamelBak. These are the same size – 12 ounces – as the plastic versions, and also come in fun designs, such as dinosaurs, pink dots, a waterskiing mermaid and a skateboarding pirate…
I’ve seen the plastic ($14 MSRP) and stainless-steel ($20) bottles for sale at my local sporting-goods store, but you can also find them online at sites like Amazon.com and BackCountry.com (where the plastic version is currently selling for $10.36).
CamelBak Kids’ Stainless Steel Water Bottle – .4L
Related post: Camelbak’s Podium Chill insulated bottle
Posted by Kara in Kids and Family, Travel Light on November 12th, 2010
Camelbak’s Podium Chill Insulated Water Bottle
I have probably tried out a dozen different water bottles this year, but this Podium Chill one from Camelbak is my new favorite. (The Podium Ice model is newer and maybe better, but harder to find as of yet.) I can’t say it’s a 10 out of 10 when it comes to the marketing pitch of keeping the liquid inside cold for a long time, but if you consider that part gravy, this is a good all-around choice for staying hydrated on the move.
Camelbak knows plenty about hydration, with their bladder packs in use by triathaletes, mountaineers,the armed forces, and anyone else with no time to stop and pull out a container. For us less hard-core mortals, they make an extensive line of BPA-free water bottles. This newest one has pretty much everything I want:
- a wide mouth for use with a Steripen purifier
- a lock at the top that effectively keeps it from leaking
- a 21-ounce capacity in a standard shape
- a durable material that won’t scratch or dent
Sure, I like steel water bottles too, like the handy Vite Plus from Innate I reviewed before. But they get scratched up on a bicycle and they start dented up after two or three travel trips. Plus if you fill them with really cold water, they sweat with condensation. None of these things are deal-breakers—and they get positive points for being recyclable—but given a choice I’ll reach for the plastic before heading out the door.
The big marketing push for this particular Camelback bottle is that it will keep your cold drink cold longer. In this case, “longer” is a vague and relative term. The marketing materials say “Keeps beverages cool for hours,” but that claim didn’t hold up in my tests. I found that even when I filled the bottle with ice and topped it off with water, it seldom took much longer than an hour to reach room temperature. The only time I came anywhere close to two hours was when I was in a frigid movie theater. More like 30 minutes in the Florida sun. If you really want real insulation that will last for hours, you need some kind of vacuum bottle, not just this extra layer of plastic.
There’s a newer Podium Ice version that says, “keeps water cool 4 times longer than standard bike bottles,” and that’s probably closer to reality. Let’s say it take 20 minutes on a sunny ride to reach room temperature with a regular plastic water bottle. This one, with “Zeroloft insulation,” would then take 80 minutes, which sounds about right.
Better than a regular bottle though, at roughly the same price—$12-$14 for the older Chill model, around $20 for the newer Ice one. The real benefit of the extra layer, however, is it cuts down on condensation. So even loaded up with ice, it won’t sweat in your hand (or in your water bottle caddy) on a hot and humid day. Plus the valve on this Camelbak bottle is reason enough to buy it: it truly shuts off completely with a twist, then two other settings allow sipping or gulping.
Overall, this is a water bottle I can heartily recommend for travel. I’ve been using it non-stop for weeks in traveling and on bike rides and it still looks new. See more at Camelbak.com and buy it at your local gear store or online here:
CamelBak Podium Chill Bottle at REI
Podium Ice water bottle at REI
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on July 1st, 2010
