rangerdavid

which insulated bottle is better? I have the polar bottles, and I'm not really too impressed. In very hot weather, they don't really keep stuff cold more than an hour or so.

has anyone tried both? which is better? does the Camelbak keep drinks colder longer? Substantially longer?

renton

Camelbak Chill is about the same but Camelbak Ice is supposed to be four times better.
There is a thread about them going on right now.

Trailblazer3

I've had both and don't notice a difference in the bottles -the both perform comparably in hot weather. They'll buy you time, but don't expect miracles. What keeps me on the Camelback's is their lid. I LOVE their bite valves.

Note -I have only tried their podium chill, not the Podium Ice.

Carbon Unit

I have both. I have the Podium Ice and I have Polar bottles. I can't say which one does a better job of keeping the water cold because I haven't done a comparison, but I prefer Cambelbak bottles. The lid is much better because they don't leak and they are easier to squeeze. A cheaper solution is to buy the cheapest cambelbak bottles and swap lids with the Polar bottles.

Bacciagalupe

I also vastly prefer the bite valves. The Polar is still OK if your primary goal is to carry lots of cold water (e.g. pour it into a CB) and/or to dunk water on your head.

tagaproject6

Camelback Podium Ice... better insulation than Podium Chill and Polar bottles and I believe it now comes in 24oz containers.

RT

The ones that keep stuff cold longer - any issues with reduced squeezeability?

thump55

The Polars squeeze harder than non-insulated bottles. I use them anyway.

I am not afraid to squeeze.

Once you know how to prepare them (how much ice to freeze in them before adding water), you can easily have ice cold water for however long two bottles will last you.

carpediemracing 

The CamelBaks (I have the Chills and the Ice ones) are slightly harder to squeeze but not an issue for normal hands. I haven't tossed one but someone shattered a bottle after throwing it to the ground at a very hot Somerville race - I am guessing it wasn't a normal bottle, so that leaves the CamelBak or Polar bottles. I normally toss my bottles at the end of a race but I haven't tossed these

The Ice keep ice a little longer than the Chill. After an hour (95 deg) I had bits of ice in the Ice. The Chill had just very cold water. I filled them both at the same time, they hung around the house for an hour as I got my crap together. I noticed the Chill was colder to the touch at that point.

I'm definitely a convert. I love the bottles.

I suspect that keeping the top closed would keep the drinks colder longer. I'll be doing that going forward, my second bottle closed, and on training rides I'll keep both bottles closed in general. May not be a big difference, I don't know.

DropDeadFred

i was thinking the same thing today when i was dropping my bike off at the shop...I like the bite thingy..but seems like thats gonna wear out quick

tagaproject6

It is not really bite valve like the camelbak hydration backpacks. You squeeze the bottle to take a drink.

jctexas

I have both the Polar and Camelbak Chill. I feel the Polar bottles keep my water just a little colder, a little longer, but not by much. But not enough to make up for the excellent value stem on the Camelbak and the easier squeezeability of the Camelbak. I also like the Camelbak better because it is my perception the mouth is bigger than the Polar, thus making it a little easier to pour ice cubes into it prior to topping it off with water and putting it in the freezer. Since I bought my Camelbak Chills, the Polar bottles have pretty much been regulated to back-up status.

tagaproject6

Polar and Camelbak bottles have the same size opening...the lids are interchangeable.

ahsposo 

I just bought a pair of new Polars to replace my (this is approximate) 17yo and 15yo bottles.

They squeeze a lot easier than the old ones.

chasmm

I've tried the Polars, the Chills, and the Ice. My experience is that the Polar and Chill keep water cold about the same time, and the Ice not quite twice as long...and I love the Camelbak valve...