While I was trying out a Camelbak Podium bottle, I couldn’t resist also trying a CamelBak ChillJacket Podium bottle, which is the insulated version.

The ChillJacket bottle has all the features of the regular Podium bottle, but the insulation is supposed to keep drinks hot or cold for hours. It’s a lot like the popular Polar bottle, but with Camelbak’s new twists.

I used to use the Polar bottle, but that was many years ago, so my memory is kind of fuzzy on how well it worked. However, I do remember it broke eventually, and I didn’t bother buying any more Polar bottles after that.

But once another insulated bottle option is out, I’m happy to test it. So let’s get going…

To start with, this is virtually identical to the regular Podium bottle. The pros and cons are nearly identical.

To recap, I really like the ease of use of the Podium bottle, thanks to its JetValve. It’s like having a bite valve from a hydration pack on your water bottle. No need to pull the valve open with your teeth then hip slam it closed – you just squeeze the bottle and it squirts water into your mouth. The valve opens and closes automatically, which is very convenient.

The downfall is the fact that the valve takes more effort than usual to clean out. If you carry sports drinks in this bottle, you’re almost guaranteed to get some nice mold growing in the crevices! Then you have to pull the valve apart and clean it with Q-tips and toothpicks.

Another downfall is that, unless you are extremely careful, you’re going to spill some. While the bottle is leakproof if you don’t mess with it, it’s virtually impossible not to spill some fluid if you’re using the bottle while riding.

One difference is that the ChillJacket is a 21oz bottle while the regular Podium will hold 24oz. This is usually the case with any insulated bottle because insulation takes up space. So the slightly smaller 21oz capacity isn’t a big deal.

But the redeeming factor here is that the ChillJacket bottle might just keep our drinks colder for longer periods! I love cold water on a long, hot ride, so I’m excited about this bottle!

I like the squeezeability of this bottle as well. I remember the Polar bottle being way too stiff and hard to squeeze. However, Camelbak’s Chilljacket bottle is just as easy to squeeze as a standard water bottle. (It’s even softer than my regular Podium bottle… possibly because I used it more often and it’s now broken in? Hmm.)

Testing the Insulation

How does this bottle hold up in hot and cold weather? Let’s test it to see just how long this bottle will actually keep your beverage warm or cold, depending on the outside temperature.

In Cold Weather:

For this test, I took the regular Podium bottle and the ChillJacket bottle and filled them with warm green tea. I then placed them outside in 25 degree F weather. I sipped from each bottle about every 15 minutes (starting at 1:00 PM.)

The tea started out comfortably warm in both bottles. At the 15 minute mark, things remained the same.

At 30 minutes, I was able to notice that the tea in the ChillJacket was slightly warmer than in the regular Podium bottle.

At 45 minutes, there was a noticeable difference. The tea had become cool in the regular bottle, while in the ChillJacket, the tea was still warmer than room temperature.

After one hour, the bottles started to even up. The tea in the regular bottle was cool, and in the ChillJacket bottle, it was room temperature (no longer considered warm.)

After an hour and a half, the teas were both cooling off slightly, although the ChillJacket’s tea was still hovering around room temperature. Finally, at the two hour mark, the teas were both cool.

At three hours, both bottles had cooled off. The difference is that the regular bottle’s valve had frozen shut. I had to blow warm breath on it, and squeeze it really hard to break through the frozen part so I could get some liquid.

Now it’s been four hours! Both bottles contain cool, but not quite cold, liquid. The only real difference is the regular Podium bottle had the valve freeze shut completely. The ChillJacket bottle functioned much better, but the valve was starting to freeze a bit.

For keeping drinks warm, the ChillJacket definitely helped. However, the difference wasn’t as much as I expected.

Also, there is another issue in cold weather. It’s not that the water in the bottle will freeze fast, it’s that the valve itself will freeze shut. The valve can easily freeze shut in 15 minutes, even if the drink inside stays liquid for a couple hours.

This problem plagued even the ChillJacket bottle. Water droplets coat the soft part of the valve, freezing it shut. With enough pressure, you can usually break it free though. Unfortunately, the material becomes less flexible in the cold, so the valve will no longer seal properly. It is much less likely to close completely in cold weather.

I’ve actually had the valve freeze in the open position! If this happens, the trick is to squeeze the bottle a few times. Eventually the air pressure should result in the valve pulling closed again. But watch out because it might not lay back down fully sealed!

In Hot Weather:

For this test, I took the regular Podium bottle and the ChillJacket bottle and filled them with ice water. I then placed them outside in the sun, in 80 degree F weather. I sipped from each bottle every 15 minutes.

[True test results coming when I can find hot, sunny weather!]

What I can say in the meantime is I did find some benefits to the ChillJacket’s insulation on hot days. It definitely kept my drinks cooler for a little longer than a regular bottle.

I don’t have any hard numbers (and they’d vary so much based on heat, sun, humidity, etc.,) but if you’re riding in super hot weather, anything helps! So definitely look at the ChillJacket bottle.

My final verdict is…

Over the past six months, this bottle has been getting used more than any others in my collection. I use it almost every day, whether it’s in my car, in the gym, or out on the ski trails. I even take it on some road bike rides, but like I mentioned before, my Specialized bottles still get used most often on my bikes.

That said, I highly recommend you try this bottle. You might just like it for bike riding, and if not, you’ll still find many uses for it.

Official website: www.Camelbak.com

Buy online: www.REI.com

Back when I first wrote about BPA-free water bottles, I mentioned the new Camelbak bottles as one choice. Once I noticed how cool the CamelBak Podium bottle was, I had to get one. It’s like a regular water bottle but with a valve akin to the bite valves on Camelbak’s hydration packs.

The premise is that you can easily access the water in this bottle either by sucking on the valve or squeezing the bottle with your hand. With virtually every other water bottle, you bite and pull the top with your teeth, squeeze the bottle, and then slam it shut on your hip. So this Podium bottle should be much easier to deal with while riding.

In theory, it shouldn’t leak, since the valve automatically stays closed. (It really sucks to get sports drink dripping on your frame, and also your gloves, because then it ends up on your bar tape too.) You can also lock the valve closed using a simple twist-lock lever on the lid.

The one downside I see, much like with a hydration pack, is that it’s hard to clean inside the bite valve. If you use sports drinks, chances are there will be gunk built up in there, which will eventually turn to mold.

But enough with the theory… let’s see how this works in real life…

Buying: This bottle is about $9, which is a little steep compared to your typical $4 water bottle.

Filling: This was simple, like a regular water bottle. The opening is big enough for ice cubes, so there’s no problem here.

Carrying: It fits in a standard size water bottle cage and stays in place. It will also slide into a jersey pocket if you like.

Handling: My first thought with this bottle is that it will take some getting used to! For one thing, I kept wanting to pull the valve open with my teeth, but after a week or so I got past that.

What bothered me is grabbing it out of the bottle cage. You have to grab the top of the bottle so that you don’t end up squeezing the center (which would spray your drink straight onto your bike.) Then once you are holding the bottle, you have to slide your hand down to the center to squeeze it properly. (You could squeeze from the top, but it felt awkward to me.)

I almost dropped this bottle a few times at first, thanks to the odd feel. Also, it gets pretty slippery.

I much prefer grabbing a Specialized Big Mouth bottle, which has a textured grip at just the right spot. It also feels softer, which makes it feel right in my hand. The Podium bottle is rather stiff.

Drinking: This is where the bottle really shines. It really is super easy to drink from. You don’t even have to put it in your mouth at all, so that makes it easy on your teeth.

Just a good squeeze on the middle of the bottle sends a good stream of water into your mouth. You can also suck on the valve if you prefer.

Best part – I really like how I don’t have to slam the valve shut on my hip or chest after getting a drink.

Cleaning: As suspected, this bottle is a huge pain in the behind when it’s time for a cleaning!

If you use sports drinks in your bottles, you’ll end up with sugary residue trapped around the soft part of the valve. That means you need to use a toothpick and/or a Q-tip to get down in there and clean off any built-up sports drink or resultant mold.

See, I want bottles where I can use sports drinks since I hate putting anything sugary in my hydration pack (residue and mold in the tube and bite valve sucks!!) So putting a sort of bite valve on the Podium bottle doesn’t do me much good at all!

Finally, the million dollar question…

Is this bottle leak-proof?

In theory, yes. In reality, no. This is most definitely not a 100% leak-proof water bottle.

First of all, let’s say you’re mixing up a sports drink powder in the bottle. If you start shaking the bottle, the force inside will open the valve and send a stream of water onto your kitchen table, car seat, riding buddies, or wherever you’re standing. So if you are mixing up a drink, make sure the twist-close lever on the lid is turned to the locked position!

Second, when you’re grabbing the water bottle and pulling it out of the bottle cage, you have to grab it perfectly. If you put too much pressure in the wrong area, you’re going to squirt your drink straight onto your bike’s frame.

Third, after mountain biking with this bottle for a few hours, I checked my bike and found my down tube covered in stickiness. I’m not sure if that was from me handling the bottle or from the roughness of the trails shaking the valve open, letting a few drops escape each time.

Fourth, I noticed that most of the time, there are a few leftover drops of liquid sitting on top the valve once it closes. If I just have the bottle sitting on a table, these drops end up on my shirt the next time I go for a drink. If the bottle is on my bike, I bet the drops fly off onto my down tube.

Let’s face it – you’ll still get sports drink residue somewhere if that’s what you’re using. You could probably lessen that by always locking the lid, but if you’re racing, you’re not going to take the time to spin the lever to the locked position after each sip. And if you’re mountain biking, you probably won’t have time to perform such a maneuver while moving.

Sure, if your goal is to transport a full bottle of sports drink from point A to point B, without drinking it, this bottle would work perfect and not leak. But if you’re messing around with it, you’re bound to spill a few drops of sports drink somehow.

So…

What did I really like about this bottle?

While this bottle isn’t perfect, there are a few things I like about it. As mentioned, not having to slam the top shut on my hip is awesome.

Despite not liking the feel of the plastic, I like the taste of it. That is, even on the first use, there was no plastic taste. The water tasted nice and fresh each time.

One thing that made this really cool for mountain biking is not having to put my mouth on the valve. As you know, water bottles get dirty when mountain biking, and it sucks to get that built-up mud in your mouth each time you take a sip. With the Podium bottle, you keep the muddy valve at a distance and just squeeze out the fresh drink.

(Unfortunately, due to the openness of the valve, it can get filled with mud, which then means you’re squirting chunks of mud into your mouth with each burst of water!)

What I ended up doing with this bottle is using it primarily for other sports. It’s cool because I can carry the filled bottle in a backpack or duffel bag with the twist-lock lever locked shut, and it won’t leak at all (even if squeezed.) I actually ended up loving this bottle for things like weight lifting, squash, and other sports where I don’t have to carry the bottle around in a cage.

It’s also great for road trips in the car. I always have my Podium ChillJacket bottle right beside me.

My final verdict is…

While I give CamelBak an A+ in innovation, and I was really excited about this bottle, it didn’t impress me as much as expected. For me, it brought on more problems than it solved. It’s a cool bottle, but in the end, I’m happier with my tried-and-true Specialized Big Mouth bottles.

I do love the bottle for other sports use, so I got my money’s worth. I actually use them all the time. It’s just that for cycling it doesn’t seem any better than usual. And I don’t use sports drinks in them.

You might really like these Podium bottles though (as many others do,) so you should still check them out.

Official website: www.Camelbak.com

Buy online: www.REI.com

If you’re new to cycling, here’s one thing you need to know: the Specialized Big Mouth Bottle is the standard bottle by which all other water bottles are judged. I have been using these bottles as long as I can remember, I just haven’t reviewed them since it seems like such an obvious choice for a water bottle.

But to point out all the reasons why I use Specialized water bottles, here is my review…

As you can see from the picture above, Specialized bottles are available in a variety of color schemes thanks to many companies using them as promotional items. That’s great news because it means you can often get these bottles for free! (One of the many reasons I like them!)

I paid like $5 for the Clif bottle since I needed one in an emergency, but the others were courtesy of Bike Barn in Whitman, MA and Marathon Physical Therapy in Norton, MA.

Speaking of the bottle itself, let’s start at the top. The bite valve is big and soft, which means you can get a lot of water out at once, and it’s comfortable to open with your teeth.

The openness also means it’s easy to clean. If you use sports drinks like Gatorade or Heed, or messy stuff like Accelerade, you don’t have to hassle with cleaning hard-to-reach locations.

The top seals extremely well, making this bottle virtually leak-proof. Some of my bottles have been in use for five years or so, and none of them leak one bit! The only way to get this to leak is to not close the bite valve the whole way.

The main part of the bottle is made of thick, durable plastic. It can stand up to years of abuse being shoved into water bottle cages. I’ve pitched some bottles because they got scraped up so bad, but I don’t remember any actually cracking or wearing through.

The large opening means it’s easy to fill. You can easily fit full-size ice cubes in there.

The middle of the bottle is easy to hold. It is just the right size for my hands, and the shape feels just right. It even has a knurled grip section where your thumb and index finger hold it. That way you can keep a hold even when it’s wet.

It is also the perfect size for a water bottle cage. This bottle holds 21 or 24oz, and it slides in and out of a bottle cage easily.

There’s not much else to say except that I think this bottle is just plain great.

I would suggest getting white bottles if you can, because white does the best job of reflecting light. That seems to keep your drink colder just a tad longer than the clear ones or the darker colors.

The only downside I could come up with is that there is no insulated version. If you need an insulated bottle you might want to check out the Camelbak Podium bottle, which offers an insulated version.

I tried the Camelbak Podium bottle and expected it to be way better than the Specialized Big Mouth, but after a year switching between both, I actually still prefer the Specialized bottle most of the time!

My final verdict is…

This is without doubt the best water bottle out there for cyclists. Get some, use them, and be happy.

Official website: www.Specialized.com

When it comes to water bottles, the Specialized Big Mouth water bottle is the undisputed king. (Check the bottom of your bottle, chances are there is a Specialized “S” logo down there.)

But I was always intrigued by these Elite water bottles. They must be pretty good – they are the official water bottle of the Tour de France, after all.

Well, Performance Bike had them on sale for $1.99, so I figured it was a good time to try them (it was an impulse purchase.) I picked up Cofidis and Fdjeux.com logo bottles.

Here’s what I think of the bottle…

The Elite bottle is small in capacity, holding only 500 ml (or 16.9 ounces) of water. That’s fine when you have domestiques delivering fresh bottles to you every half hour, but I like my bottles to hold 24 oz when I’m heading out on country roads.

The weight of the bottle is average, but the majority of the weight seems to be in the thick black cap.

However, as big and heavy as the cap is, it seems to have an aerodynamic shape. I can’t say how much benefit that will have, but it looks pretty cool.

The first thing I did not like about this bottle is how there was a weird plastic piece molded onto the cap, so it could be hung in store displays. When I ripped it off, it left two sharp plastic spikes sticking out! (Sharp enough to cut your hand!) I had to take a wood file and file them down smooth so I could drink comfortably.

Drinking from the Elite bottle is a little different than I was used to.

For starters, the aerodynamic shape and little nozzle makes it so you’re almost kissing the bottle when you get a drink. It’s a somewhat odd feeling.

The nozzle is soft and easy to operate with your teeth, though.

The main part of the bottle has ridges towards the top, which would probably make it easier to hold right there. However, you have to grip the middle of the bottle to squeeze it, so these ridges are pointless.

And if you ride rough roads, these bottles will drive you mad! With the aero cap, these bottles wouldn’t fit snugly in my standard bottle cages, and it results in them rattling like crazy!

That one reason is enough to keep me from ever using them on a bike ride again!

My final verdict is…

There are some things I liked about the Elite bottle, but there were a lot of things I didn’t like. So I don’t recommend buying them for on-bike use.

I will not be using these on my bike rides, but they are fine for carrying around to the gym or the track (for running workouts.)

Official website: www.Elite-IT.com

Buy online: www.PerformanceBike.com*

* I see Performance Bike has a new style of Elite bottle. They must have realized the design needed changed!

The first water bottle I ever bought for cycling was a Polar bottle. It seemed like a great idea – a water bottle with insulation that would keep cold drinks cold on a hot summer day.

Did it work?

I don’t really remember. It was an alright bottle, and I think it did keep drinks cooler for a little longer.

But the insulation took up valuable space, and the $9 bottle was much more expensive than any others. It was also kind of slippery and tough to squeeze.

So, whenever the bottle eventually cracked, I resorted to regular water bottles that were much cheaper but held more water.

And I have been happy ever since!

The idea is great, but the bottle isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. (At least the bottle is BPA-free though.)

I will try one of the new versions next summer, though, so stay tuned for a full review!

Want more info? See these links:

Official website: www.PolarBottle.com

Buy online: Amazon.com