CamelBak Groove 0.6 Liter Bottle

My tap water at home tastes great--or should I say, it''s tasteless (in a good way). But at work it''s not so convenient to get drinking water except from the vending machine, so I got this Camelbak bottle especially for work. I''ve been happy with it for that use, though it''s a little small (just over half a liter) for hiking or any situations where you won''t be able to refill it readily.

My last water bottle had a nickel-sized spout to drink from, which I loved, but it didn''t seal tightly and trickled water in my bag one time too many. This Camelbak Groove is spillproof, which I do appreciate, though I''m not crazy about the bite valve. Water flows up a straw and through a rubbery valve that opens when you bite on it. I always feel as if the drinking-to-sucking ratio is low, with too much effort required to get a good drink. I haven''t drunk from this kind of delivery system since I was an infant, so maybe I''ll get used to it in time.

The replaceable, tube-shaped filter will work for 300 fills of the bottle, according to the product insert. It doesn''t remove any pathogens, just bad taste from minerals and treatment. The bottle can be used without the filter and I''ve been wondering if the water would come up the straw with less effort if I tried that. Hmmm ....

So I''ve got a nice classy-looking bottle that won''t spill and fits in my car''s cup holder, and I''ve got good-tasting water at work (even though I have to work for it). I''m happy with that.

Linda Bulger, 2011

The Camelbak Groove is loaded with features. Some I liked, and some I''m not such a fan of.

The lid flips closed to keep from spilling, but even when open it won''t spill because of a feature called Big Bite Valve. This Valve is a love-hate with me. I like that it won''t spill, I don''t like it that I have to bite and suck on the Valve to drink from it. My daughter, on the other hand, loves it. Let me add that the handle works very well for carrying multiple ways. I won''t repeat the specific information on the material specs, you can read the manufacturer''s description above.

The main new feature to this bottle is a taste filter in the straw. It''s a carbon filter like in your Brita water filter. It doesn''t purify water, just improves the taste. The manufacturer says it will last 3 month or more depending on use. I''ve lived in some places where I sure could have used a taste filter! And it will work without filter in place functioning like a fat straw.

I highly recommend the Camelbak Groove if you live where the water comes with an "off" taste. Save the environment and your taste buds!

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This is a great idea and a well made product. On long hikes or bike rides I often run out of water and have to fill up at a public faucet or drinking fountain with water that tastes bad or gives me heartburn. I really like the idea of being able to filter water as I go.

The bottle is wide mouthed and easy to fill. All of the parts are thick and sturdy, BPA-free plastic guaranteed for life. The lid is shaped such that there is a handy loop. The drinking spout can lock closed, or leave open without spilling because of the bite valve. I have other Camelbak products and am very happy with the quality of this brand.

This is a great replacement for disposable bottles while still filtering out chlorine, particulates, bad tastes & odors.

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Initially I loved this bottle because I could re-fill it at work several times and not have to taste the weird flavor that comes from the faucets at work. I would drink 3-4 within a workday and it was convenient to carry around at work. However, after about 2 months it started making a strange noise when I would suck on it and less water would come out. After further inspection, the I noticed the internal tubing in the lid that connects the bite valve piece to the straw filter had developed a hole rendering the water bottle useless. This tubing is not sold as a replacement anywhere and I would have to buy a whole new bottle. At $25-$35 a piece, I don''t feel it is worth it if the bottle needs replacing every 2 months. Camelbak needs to address this tubing issue or at least sell replacement parts.

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This water bottle lives up to its claim of filtering tap water to remove unwanted taste and odor--it does not purify stream water, but it does make tap water taste better.

The negative is that the "bite-straw"/filter seems to make it very difficult to get much water--just tiny sips. It''s a lot of work to make it work.