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Mini Review: Camelbak Podium Bottles

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I can sum up this review of the CamelBak Podium bottles with one statement:

Best. Water bottle. Ever.

…except for one thing: it’s not made with the new super-green biodegradeable plastics like this and this.  The functionality of the bottles is superb, though, and they are BPA-free.  It’s also quite pleasant not to have to smack the top of it against your ass when you’re riding to close the top.

Besides cycling use, they’re perfect for putting “purple juice” in for youngsters because they can be dropped, knocked over and otherwise thrown around without spilling insta-stains on your carpet.  They also smuggle margaritas into open air concerts quite well.

What else can we say about them?  Well, we weighed them.  Click ‘more’ if you care about that (Garmin obviously has a hidden advantage), otherwise, we highly recommend you replace your current bottles with these as the need arises, and we hope CamelBak makes the switch to a plastic that better addresses the cradle-to-grave concerns in future models.

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Maybe it’s just my mismatched cages, but they look good on a bike, too.

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69 grams for the BikeMonkey version (21oz).

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76g for the silver one.  Interestingly, this one’s also harder to squeeze.  It’s one of the first ones we got, so I’m not sure if they’ve reduced their plastic use since launching them, or if the silver color causes the plastic to be slightly harder.  It’s a mystery that will never, ever be solved.

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65 grams for the Garmin team bottle.  This must be why Tyler Farrar has been on a winning streak lately.  Lighter bottles.

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102g for the Podium ChillJacket version.  The ChillJacket bottles are taller like the 24oz, but they only hold 21oz due to the internal displacement of the extra thickness.  This is my favorite bottle of all time, and it keeps a sports drink cool for at least 90 minutes on a hot, hot ride.  Worth every penny.

MSRP’s:

  • 21oz: $8.00
  • 24oz: $9.00
  • ChillJacket: $12.00
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Sean
Sean
14 years ago

Too funny, I just bought 4 of these a couple of weeks ago. I was sick of my other bottles leaking around the lids and valve. These ones don’t leak and just work nice and easy!

Gian
Gian
14 years ago

The very fist bottle I bought was a clear version and is harder to squeeze than the 5 others I have bought (including the chill jacket).

johnny
johnny
14 years ago

I have a couple of the clear Camelbak bottles. They are much harder to squeeze than my old Specialized bottles. Harder to squeeze means the water comes out more slowly and I drink less. I switched back to the Specialized bottles.

mkpaa
mkpaa
14 years ago

johnny:
I’ve heard that argument a lot and I have to disagree. I find it very easy to get just as much drink from the bottle as I want. Have you tried squeezing it from bottleneck (instead of lower part)?

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