Bottle Resting on Counter
Frequently Asked Questions

Water Bottles

From Podium to eddy+ Kids and more, get answers to frequently asked questions about our reusable plastic and stainless steel water bottles.
Why is there dust on my bite valve?

The dust is totally harmless—the talc we use is approved under US and EU food contact regulations for use as a coating or additive in or on food-contacting plastic products. This keeps the slit in the bite valve from re-sealing during transit. Just rinse it off with water, and you’re good to go.

How can I fix my leaky water bottle?

If your eddy+ bottle is leaking, you might have an object trapped in the vent valve. Turn the cap over, and look under the round, grey, rubber flap. If you carefully peel back the rubber seal and clean out the inner workings of the vent valve, the leak should stop. Important: Don’t remove the rubber gasket for cleaning purposes, because it’s impossible to reattach. If your leak persists, we will be happy to replace the leaking cap for a brand new one with our Got Your Bak lifetime guarantee. Visit our Warranty page for more information.

What are your bottles made of? Are they BPA free?

All of our bottles and reservoirs are 100% free of BPA, BPS and BPF. Our products go through rigorous third-party testing to ensure that no harmful chemicals will leach into food or beverages. Independent researchers have also performed extraction tests to make sure our bottles meet the stringent food safety standards set by the FDA, the European Community, the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare, and California Prop 65. BPA, BPs, and BPF are not used in raw materials or manufacturing processes for making our reservoirs or bottles.

Our plastic bottles are made of a BPA-free material called Tritan. Tritan is a copolyester polymer that offers vibrant color, clarity, durability and dishwasher safety—and no residual taste. A FCN (Food Contact Substance Notification) notice #729 declared that Tritan is safe and meets all FDA guidelines for material that comes in repeated contact with food.

Our Podium series bottles are made primarily from TruTaste polypropylene, a proprietary blend of polypropylene that is food-safe and taste-free. Ordinary bike bottles are usually made of low-density polyethylene that can flavor or distort the taste of your water, but CamelBak TruTaste bottles keep your water tasting clean and pure.

HydroGuard is a CamelBak proprietary antimicrobial technology embedded directly into the Podium, Podium Chill and Podium Ice bottle walls. HyrdoGuard is an EPA-registered compound with anti-microbial properties that inhibit the growth of bacteria that can cause odors, discoloration or deterioration of the bottle. HydroGuard doesn’t protect against disease-causing organisms, though, and you should still clean your bottles after each use.

The surface of my bottle looks cloudy and/or the design is smeared? What happened?

The bottle may have came into contact with sunscreen. Some sunscreens, lotions, oils and bug repellants have ingredients that can affect the finish or the printed design of water bottles. Scientists have shown that the chemical makeup of these products breaks down with exposure to moisture and sun—and this process can react with the bottle finish to make it appear cloudy. When using sunscreen, wash your hands with soap and water before handling your bottle.

Can I fly with my bottle?

Of course! If you’re using an eddy+ bottle, just be aware that the change in pressure can force extra fluid into the straw, which might cause it to spurt on the first sip or when flipping up the bite valve. Open with caution after take-off. You can relieve the pressure by unscrewing the cap a quarter turn prior to opening the bite valve. Your Podium and Chute bottles will work normally in high altitude situations.

Can I freeze my water bottle?

It depends on what kind of bottle you have. Our Tritan (i.e., plastic) Chute, eddy+ and Podium bottles are safe to freeze—just make sure you only fill them ¾ full so there’s room for the water to expand.

If you’re using a bottle with a bite valve (like the eddy), you might want to remove the cap before putting it in the freezer—otherwise, you’ll have to wait for the ice in the straw to thaw before you can drink anything.

We don’t recommend freezing the stainless steel, glass or Groove bottles, though you can certainly fill them with ice cubes if you like your water extra cold.

Can I put hot beverages in my water bottle?

Warm beverages are fine—in fact, many cyclists like to put warm tea in their Podium bottles for their early-morning rides. However, we don’t recommend putting boiling hot liquids in your bottle for two reasons:

  • With bottles like the eddy, you’ll essentially be drinking a hot beverage through a straw, which makes it hard to gauge the temperature and easy to burn your mouth.
  • Extra-hot or boiling water can distort the plastic.

Also, please keep in mind that the Kids’ eddy bottles do not work like baby bottles—so you shouldn’t boil the bottle itself to sterilize it (warm, soapy water or a run through the dishwasher should be enough to get it clean).

What is Hydroguard and how is it used?

HydroGuard is a CamelBak proprietary antimicrobial technology embedded directly into the Podium, Podium Chill and Podium Ice bottle walls, as well as CamelBak reservoirs, drink tubes, and Quick Stow. HydroGuard is an EPA-registered compound with anti-microbial properties that inhibit the growth of bacteria that can cause odors, discoloration or deterioration of the bottle. HydroGuard doesn’t protect against disease-causing organisms, though, and you should still clean your bottles after each use. For more information, please consult this downloadable pdf:

EU 528/2012 (Biocidal Products) labeling information for Hydroguard

What type of beverages can I put into my water bottle?

Just about anything (milk, juice, sports drinks) works as long as you clean your bottle after each use. We don’t recommend putting carbonated beverages in the eddy, since the pressure can cause liquid to spurt out of the straw. However, it’s fine to put carbonated drinks in the Chute or Podium series bottles.

How do you make sure your kid's products are safe?

We put safety first when we’re designing our kids’ bottles—and that includes putting them through rigorous third-party testing for BPA, lead, and other substances. We also test our bottles independently to make sure there aren’t any kid-specific hazards related to choking or broken parts.

Congress and the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) have strengthened safety standards in response to public concerns over product safety. We actively support these improvements and ensure all of our products comply fully with the new rules and reporting requirements.

Do you use lead-based inks in your kid's or other printed bottles?

No way. CamelBak eddy+ bottles and eddy and eddy+ kids bottles are designed and tested to be fully compliant with US and EU child-safety laws, including Consumer Product Safety Commission standards that regulate lead content in inks.

Can I microwave my water bottle?

It’s best not to—many of our bottles include a metal screw in the cap that will have sparks flying in your microwave. Plus, if you zap them for too long, you could end up warping the plastic.

The bite valve on my new bottle doesn't have a slit (opening) and I can't drink from it, what do I do?

The self-sealing silicone can sometimes seal tightly in transit. To open it up, squeeze the bite valve and twist & roll between your fingertips (soaking the bite valve in tea temperature water beforehand may help). This should loosen the seal and open it up for drinking. If you’re still experiencing problems, please request a new bite valve using our Warranty Claims form.

Why do you use stainless steel instead of aluminum?

The medical-grade stainless steel we use for our stainless eddy and Groove bottles resists stains, scratches and corrosions, and it’s also naturally free of tastes and odors. Aluminum bottles are lighter, but they have to be made with an inner liner or coating that often contains chemicals and undisclosed ingredients. Our customers told us they’d rather have a slightly heavier bottle that’s tough and pure, so that’s what we made.

Do CamelBak Products Contain Lead?

 At CamelBak, we would not place a product in the market that we did not stand behind or believe to be safe. No CamelBak-manufactured bottles have lead components that would come in contact with a liquid, or with a product user. Some bottles have a solder point on an exterior wall and that solder does contain lead, but the solder is enclosed under a protective cover and is inaccessible by design. The only way this solder would be accessible is if a user purposefully and intentionally misused or destructed the product.

 

Our bottles have gone through rigorous testing and meet all the required federal standards, including the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. Additionally, we performed third-party testing of components of the bottle that could contact a liquid or the user. This includes testing of the steel vessel, paint and plastic cap, which have all shown that lead is not detected in the product. Finally, CamelBak is compliant with the required testing standards from the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) and with European Union (EU) standards to ensure the safety of the bottle.

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