CamelBak, undisputed champ of hydration-on-the-go gear, has done it again, and the brand’s latest innovation is literally a crowd-pleaser. This is the ChillBak™ Pack 30 Soft Cooler & Hydration Center. And if you’re thinking, “man, that’s a really big product name,” your head’s in the right place because its name matches the goods: ChillBak™ Pack 30 can hold enough beverages (adult or not) that its official motto should be “no party left behind.” Read on for more details, but first, try and wrap your head around this: properly equipped, this insulated pack can tote 24 cans, 15lbs of ice, six extra liters of water and any small essentials you’ll need for your trip. Moreover, it’ll keep drinks cold for 72 hours and retain frozen ice for 72+ Hours. But that’s not even half the story.
ChillBak™ Pack 30 Soft Cooler & Hydration Center
See, this is exactly the kind of gear that instantly makes you the Most Popular Friend in any situation: on a hike, at a picnic or tailgate party, in the backyard and beyond. Coincidentally, you’re probably also the strongest guy in the group (or soon to be) if you can handle traveling by foot with the pack fully loaded. We did the math for you: all-in with 24 cans (~20 pounds), all that ice (15 pounds) and the extra six liters of water (~13 pounds), you’re responsible for roughly 50 pounds of pure party potential . What can we say? You’re a beast.
Thankfully, if you and your friends do your jobs right the trek back will be far lighter, but should the prospect of toting that many bevvies has you worried, fear not. CamelBak engineered the ChillBak™ Pack 30 for fun and comfort: its back panel and shoulder straps are comfortably padded, and a waist belt helps distribute weight. Still, upon arrival, you’ll deserve the first beer after doing what is essentially a basic training Ruck March.
Toting your favorite, perfectly chilled brews is an outdoorsman’s dream, especially when you’ve got easy, one-handed access via the cooler compartment’s roll-top closure, which CamelBak says provides “superior thermal efficiency.” And, of course, no CamelBak gear would be complete without the brand’s signature feature. The ChillBak™ Pack 30 includes a Fusion™ Group Reservoir that stores an extra six liters of water and stows behind the pack’s back panel. (After all, the key to having fun is staying hydrated. Remember that.) Better yet, you’ll have easy access to that H2O via an exterior spigot.
That’s right, you can roam around the campsite playing bartender and topping off everyone’s water bottles. Which we’d guess would feel kind of like using a Ghostbuster Proton Pack, only instead of a dangerous “unlicensed nuclear accelerator,” your new Camelbak is an unimpeachable License to Chill. (Especially if you did something absolutely CRAZY and filled that six-liter reservoir with a boozy punch, or… just booze. Not that we’d ever recommend something so reckless enjoyable, OF COURSE. (By the way – and this is totally unrelated – you guys ever fill a watermelon with vodka?)
So pick up a pack, pack your pack and enjoy th– wait, sorry, what’s that? You want to haul even more stuff to your destination, like a water bottle, EDC and other essentials? Well, friend, along with being extremely confident in your load-bearing ability, you’re in luck: there’s more storage in the rolltop area and a stretchy side pocket to boot.
If earning the Most Popular & Strongest Friend merit badge isn’t enough to make you proud, also know that the ChillBak™ Pack 30 is constructed with safer chemicals, earning it the Repurpose Silver Sustainability Badge. (Hold your end of the bargain and bring all your empties back from camp for proper disposal.)
Gear connoisseur, your adventures just got a ton more fun and your legs just got much more muscular. CamelBak’s ChillBak™ Pack 30 Soft Cooler & Hydration Center is the one-man band of the cooler world, and it’s gonna boost your adventures to a whole new level.
Let’s be honest: If you’re making and enjoying our camp cocktails during a long night by lantern light, you’re going to need a serious cup of coffee in the morning. So, we challenged Sunset assistant editor Magdalena O’Neal, who spent three years working as a barista across California (and “yelling at people about the power of a proper pour-over,” as she says), to create a caffeinated beverage easily made at any campground.
The result? A frothy, creamy, iced coffee that you’ll be craving long after you leave.
Campuccino
2 oz. coffee beans 1/4 cup heavy cream (or coconut cream) 1 tsp. brown sugar Makes 1 drink
Grind: Place coffee beans into a grinder and turn handle to grind.
Heat: Heat 1 cup of water in Snow Peak’s kettle.
Pour: While the water is heating, set up a filter in a coffee drip. Once water is hot, wet the filter with 1⁄4 cup of water and dispose of the water that drips through. Add ground coffee to the moistened filter and slowly pour remaining water over it, making sure to dampen all grounds. Let drip for a minute or two.
Shake: Fill a bottle with ice and pour coffee over ice. Add cream and brown sugar to the bottle and screw on the lid. Shake for 1 minute or until the bottle feels cold to the touch.
Serve: Pour the contents of the bottle into a mug and enjoy!
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Snow Peak’s Field Barista Setcomes with a grinder, kettle, and collapsible coffee drip. $260
The CleverHiker team spent last week walking the halls of Outdoor Retailer in Denver, drooling over all the awesome new outdoor gear coming out in 2022/23. OR is one of the largest gear conferences in the world, and we were fortunate enough to meet up with some of our favorite companies to get a sneak peek at their upcoming innovations. We put together this article to share the inside scoop on the new products we’re most stoked to get out on a trail!
CamelBak Octane
The updates on the CamelBak Octane Hydration Pack for Spring 2023 are looking very enticing! Like the original Octane, this pack combines the convenience of a pocketed harness (like a running vest) for quick access to small items with the gear and liquid capacity of a daypack for longer outings. The new model will have a little more structure in the back panel while still being super lightweight and comfortable. It will also include the 2L version of CamelBak’s latest premium Fusion Hydration Reservoir, which has a unique waterproof zipper and a backer plate for less bulge. We can’t wait to test the Octane 22L, which has great potential to become a top pick on our Best Hydration Packs list.
CamelBak ChillBak Pack 30
We have several backpack coolers on our Best Coolers list, but we haven’t seen anything quite like the CamelBak Chillbak Pack 30 that’s launching next month. What’s really unique about it is that it comes equipped with a large 6L Group Fusion Hydration Reservoir with a spigot to refill cups and reusable water bottles. There’s no doubt that this beast will be heavy to carry when full, but we think it’s a brilliant solution for toting ice-cold water on road trips or a large batch cocktail to the river for your crew. You can also get a Filter Kit that’s compatible with this setup, so you can filter water from natural sources for your group while camping in primitive sites.
Camelbak Leakproof Tumblers & Cocktail Shakers
We were immediately drawn into the Camelbak booth by the rows of enticing color stories on their water bottle walls, and we were even more intrigued once we got the full scoop on their soon-to-be-released drinkware lines. Highlights include a leakproof insulated tumbler for commuting with hot coffee or keeping a fresh juice cold, and the leakproof cocktail shaker for making perfect mixed drinks while you’re out and about at the beach or a park gathering with friends.
With plastic water bottles (along with plastic bags and plastic straws) occupying the top tier of socially unacceptable single-use accessories, reusable water bottles that are both good-looking and functional feel like a necessity in this modern, hydration-obsessed world. Finding the right one to match your own personal taste depends on what you’re looking for amidst a riot of colors, shapes, and features.
After putting in more than 120 hours of research—and testing over 100 bottles since 2014—we’ve chosen the seven best water bottles in a number of materials and styles, from our most versatile pick, which has elbowed its way past more well-known competition, to an inexpensive bottle with a straw, beloved for its functionality in any driving scenario. Whether you’re looking for a bottle to drink from while driving, a glass bottle (if you’re averse to plastic), or a plastic bottle (if you’re averse to high prices), each of our favorite water bottles offers a little extra to anyone who has been annoyed by imperfect hydration.
Why you should trust us
Since we first created this guide in 2014, the Wirecutter hive mind has tested more than 100 different bottles, over many hundreds of hours in our day-to-day lives.
With the increased popularity of metal water bottles, we wanted to get some insight into how that double-walled insulation works. So we called NASA, the best experts on thermodynamics we could think of. Via email, we interviewed Wesley Johnson, a cryogenics research engineer at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.
We also spoke to urban planner Josselyn Ivanov, who wrote her masters thesis for MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning on the decline of publicly available water, aka drinking fountains. “In the absence of investment and maintenance [in drinking fountains], many people fill the void by hauling around their own personalized infrastructure,” she told us.
And between three different writers and nine years of testing, we’ve seen over 100 iterations of the same object. These things all do the same thing, from the hard-plastic Nalgene that steamrolled college campuses in the 2000s to this $5,000 Chanel bottle that looks freshly looted from Blackbeard’s treasure chest. When you’ve used water bottles with triple-digit price tags as well as different, less expensive versions that do the same basic thing, you know which one works best.
Who this is for
The cultural juggernaut that is the modern water bottle continues its slow and steady human takeover, and we have found evidence that this could be a good thing. Pretty much everyone can benefit from having a water bottle they love.
Carrying a reusable water bottle is better for the environment and more cost effective than buying pre-bottled water. According to a study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters (PDF), bottled water production in the US alone in 2007 required somewhere between 32 million and 54 million barrels of oil. That’s roughly 2,000 times as much as the energy cost of producing tap water. Since then, bottled water sales in the US have grown from 33 billion liters to 52 billion liters in 2017, surpassing sodas and soft drinks.
For shoppers, bottled water is also a thousand times more expensive than tap water. Add the fact that in 2009 nearly half of all bottled water sold in the United States was nothing more than pricey, prepackaged tap water (PDF), and it becomes difficult to argue with the value of a well-made reusable water bottle.
Great for the car
A bottle with a straw lets you drink without tilting your head back, the easiest way to drink water while keeping your focus on the road.
Our favorite bottle for the car: Camelbak Eddy+ (25 ounces)
Color options: 11 Size options: 20, 25, and 32 ounces Lids available: straw lid (included), Chute Mag, Carry Cap Dishwasher safe: yes
Get this if: You want something easy to sip from while driving, or you want something that helps you drink water throughout the day (our unscientific findings lead us to believe straws make it easier to slurp down).
Why it’s great: This bottle has an integrated straw in the lid that features a plastic bite valve to keep it sealed, something anyone who has owned a CamelBak hydration pack will be familiar with. Just bite down to open the straw, and release to seal it shut. That leak-free lid makes it an ideal driving companion—it fits in a cup holder and is easy to sip from while you’re keeping your eyes on the road. And if you want to transfer it to a bag, the bite valve folds down into the lid, shielding it from too much contact with the world.
Also, if you have daily hydration goals, there’s something about a straw that makes it easy to mindlessly consume the 20, 30, or 40 ounces of daily intake you may have ahead of you. If that sounds like you, the Eddy+ comes in a 32-ounce size that would be easy to fill once, plop next to your laptop, and hit your goal for the day.
Straw lids are the most ergonomic option for easily sipping a drink in the car.
The straw lid twists off to reveal a wide mouth that’s easy to add ice to—handy if you want to keep your water cold. However, this is a plastic bottle, so adding ice could make it sweaty. If you want to avoid that, the insulated version should prevent moisture from gathering on the outside of the bottle.
You can swap out lids on this bottle with two others that CamelBak makes: the Carry Cap and the Chute Mag, a spout lid we’ve tested and liked because of how easy it is to drink from, similar to our top pick.
The Eddy+ is an updated model, and with this redesign CamelBak has addressed reports of the bite valve leaking or not functioning properly. The one we tested worked great, and neither the lid nor the valve leaked in our tests. This bottle is BPA-free, and all pieces, including the cap, lid, and straw, can go through the dishwasher. CamelBak offers a Lifetime Guarantee against defects in the manufacturing and materials, and it will replace them if they’re defective.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: You do have to bite down on this straw and hold it while you drink to get the water flowing, which may not appeal to some. But overall we didn’t find it cumbersome, and we soon forgot all about it.
A lightweight squeezie
This squeeze bottle is leakproof, light enough to throw into a carry-on for a flight, and cheap enough that if the TSA forces you to ditch it, the loss won’t break your heart.
An ideal air travel companion: CamelBak Podium (21 ounces)
Color options: seven Size options: 21 and 24 ounces Lids available: squeeze lid Dishwasher safe: yes
Get this if: You want a travel bottle. This bottle was invented for a bike cage, but a regular ol’ squeeze bottle is useful for so many things, specifically airport travel. I personally own (and use) just two types of water bottles, and this is one of them.
Why it’s great: Basic, lightweight, and cheap, a bike squeeze bottle makes a great travel companion, and we like the CamelBak Podium in particular. It has a twist lock that provides extra assurance that it’s closed tight when you toss it in a bag—plus, it’s dishwasher safe.
For years, we looked for a reliable collapsible travel bottle, but we’ve been disappointed so many times: The HydraPak flops, the Hydaway tastes plasticky, the Vapur and the Platypus collapse (in a bad way), the Nomader doesn’t pack down very small. And the implied way to carry a travel bottle correctly—clipped to a backpack or belt loop—always leaves them swinging around haphazardly in our experience. We’ve recommended all of these bottles in the past, but we’ve always been left wishing there was a better way.
A bike squeeze bottle is now our sincere recommendation for airport travel. In addition to its being light and relatively compact, if the TSA takes it, you’ve lost only a few dollars instead of your investment in an expensive insulated bottle. You could also take the Thermos Hydration Bottle we recommend, but this CamelBak bottle has fewer moving parts if you don’t want to fuss with the lid or flip lock on the Thermos. Our other recommendation would be to buy a plastic bottle in the airport that you then use for the rest of the trip.
Two types of Podium are available: the original and the Podium Chill, which has a reflective material in the lining meant to help keep water cold. We haven’t found that this lining makes any difference. In our tests, the liquid in insulated squeeze bottles warmed 17 degrees over six hours, the same as in a glass or unlined plastic bottle. For that reason, we wouldn’t bother with the lined version and instead recommend the original.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: The lid on this bottle is not covered, so if you dislike the idea of this bottle swimming around in a bag with the drinking surface exposed, you may like the Thermos better.
In addition, this bottle’s squeeze valve does not push in and out, as on other models; instead, the mouthpiece is static, and the plastic piece inside releases water when you apply pressure to the bottle. So if you are using this bottle for cycling, and you have a ton of dust and dirt on your ride, some may get stuck in that mouthpiece.
From GearPatrol By Hayley Helms and Steve Mazzucchi
The Best New Outdoor Products of the Year
If “innovate or die” is the mandate, these forward-thinking releases are surefire survivors.
This story is part of the GP100, our list of the 100 best new products of the year. Read the introduction to the series here.
While outdoor lovers may savor the primitive appeal of “getting back to nature,” the products we’re taking with us are more high-tech than ever. Just witness some of the category’s coolest recent launches, including custom snow goggles, carbon-plated trail runners and an insulated jacket made from ocean plastic. Now relax, cave people: our list still has room for a butt pad, a camp shoe and a machete. But true to the thrust of the industry, this machete folds.
Camelbak Eddy + Filtered by LifeStraw
When two notable outdoor brands enter a marriage of convenience, we take notice. Such is the case with Camelbak and Lifestraw: The pioneers of on-the-go hydration teamed up with one of the finest filtration companies in the business to create a line of water bottles, bladders and standalone filters that make purifying water in the wild easier and more reliable than ever. The Camelbak Eddy + Filtered by Lifestraw 32-ounce water bottle is not only vacuum insulated, spill-proof and leak-proof; it also contains a replaceable two-step filter that removes unwanted substances from your water. We’ve seen other water bottles with filters before, but none present such a winning combination of affordable price point and ease of use.
Whether you’re sourcing from a stream, river, lake or other natural body of water, once you fill your bottle, the filter takes care of the rest: Water passes through the first stage, the Hollow Filter, which removes bacteria, parasites and microplastics. Then, the water travels through the Ion Exchange filter, which reduces the taste and odor of lead, chlorine and other chemicals.
Camelbak didn’t just integrate Lifestraw’s capable filters into their vacuum-insulated Eddy bottle — it’s also included in a recycled plastic bottle as well as a two-liter reservoir, so there’s an option for every kind of drinker. The short of the long? Buy this bottle and enjoy clean, safe water on demand, wherever your adventures take you.
Insulation: Double-walled 18/8 stainless steel
Construction: BPA, BPS and BPF-free
Capacity: 26 ounces with filter, 32 ounces without
Price: $70
For the rest of the Gear Patrol 10 best new products click here.
When good is only a stepping stone. When reaching the peak is just one of many. When comfort zones are no longer comfortable. When the horizon is simply a new challenge. When you are driven to push beyond. THIRST FOR MORE.
At CamelBak, our mission is to continuously reinvent outdoor hydration and carry solutions that empower an active lifestyle. Our vision: Accompany every adventure. Join in every journey.
Preheat your Pellet Grill to 180F to batch of smoked simple syrup. While the grill pre-heats add 1 cups water to 1 cup sugar. Dissolve. Pour into your 12” Skillet (or sheet pan with at least 1-2-inch-high sides.) Place on the bottom rack for 2 hours. With heat guard gloves, remove from the pellet grill and cool completely. Bottle in an airtight container such as a mason jar and store in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Slice oranges and drain your cherries. Place your cherries on a small baking sheet on the top shelf of the grill. You can place the cut oranges direct on the bottom grate next to your Cast Iron Skillet. Smoke oranges and cherries for 10-30 minutes according to your smoke preference (10 minutes being for a little smoke and 30 minutes for a lot of smoke.)
Pour simple syrup mix to cover the bottom of your CamelBak Horizon Rocks Tumbler. Add ¼ cup of your alcohol of choice Stir. Add ice. Stir again. Add ½ cup of your favorite lemon lime soda mixer. Stir until foamed. Garnish with smoked orange and/or cherry.
For a mocktail use barley tea (steeped for 10+ minutes) instead of the whiskey. Bitters tend to have a very minute amount of alcohol in comparison to the actual drink. Keep it as is or purchase non-alcoholic bitters like Dram.
The two brands have released a new collection of bottle and reservoir solutions, designed to purify water on any adventure.
Are you ready a new kind of portable filtration?
CamelBak and LifeStraw have teamed up to launch their first-ever filtration collaboration. Combining the portability and durability of CamelBak with the filtration tech that LifeStraw is known for, the new collection features several integrated water bottles and reservoirs, as well as standalone filters.
Integrated into each of the bottles and the reservoir, the Eddy + filtered by LifeStraw technology utilizes two stages of filtration to remove anything nasty from your water. The water first passes through the Hollow Fiber Filter, which CamelBak says removes bacteria, parasites and microplastics. The liquid then moves through the second filter, the Ion Exchange Filter, which reduces lead, taste and odor, chlorine and other chemicals in the water.
The Bottles
The Eddy+ filtered by Lifestraw Vacuum Insulated Bottle allows you to enjoy fresh, clean water anywhere you go.
The Eddy + filtered by LifeStraw technology comes in three bottle styles and sizes: Eddy + filtered by Lifestraw 32 ounce vacuum-insulated bottle ($70) and the Eddy + filtered by LifeStraw with Tritan Renew, available in both 20 and 32 ounces ($45 and $50, respectively). The Vacuum Insulated option features double wall vacuum insulation, and is BPA, BPS, and BPF free. It comes in three different colorways, and the Eddy + straw cap is spill-proof when open, enhancing its functionality.
$70
The Eddy + filtered by LifeStraw with Tritan Renew is available in both a 20 ounce size, as well as 32 ounce, and is made with using a recycling process that’s more efficient than standard mechanical recycling, easing the impact of the bottle on the environment. The bottles are odor and stain resistant and free of BPA, BPS, and BPF. Both sizes of the Eddy + filtered by LifeStraw with Tritan Renew come in three colorways.
$45, $50
The Reservoir
The Crux 2L Reservoir Filtration Kit combines the flexibility of a backpack reservoir, with the safety of Lifestraw’s filters.
The Crux 2L Reservoir makes it easy to feel confident in your drinking water, no matter where your adventures take you. CamelBak integrated LifeStraw’s two-filter system in the Crux, as well as its own Quicklink System, leakproof on/off valve and leakproof cap, all of which combat the possibility of a flooded reservoir (and unhappy camper).
Along with the water bottles and reservoir, CamelBak is also offering a full range of standalone filters, able to match the unique and varying filtration needs the user may have.
The entire collection helps filter water here at home, but also gives back: for every CamelBak filtered by LifeStraw product purchased, a child in need receives safe drinking water for an entire year.
CamelBak H.A.W.G. Commute 30 and M.U.L.E Commute 22
Adventure happens daily. CamelBak’s new line of everyday commute packs accommodate all the necessities for your daily routine. Smart and roomy designs paired with the fit and comfort that CamelBak is known for, these are sure to handle the daily grind.
pacificrepworks.com 
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