Contigo AUTOSEAL Water Bottle, 24 Ounces, Lime

CUSTOMER REVIEW



As a water bottle for general use, it's hard to fault this Contigo. It's rugged, nicely designed and priced right. The carabiner clip built into the cap is a smart and welcome convenience. The wide mouth, when the cap is unscrewed, allows for ice cubes and easy cleaning. Plus, its marquee feature--the AUTOSEAL cap--does exactly that. Push the button to drink and the seal opens... release it after drinking and the seal snaps shut and will not leak. Knock it onto the floor or store it upside down in your backpack without fear of losing a drop. I was genuinely impressed.



So if it's all good, why the three stars? Unfortunately, as I recently learned when I took my Contigo on a rafting trip, that great AUTOSEAL cap can also be its Achilles' heel in gritty or sandy environments. For everyday use, or for the average gym rat or cyclist, this is not an issue. But for use in the outdoors, you may want to consider other bottles. Get a bit of grit, dirt or sand into the seal mechanism--which is what happened to me when I simply dropped the bottle on the ground during a hike--and you've suddenly got a leaky bottle that can be very tough to get clean again. In fact, I could not get the mechanism clean enough to seal properly until I got home from my trip, and it wasn't easy.



So, despite the pros of this bottle, I deduct two stars for problems you may encounter with it in the outdoors, where water bottles are often an essential piece of gear.



Thanks for reading my review and I hope you found it helpful in making your purchasing decision.