Gear Review: the humangear capCAP

June 19, 2008

With the recent Nalgene and BPA bottle scare, I decided to start replacing my collection of water bottles. To be honest, I hadn’t looked at bottles for a while. I like the standard lexan Nalgene wide-mouth bottles, so I just kept buying them when needed without even really looking at other options. I also know many climbers are big fans of SIGG and CamelBak.

While looking for new bottles, I was amazed at the numerous ways manufacturers can create complexity and choices for something as straightforward (at least in my mind) as a water bottle.

For my usage, primarily on climbing trips, I much prefer a wide-mouth bottle to the narrow drinking versions. While the smaller lids make drinking easier, I like the ability to add liquid, ice cubes, and drink mixes quickly to the wide-mouth bottles. I’ve always preferred the overall flexibility as well as the easier cleaning aspect of a wide-mouth.

So when I found an accessory cap replacement by humangear called capCAP, I was intrigued. The capCAP is intended to simply replace your current cap on any major wide-mouth bottle with their narrow, easier drinking version.

At first I was a bit skeptical that a replacement cap would make any sense, but after using it non-stop over the past few days I love this product.

The capCAP easily fit on my wide-mouth Nalgene bottle with no issues. The first thing I noticed was the rubberized lid on the small cap. This is what you will always be grabbing to open the bottle for drinking and it gripped well with a nice feel to it. This small, yet important feature will be useful out at the crags when hands get greasy, sweating, and chalky.

The other really noticeable design feature is how the drinking spout is curved ergonomically. No spillage and very easy to drink from.

The capCAP’s 2-in-1 design provides both the small cap as well as still giving you access to a large cap for filling the bottle. I like the fact that you get the easier drinking from the smaller cap without losing the functionality of the large cap.

So what does this all cost? The big question, right? The capCAP retails for $5.95 at stores like REI. The average wide-mouth bottle runs from $6 - $12 so your total cost for a bottle after adding the capCAP would be about $14. Not too bad for what you get, especially if you compare it with a narrow mouth SIGG bottle (a one liter bottle runs about $22).

Pros

very comfortable
best of both worlds - small-mouth and wide-mouth
extremely grippable top lid
ergonomic drinking spout
BPA-free and PC-free
works with all major wide-mouth bottles including Nalgene (wide-mouth, OTG and stainless), CamelBak (all sizes), Cyclone, Guyot stainless, and many others
the carrying loop feels stronger than the standard ones provided with the original bottle

Cons

currently only comes in one color choice (I don’t mind one color, but I know many do).

Summary

If you like the flexibility of wide-mouth bottles (or already own a bunch of them), but want to drink out of your bottle easier via a narrower spout, you can’t go wrong with the capCAP. Despite the extra cost on a bottle, the product is definitely worthwhile.

Disclaimer: All Climbing was provided a capCap for this review with no strings attached. We do not write reviews for products with any predetermined outcome.

Popularity: 18% [?]

Written by Tom Markiewicz · Filed Under Climbing Gear, Reviews | 2 Comments

Trailer for Perfecto

June 14, 2008

The trailer for Perfecto, a Mike Call climbing video, showing deep water soloing in Mallorca, Spain coming Summer 2008 (via Get Outdoors and Climbing Narc):

Popularity: 18% [?]

Written by Tom Markiewicz · Filed Under Videos | 1 Comment

Omega Pacific issues inspection notice for Link Cams

June 13, 2008

Omega Pacific recently released a notice instructing owners of their Link Cams to look for a potential defect:

In May 2008, we became aware of situations in which axle nuts were not properly and permanently fixed on the axle assemblies permitting the cams to potentially become disassembled. Upon receiving the units, our Quality Assurance department launched an exhaustive investigation to determine the cause and establish correction of the issue.

Our QA inspectors have determined that the returned units were allowed to progress from one assembly station to the next without this important step having been completed.

It was determined, based on identification by lot numbers, that the cams returned were manufactured prior to the implementation of upgraded quality assurance procedures and employee training sessions which were instituted in May 2007. At that point, new work instructions were written, additional quality inspection steps were introduced and employees were either reassigned or retrained to reduce the likelihood of such lapses in quality from occurring.

Full information, including how to determine if your Link Cam needs to be repaired, can be found at the Omega Pacific web site here.

Popularity: 18% [?]

Written by Tom Markiewicz · Filed Under Climbing Gear, Climbing News | Leave a Comment