Mile Long Legs

Product: CamelBak ARC Quick Grip Handheld Bottle

Cost: $20.00 USD

I’m no stranger to the CamelBak product family, so I was thrilled to be able to review this little number!  So let’s get down to the specs first: The ARC Quick Grip is composed of a contoured 10 oz., BPA-free, Podium Arc bottle and a light weight strap which has a velcro-secure pocket and a small stash pocket as well.  The bottle has a patent no-bite, Jet Valve, which is meant to make it easier to get a drink of water with an easy squeeze (more on this later) as well as a twist lockout feature, making this little baby leak proof. And it weighs in at a mere 0.35 oz, this includes the pack plus reservoir, super light!

Let’s get down to the pro’s of this compact handheld.  I loved the handheld strap, it was extremely comfortable, fit snug on my hands, which are on the small side, tightened down easily with a slight tug on the adjustment strap, didn’t cause any discomfort or irritation even during long runs. The strap and water reservoir are extremely light weight, which I LOVE, the last thing I want is to haul around anything clunky or heavy in my hands. The twist lockout feature of the bottle also did its job perfectly, no leaking or dripping of any kind, thumbs up!  The 10 oz reservoir is great for shorter distances and is clear, so it’s easy to keep track of your hydration consumption.

Let me preface this by saying that my absolute favorite, go-to handheld bottle over the past couple years has been the Camelbak Quick Grip 21, however, I did have a few issues with ARC Quick Grip handheld.  First off, the Jet Valve is meant to make it easy to get a drink with one simple squeeze, I however, found it very hard to actually squeeze the bottle to make this happen.  The shape of the bottle, combined with the size of my hand, made it very difficult to actually get the water flowing, which is the last thing you want when you’re sweating up a storm and thirsty for a drink.  My Quick Grip 21 has the exact same Jet Valve, and it works like a charm, which makes me feel like it’s the bottle shape that makes the difference.  My next gripe is kind of a big one, the pockets are flawed.  The strap has one stash pouch, with nothing to secure it shut, and one velcro pocket, neither large enough to accommodate a cell phone.  On my first run with this handheld I had stashed a couple GU gels in the stash pocket, only to find an EMPTY pocket when I went to go eat one of my gels miles down the trail.  This is a problem.  At some point during my run, the gels had slipped out and were now scattered on the trail, not only did I not have any fuel for my run now, I also felt like a horrible litterbug!  I did end up finding both gels on my VERY hungry run back, but to me, this is a big issue.  The velcro-secured pocket also didn’t do a very good job holding it’s contents inside, while I didn’t lose anything, I found that the velcro was almost always just barely hanging on by a thread.  I wouldn’t trust these pockets to hold anything of any importance such as keys, ID or money.  My last issue is pretty minor, and potentially could be a VERY nitpicky thing that only urks me, so feel free to judge me if you want. 🙂  For some reason liquid inside this bottle sloshed around a lot and it really irritates me.  I’m guessing it’s the shape of the bottle that makes it so much more sloshy, and yes, I know, just saying that makes my anal-retentive self seem even more anal-retentive, as if that was possible.

Overall I think this is a great bottle for someone who is just getting into the world of handheld bottles and doesn’t want to be overwhelmed by a more substantial bottle and holder, you’ll barely even notice that you have it on your hand.  Its 10 oz capacity is great for shorter-distance runs, however, if you’re setting off on a longer trek plan accordingly by either mapping out your route to be near water supplies or by taking a secondary bottle.  Are you guys currently running with handheld hydration?  Or do you prefer a fuel belt or vest?  Let me know in the comments below or hit me up on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!

LIKED:

• Lightweight
• comfy strap
• leak proof

DISLIKE:

• hard to squeeze
• sloshy sound
• poorly functioning pockets

QUALITY: 2.5/5
COMFORT: 4/5
PRICE: 4/5
LOOKS: 3/5

TOTAL: 13.5/20

xoxo, MLL

Handheld water bottle provided by Camelbak for review.