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All-new CamelBak Fusion reservoirs ditch the cap for toothless zipper

hands hold up the camelbak fusion in front of the camera with mountains in the background.Photo c. CamelBak
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Reservoir funk. It’s a thing and one of the biggest reasons many people (this author included) prefer classic water bottles for bike-related adventures. But CamelBak, the granddaddy of hydration reservoirs, aims to change that with its just-launched Fusion collection. The new reservoirs include a toothless zipper design for easier filling and cleaning and a few other design tweaks worth noting.

a man holds a camelbak fusion reservoir in a medium-wide shot with mountains in the background.
All photos c. CamelBak

Old ideas, new features

CamelBak’s TRU Zip closure looks burly enough, and we like the oversized zipper pull (easy to use with cold, wet, or gloved hands, we imagine). Fusion products also include integrated handles and pinch grips for ease of filling and a rigid backplate to prevent collapse when drying. And this ought to get the attention of the ounce-counters — the Fusion line is 30% lighter than CamelBak’s preceding Crux line.

a close-up studio shot of the CamelBak fusion's no-tooth zipper

The Fusion collection is BPA, BPS, and BPF-free and is available in four sizes — two- and three-liter for solo excursions and six- and ten-liter for group trips. Here’s the price breakdown:

  • 2L – $53
  • 3L – $55
  • 6L – $75
  • 10L – $90

a medium shot of a man placing a CamelBak Fusion into a backpack.

The group-sized reservoirs have a tap-style spout for quickly filling dishes and bottles around camp. Fusion products also include some of CamelBak’s previous innovations, like an on/off lever to prevent leaking. CamelBak Fusion reservoirs are available now on CamelBak’s website.

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HairyMouth
HairyMouth
1 year ago

any tips on how to dry the drinking line so the first sip doesn’t taste funky after the bladder has been sitting for a few weeks?

Random internet guy
Random internet guy
1 year ago
Reply to  HairyMouth

Kind of extreme, but I bought a cheap aquarium pump online, and use that to pump air through hoses/the bladder to assist drying.

Dink
Dink
1 year ago
Reply to  HairyMouth

rinse it?

ekutter
ekutter
1 year ago
Reply to  Dink

I always remove the valve on the end of the tube, and put the tube against the front of a fan. Within an hour, the tube is completely dry inside. It needs air flow.

Lee
Lee
1 year ago
Reply to  HairyMouth

I keep mine in the freezer (empty). Bladder too. Works great.

Moff
Moff
1 year ago
Reply to  HairyMouth

Store in the freezer between uses

GTtttt
GTtttt
1 year ago

That looks pretty good as far as an upgrade, but at $53 I think I’ll tolerate screwing in the cap awhile longer.

Dylan
Dylan
1 year ago

Zips like this are great when you need a large but lightweight and flexible watertight airtight closure. I have them on my whitewater pack raft and dry bag, and older style toothed ones on my drysuit.
But where you don’t need a large or flexible opening, a simple screw cap with an o-ring is FAR more durable and reliable, and far cheaper. One grain of sand can permanently wreck a zip like this (though at least all you’ll get is a slow drip under pressure, vs deflation of a raft). And forget about cleaning out any mould that will inevitably grow in the zip.

I don’t know about this particular zip, but the larger (more rugged and reliable) ones like TiZip are the opposite of “easy to use with cold wet gloved hands” – to either open them or close them properly requires a significant amount of force.

J C
J C
1 year ago

The cap was the only boon to camelbak over other hydration bladders for me, because you don’t have to wrestle the bladder in/out of the bag to fill it. I’ve been using the shimano packs for the last 10 or so years, and lack of a cap has been their only shortcoming.

Erik
Erik
6 months ago

The fusion is NOT 30% lighter than Crux. It’s actually very much the same. I have measured the 2L fusion and it weighs 206g complete (154 without hose, but then of course useless). Camelbak says it weighs 144g….

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