CamelBak Crux reservoir

I needed a convenient water reservoir for a long walk. This product fitted the bill perfectly. I bought the 2 litre model. I think this was a good choice for me as 2 litres of water is quite heavy. The quantity was quite sufficient for a days walking in not too hot conditions. The construction is light but robust. It is easy to fill. It apparently has an anti-bacterial coating which is a nice touch. The drinking tube fitted in my rucksack well and it didn't take long to get used to the drinking mouthpiece (not having used one of these reservoirs before). The mouthpiece did not leak at all. Not the cheapest of reservoirs but felt it was worth it for a quality product.

Fab bladder. I bought it to go in my running vest as that came with soft flasks. It is easy to clean, and so far the water tastes fine in it as long as it hasn't been in the days! The bite valve is really easy to use and delivers a good amount of water. When screwing the lid on, you just have to be careful it is square on, otherwise, like most screw caps it cross threads slightly and can then leak, but this is easily noticed as soon as you tip it up. The straw is long, so for some applications it may need cutting down, but at least there is enough to do that.

Having used Camelbak backpacks and bladders for mountain biking over the last 25 years, I can't imagine using any other brand. In my experience they are taste free, leakproof, easy to fill and to clean and the latest Crux has a slightly wider tube and delivers more fluids per sip. I recommend going for the larger 3l capacity as it covers all eventualities from a 2 hour ride to an all day epic. Excellent all round.

Really good product. The reason I have given it 4 stars is the very large opening. I think it could have been a wee bit more petite?

This is a great product. It's easy to use and clean. I find it a boon on long cycling trips. The pipe gives a good draught of water in each sip.

Great build quality. No leaks, detachable tube for cleaning, valve with a lock off, nice big filler caap. Really well thought out product. Comfortable in use and no nasty plastic taste

Must have for hiking. Had mine for years and no leaks or rips.

I'm afraid that I had a very bad experience with this product. I took my CamelBak Crux reservoir away on a months walking holiday to the North of Spain. Initially I couldn't get rid of the terrible plastic taste but after Googling on line I was able to get some bicarb of soda and lemon in a small village on the route, and this did remove most of the bad taste. Unfortunately worse was to come! The next day I put the reservoir in the special compartment in the back of my rucksack only to find that at the end of the day it had leaked and most of my stuff was soaking wet. I checked the reservoir to see if I hadn't properly sealed it up, but I had. The problem recoccurred the following day. I threw the reservoir away in the nearest bin as I didn't want to carry it for the rest of the trip and I was unable to return the item because i was in remote areas. Not a good experience and won't be buying this product again.