HydraPak Recon Water Bottle Introduction
The HydraPak Recon water bottle (Amazon Affiliate) is a brand new water bottle from HydraPak, that is advertised as:
Utilizing Eastman Tritan™ Renew technology to transform plastic waste, from a variety of sources with a primary source being PET (polyethylene terephthalate) single-use bottles, x9 bottles to be exact, into upcycled outdoor water bottles.
I have used a lot of HydraPak's collapsible reservoirs in the past for hikes that I need to carry a lot of water on, like my recent Santa Rosa Island Beach camping trip. The Recon Water Bottle by HydraPak is the first hard non-collapsible water bottle that I have tried from them, and I have to say I absolutely love it!
HydraPak Recon Design Overview
My typical water bottles I use on the trail is a wide mouth Nalgene. Nalgene (Amazon Affiliate) makes a fantastic water bottle, it's simple, and it's basically indestructible. I have also used and enjoyed Smart Water (Amazon Affiliate) which you can find at your local grocery store. One thing I like about the Smart Water, water bottles is that they are a lot thinner than the Nalgene bottles, which is honestly was got me to look at the HydraPak Recon water Bottle. I was looking for a more skinny water bottle that still could hold a litter of water. The thin body is nice because it fits in my car cup holder for when I am driving.
When I ordered my Recon water bottle the one thing I was hesitant about was the handle. By the looks of it, I thought it could be annoying when I drink from the Recon, and may hit me on the head. After using it for some time now, I can report that the handle never bothers me while I drink from it and make it really easy to hold. I usually am carrying my Nalgene from the thick plastic that holds the cap on it, and the recon is a lot more comfortable to hold.
HydraPak Recon WaterBottle Cap
HydraPak's main marketing with the Recon water bottle is that it is made from 9 recycled single use plastic water bottles, which is fantastic. What the marketing doesn't really build up in my opinion is the flow rate and feel when you drink from this bottle, its absolutely fantastic.
I have drank from a lot of water bottles and I never thought that I would love the way the water felt as it flowed into my mouth. I honestly never thought of that as something I would even care about, until I purchased the HydraPak Recon.
As you drink from the HydraPak Recon it simply just flows smoothly and doesn't chug no matter what angle you hold it at while you pour water from it. I really don't know how else to better describe it, just buy the bottle and trust me!
The Recon's cap is a pretty interesting design. When its fully tightened the mouth piece is facing the carry handle, and when you are ready to drink, you turn it a half turn towards an indicator on the other side and then you can drink from it. When the cap is twisted tight and the mouth piece is facing the carry handle it is completely leak proof. Its nice to not have to unscrew the entire cap off in order to take a quick sip of water.
When I first saw this design I was a little worried that this meant when I put the cap on the bottle after filling it up that I would have to be aware of having to start screwing it on at a specific place for everything to line up, but this is not the case. After filling up the HydraPak Recon you can simply just screw the cap on without thinking about it. The mouth piece will always line up with the carry handle when fully tightened.
HydraPak Recon Review Wrap Up
Overall I am highly impressed with this water bottle, I love the innovative cap which creates an amazing smooth drinking experience that is an absolute pleasure.
I have only take it on a few simple hikes at this time, but It is already in my everyday carry. My fiancé has dropped her Recon water bottle once on pavement and it took some scratches like a typical Nalgene would and did not break. So we are off to a god start on durability, but I will come back and add more details after a few longer trips.
My only concern with the HydraPak Recon water bottle (Amazon Affiliate) at this point is that I will probably not take it on cold winter adventures where I expect temperatures to be below freezing. I would suspect water would easily freeze inside the innovative cap and would clog it up. Other than that I love it so far!
ℹ️ Gear Recommendations
If you would like expert gear recommendations for your next adventure check out the Ten Digit Grid Gear Locker. I detail why each item has a spot in my backpack!
