# CamelBaks have no place in urban society **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 3, 2006, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193 "2006-05-03T02:57:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![xbuckeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9e8a1a/32.png) [@xbuckeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xbuckeye)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/1 "2006-05-03T02:57:33Z")
I’m all about hydration, but I don’t think that we really need to carry 70 ounces of water on our backs, do we? I’m not really in the mood to pit, but I just don’t see the point. Does anyone see the point? Can’t we just carry a Nalgene bottle or use the drinking fountains? ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/2 "2006-05-03T03:00:21Z")
I have one for the waist that I carry if I’m running more than six miles, or so. I’m curious as to why carrying water irks you. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/3 "2006-05-03T03:00:51Z")
What’s a CamelBak? Is it anything like a camel toe? ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/4 "2006-05-03T03:26:16Z")
When I was in tech school I’d see some of my friends carry them around with them all the time. “Dude,” I’d say to them, “You’re not going to die of thirst if you don’t drink water for the 75 feet from here to the water fountain.” They never did give me a logical answer. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/5 "2006-05-03T03:31:44Z")
[Camelbak - For when you can’t be sussed to use a drinking fountain.](http://www.camelbak.com/index.cfm) ---
**Author:** ![xbuckeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9e8a1a/32.png) [@xbuckeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xbuckeye)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/6 "2006-05-03T03:33:14Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > I have one for the waist that I carry if I’m running more than six miles, or so. > > I’m curious as to why carrying water irks you. Its not so much the carrying of water as the carrying of the entire day’s worth of water and sucking it through a hose. And not so much people being athletic, but people on the bus, or working at a retail store, or hanging out at a cafe. > [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > Is it anything like a camel toe? No, not really at all. More like [this](http://www.camelbak.com/index.cfm) ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/7 "2006-05-03T05:45:56Z")
Dude, if you are hanging out in a cafe _you have no earthly reason_, NONE WHATSOVER, to be using a camelback. They look like enema bags to me, and thats all I can think about when I see them. If they were kept on the trails and bikes, I’d never see them. But they just really arn’t appropriate for civilization. The whole faux urban-explorer things drives me nuts- the North Face jackets in the balmy East Bay, the rediculously ugly high tech vegan trail shoes that see no rougher ground than the wood floors at Trader Joe’s, suspension laptop backpack that go right from the car to the desk and back each day. I’m all for comfort. But this isn’t about comfort, it’s about good old fashioned elitism. Deep in their hearts, where they can’t see it, they are simply trying to show off that they have the leisure time and energy to persue absurd “sports” or at least buy the expensive equiptment “required” for them. It’s the same thing as that stupid, stupid, stupid designer yoga gear but on a different crowd. Look guys, it’s Oakland, not Mt. Everest. There are no trees or dirt or anything vaguley natural for miles around. And while it may seem like some big adventure to live in a city to your yuppie ass, people have actually lived here for a long, long, time without having to get equipt at REI before going on that daunting BART ride. You really don’t need to strap yourself with cargo pockets and carbiners to do your sit-down tech job. It’s embarrassing for everyone. Just act normal. Gah. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/8 "2006-05-03T12:43:16Z")
I like the idea of having a day pack that holds water for hiking. When I say hiking, I mean out in the woods where there aren’t any water fountains. But I hate sucking water out of a tube; it’s so rodent-like…might as well use an excercise wheel and habitrail… And yeah, you folks with the übergear for walking down the bike path look ridiculous…not that you’ll ever pull your pinhead far enough out of the self-absorption orifice to notice… ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/9 "2006-05-03T13:06:40Z")
I’ve not been privy yet to urbanites wearing eco-udders but should the occasion arise it will be difficult not to laugh in their face. It’s not that fine a line between necessity and trendy and when one crosses it I don’t find it wrong for us to revel in their absurdity. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/10 "2006-05-03T15:01:23Z")
I wear mine on a daily basis at work. I’ve worn [mine](http://www.rangerjoes.com/camelbak-motherlode-p-1929.html) (a larger one I affectionately call my “Command Ruck”) in public, in an urban environment. It’s got a shitload of pockets, and my laptop fits neatly into one of the interior ‘backpack’ compartments. It can hold everything except the kitchen sink, which I usually strap onto the back anyway. I will wear mine proudly in any place, and at any time. And if any of you have a problem with it, I’ll simply take out my drinking tube, take a swig of my 70 oz. martini, and laugh right back at you people. C’mon now. . . who says the thing’s always filled with _water_, people?!? Tripler Yeah, I know your thinking, “Man, a martini? Why didn’t I think of that?” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/11 "2006-05-03T15:24:35Z")
Well, I think it fits in nicely with the culture that feels they have to be within arm’s reach of a water bottle at all times of the day. I ride my bike a lot. My shortest ride typically is 50km. I take a water bottle with me. On hot days, I fill it with a sports drink like Accelerade to help avoid dehydration and provide a little energy. On a really long ride, I will refill with plain water on the return ride. For a century ride I take a couple of sports gels along. But I see people take power bars AND gels AND sports drinks AND bananas AND granola AND AND AND… I swear they must gain weight on the ride. Anyway, it’s a fad and a silly one at that. Is anyone living in an urban/suburban setting ever more than a few hundred yards away from a store that sells bottled water? :dubious: The only time these packs are useful, IMHO, is on an actual hike or mountain bike trail. Silly people. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/12 "2006-05-03T15:27:58Z")
Maybe someday all our downtowns will be filled with people with hydration bladders, catheters & colostomy bags, scooting along on segway shoes, yammering into headsets and typing at virtual keyboards with wi-fi fingers flailing away in midair. Finally we’ll be able to get some things done! ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/13 "2006-05-03T15:29:12Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Anyway, it’s a fad and a silly one at that. Is anyone living in an urban/suburban setting ever more than a few hundred yards away from a store that sells bottled water? :dubious: I wouldn’t call it “silly” at all. Why should I pay $1.25 for a bottle of water, when I can Brita-filter my tap water for essentially free? Tripler Why pay more? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/14 "2006-05-03T15:41:27Z")
> [@Tripler](#): > > I wouldn’t call it “silly” at all. Why should I pay $1.25 for a bottle of water, when I can Brita-filter my tap water for essentially free? > > Tripler > Why pay more? Really? You get free filters? Brita is cheap, but not free. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/15 "2006-05-03T15:45:12Z")
> [@Tripler](#): > > C’mon now. . . who says the thing’s always filled with _water_, people?!? :smack: But it should be a margarita. The salt provides electrolytes. [aside to Tripler] The flags arrived yesterday. Tres cool. A big Thank You from my department chair, and a bigger one from me. You rock![/aside] ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/16 "2006-05-03T15:58:22Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Really? You get free filters? > > Brita is cheap, but not free. With as much volume as I put through my filters, yeah, they’re _cheap_. Doing some rough back-o-the-napkin calculations, I go through one filter every three months ($8.50/3 months = $2.83 / month). I regularly used the full pitcher say, every other day (which I’ll call 3 liters every 2 days = 45 liters-ish a month). So, $2.83 / 45 = $0.06 per liter . . . a mere _pittance_! Thus, quoth ‘Murphy’s Laws of Combat’: “If it looks stupid but works, it isn’t stupid.” I’ll let you people wander over to the 7-11 and buy your $1.25 16oz bottle ‘o’ water. I’m happy over here with my 70oz, 12-cent water. Tripler The anti-slave to fashion. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/17 "2006-05-03T15:59:46Z")
[aside reply] Oh, and **silenius** , yer welcome! Sorry I couldn’t get F-16s. . . [/aside reply] Trip ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/18 "2006-05-03T16:14:21Z")
> [@Tripler](#): > > With as much volume as I put through my filters, yeah, they’re _cheap_. Doing some rough back-o-the-napkin calculations, I go through one filter every three months ($8.50/3 months = $2.83 / month). I regularly used the full pitcher say, every other day (which I’ll call 3 liters every 2 days = 45 liters-ish a month). So, $2.83 / 45 = $0.06 per liter . . . a mere _pittance_! > > Thus, quoth ‘Murphy’s Laws of Combat’: “If it looks stupid but works, it isn’t stupid.” I’ll let you people wander over to the 7-11 and buy your $1.25 16oz bottle ‘o’ water. I’m happy over here with my 70oz, 12-cent water. > > Tripler > The anti-slave to fashion. In any case, in a recent blind taste test, nobody could tell the difference between tap or bottled water- much less filtered. And it’s really highly unlikely that your municipal water supply is tainted with anything harmful- at least, anything harmful that a Brita could work on. Cheap or not, it’s still fussy when water comes out of the walls over every building in America. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/19 "2006-05-03T16:20:09Z")
Does anyone remember the days when bottled water was more expensive than gasoline? ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/20 "2006-05-03T16:27:55Z")
> [@even sven](#): > > In any case, in a recent blind taste test, nobody could tell the difference between tap or bottled water- much less filtered. Huzzah!! You’ve bolstered my arguement. If I didn’t filter it, it’d be _free-er!_. But there were a few places I’ve been (and took the Brita with me) you could taste somethin’ funny. It helped, it really did. . . Clovis, NM comes to mind. Tripler Champion of the cheapskates. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193.md?page=2)