My guest reviewer, Seth G has a six-year-old child who has been carrying around his Thrive bottle for months. He hauled it around on an eight-day backpacking trip, then by car, plane and public transport through four different countries, as well as a couple of transatlantic flights. here are Seth’s thoughts on the Camelbak Thrive™ Flip Straw Kids 14oz Bottle with Tritan™ Renew.
Features:
- 14oz
- Covered bite valve
- Leak‐proof
- Easy to carry
- Dishwasher safe
- 14.5cm x 7.3cm x 8.6cm
- 145g
- 75% Tritan Copolyester, 15% PP Copolymer, 5% LDPE
- Price: £ 18.
Buy: Amazon
Pros: What’s good about the Thrive™ Kids Bottle?
Easy to carry. This is definitely our favourite aspect about this bottle. The handle is wide enough for a small hand to clasp it, and soft enough that it doesn’t cut into their fingers when full of water. It also is small enough to slip into a backpack pocket, or clip onto a strap.
Easy to clean. The whole bottle is dishwasher safe, so we regularly run it through the cleaning cycle. You can take apart the straw and bite valve, and every part can be washed. This is pretty important when your child forgets it under the seat in the car and you find it a week later.
Withstands general abuse. Obviously there will be drops and hits. With the handle there seem to be fewer drops, but a corresponding higher amount of bangs while out on a walk. The bottle has held up excellently.
Leak proof. This is a big deal as we are always on the go, moving between walking, driving, and public transportation. Having a bottle that won’t spill when knocked over, and one that won’t leak if it tips over inside of a backpack, that is nice!
Colourful options. You really do have a lot of options for your kids preferences. It makes it easier for them to carry their own bottle when they actually like it.
Cons: What’s not so good about the Thrive™ Kids Bottle?
Cleaning the straw can be tedious. The one drawback to the spill proof, leak proof design is that the cleaning is harder. It doesn’t make it impossible, but you do have to disassemble the top. We haven’t had to try to scrape out foreign particles from the bite valve, but that day is coming! We push the bite vale down over a support in the wire tray of the dishwasher and that seems to help some of the hot water get up inside. If someone comes up with a great solution to cleaning bite valves, please let me know.
Conclusion
My son is still using this bottle, and it is currently sitting at his place at the table. I am thankful that it is easy enough to carry that I don’t have to be constantly picking it up for him. We have tested many Camelbak bottles for kids and adults, and this one is an excellent option for the smaller members of the family.
- Seth received this bottle free of charge in exchange for an honest review.
Seth writes about his family adventures at www.sethgrotzke.com.