Originally Posted by
BigBlueToe
Maybe it's just me, but I don't like Camelbak water bottles for biking. I bought two. I found that the way you suck water on them wasn't convenient when I was breathing hard on a bike. I went back to "standard" bike water bottles. However, I do like how the Camelbak bottles don't leak when you tip them over. I bring one on tours (in the under-downtube cage) and use it as a water bottle in my tent at night. I often have dry mouth and need a little drink. If the Gatorade bottle falls over in the dark (it happens) I don't wake up with a puddle in my tent.
I also reject stainless steel on my bike, because you can't squeeze them. I want a quick shot of water when I'm riding, so squeezing it into my mouth seems best. I have a nice, monogrammed L.L. Bean stainless steel water bottle I use on hikes, but for biking give me the old standards!
The Camelbak bottles are polypropylene while many other bottles are high density polyethylene. PP is a bit stiffer than HDPE so it's a little harder to squeeze...which is what you are doing when you suck water out of them. That's why the Camelbak bottles are more expensive too. HDPE is cheaper than PP as a polymer. PP is more inert to more things (chemicals, solvents, sunlight) and it's slightly tougher.