I was born in a place where it is extremely hot mostly every minute of every day. With the backdrop of my upbringing consisting of sun, dirt, and drought, I developed a strong passion for drinking water really early on in life. I’ve never even entirely enjoyed soda or juice drinks of any sort. Water just does it for me.
A year or so ago, I first fell in love with Camelbak drinking containers after buying their Better Bottle, whose bite valve has changed the way I drink forever. In addition to this liquid-sucking contraption being super fun and effective, Camelbak actually claims that the bite and suck design helps people drink up to 24% more water. Spill proof, BPA free, and a nice way to reduce my use of plastic, I was sure I had discovered a long term water pal that I would never think of replacing. This idea was compromised instantly the first time I saw the Groove.
The Camelbak Groove is essentially a filtered Better Bottle that comes in fancier color options. The twist-off straw of this bottle is thicker than most, allowing room for a carbon filter to easily slide into place. The bottle includes one filter, which the box claims will last for three months (3-4 refills each day) or about 300 refills, and replacements cost $10 for a package of two. This carbon filter does not purify, so it probably wouldn’t be safe to try it with ocean water or bleach or anything. The ultimate purpose of the filter is to reduce the taste and odor of icky flavors that come with bad tap water, which it definitely does well. Although I don’t usually have a problem drinking from water sources that appear to be untainted, it is comforting to have the groove for my chlorine-hating taste buds to fall back on. Basically, this bottle makes its contents always taste fresh and clean.
From the moment I bought the groove, I have yet to travel anywhere without it. For the first few days we were getting to know one another, I actually just stared at it for solid minutes at a time because it is so damn aesthetically pleasing. About a week into our relationship, however, Groove stopped providing me with the satisfaction of a full stream of water with each drink I took. Despite all the effort I put into my biting and sucking, there just wasn’t enough water coming through to make the presence of a filter worth the work. I was a little bummed by this at first, but later found out that running the filter through cold water for some seconds makes the carbon bubbles disappear, returning the bottle to its usual high quality functioning.
Plastic grooves (like mine) sell for $25 each, while their stainless steel twins cost ten dollars more. I’d recommend this bottle to anyone who loves staying hydrated, and particularly to those who wish they could hydrate themselves more frequently and conveniently. Camelbak Better Bottles have revolutionized drinking for so many people I know, and the Groove just takes that a step further in the wonderful world of water consumption.
