Scott Jolly's Weblog

Product Review - Camelbak Alterra 750ml

Monday Jul 11, 2005

After getting some comments from Ashish and realizing that I should be drinking more water, I finally got into a running store (actually, REI) to get a water belt. I was really concerned about the idea of hanging a few extra pounds around my waist.

It took about 5 minutes or less to get the waist to fit correctly, it will be really tight with no extra motion when it fits correctly (or at least it was that way for me). I had to cut about 6 inches off the water tube so that when the tube is in the belt, it didn't get in the way of my hands when running. (The instructions say to do so).

It was tough to fill the unit the first time (in the dark while on vacation and not wanting to wake anyone). Take care when filling until you get the hang of it. I plan to rinse the unit after each run and spray off or wash with dish soap (on the outside) after 3-4 runs...

After filling with water or beverage of choice, do take a first sip on the drinking tube to get the air out of the bladder, otherwise you will have some water moving around until you do so. I paid $45 for a unit and after about 25 miles (including 14 on saturday) I would totally buy it again.

One note - I drank the 28 ounces in the first 10 miles of my run (which was pretty warm and humid) recently. Luckily, I had a water fountain on my run and refilled shortly after killing the first fillup. I'll plan accordingly on future long runs.

[5] Comments
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Posted at 12:18PM Jul 11, 2005 by scottjolly in Running
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Thanks for the writeup. One item I like with a traditional water belt is I can see how much I'm drinking (one bottle = 8 oz) as I carry 4 bottles. Does the camelback have a way to tell you how much is left in the unit?

Posted by Dave Muskatel on July 11, 2005 at 04:14 PM EDT #

no way to tell and the difference in the weight is too subtle to know. knowing how many bottles would be a plus, does the movement of the water in a half empty bottle annoy you, it think it would get to me.

Posted by scott on July 11, 2005 at 05:29 PM EDT #

yes, there is definitely bounce to the belt and bottles (despite manufacturer claiming otherwise). However, I like the precision of being able to have 8 ounces each X minutes during my run and know whats left. The camelbacks must be popular for a reason, so I may give it a try.

Posted by Dave Muskatel on July 13, 2005 at 02:50 PM EDT #

Any issues with the camelbak leaking? I purchased an alterra a while ago and it leaked like crazy from the cap during the run.

Posted by 71.197.97.73 on August 31, 2007 at 08:32 PM EDT #

I stumbled across this camelbak review a couple weeks back and ended up buying one.

http://www.survivalgrounds.com/camelbak_750.html

im plesently surprised with the quality, the plastic is practically shatterproof. to answer your question about leaking, I havent had a problem, the bite valve seems to stop all leaks even if you turn it upside down and shake it hard.

looking to buy a camelbak hydration pack next :D

-John S

Posted by John Segal on October 05, 2009 at 02:51 PM EDT #

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