Camelbak Better Bottle .75L Review

Finally! Words cannot express how happy I am that after four different bottles, I have FINALLY found one that doesn't leak! Hooray! This gem is called the Camelbak Better Bottle and is simply amazing. 

I took the Bubba bottle back to Big 5 where the manager gave me a go-ahead to grab as many bottles as I wanted, fill them with water and do the shake test to my hearts content. Boy did I! I eliminated a Filas bottle I was considering rather quickly by half filling it with water, opening and closing the lid, and shaking it every which way possible (right-side up, diagonally, and upside down). It was an epic fail; I turned it upside down, shook and it sprayed like a sprinkler. Now the Camelbak's turn; this guy won with flying colors. I shook and shook and shook with all my might determined to get something out of it and not a single drop came forth. We have our winner!  (I may have danced around like a moron for a few seconds doing the victory dance.) In case you wonder what that looks like, look here .

Got it in grey, love it!

 

 The flip top straw is really awesome especially with how easy they have made it to open, you really can open and drink with one hand. The loop is perfect for a carabiner, looping onto your finger, or hooking on to any pack with a latch on it. I had it on my backpack yesterday and it easily withstood the constant swinging back and forth.

Closer view of the bottle

Has a very sleek design and simple design which is very different than the bottles I usually am drawn to, see here and here . I really am a sucker for pretty/adorable bottles and that may be why I had such a hard time with them because I got them based off looks. Don't do that. 

The top with the bite-valve

Now, I will point out that if you are unfamiliar with bite-valve straws (I was) it will be awkward the first few times you use it. I fought with it for a while until I figured out how to bite and sip efficiently and I don't doubt that I looked pretty goofy doing it. (Feel free to practice drinking from this alone I won't judge).

Measurements along the backside

I don't know why but it seems like if I can see exactly how much water I am consuming then I get on a roll and keep drinking it. Very good in my book as long as I don't over-hydrate which is as bad as being dehydrated.  That along with having the straw makes it easier I think to sip mindlessly and then before you know it you've gone through the bottle and it's time to refill. Again, good in my book as long as you don't overdo it. 

Oh one more thing, depending on where you get it it can range from $10-$20 which is very reasonable for a non-leaky bottle.

QOTD: Ever owned a Camelbak bottle or pack? What is you're holy grail bottle?

Bubba Raptor 22 oz Bottle Review

So I bought another water bottle to replace the green Trudeau bottle I reviewed here and was very excited once again about it. That didn't last long due to the fact that as soon as I did a water test it proceeded to spray water all over the house. Not cool...again! 

You may recognize the green bottle, the pink one on the left was the new Bubba bottle.

I remembered to take a comparison picture of the two bottles side by side before pitching the green one. As you can see the Bubba bottle is again very adorable and has a great shape to it. However it leaked just as bad if not worse than the Trudeau bottle.

What the top looks like, I think it may have been leaking from the hole in the middle but am unsure

The straw was excellent, it flips up easily and is made of silicone so it does bend a small amount. Behind the straw is a little loop similar to what you see on a Camelbak Better Bottle which (spoiler alert) is my new bottle.  I'll review it as well so don't fret. 

Insulated and made with grooves to keep it in your hands

 Now the majority of the leaking seemed to come from where you twist on the lid; it doesn't matter if you lightly tighten it or use the force of God it still leaks. I tried putting the lid on at eye level to see if possibly it was on crooked but nope, there is no obvious reasoning for the leaking except for poor designing.  It like the Trudeau must be kept upright at all times, I unfortunately found out when getting out of the car. It had shifted to its side during the trip and proceeded to leak 22 oz of water into the floorboard of the car. Thank god it was only water but still imagine my surprise when my hand shot up from the lack of weight as I got out.  The flip-side to all of this is that Big 5 is more than happy to exchange the bottle and will even let me test out their bottles by filling them with water and doing the shake test BEFORE I take the bottle home some 30 miles away. *Shakes head and sighs*.

QOTD: How many water bottles have you gone through before finding the perfect one?