Camelbak Podium Chill Bottle
MSRP: $12.99
Details: BPA Free, Insulated Bottle

A water bottle is a water bottle, you get them free when you buy a bike, complete a ride or purchase them for $5-9 from your local bike shop.  That is exactly what I thought until I purchased a couple Camelbak Podium Chill Bottles a year ago.

Initial Reaction

When the original Podium Bottle was released I picked one up and wasn’t too impressed.  Yes, the screw on lid with bite valve was cool because it would keep your liquids from leaking all over your bike.  It also allowed you to keep the valve open to easily drink from, instead of opening/closing the lid every time you wanted to drink.  The lid alone wasn’t worth $5 extra dollars.

It’s All in the Insulation

Then Camelbak released the Podium Chill Bottle and I came to my senses.  Never before had I been a fan of insulated bike bottles.  They were clunky, hard to squeeze and came in only very boring colors.  Now insulation made sense to me and on most days in North Carolina between May and September I’m using the Insulated Podium Bottle.

Camelbak Podium Bottle Design

Once I overcame my sticker shock and realized that cold water was worth the money I embraced all of the design features within the bottle.

• The lid with the ability to lock the valve closed has saved me many times when my bottle is on its side in my messenger bag.
• The bite valve allows me to leave the bottles lid in the open position when I’m riding, and still doesn’t leak!
• The textured outer layer of the bottle feels very odd at first, but the first time the bottle or your hands are wet you’ll realize its for grip.

Final Thoughts

Yes, Camelbak sent me some of these bottles as part of a care package so I have to disclose that part, but I owned several bottles previously.  Currently as my standard water bottles need replacing I’ll replace them with the Insulated Podium bottles until it is an even split between the two types of bottles.  The standard bottle will always have its place in the cupboard and on my bike, but for hot days over 80 degrees the Podium Chill Bottle will be in my water bottle cage.

Bottle Line: If you ride in the heat,  or sweat a lot,  try out one of these bottles.

Interested in purchasing a Camelbak Podium Chill Bottle or something like it after reading this review? Help support the site and purchase it from our Affiliate : REI

Constant Reminder to Hydrate

For the past couple weeks I haven’t been drinking water, and my hot coffee consumption has increased thanks to the sub 90º weather.  Every morning last week I woke up with this hang over feeling, half of the feeling was due to lack of caffeine, the other half was being dehydrated.

Today I took a Camelbak Better Bottle into work with me, hooking it on to my bag for a constant reminder on the way in. When I arrived at work I took the bottle and sat it down right in front of me.

This is my quick public service announcement to remind everyone to drink a big cup of water before bed.  We just received a small box of goodness from Camelbak of Insulated Better Bottles and Insulated Podium Bottles for review.  Check in tomorrow for a preview!