The Camelbak Chute is a large double walled thermos designed to keep 40 oz of goodness cold for a full 24 hours or hot for 6. This is my review.
The Chute is primarily constructed from two layers of 18/8 stainless steel with a gap between them, forming a vacuumed, double walled barrier of insulation. The bottle features a powder coated paint job that’s available in a wide variety of colors, and the screw on cap can snap onto the bottle itself for storage or to keep it out of the way while drinking or filling. It retails for $38 and weighs just about 1 lb.
Starting out, the Chute is large, large indeed. Capable of hold enough soup to make a meal for two, or enough hot cocoa for an entire night in the backcountry, the Chute isn’t likely to leave you wanting more liquid storage. The downfall here is that it’s so large it’s actually difficult to hold with one hand, and it doesn’t fit in cup holders, so driving around town with it is somewhat cumbersome as you’ll have to leave it laying in your seat or floor. It’s also quite heavy at nearly a full pound, but you do get a much larger capacity due to that weight. Part of the weight is it’s sturdy construction, which is almost entirely steel.
This leads me to build quality, which overall is very good. Even if the thermos takes a beating, the steel outer wall will likely take it damage free. Worst case scenario, perhaps dropping it off into a shallow of rocks, it will only ding up and scratch. The only weak point would be the seals around the cap, but I haven’t had any issues with them. It’s a sturdy thermos for sure, and I expect it to last a very long time.
The Chute does perform very well when it comes to insulating. I’ve never had my drink run warm after being cold, and even at 20 degrees in high wind, 4 and 5 hour hiking sessions had my cocoa still hot and very enjoyable. The stainless steel design also avoids trapping and transferring flavors, an added bonus.
The thermos is also easy to drink from or pour. The spout is perfectly sized to sip from directly, yet just large enough to make pouring into another cup simple and spill free. That same cap, however, is a bit tough to clip into place. Thankfully, once it’s there it doesn’t slip, and the built in retainers keep it from getting lost.
Overall, I like the chute. It packs a huge amount of liquid, perfect for long winter hikes, and it does a great job of actually keeping my drinks hot, my primary concern with a thermos. It pours easily, sips great, and having the ability to lock the cap away is pretty handy too. It’s large, heavy, and a bit unwieldy at times, but when the primary focus is maintaining the temperature of a large storage of liquid, it’s a good option.
Recommended
For more information on Cambelbak and and their wide range of gear, check out their website, https://www.camelbak.com/
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I want to extend a huge thanks Camelbak for providing this product for review. We couldn’t do it without their help. Our full disclosure can be found here.
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