Reviews > Hydration Systems > Bottles > Camelbak Performance Bottle > Owner Review by Marina Batzke

CAMELBAK PERFORMANCE BOTTLE 22 OZ
BY MARINA BATZKE
OWNER REVIEW
July 29, 2015

TESTER INFORMATION

I converted from day hiking and car camping to backpacking in spring 2013. My backpacking trips are mostly weekend excursions in Southern California: desert areas in the winter months and mountainous areas in the summer months. I try to backpack one or two weekends a month. I always hike with a group and I like the gear talk when in camp. While I am looking for ways to lighten my pack, I am not an ultra-lighter: I like sleeping in a tent with a sleeping bag on a comfortable pad.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Manufacturer: Camelbak Products LLC
Year of Manufacture: 2012
Made in China
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.camelbak.com
MSRP: US$10.00
Hydration Capacity: 22 oz (650 ml)
Listed Weight: 4.8 oz (136 g)
Measured Weight: 3.9 oz (110 g)
Bottle Height from bottom to top of bite valve: 9.75 in (25 cm)
Other Details: Three colors available: red, gray or blue.

FIELD USE

Carey's Castle, Joshua Tree National Park, Southern California, USA
2 days/ 1 night April 2015
Temperatures: 88 - 49 F (31 - 9 C)

Bridge to Nowhere, San Gabriel Mountains, Southern California, USA
Dayhike May 2015
Temperature: 68 F (20 C)

Mount Waterman, San Gabriel Mountains, Southern California, USA
2 days/ 1 night May 2015
Temperatures: 75 - 40 F (24 - 4 C)

Yosemite National Park, Northern California, USA
4 days/ 3 nights May 2015
Temperatures: 68 - 40 F (20 - 5 C)

San Bernardino National Forest, Southern California, USA
3 days/ 2 nights June 2015
Temperatures: 85 - 50 F (29 - 10 C)

Henninger Flats, Angeles National Forest, California, USA
2 days/ 1 night June 2015
Temperatures: 90 - 67 F (32 - 19 C)

Purple Lake, Northern California, USA
4 days/ 3 nights July 2015
Temperatures: 71 - 48 F (22 - 9 C)

Beartrap Bluff, Southern California, USA
2 days/ 1 night July 2015
Temperatures: 84 - 50 F (29 - 10 C)

REVIEW

The Camelbak Performance Bottle is made of Camelbak's proprietary blend of polypropylene plastic, trademarked TruTaste, which prevents beverages from having a plastic taste. The Performance Bottle is 100% free of BPA (Bisphenol A - a carbon-based synthetic compound) and BPS (Bisphenol S - an organic compound) which have been investigated for possible negative health effects.

The bottle body is translucent blue with a 0.16 in (4 mm) transparent line from top to bottom that allows me to see how much liquid is inside. To the left and right of that transparent line, the bottle body has the volume levels imprinted: 150 ml, 300 ml, 650 ml and 8 oz, 12 oz, 22 oz. The bottle has a 2 in (5 cm) opening which makes it easy to add ice. The plastic itself is firm: I cannot squeeze it with my hand. The bottle diameter is 2.75 in (7 cm). About 3/4 up, the bottle shape is narrower at 2.36 in (6 cm). This allows me to hold it more firmly and reduces slipping out of my hand while active.

Open - Closed Symbols

The dark and light gray cap (also made of BPA-Free TruTaste polypropylene) has a big plastic loop, so I can firmly attach the bottle to a carabiner on my backpack. On the other cap side, it has the blue bite valve, made from medical grade silicone. The cap easily screws onto the blue body, rotating to the left. Next I turn the light gray top from left (symbol: crossed-out drop) to right (symbol: white drop), while holding onto the dark gray cap portion. I bite onto the blue bite valve and I can drink out of the Performance Bottle. Due to Camelbak's "stationary flip-top bite valve" I do not have to lift the bottom of the bottle up high to make the beverage flow. The bite valve is connected to a white straw that reaches to the bottom of the Performance Bottle and allows me to drink without having to tip the bottle up high. This is the greatest benefit of the Performance Bottle in my opinion. Before I insert the bottle into the side-pocket of my backpack, I easily twist the light gray top back to the closed position and I have not experienced any spills.

CamelBak guarantees the bottle for its lifetime.

To clean the Performance Bottle, I can easily dismantle it into its components: blue body, white straw, cap, blue silicone bite valve. Per Camelbak, it is OK to wash these in the top rack of the dishwasher. Yet I have always washed them by hand with warm, soapy water. It is not recommended to force a brush through the bite valve slit. I carefully clean the silicone valve with a moistened cotton swab to not damage the valve.

Bottle components

For a deeper cleaning, it is recommended to add a drop of mild soap or a tablespoon of bleach to a clean glass jar that is filled with water. I then place the bite valve, straw and cap into this solution, and tightly close the jar’s lid. Now I shake this mixture around for 30 seconds. Afterwards I let the parts soak for about 15 minutes. Finally I rinse the components off and shake them dry. I find it easy to reattach the silicone bite valve to the top and to insert the straw into the lower opening of the dark gray cap plastic.

Fits into side pocket of my pack

Hiking up to a peak

Even though I have owned this sports bottle for a few years, I originally only used it while driving. I can take a sip out of the bottle without have to tilt my head back.

This spring, I had a couple of incidents where my backpack's hydration bladders leaked. Once I was at the desert trailhead, ready to head into the wild and could refill the bladder by taking my water supplies for the drive back. Another time, I was able to filter water near camp but my supplies were wet and I spent a lot of time drying them on boulders. As a result, I wanted to have a firm, spill-free bottle with me also and have since used the Performance Bottle. The blue plastic shows minor little scrapes but otherwise the Performance Bottle is holding up very well.

THINGS I LIKE

+ No need to tip the bottle bottom up to drink
+ No plastic taste of the water
+ Easy to clean
+ Big loop to hook bottle onto a carabiner

THINGS I DON'T LIKE

No negatives really, but I would appreciate that a 34 oz - 1 liter bottle also be available.

SIGNATURE

Marina Batzke

Reviews > Hydration Systems > Bottles > Camelbak Performance Bottle > Owner Review by Marina Batzke