# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/21 "2006-05-03T16:50:58Z")
> [@even sven](#): > > 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. There’s something about this rant that rubs me the wrong way. Possibly because the definition of “elitist” is apparently “People who have more money than me.” ``` I wear North Face every day lately. Admittedly partly because it pisses off [this guy](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=356974), but also because they're dry and warm. Last time I was in the Bay Area, it was pretty chilly. High tech trail shoes? Ummm....maybe they're comfy? I don't see why I should be colder or less comfortable around town than I am on a trail just to make Even Sven happy. Even if she is the self-appointed arbiter of good taste in Oakland. ``` ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/22 "2006-05-03T16:54:29Z")
> [@even sven](#): > > In any case, in a recent blind taste test, nobody could tell the difference between tap or bottled water- much less filtered. I hate the taste of any water, much less then sucked through a plastic tube. This thread is making me vaguely nauseated. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/23 "2006-05-03T16:56:13Z")
I wear mine while running or biking. I have no idea why anyone would need it while commuting. Unless they were biking to work that is. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/24 "2006-05-03T16:58:37Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > The only time these packs are useful, IMHO, is on an actual hike or mountain bike trail. > > Silly people. Well, I need to protest this. Year 1, we went to the Ren Faire and it was 90 degrees and we had some bottled water, but ended up having to buy it, and it was expensive, $2.50 a bottle. Year 2, we filled up the Camelbak with ice…it was 90 again, so we drank our water bottles all morning and in the afternoon we had ice-cold chilled water from the Camelbak. Mmmm. That’s a whole day thing, though, and it’s not like we want to leave the park to go buy drinks. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/25 "2006-05-03T16:59:27Z")
> [@even sven](#): > > 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. AMEN! Very amusing and you nailed it perfectly. Also goes for the same dodos who drive SUVs where their only use for 4-wheel drive is to climb over the speed humps in the shopping center parking lots. ---
**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, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/26 "2006-05-03T17:02:14Z")
> [@Tripler](#): > > 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: Well, as long as you’ve got alcohol in it, you’re alright. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/27 "2006-05-03T17:04:37Z")
> [@even sven](#): > > In any case, in a recent blind taste test, nobody could tell the difference between tap or bottled water- much less filtered. I’m not sure what taste tests prove. Mix in a bit of giardia, \* e. coli \*, and a dollop of lead and I bet you still couldn’t tell the difference. Your faith in public water supplies is touching and but not [completely justified](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=3276234&dopt=Abstract). ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/28 "2006-05-03T17:08:57Z")
Humm. I have a CamelBak and it never occured to me to wear it to _work_. I suppose it might go nicely with my suit and pumps - perhaps I’ll give that a whirl tomorrow. (Mine is pretty much for hiking - it’s been up and down more mountains than most goats! :)) ---
**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, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/29 "2006-05-03T17:09:37Z")
> [@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? Well, that’s true but how do you get it to match your wardrobe every day? Plus it would ruin the drape of my jackets and wrinkle my shirts. Won’t somebody please think of the fashion?!?! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/30 "2006-05-03T17:21:35Z")
> [@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? You have just changed my mind on this subject. I’ve always felt rather silly when I buy a bottle of water to drink while I’m out. Not that I go out much, but in the Texas heat, hydration is necessary. ---
**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, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/31 "2006-05-03T17:46:29Z")
> [@Lynn Bodoni](#): > > You have just changed my mind on this subject. I’ve always felt rather silly when I buy a bottle of water to drink while I’m out. Not that I go out much, but in the Texas heat, hydration is necessary. What did Texans do before there were camelbacks? Was there a serious local hydration problem? Not that people don’t benefit from cars vs horses and walking… but still… it seems more like a solution in search of a problem. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/32 "2006-05-03T17:48:54Z")
> [@even sven](#): > > In any case, in a recent blind taste test, nobody could tell the difference between tap or bottled water- much less filtered. I bet anyone can tell the difference between bottled water and water from a CamelBak bladder. I don’t know how people can stand the taste - does it wear off after a while? (Actually I do have one Camelbak for bike riding; I replaced the bladder with a [Platypus](http://www.platypushydration.com/) which doesn’t seem to have this problem.) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/33 "2006-05-03T18:51:00Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Well, that’s true but how do you get it to match your wardrobe every day? > > Plus it would ruin the drape of my jackets and wrinkle my shirts. > > Won’t somebody please think of the fashion?!?! 😛 Knitting is stylish these days; how about custom coordinating camelbak cozies? ---
**Author:** ![brownie55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f14d63/32.png) [@brownie55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brownie55)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/34 "2006-05-03T20:05:59Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > I’m not sure what taste tests prove. Mix in a bit of giardia, \* e. coli \*, and a dollop of lead and I bet you still couldn’t tell the difference. Your faith in public water supplies is touching and but not [completely justified](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=3276234&dopt=Abstract). That cite is 20 years old, do you have something I should worry about today? ---
**Author:** ![Faruiza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@Faruiza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Faruiza)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/35 "2006-05-03T20:27:14Z")
Seems that **Tripler** and then **Silenus** nailed where I wanted to go with this. Booze! Also, I’m glad that since my Jeep Cherokee actually DOES see off road action, that it’s ok that I drive it. :rolleyes: I’ll remember that next time I go down to Bear Creek. ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/36 "2006-05-03T20:39:28Z")
I wear my camelback while hiking, bicycling and snowboarding. (please note this doesn’t mean _every_ time) Yes it tastes a bit stale after a while, but the point is, I’m usually so damn thirsty, I don’t care. I’m just happy not to have to stop off at the lodge and de-gear so I can trudge inside for a turn at the drinking fountain. But why someone would wear it while walking around town is beyond me. As for wearing good shoes, I have a point of contention. Maybe some people just like wearing well-made comfortable functional shoes that won’t wear out after a few months of use? I know I do. My work shoes are Danskos, my play shoes are Simples, my hiking boots are Timberlines, My flip-flops are Tevas. None of those are cheap, but I’ve had them a long time with virtually no sign of wear and tear, and I definitely get out and about. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/37 "2006-05-03T20:40:03Z")
I was wondering what your problem with them was (I don’t have one, but plenty of the guys I go biking with do), until you spelled it out. Why on earth would you take one to work? 😕 ---
**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 4, 2006, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/38 "2006-05-04T01:35:54Z")
> [@Nanoda](#): > > Why on earth would you take one to work? 😕 Because I work in the construction business, literally, out in the _field_. Mine is a good way to keep both my water, paperwork, laptop, and an assortment of small hand tools together, so I don’t have to run back to the office all the time I want more water (the office is 8 miles away, around the perimeter of a runway). While I completely sympathize with **even sven’s** utter disdain for those individuals that wear CamelBacks and “yuppie gear” for no reason (people I will call “soccer moms”), there are a handful of us that actually _do_ use CamelBacks, drive pickup trucks, and have Leathermen, because we use 'em on a daily basis. Tripler “You may take my life, but you will never take my 6-cent, waterborne freedom!” ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/39 "2006-05-04T08:16:56Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > What did Texans do before there were camelbacks? Was there a serious local hydration problem? > > Not that people don’t benefit from cars vs horses and walking… but still… it seems more like a solution in search of a problem. Heat stroke and heat exhaustion. This is Not Fun. It seems that every year I read a couple of stories about people dying of the heat. Usually old, poor people with no AC. Too much heat is not good. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193/40 "2006-05-04T08:50:43Z")
Am I missing something? It’s a bottle. Actually, no, it’s a triumph of marketing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camelbaks-have-no-place-in-urban-society/355193.md?page=3)