Who knew so much damage could come from drinking water?
Sure, you thought your reusable bottle was cool, trendy, and environmentally friendly.
But in reality, it’s probably doing more harm than good… to the environment AND your health.
Never fear, the CamelBak supers are here to rescue you!
Back in November TreeHugger broke the story that CamelBak would be releasing a new line of “gender bender free” bottles in February.
Well, it’s February, and lo and behold the bottles released on time!
If you haven’t already ditched your Nalgene or other brand of polycarbonate bottle, now you’ve got an even better excuse to (…just in case reduced sperm count, weight gain, mood swings, night sweats, and growing some “man boobs” wasn’t enough reason to ditch it before).
Although metal water bottles and HDPE bottles have been our best substitute to this point, let’s be honest, they’ve never been as sexy as the colorful polycarbonate ones that Nalgene popularized [obvious from this one, that I use].
And that’s exactly what the folks at CamelBak have been thinking about.
Sally McCoy, CamelBak CEO, says:
“Consumers have been asking for a BPA-free alternative with the strength, clarity and vibrant color of polycarbonate bottles… we’re very happy to be the first company to give them that choice.”
So what are the new CamelBak Better Bottles made from, if not Lexan?
They’re made from the new Eastman Tritan copolyester.
“Ideal for reusable food and beverage containers, this new generation copolyester contains no bisphenol-A (BPA) and provides improved dishwasher durability. To find a BPA free material that has toughness and clarity similar to polycarbonate, CamelBak turned to Eastman.”
CamelBak Better Bottles At A Glance
- BPA free.
- Available in 9 different colors.
- Available in 3 different styles: regular, classic cap, & performance.
- Available in 3 different sizes: 32oz, 24oz, & 16oz (though CamelBak uses the metric values of .5L, .75L, & 1L).
- 2 of the 3 versions incorporate CamelBak’s Big Bite Valve.
- New polymer can be cast in the old polycarbonate molds, so large sums of money and energy will not be spent on re-tooling factories.
CamelBak Better Bottle Buying Tips
The Performance Better Bottle is squeezable, incorporates the Big Bite Valve, comes only in a 22 oz. size, and only costs $8.00.
The Better Bottle (regular version) is hard and durable — similar to that of the polycarbonate Nalgene bottles – also has the Big Bite Valve, comes in all sizes and colors mentioned above, and costs $10-$14 (depending on size).
The Better Bottle with Classic Cap is hard and durable, features a wide mouth screw-off top, is available in all 3 sizes and 5 of the available colors, and costs $7-$9 (depending on size).
Special Cosmetic Note: Drinking from the wide mouth version will prevent premature signs of aging around your lips that is caused by the sucking motion of drinking through a straw (or the Big Bite Valve, in this case) or smoking cigarettes.
Will you be going out to buy or order a Better Bottle from CamelBak?
Along this same line, be sure to check out The Bottled Water Scam and 3 Alternatives to Drinking Bottled Water Part 1 & Part 2.
I think every little step toward living green is an awesome one… but eco-snobbery sucks! My goal is to help newbies learn the most important steps toward living green — individually and collectively. Personally, I strive to have as little impact as possible on Planet Earth while I'm here.
