Camelbak Forge Flow Travel Mug
The clue is in the name with this brand – a company that started out manufacturing, and is still best-known for, its hydration packs. Now commonplace, these revolutionised the world of outdoor sports when they hit the market in the 1990s and, if you spot a trail runner or mountain biker wearing a rucksack or vest with a hose hanging out of, it’s probably a Camelbak – a name that has become synonymous with water bladders, as Hoover is to the vacuum cleaner.
The company now includes in its range a collection of drinks bottles and insulated mugs and here’s the latest one – a stainless-steel insulated travel mug with a powder-coat finish and a non-slip rubber base, featuring ‘Press, Sip, Go’ technology. With a 350ml capacity, it holds a decent cup of tea or coffee, and we’ve seen many flasks similar to this before. However, this one is designed to be used when spillages could be a problem, such as when you’re on the road, so the idea is good. Using one hand, press a lever, which opens the top of the flask a small fraction, enabling you to sip your drink. Let go of the lever and it seals again – job done. However, there are a couple of flaws with this design. The first is that the thermal nature of a flask like this will keep your drink piping hot for up to five hours, and warm for up to eight. That means you are likely to have arrived at your destination long before your scolding hot beverage has reached drinking temperature. The other issue is cleaning the thing. The idea is that a lever arm releases the sip lid and it can go in the dishwasher. However, we found the release mechanism fiddly and unreliable, and felt it still needed a good rinse.
camelbak.co.uk