Flexr Hydration System Review

 

Dan Saunders

 

Flexr Hydration System Review

 

Is getting a drink as simple as just grabbing a bottle and giving it a pull? Is there something better than the ubiquitous soft-bite bottle? Does the world really need another hydration system?

 

 
Water bottles have become pretty standardized with only a recent move to a slightly more sophisticated bottle by way of Camelbak’s Podium range, and Clean Bottle has done its best to address the sticky residue that is left behind by sports drinks, but have you seen the bottle and hydration system from Flexr yet? They recently got in touch with yours truly and sent out their 21oz bottle, as well as their Remote Bike Hydration Kit, for me to put through its paces.
 

 
The Bottle
 
The bottle itself, with its neoprene sleeve, at first seems to be a bit of a throw-back to when companies tried to differentiate themselves by adding a sleeve with branding info – almost like a beer-cozy for the water bottle set – and, while it may make for a slightly more comfortable carry for some, I find it to be a bit of annoyance. It’s one of those add-ons to the bottle that at this point just complicates cleaning and adds to the bulk. The word superfluous also comes to mind.
 

 
The lid is a nice version of the one-way valve, but fails in my mind by operating backwards of what most U.S. folks are used to. In order to open it, you don’t turn it left (lefty loosy), you turn it right. Not only does that feel a bit bass-ackwards, but the lid seems to only have two flow rates, despite having an ample amount of turn to it. In my use, it was either open or closed. The flow rate didn’t change if it was open only a little – it flowed as if it were turned all the way open.
 

 

Continued overleaf…