Gear Review: Innate Athletic Viam Water Bottles

If I had to design a perfect multi-purpose water bottle, it might well come out looking something rather like the new Innate Athletic Viam Water Bottles.

I’ve been using one of the polypropolene (yes, the same stuff as thermal underwear J) bottles for around a month now with total satisfaction and success.

The bottles are designed for active uses, such as cycling and running, where they perform with outstanding results, but are equally at home for the office or kicking back around the house.

The biggest plus is that, unlike conventional plastic water bottles, the Innate doesn’t hold or produce any odours or bad taste. Other than washing it once before I started using it, I have yet to wash it again after heavy use. I’m going to give in now and give it a bath, but it’s simply incredible how well it stand up to everyday use with no maintenance required. The next-best bottle I’ve tried has been a glass style, but the Innate bottle exceeds it in blocking odour and taste by a wide margin, and is also far lighter. It also exceeds any of the stainless steel models I that are my normal go-to water bottles for on the trail.

The body is soft enough to be squeezable, but the cleverly-designed top and drinking spout render it completely unnecessary. The spout is a cunning two piece, with the outer flip-top cap intended to block leaks and keep out any foreign material like dust, sand, or gravel you might pick up while on the trail. The inner spout is a twist, with a generous moth piece that allows for a considerable volume of water to be guzzled, or sips instead if you prefer. I’m more of a guzzler myself.

“Athletic pursuits like trail running or road riding demand efficient access to water without compromising performance; a bottle that can be squeezed is simply the most efficient tool for the job,” Innate states on its website. “The Innate Viam Athletic Water bottle is designed with unique performance features including our Grit Guard drinking lids to keep trail and road grunge away from the drinking area. Convenient one-handed spiral opening sipping stem delivers a generous volume of liquids. We chose PP over other plastic options because we feel it offers the best balance on a range of environmental health, footprint and performance issues.”

Best of all, the bottle is fully recyclable when you choose to send it on to its next life.

The only criticism I might make of the product is that Innate should consider offering it in a variety of sizes. Currently, it’s available in a 20-ounce model only. That, of course, is basically the universal standard that will fit the widest variety of packs and bottle holders.

For more information on the Innate Viam Water Bottle, click here.

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