I have been using different CamelBak products for the past 20 years, and so I was very intrigued when I heard they had launched new hydration products for professionals.
CamelBak PRO has come out with 2 sizes of hydration backpacks – both in black and hi-vis yellow – and also a line of “hydration-equipped tool belts.”
The hydration packs feature 70oz or 100oz bladders, breakaway shoulder straps, and insulated tubes.
CamelBak says “whether you’re a construction worker, first responder, or industrial pro,” their new Pro hydration packs will “keep you hydrated, organized, and ready for any task.”
CamelBak PRO isn’t just about hydration bladders and backpacks – they also have a new line of tool belts. They say:
Our tool belts and waist packs help keep you hydrated while leaving your hands free for work.
I’m a bit confused as to the implication of this. Do workers normally hold their water bottles in their hands, and no they don’t have to?
The tool belts come with a water bottle that features a self-sealing bite valve.
At this point, you might be wondering – has anyone thought this through? CamelBak’s “Quick Stow” water bottle flask has a one-piece bite valve. There doesn’t look to be a cover. So does that mean you’re going to go for a drink and get a mouthful of drywall dust, sawdust, cement, metal chips, or whatever you were just working on?
Stay prepared, organized, and hydrated with the CamelBak Pro 8 Pocket Tool Belt – your ultimate on-the-job solution.
The marketing sounds great. But are some of these new hydration work solutions practical?
That mouthpiece is going to be exposed to whatever you’re working on. Right?
Okay, so you find a place to stash it. Then you don’t need a hydration tool belt, do you?
Or maybe you rinse it off first? Maybe wash your hands? Again, then why were you carrying it the whole time you were working?
Looking deeper, CamelBak Pro stems from a licensing deal between CamelBak and other companies, Revelyst, an “adventure sports platform,” and 5 Horizons, which describes themselves as “a creative engine, supply chain leader and market maker for authentic brands.”
5 Horizons, CamelBak’s partner says they “create product born from the passion of experience.”
The flask-style water bottle is sold by itself with a case that offers multiple carrying options.
They’ve also got a 21oz water bottle bundled with a Pro pouch.
Or you can go with a CamelBak Pro fanny pack, such as this one with a 50oz hydration bladder and “tool-friendly cargo compartment.”
Here are the new CamelBak Pro hydration options and prices, via Amazon:
CamelBak Pro Water Bottles
- 21oz Insulated Bottle – $30
- 17oz Flask – $30
CamelBak Pro Tool Belts and Waist Bags
- 4-Pocket Tool Belt – $45
- 8-Pocket Tool Belt – $50
- Waist Pack with 21oz Bottle – $50
- Waist Pack with 50oz Reservoir – $80
CamelBak Pro Backpacks
- 2L Backpack in Black – $85
- 2L Backpack in Hi-Viz – $92
- 3L Backpack in Black – $105
- 3L Backpack in Hi-Viz – $112
CamelBak products ARE used in some professional industries, typically those that involve outdoors work. They’ve had hi-vis products for years now.
Looking online, some pros do use CamelBak products, or at least have asked about them, but I’m not sure the new Pro line is going to be in big demand.
It seems that most pros carry drinks with them, or water in reusable bottles, insulated bottles, travel cups, or similar.
These new CamelBak Pro products are marketed as being “for construction workers.” If you’ve got to take off a work glove and hold it in one hand while you hold the drinking straw in the other, how’s that “leaving your hands free for work?”
That CamelBak partnered with a “market maker for authentic brands” seems to explain everything.
Looking at their store on Amazon, the same company is also selling Eddie Bauer packing cubes and Wolverine wallets.
It really looks to me like these are just licensed backpacks and tool belts that fit CamelBak hydration products.
I’m not sold on the idea that these products are any more suited for pros than CamelBak’s consumer water bottles and hydration packs.
Have so many construction workers and tradespeople been using CamelBak hiking, biking, and outdoors packs that they felt the need to license a line of tool belts and backpacks marketed to pros?
I’m not seeing the appeal here, and on top of that some of the products seem ill-conceived. Are you really going to carry a water bottle tool belt into an attic? Up a ladder? When demoing a wall? With its bite valve exposed like that?
I’m a big fan of CamelBak. But with this line of Pro hydration products, what were they thinking?
