Camelbak Water Bottle

My latest purchase in the world of design is this Camelbak Chute water bottle (£13.99).

I’m sick of reusing Smart Water, Oasis and Irn Bru bottles over and over until the next purchase. It was time for a long term solution. With Camelbak water bottles there is always a “got your bak lifetime guarantee” and this particular bottle claims to be leakproof. A £14 investment for a lifetime water bottle sounds pretty good to me!

The bottle itself feels like a very solid construction. The diameter of the bottle makes it very easy to grip and gives a sense of power to the product. A very tasteful contrasting white logo sits at the bottom of the bottle complementing the oz and ml measurement markings along the side.

As Camelbak are essentially a hydration company for hikers, the bottle design reflects the outdoor adventure aspects of the brand but doesn't isolate itself within that market. The bottles main body design is very minimal and makes the product easily adaptable to general sports, gym training and everyday hydration.

The body is manufactured from a blow moulded copolyester polymer called Tritan, which gives the bottle probities similar to polycarbonate: colour, clear, dishwasher safe and no residual taste. Unlike polycarbonate plastic, Tritan is BPA (bisphenol A) free. BPA is a chemical that there is much debate about in the world of science. The chemical is said to seep into food and beverages contaminating them. The long-term effects of BPA are still unknown but the chemical should be avoided at all cost.

Sorry about the science chat, moving on…

The three main sections of the bottle are held together by an injection moulded fastener, meaning the product can never be fully disassembled. The advantage of this is you can never drop or loose either lid when refilling or drinking. Although the construction sounds fidgety, the fastener is extremely flexible and allows access through the filling cap when it's removed.

The main reason the fastener exists on this bottle is for its unique drinking user experience. If one was to just remove the drinking lid and sip from the bottle, the lid would flail around and probably annoy you quite a lot. In this bottle design, the lid is removed and slotted into the snap hook carrying section before drinking. This is a satisfying little feature and engages the user more than conventional water bottles.

Another design consideration with this bottle is shown in the drinking funnel. The threads for the 1/2 turn lid are on the interior of the funnel, leaving a very smooth and ergonomically designed exterior.

Overall, as I'm sure you can tell, I am very pleased with my purchase. While I was in the shop I was considering buying the Eddy version of the bottle. This is the more popular version, but I didn't like the “flip, bite and sip” concept. I much prefer a faster water delivery system than “sipping”..

I’m not claiming that this water bottle in any way is the best the market has to offer but I believe this is great design. Materials, aesthetics, user experience, market and function have all been carefully considered and executed very well.