A few weeks ago, we published the press release for the CamelBak Relay, which was three years in the making. This water pitcher carries on the tradition of innovative hydration that made the brand famous.
Innovation in a water pitcher? Yes, really. The CamelBak Relay was designed to address two issues – slow filling, and short-lived filters. Between the lid and the body of the pitcher is their Fresh™Filter, which is a two stage, plant-based activated carbon filter. It filters water as you fill the Relay, and again as you pour. This improves the taste of your tap water by removing chlorine and odors. And it’s got a handy dial on the lid, which you set as a reminder to change your filter every four months, calculated at 80 gallons of usage (That’s one pitcher per day for 120 days, so you may need to adjust that depending on your needs).
After a short rinse, we filled our Relay, a process which went pretty fast. We let it sit in the fridge overnight to chill, and tested it in the morning. It was noticeably better than the water from the filter built into our refrigerator, thanks to being filtered twice. Really noticeable, actually. Mrs. Outsider refuses to drink our tap water, but gave the CamelBak Relay her approval, which says a lot. She’s tried other filters – bottles and pitchers, and they were either inconvenient, or ineffective. Not only is the Relay easy to use (no waiting while it fills), but it really removes any trace of unwanted taste or odor from our water. When we went to top it up, it filtered as fast as the tap could fill it, which was faster than the initial fill. So don’t fret if it’s slow the first time you use it. The included paperwork noted this too, as it’s normal for the filter to break in a bit.
This would be great for filling your water bottles or hydration pack, thanks to the 80 ounce capacity. And ten cups is about right for the family dinner table. I’d be thrilled to see our local restaurants adopt them for regular use, as some of the water they serve would be greatly improved. At the office, you could eliminate 600 plastic water bottles with a single filter.
As expected, the CamelBak Relay is BPA-free, dishwasher-safe (top rack only, and don’t wash the filter), and covered by CamelBak’s awesome lifetime guarantee. The slim design fits easily in the fridge, and is sized just right, yet isn’t too heavy to lift and pour. The ergonomic handle helps too. Overall, it’s another great product, and one that we’re sure will end up in many fridges. Suggested retail is $36.99, and they are available at Target, Amazon, and of course, camelbak.com
– Brian
Disclosure of Material Connection: We received the CamelBak Relay for free from CamelBak, in consideration for review publication