“A 3.2 ounce energy-gel flask that screws into your water bottle. Squeeze bottle with valve open for plain water or closed for a water and gel combo.”

See review here

Trail Runner 

“Energy gel is an easy-to-eat, fast-acting food that noticeably improves a rider’s performance. That makes it pretty amazing stuff. And while the ubiquitous single-serving gel packs are very convenient, they have their drawbacks: Tear-off tops that can be awkward to use while riding; small portions that make us carry, and open, several packs to get the nutrition we want; and let’s not forget the environmental cost of all those tiny packs. Even if the packs or tops don’t become litter on the trail or road, they still become landfill mass.

With those things in mind, consider Hydrapak’s Soft Flask, a reusable gel reservoir that can carry up to 8 ounces of gel, and has a bite valve that’s always at the ready. Fill it from a Hammer Gel 26-serving jug ($19) (the packaging of which is recyclable, or, even better, reusable) and not only have you, in theory, reduced your footprint and increased convenience, you save money: the flask and bulk gel total $29 for 26 servings. Hammer’s single-serving gel pouches sell for $1.25, so 26 servings would cost $32.50. Once the flask is purchased, your cost per serving would drop to 73 cents using the bulk Hammer gel.

Back to the Soft Flask: It’s seven inches long and two inches wide when full, so it fits easily in a jersey pocket. The material is very supple and pliable, when filled it feels a bit like a water snake toy, and is very easy to squeeze, even in the cold. Unfortunately, there is a single, and quite glaring, issue with the Flask. The Nalgene Bite Me valve doesn’t flow gel well. Even relatively thin gel at room temperature oozes more than flows. That the Flask has a Nalgene valve when HydraPak makes their own valve is probably a sign that the company is selling though old stock (HydraPak purchased Gel Bot, the Soft Flask’s creator, in 2007). Hopefully, Hydrapack develops a gel-friendly valve soon because the Soft Flask makes sense in every other way.”

Bicycling Magazine 

“A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down, but a squirt of energy gel keeps you going during long workouts. For fast, easy access to energy gels try Hydrapak’s new Gel-Bot. The inner canister holds 3.2 ounces of gel; the rest of the plastic bottle holds liquid. Just pop the spout up for liquid, down for gel. The running bottle holds 21 ounces of water in a countoured, easy-grip shape with an adjustable strap. The bike bottle holds 24 ounces in an hourglass-shaped bottle for an easy, on-the-go grip. The best part: no sticky gel-packs in your pockets.”
Her Sports Magazine 

“Noone wants to fool around with gel packs during a race or even a training run-your hands get sticky and usually there’s no place to stash the empty wrapper. The Hydrapak Gel-Bot solves these problems by integrating a 3.2 ounce gel container inside an ergonomically shaped running bottle that has the capacity for 21 ounces of thirst-quenching liquid. Access either liquid or gel through the Gel-Bot’s dual function cap that’s a snap to open and close on the fly.”

Inside Triathlon Magazine 

“Hydrapak’s first Reversible Reservoir solved two common problems of hydration bladders: the difficulty of cleaning and refilling. To clean the Reversible Reservoir you simply turned it inside out. To refill it without having to extract the drinking tube from your pack, you just unfastened the tube from the reservoir by way if a waterproof valve. The only drawback was a rolltop closure that didn’t look all that trustworthy. Not anymore. The Reversible Reservoir II has a zipperlike sliding seal that cinches securely.”

Skiing Magazine 

“Hydrapak has been in the hydration pack business for a long time. They are well-know for producing great products at good price points. I’ve used their products in the past and have found their packs to be stellar and their bladders to be about middle-of-the-pack as far as likes and dislikes.

For 2008, their hydration bladders are new and improved. Gone is the rolled-over Velcro top and in its place is a new zip-top clip that greatly simplifies the closure and allows the material to be a little more substantial instead of the older, flexy material. On top of that, the hydration lines are all plug-and-play to eliminate the need to haul your pack along to the water dispenser. Just unclip the line and take the bladder to the spout–a nice feature that is pretty standard these days.

Another new item from Hydrapak is the Gel-Bot bottle, which integrates a standard water bottle with an inner bottle for energy gel. Just load the inner container with your favorite gel, then fill the bottle with water and with one motion, you can get water and gel.

Hydrapak Laguna Hydration Pack

The mountain bike crowd will like the new Hydrapak Laguna pack. A versatile pack that sports 500 cu.in. of storage capacity, but is expandable to 800 cu. in. by unzipping the accordion-style extension. This pack also sports a deployable mesh helmet retention system, 100 oz. bladder, hydro tunes port for headphone lines, fleece-lined sunglass pocket and plenty of small sleeves and internal pockets for storing the slew of tools and necessary gear for an all-day epic. MSRP is $79.99.”

See review here

www.feedthehabit.com 

“While we wouldn’t recommend filling the Borracho with
cerveza, the pack’s 100-ounce reservoir with hands-free
access will make sure your customer doesn’t go thirsty —
no matter what his brand of adventure may be!”

“Neat freaks rejoice: Hydrapak has made cleaning the gunk out of your hydration reservoir easier. We put a sugary drink mix into this bladder and let it sit in the sun for a week. De-funking was a snap: open the top, turn the reservoir inside out, and scrub. Cleaning is usually a “back home” activity, but our field testers appreciated the versatility for longer warm-weather trips. A velcro tab near the bite valve attaches to a matching patch on your shoulder strap. “It was easy to keep the hose under control,” remarked one Arizona tester. A detachable drink tube means you don’t have to rethread it into your pack every time you fill up, and a redesigned closure system employs a sturdy, reliable plastic slide-lock.”

Backpacker Magazine

“Tired of searching in your fanny pack for your gel and then struggling to open the package, storing the empty wrapper, and finally washing it all down with water? Well all of those steps just got a lot easier with the Gel-Bot by Hydrapak. Gel-Bot is a water bottle with an integrated gel flask. Using patented Energy-Core technology, Gel-Bot allows consumption of an energy gel or water from one bottle. Gel-Bot is easy to use while out power walking, Nordic walking, or hiking on the trails. Just squeeze the bottle with the valve pushed in to get the energy gel or pull the valve out and squeeze to get plain water; it looks and stores just like a regular water bottle.
The SoftFlask is a gel flask designed for optimal performance and is made of medical-grade urethane. It is soft and flexible which allows you to squeeze out every drop of gel and unlike other gel flasks SoftFlasks work equally well filled with one serving of gel or six. It cleans up with soapy water and is ready for the next trek.”

Walk About Magazine

Looking very different that your normal water bottle, Hydrapak’s Gel-Bot is a combination water bottle with integrated gel flask. Brought to you by the folks who put straws on your knapsack, the Gel-Bot is a highly functionally hydration system that lets you consume energy gel and water from the same bottle, making it ideal to use while running or biking. Just squeeze the bottle with the valve pushed in when you want some gel, or pull the valve out and squeeze to get water. This fluid-delivery system is perfect for Ironman contests when there’s no stopping for anything. Makes sense to me, now what about other bodily functions? — Ken Sander

Scifi.com

See article here