Miscellaneous Reviews

This is the section for reviews of the kind of stuff that just doesn't fit in anywhere else

Camelback Drink Bottles

I like to be positive when posting a review. So here goes, it's a bottle and it holds liquid, that's it! These bottles have been hailed as a "Revolution" clearly they are not!

Firstly the design is such that the bottles will not fit into a conventional bottle cage.

Fluids can be taken from the bottle without having to upend the bottle, True. However to achieve this "Miracle" the bottle needs a special air intake valve, situated at the top of the bottle, and a long straw that goes from the bite valve into the fluid. The air intake valve very easily gets blocked with any dirt and dust that gets thrown up near it, the dust almost always sticks because the valve is damp or wet, the air valve stops working, and voila a totally useless drinks bottle. Add to that the Straw is a nightmare to clean, and if you don't soak the whole thing in a sterilising solution almost everytime you use it, it will get black mould very quickly, even when only using water.

The bottles are tough, of that there is no doubt, yet bouncing around in a bottle cage (when you find one that it will fit into) very quickly takes the shine off the bottle, and makes it look tatty and cheap.

If you do decide to buy one, I suggest you put it on your office desk, preferably full of water, and impress your office colleagues with what looks like a great idea, but so clearly is not.

And perhaps someone could explain why these bottles are £13 in the UK, and yet in the US are only $10, less than half the UK price?