Vapur, Inc., based in California, got their start in 2009. In September of that year, they introduced us to the Vapur Anti-Bottle. The Anti-Bottle is a reusable, collapsible water bottle and its design allows it to stand when full. When empty, the bottle can be rolled, folded or flattened so it can be stored very easily. Vapur says the Anti-Bottle is about 87% lighter than typical rigid bottles and less energy is needed to make and transport them. So not only is the Anti-Bottle light in your pack but it is also also pretty light on the environment.
I have to say that I like Anti-Bottles very much, and they ride in my pack where a trail favorite of many through hikers once was. If you are “smart”, you know that bottle. Each bottle has its advantages, but I prefer drinking from the Anti-Bottle. For instance, the sides of the Anti-Bottle collapse as water pours out so the flow is nice and smooth. In turn, this nice regular pour makes it a snap to get the right amount of water for cooking. The lid, or SuperCap, is nice and sturdy and it seals shut well. The screw-on SuperCap covers a wide opening so cleaning the Anti-Bottle is easy. A molded in carabiner clips on almost anywhere, and it flips over to stow a rolled up, empty Anti-Bottle. A durable, BPA free 3-ply material makes the Anti-Bottle freezable and dishwasher safe.
Vapur applied their Anti-Bottle concept to the hydration bladder and created the DrinkLink system. Their DrinkLink system uses quick connectors to join a 1.5 liter Anti-Bottl to a 36 inch taste, odor, and BPA-free hydration tube, with a high flow bite valve. Plus, the DrinkLink lid has a quick connector that seals shut when nothing is connected, and an on/off keeps the bite valve shut when needed. This bite valve will attach to the end of the hose or you can put it right on the DrinkLink lid on the bag. To be honest, I couldn‘t get water to leak in any of the testing. Even better, Vapur includes a removable hose clip to keep the bite valve handy, so if you are into drinking from a bite valve, this system is great.
Vapur offers the MicroFilter to get rid of the nasty stuff in your water. This filter is lightweight and chemical-free. The Vapur MicroFilter uses hollow fiber membrane technology and it safely removes 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria and 99.9% of protozoa. With the bottle included, the MicroFilter weighs 2.7 ounces, and the filter can purify hundreds of liters of water. The MicroFilter works as a straw without the bottle so go ahead and drink right from the source or any container. I found the flow to be pretty good but you won‘t be guzzling water through the filter.
Vapur makes their products in the United States and the Vapur website states that Korea produces the MicroFilter. In addition, they created a community-giving program called Drops of Hope and they partner with like minded companies and organizations. They aim to make disposable bottles obsolete and clean water more accessible. Through Drops of Hope, Vapur annually donates thousands of bottles to charitable groups all over the world.
I‘ve had no troubles with punctures, leaks or breaking caps and enjoy using the Vapur products on the trail. Click HERE to browse over to the Vapur website and check them out.
Mark
Thanks to Vapur for sending over the test samples for this review. We at Industry Outsider have limited budgets just like everyone else. Hopefully the information we pass along about our experiences benefits our readers.