Reviews > Hydration Systems > Bottles > Camelbak Chute 1L Water Bottle > Owner Review by Kathleen Waters

CAMELBAK CHUTE 1L WATER BOTTLE


BY KATHLEEN WATERS
November 11, 2014
OWNER REVIEW

TESTER INFORMATION

Living in Colorado and being self-employed, I have ample opportunities to backpack. There are over 700,000 acres/280,000 hectares of public land bordering my 71-acre/29-hectare "backyard" in addition to all the other gorgeous locations which abound in Colorado. Over the past 15 years, my husband John and I have also had the good fortune to hike/snowshoe glaciers, rain forests, mountains and deserts in exotic locations, including New Zealand, Iceland, Costa Rica, Slovenia and Death Valley. My hiking style is comfortable, aiming for lightweight. I use a tent (rainfly if needed). Current pack averages 25 lb (11 kg) excluding food and water.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Manufacturer: Camelbak, Inc. Year of Manufacture: 2014 Manufacturer's Website: http://www.camelbak.com MSRP: US $14.00 Listed Weight: 6.08 oz (172 g) Measured Weight: 6 oz (170 g) Colors Available: Charcoal, Sage, Marine Blue & Indigo Color Reviewed: Sage Volume: Liter / 32 oz Other details: From Manufacturer's Promotional Materials * 100% Free of BPA and BPS * Bottle Material: BPA-free Eastman Tritan™ Copolyster * Cap Material: BPA-Free Polypropylene * Dimensions: 10 X 3.5 in / 25.4 X 8.89 cm * CamelBak® Got Your Bak™ Guarantee: "If we build it, we'll Bak it™ with our lifetime guarantee."

Picture Courtesy of Camelbak

Description

The Camelbak Chute takes the common "plastic" water bottle and makes several innovative improvements. Gone is the "straw" with the rubbery bite-valve or flip-lid. In its place is an angled spout wide enough for people like me who would rather gulp than sip and small enough to avoid getting soaked by sloshing water. The spout cap neatly snaps into the tethered handle to keep it out of the way when drinking. This tether keeps the cap attached to the bottle so it doesn't get lost and forms a convenient, comfortable carry handle. The cap opens (and closes) with just half a turn and threads internally into the bottle so there is no more drinking with lips rubbing uncomfortable bottle threads.

Chute Spout and Cap Fully Opened

Chute Spout Cap Anchored in Handle

FIELD USE AND PERFORMANCE

Though I haven't had the Camelbak Chute for an overly long period of time, I have used it on every outing I've made in the last two months and have used it daily on my desk in my office. Almost all of my trips have been day hikes in south central Colorado (CO) and in Louisiana, except one overnighter and the weather has been crazy - all over the (weather) map! We've broken high records and in just the last two days temperatures have plummeted into the single digits, but on average, my hiking weather was in the mid-40s to mid-50s F (7-13 C).

Chute (right pouch) Blue Lakes TR, Breckenridge, CO

Filling the Chute is a nice departure from some of my other water bottles thanks to the wide-mouth opening. I like my water cold even when it's not necessarily toasty outside. I use ice almost all the time and with the Chute, I can actually fill the bottle with my refrigerator's ice dispenser rather than having to stuff one ice cube in at a time. No more frozen fingers! I like my drink cold, not my digits! The lid of the Chute is in two pieces secured together by a tethering system which prevents either one of the caps from going AWOL. This is great for me, as I have a tendency to drop things and my butter-fingers have led to the tossing of a few water bottles which went topless in the field. I did find securing the spout cap into the handle to be a challenge. While the concept is rather intuitive (and ingenious), the execution is a little harder for me than it probably should be. I actually checked out the online video on the Camelbak website for my "ah-ha" moment. Even after weeks of using the Chute, I still struggle a little getting that cap snapped in tight. And while I'm on the subject of the spout cap. It easily snaps into place for closure and on my very first outing with the Chute, I learned the hard way, that the cap must be screwed/twisted on tight, not just pushed down. Half way up the trail, I reached back for my water bottle only to find it almost completely empty! I had not tightened the cap and while I had the pack stashed in the car on its side in route to the trailhead, the water leaked all over the place! Because I was bundled against the cold, I hadn't notice the very damp backpack. Dang! Good thing I had a hydration bladder as well.

The spout is a nice size opening. It's about the same as the average soda/pop bottle opening, so I can neatly wrap my lips around it and prevent water from sloshing around all over myself. I like that a lot! And I really like that the outside of the spout is smooth with the threads inside the spout, not outside against my delicate skin. It's a little thing but it makes the drinking experience that much more pleasant.

As I've come to expect from Camelbak - this is not my first Camelbak water bottle - from the first filling (after a thorough washing), right through the next several dozens - there is no taste other than the liquid used to fill the Chute. I haven't detected any smells or chemical aftertaste ever. And, I'm happy to say, I have used various energy additives to my water at various times. The Chute has not retained any residual odors or tastes. Yay!

Despite the fact that Camelbak advises the Chute can be cleaned in the top rack of a dishwasher, I have only washed it by hand with my usual dishwashing liquid. There is no way it will even fit in my dishwasher's top rack! But no worry, I've found it easy to remove the various parts and let them soak a bit, swish them around, thoroughly rinse and let air dry. After about a dozen day trips and one overnighter and daily indoor use, the Chute still smells fresh and clean after washing and shows no signs of major scratches despite my innate clumsiness, including the time I accidently kicked it across a graveled parking lot after a day hike! The tether remains flexible without any signs of getting brittle or cracking.

I'm looking forward to many for outings with the Camelbak Chute water bottle stowed in my pack!

STARRING ATTRACTIONS

1.) I can gulp down water rather than puckering up and sucking hard to sip it.
2.) The wide mouth makes the bottle easy to fill - including with ice - and to wash
3.) Spout top can get lost due to tethering.
4.) No chemical taste
5.) Love the internal threading of the cap - no rough edges.

MINOR DISTRACTIONS

1.) I find the spout cap a bit difficult to anchor into the tether.

SUMMARY

One of the first things I learned when I started backpacking and hiking was the importance of staying hydrated and when I moved to Colorado, I found that to be especially true even when sedentary! I'm always on the lookout for the next new-and-improved water bottle. I literally have dozens of them but there has always been something I didn't particularly care for about each one. Smell. Weight. Hard to fill. Hard to use. Just something!

After using the Camelbak Chute 1 L Water Bottle, I have to say I think Camelbak has come really close to filling all my water-bottle-wishes. There's no smell, no taste, it's not heavy, easy to fill, easy to drink from. What's not to like? Oh yeah, my clumsy fingers still struggle with the spout cap anchoring thingy! I will definitely continue to gulp from my Chute though and look forward to Camelbak's next innovation.

Kathleen (Kathy) Waters

Reviews > Hydration Systems > Bottles > Camelbak Chute 1L Water Bottle > Owner Review by Kathleen Waters