With its entry into the sports bottle market in 2006, CamelBak created a product that has both wooed and wowed consumers. Emphasizing environmental sustainability, ease of use and a go-anywhere, do-anything durability, the CamelBak Better Bottle has moved from the active outdoor market into the mainstream with barely a ripple. And its bite valve technology provides a hydration solution described as "drinking without thinking" by consumers.

The area of improvement for CamelBak's customers is the creation of a Bisphenol-A- (BPA) free bottle. BPA is present in the material currently used to make their sports bottles.

So CamelBak is switching to Eastman Tritan™, a BPA-free material that can be a drop-in replacement for polycarbonate.

"As an innovator, we know if you address an opportunity when consumers first mention it, your solution will be delivered by the time you hear it a lot," says Mac Tillman, vice president of marketing and product management for CamelBak. "If you wait until you hear it all the time, it's too late and another company will have beaten you to market."

Problem-solving innovations seem to come naturally to the California-based company.

CamelBak started as a "backpack company with a cool bladder and straw" that provided outdoor enthusiasts with the innovation of "hands-free hydration" – the mantra that continues to guide CamelBak and led it into the sports bottle market. Initially, the target market was mountain bikers who needed easy access to water on back country trails. The product was quickly adopted by military personnel and first responders – people who are trying to save lives and need their hands to be free while they're doing it.

"Reusable bottles were a sleepy little category with limited innovation," Tillman recalls. "We knew we could reinvent and reignite the category."

Applying the same bite valve technology that made its backpacks popular has allowed CamelBak to revolutionize sports bottles. By simply biting down on the silicone bite valve, the user taps into a reservoir of water that flows freely and easily. "You don't even have to tip it," says Tillman, citing one magazine that dubbed the bottle the "adult sippy cup".

Tillman adds: "Understanding how the consumer interacts with your product and making that interaction as easy as possible is a huge factor in our success. The simplicity of the bite valve interface is a big part of the appeal of the CamelBak Better Bottle."

The sports bottle migrated CamelBak "beyond our core", attracting customers as varied as urban hipsters, soccer moms and corporate professionals. "CamelBak Better Bottles are an every day item," says Tillman. "People aren't just buying the bottles to go hiking or camping; many are using them in their every day lives."

Most companies wouldn't dare change a highly successful product. But CamelBak doesn't think it can go wrong listening to consumers who are asking for a BPA-free container. "This is consistent with our essence as an innovative company," he says. "We care about consumers and we solve their problems."

Consumers won't be able to see any difference in the containers. Tritan™ copolyester offers virtually the same clarity, color range and toughness as polycarbonate. The difference is inside the bottle – and in the minds of consumers.

"The great thing about Tritan™ is we we're now adding innovation to the container," says Tillman. "In the past, most of the bottle's innovation was in the bite valve cap."