Originally Posted by carpediemracing

I found the Podium Ice bottles keep my water cooler than my CamelBaks (pack or jersey). I found it more difficult to drink from the CamelBak. In warm weather the first bit is warm, even with an insulating type sleeve. It's hard to drink when at the absolute limit, and since I am usually at the limit in races I can't afford to spend precious breathing time trying to get water into my mouth. I can't spray CamelBak water on me, but I can with a bottle (because, frankly, if I'm dripping sweat then evaporation isn't getting the job done and an ice cold mini-shower will help immensely).

My comparisons are with the CamelBak Podium Ice bottles.

I thought about my experiment with CamelBak hydration systems while I ran an errand just now. I use tubulars when I race even though they're a pain, they cost more, they make me get somewhat redundant wheels, etc, because they offer substantial benefits - significantly lighter weight, resistance to pinch flats, safer when they flat.

I'd use CamelBaks if they had one or two redeeming features, like they really did keep ice cold water cold, or they really helped keep my core temps down on a hot day (or up on a cold day), etc. I couldn't find any positive feature that made it worth dealing with the negatives.

I will say that I have two large CamelBaks (one for me, one for the Missus) for walking around with. They are great when walking around a lot, like at Interbike's Outdoor demo, walking on the Strip in Vegas, any warm weather fairgrounds situation. The CamelBak keeps my hands free, allows me to carry substantial liquids, etc.