Camelbak UnBottle 2 Litre

Toxic Sherlock
Reviewed: 20 September 2005

OK BUT LEAKY

Slim, fits in any sac.

"Omega" opening leaks. Overpriced - It's a placky bag for chrissakes. Winter insulation kit is useless - still freezes.

Better than a water bottle for summer, but you need to keep it upright or your sac will get wet from the leaky "Omega" opening.

Alex Wheeler
Reviewed: 14 February 2005

SILVERY GOODNESS WRAPPED UP IN WATER, OR THE OTHER WAY ROUND

Strong! Insulated. Big cap that you can put yer mitts through. Silver ion inpregnated to stop mould (hydroguard). (locking bite valve). Flow rate. Tasteless

Hard to clean and dry, as are all hydration systems.

Doesn't have the ability to stand up like platypus's but with the rack or a bent coat hanger the problem is solved.

Stronger than any other system - the insulation helps prevent sharp objects wreaking havoc.

The silver ion inpregnations is brilliant - stays mould free longer than any other system.

The locking valve is a must - stops all self-created bogs at stops and in the back of cars!

Tasteless full stop.

Better than any other system (and I have been through almost every brand!)

Eric Smith
Reviewed: 15 December 2003

JUST RIGHT

Easy access; locking bite-valve; insulated cover; customer service; they stop children whingeing.

Nothing that any other hydration system doesn't have.

I bought this to replace my unbreakable 1.8 Platypus which broke when I dropped a frozen one on to a concrete floor. I must have unwittingly bought an old, original-design Unbottle in the US in the summer, as after I came back home I bought two more and noticed that the new cap is now attached permanently to the bottle. I eventually noticed that my first one leaked, and after examining the old and new caps, I saw that the first one has a couple of gaps in the plastic next to the o-ring seal. Well peeved, I e-mailed Camelbak in the US, and after an almost real-time exchange of e-mails, they promptly sent out a whole new reservoir with a decent cap and fancy new tube. Can't get better service than that! The Unbottle is a big improvement on the Platypus, particularly because of the big opening, lockable bite-valve and insulated cover, but then it is nearly twice the price. As is so often the case, buy cheap, buy twice. As an aside, I find hydration packs an absolute Godsend for going into the hills with children. A couple of years ago, I bought two Hydrobaks for my young girls and in one fell swoop stopped forever the constant refrain of "Stop, I need a drink"! Now they're a bit bigger, then can carry their own rucksacks, which is why they're now using Unbottles.

mark Ravensdale
Reviewed: 25 February 2003

MORE ROBUST THAN MY PLATY BIGZIP

Easy to fill,
Great bite valve,
Nice padded/insulated cover,
Hydrolock is a great idea too !
And generally much more workmanlike than my platy big-zip 2L.

Could be a bugger to get dried if i hadn't got the drier device/thingy,
Also, The tube is hard to remove from the bottom of the bladder (If you don't remove it then the tube cleaning device only goes 2/3rds the way along the tube from the bit valve side !)

I got my Unbottle 2 litre a couple of weeks ago after having had a platypuss 2 litre bigzip after only 4-5 months of light use start leaking from the seam near where the tube exits the bladder (Surely this must be a design fault as all the wieght of the full bladder is on this section and as such it tends to get bent/kinked)
Also i have found the bitevalve to pass more water than the one on my ex bigzip, I have also found the hydrolock to be a godsend as i usually carry a very expensive camera and lens combo around my neck and knowing that the water is shut of 100 percent offers a little more peice of mind !
Also the cover that comes with the unbottle is a good idea (I reccon it should keep my water colder for longer come the long hot days of the british summertime (Yer i wish !!!)It should also offer quite a bit of protection for the bladder against those nasty pointy things that lurk in my alpamayo !
Altogether i feel the unbottle offers a more robust system for carrying water on the go than my ex play bigzip did

Well done CAMELBAK !!!

Rowan Edwards
Reviewed: 28 August 2002

BETTER THAN A PLATYPUS!

Keeps stuff warm, keeps stuff cool, simple. I went for the 3litre version, which means I have the spare capacity if I need it. The D rings mean i can strap it almost anyway on my pack if I'm carrying lots of gear.

Cleaning the resivor is ok but as with all these bottles cleaning the tubes a pig. I bought a Camelpak tube cleaning brush but it wasn't up to thier normal build quality. The dryer is definantly worth having.

The best hydration system around, built ot last and you feel really smug as you watch your mates struggle to reach their bottles from their packs.