Customer Reviews

CamelBak 0.5-Liter Insulated Stainless Steel Better Bottle, Waves

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Avoid cold hands and dens with the insulated sleeve CamelBak 0.75 Liter Insulated Bottle Carrier. (.75 size is larger because the bottle is larger due to thermal wall insulation)

Owner: 6 months of everyday usage.

Pros

1. The bottle keeps ice cold for 12+ hours. I only put 2-3 cubes in and they last me all day!
2. Bite valve and closing mechanism keeps liquids from spilling.
3. One handed operation (great for driving).
4. No staining in 6 months of daily usages. I use this for ice tea, red juices, etc and no staining thus far (also see cleaning tip below).

Cons

1. Not too big of a deal, but the bottle is "Hand Wash Only" (see cleaning tip below). [Please Note: The camelbak website says it is dishwasher safe, but my bottle clearly states "Hand Wash Only" on the bottom - newer bottles might be different]


~ Additional cleaning tip:

To avoid soap residue I use white vinegar to clean (about 50/50 with water) and let the bottle soak overnight with the bite valve and straw inside to clean and kill bacteria etc.


If you appreciate this review please vote below.

This is a well made bottle of stainless steel, and it really does provide excellent insulation. Ice cubes resist melting for many hours and there is no condensation on the outside of the bottle, sparing the annoying drips and cold hands to be found with single wall bottles. The Camel bite valve takes a bit of getting use to, but has the advantage of being able to be drunk from without having to tilt your head back, and gives a good flow when bitten down on. Wide mouth enables even large ice cubes to be added, so there is no need for special tube ice trays. The cap is compatible with other Camel caps, so you can keep the bite valve or switch to a regular screw-on cap if you prefer.

i did a little test on how well this bottle kept my water with 6 ice cubes cold...and after 36 hours there was still ice present in this bottle...this is compared to my standard klean kanteen with the same amount and the KK didnt have ice present after 12 hours...this bottle is pretty amazing if u ask me...also the bite and sip method is very convenient...o and i took this bottle on my Half Dome hike in Yosemite and it worked great!! still ice in the darn thing after 13 hours of hiking in 97 degree weather...!!!!!!

I spent about a month looking into good, healthy, easy-to-clean, stainless steel water bottles. My original purpose was to bring water/juice to work, but after being invited to a wedding on the US Virgin Islands, I modified my search to only insulated stainless steel water bottles. While you'd think that the market is small, with few distributors, I found more choices than I had anticipated. I ended up buying three different bottles -- the Thinksport (750ml), PureHydration (750ml), and CamelBak (500ml). So I can provide my feedback on all three since I took all of them on my trip and tried them all out. After purchasing them a month ago, I am still using them daily to lug beverages to work. Stainless steel is awesome and I don't have to worry about my drinks getting warm after sitting in my bag, on my desk, or in my car all day!

Thinksport: The body is slightly larger than the other two. Neither 750ml bottle will fit into a standard car cup holder. I've read that the smaller sizes may, though. I didn't see this as a problem for me, though. I think that because the bottle is slightly larger (probably more air insulation), the Thinksport kept my beverages the coldest. After a day on the beach (warmer than 90oF), in the sun, after more than 12hrs my water was still ice cold! I did not fill the container with ice beforehand, but I did include about 30% from the start of the day. This (to me) is amazing!

PureHydration: The main pro that I found with this bottle was that it came with two different strainers. While the Thinksport came with only the "tea strainer" (i.e. mesh), the PureHydration came with a "tea strainer" and "ice strainer." The difference: thin mesh vs. thicker strainer. The tea strainer works fine with ice, too. I haven't actually made tea (or any hot beverages) in any of the bottles, but it's nice to know that I can. And I certainly will try it out next fall (and update this review)! Personally, I do not think that PureHydration is worth the extra cost since it is so similar to Thinksport (which costs half the price and has free shipping).

CamelBak: This one is a little bit different from the two others. I like it. I like that there is a straw and I like that it seems very durable. The bottle itself is actually very durable! I got into an ATV accident with the bottle strapped to the front. After rolling twice through brush/small trees, the bottle was not harmed (a little scratched). I had read a review earlier that the stainless steel bottles can crack when they are dropped, and this is clearly not the case with the CamelBak! I should also say that I've dropped the other two bottles on wood and ceramic floors without damaging the floors or bottles. I didn't do it on purpose -- I'm just a little clumsy. I would definitely recommend this product to a friend since it is convenient to have the straw feature, and it slips nicely into backpacks.

I absolutely love this bottle. I accidentally got the 750ml uninsulated version first (which looks almost identical), which is nice but for me -- I love my water cold and the insulated version is worlds better for that. I've only had this a few weeks, but I've had it out all day in the 100 degree Arizona heat, just lugging around the office -- all great. The mechanism is a bit unusual but brilliant (I've gotten a few odd looks in the office, but hey -- I'm hydrated). I especially like that bite piece twists off for easy cleaning.

My only complaint -- which is more my fault than the bottle -- is that you shouldnt take this on a plane with water in it. I should know better than to be clever before 6am, but this morning I bought a 500ml bottled evian inside the airport, put it into my beloved CamelBak to keep it cold and boarded the plane. Take off and the water gently escapes as the pressure between the inside and outside of the bottle equalizes -- in a nutshell, the bottle did exactly what it was supposed to do -- only it was my now moist copy of this week's Economist that enjoyed the easy to use suction mechanism. Lesson learned.

Finally, a bottle that keeps my water cold and my desk/hands/everything else dry!
I have other Camelbaks and I love the no spill 'sippy top' thing...but this is SOO good...my ONLY complaint is that because it is insulated it only holds 16 oz (compared to the usual 24 oz of the same (exterior) sized bottle from the company...but I'm happy with it anyway. Definitely worth the money :)

I've only had this bottle for a few months now, but it seems almost indestructible. The stainless steel has acquired a few scratches through use, but nothing major, and the insulation keeps my water COLD. I usually drop 2-3 ice cubes in it in the morning, then fill the rest with cold water. I live in South Texas, and this bottle has kept water at refrigeration-like temperatures inside my closed car in the middle of summer for up to four hours or so. Just carrying it around, it'll stay ice cold all day and into the evening. And the outside layer remains comfortable, doesn't sweat, etc.

The drinking mechanism works well for biking, since I don't have to lift the bottle into my line-of-sight to drink through the straw (though the straw can be removed). The loop on the top also protects the bite valve from dust and dirt when closed and provides a handy carrying loop.

As a double-walled bottle, it's a little heavier than the plastic ones, but for hot climates, I've yet to find a water bottle as practical, as effective, or as easy to use as the Camelbak Insulated. When this one fails someday, perhaps far in the future, I'll be going out to buy another...

Additional Nice Features: The bottle opening fits standard water purifiers to be used on the trail, and the hook loop works well with caribiners to hang from daisy chains on packs or other gear. Oh, and the top drinking mechanism (bitevalve, straw, bottle top assembly is machine washable). Efferdent tablets provide a good cheap means of cleaning the inside of the bottle itself.

All in all this is a great water bottle. It keeps water cold, doesn't sweat, looks good, and works well. Now that it is here, it doesn't seem like it holds much water. I am always wishing I had more. Also you have to put a fair amount of bite down pressure on the straw to get water out. I think it is aggravating my TMJ issues. Hopefully the straw with soften up with more use. One other thing to be aware of is that if your teeth are sensitive to cold, this might not be the water bottle for you. When I bite down on the straw sometimes the cold bothers my teeth and I don't have overly sensitive teeth. A great water bottle, but may not be the best one for everyone.

I made the switch to stainless steel bottles about a year ago. I purchased a 27-ounce Klean Kanteen Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Water Bottles, and a Built NY neoprene tote Built Neoprene 20-Ounce Capacity Bottle Tote, Black to help insulate the bottle. (The 20-ounce tote fits the 27-ounce bottle perfectly. The water stayed cool for a while, but I was not too impressed. Still, I used this combination bottle/tote for a year, until about a month ago, I saw this CamelBak insulated bottle, and decided to give it a go. I fill it up with cold water, and six hours later it's still cold. I am very impressed. I usually drink the water gone within a few hours, but on those occasions that I don't, it's good to know that the water will stay cold longer. The insulation is so good, if I fill it up with filtered water from the tap at night, then put it in the fridge, the next morning the water is not completely cold. Therefore, I now always make sure to fill it up with cold water at night before I put it in the fridge.

Regarding the bite valve: As soon as I tried using the bite valve to drink from the bottle, I didn't like it. Personal opinion. Some may like the valve to drink from, and others might not. So for me, I just took the valve off, and I have no problem drinking directly from the little stub-like hard plastic straw (this is what the valve attaches to). I even threw the valve away, since I didn't need it.

Great bottle. Great insulative quality.

PROS:
- The bottle is a good insulator; keeps drinks cold for a good 8+ hours, at least.
- Wide opening, so you can add ice cubes to your drink.

CONS:
- Heat is exchanged quite readily through the lid (in particular, if you are storing cold drinks, then there is quite a bit of condensation on the lid, and this can get other stuff nearby wet)
- The valve sometimes leaks -- usually this only happens if you throw it in a bag, and it gets thrown around with other stuff.
- The lid is hard to clean. The grooves on the lid collect dirt, bacteria, and whatever else it comes in contact with. You need to jam some q-tips in there and really pull it around the grooves a few times.
- This does dent if you drop it (with water inside) on hard dirt or cement, but it might be unreasonable to expect no damage.