Water-to-Go ACTIVE Water Filter Bottle Review

Jim’s Tech Talk

By Jim Langley

Hot:

• Simplest filtration ever, just fill and drink
• Nano technology filter removes up to 99.9999% of harmful contaminants
• Could keep 400 single-use plastic bottles out of landfills
• Made of BPA-free FDA-approved materials
• Flip-top nozzle stays clean and keeps contaminants out
• Water level marks on side of bottle
• XL capacity: 75cl/26 ounces
• Built in carrying loop
• Recyclable

Not:

• Filter slows water flow
• Must squeeze harder than with normal bike bottles
• Rubber grippers makes it harder to insert bottle in cages
• Pricey 

Price: $49.99

Source: https://watertogousa.com/product/75cl-active-bottle/

How obtained: sample from company

RBR sponsor: no

A Safer Bottle for the Earth and Adventure Riders 

This is the first filtered water bottle I’ve tried. All I have to compare it to is regular bicycle bottles. Because of that, my overall rating and my Nots (above) might make it seem like I don’t like Water-to-Go’s ACTIVE bottle, but that’s not true.

I actually think they’re onto something important with their filtered bottles. And that if you’re a cyclist who might fill up out of a stream, a public tap or other questionable water source on rides, that it might be perfect for you.

Safer for the Planet and You

What’s so important about Water-to-Go’s products is that if a person uses one of their ACTIVE filtered bottles instead of buying single-use plastic water bottles, it could prevent up to 400 bottles ending up in a landfill. 

And in these times when we’re so concerned for our health, their filters are claimed to remove most harmful contaminants to create safer cleaner water. Read more here about Water-to-Go’s extensive testing: https://watertogousa.com/how-it-works/testing/.

Long Lasting Filtration

The filter in the ACTIVE bottle will last up to 200 liters or 53 gallons depending on use (the dirtier the water filtered, the quicker a new filter is needed). The water flow rate slows as the filter wears out, which indicates it’s time for a new one.

Water-to-Go says that in general use you can fill up the 26oz/75cl water purifier bottle two to three times a day and the filter will last for three months. Replacement filters come in a 2-pack for $39.99.

About Water-to-Go’s Filter Technology

Quoting from Water-to-Go, our “unique 3-in-1 filter offers extreme protection from water-borne illness. The filter removes up to 99.9999% of illness-causing contaminants, including those as small as a virus. The filter eliminates bacteria, parasites (including giardia), viruses (because of their small size, few bottles can remove dangerous viruses like Hepatitis A), chemicals (including PFAS), pesticides, heavy metals (lead, arsenic, chromium) and microplastics. If there is a danger in water that could make you sick, we likely remove it. Water-to-Go has been proven in independent lab tests and by extreme adventurers who trust Water-to-Go on extreme adventures worldwide. 

3-in-1 means that Water-to-Go uses three types of filtration to protect you. Think of it as a net within a net within a net so almost nothing gets through. The three types of filtration are: Mechanical – a very small pore size which stops contaminants passing through; Electrical (by a positive charge) which reduces the pore size even further and attracts contaminants like a magnet would, trapping them inside the filter;

Finally our filters use carbon but instead of using adhesives to glue the carbon particles together (which vastly reduces the carbon’s efficiency) it is contained within the membrane, helping to reduce contaminants while eliminating bad tastes and odors.”

Features

To keep the nozzle contaminant-free, there’s a flip-top lid, while a breather valve in the lid helps the water flow. Even with this valve, I found that it was a little more difficult than I would have liked to take a good gulp of water. The filter restricts the flow rate and the plastic the bottle’s made of is stiff and less flexible than typical bike bottles. So I had to squeeze harder than usual.

I thought the filter built into the lid might make the ACTIVE bottle hold less than typical large size bike bottles (like my Camelbak Podium 24-ouncers). But Water-to-Go’s held the same. The ACTIVE bottle is translucent and marked on the side so you always know how much liquid is left.

There are two rubber grippers on the bottle, which help for holding and squeezing. I tried the bottle in a couple of different cages, and the lower gripper made it more difficult to get the bottle in. Also, the bottle’s 9.5-inch height means it may not fit into some frame-mounted cages on smaller bikes. There is a carrying loop on the bottle so you could carry it on or in a pack instead.

Speaking of that, if you did choose to carry it in a pack, you could use it to filter water to pour into another bottle mounted to your bike. That way you’d have easily accessed filtered water in a bottle that fits your frame and bottle cage and is a bottle easy to use, too.

Conclusion

Overall, I think the ACTIVE bottle is impressive and the only thing it would take for me to rate it even more highly is for them to make a model more dialed in for use on the bike while riding.

10,214 Daily Rides in a Row

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Jim Langley is RBR’s Technical Editor. He has been a pro mechanic and cycling writer for more than 40 years. He’s the author of Your Home Bicycle Workshop in the RBR eBookstore. Check out his “cycling aficionado” website at http://www.jimlangley.net, his Q&A blog and updates at Twitter. Jim’s cycling streak ended in February 2022 with a total of 10,269 consecutive daily rides (28 years, 1 month and 11 days of never missing a ride). Click to read Jim’s full bio.