Dawn To Dusk Aqua Flow Bottle with Dirt Mask

The Dawn To Dusk Aqua Flow Bottle With Dirt Mask has two innovative and practical features that make muck-free one-handed drinking easy and fast. It may leak if slung in a bag though, because you can't lock the valve.

The first of this bottle's standout features is the Dirt Mask cover, which I reviewed separately here – because you can buy it separately to retro-fit to other bottles.

The Dirt Mask is a spring-loaded cover that seals mouthpiece from mud and water, and it works brilliantly – you can easily flip it open with your thumb whilst riding. You get a spare rubber O-ring too, but in a year's riding and dishwashering all four of mine are still fine. The Dirt Mask is easily removable, as well.

The second key feature is the nozzle. Made from 'medical grade silicone,' it's an unusual design that – unlike almost every other bottle valve I've ever used – doesn't actually lock closed. So you don't have to grip it and pull up with your teeth to start the water flowing, you just tilt the bottle and either squeeze, suck, or both if you're really thirsty.

If you hold the bottle upside down or lie it on its side no water comes out, or not until a reasonable amount of pressure is put on the bottle sides. That could easily occur in a bag or pack, however, so it's better for either cage mounting or standing upright in a pocket.

This design is presumably a tradeoff for improved flow rate, and it really works - a combination of squeezing and sucking delivers a massive gulp of water quickly. The bottle is perfectly balanced in terms of wall thickness and material, to feel just right in the hand. It also grips cages well, with a deep indentation for cage lips to grab.

In a year's bashing about on seriously rowdy gravel tracks and red/black mountain bike trails, I never had this come loose – at least not in combination with Dawn To Dusk's own cages (reviews to come).

> The best cycling water bottles you can buy – tried and tested

The Aqua Flow bottle is a smokey clear material marked in 4oz gradients. 20oz is 600ml, and the bottle maxes out at 725ml filled to the brim. After a year's use it's showing obvious scratches from hundreds of rides, but as the logo simulates rough paint or splashes it doesn't look shabby.

Taste-wise the BPA-Free, biodegradable and phthalate-free polyethylene is just the ticket – there's no plasticky taste at all.

Value

At £15.49 with the Dirt Mask included (or £10.99 without), it's certainly not cheap. The major competitor is the £7.50, also mud-proof Elite Fly MTB 750 bottle, but having purchased a few, I found all the caps failed at the hinge within a few months.

The 620ml Camelbak Podium Dirt Series bottles are basically the same price as the Aqua Flow at £15, but use a much smaller cap over the bite valve. I haven't used one of these, but it looks like you'll need two hands to hold the bottle and remove the cap. Also the cap is not captive, and could get lost easily.

Overall

Having run a very extended test on the Aqua Flow with Dirt Mask, I'm sold. They're easy to drink fast from, the Dirt Mask keeps the nozzle completely free of cack, and one-handed operation means you keep on rolling. They're secure in their cages (sold separately), and still look good a year on.

Yes, it's expensive, but the functionality and longevity means the investment is sound.

Verdict

Great bottle for rough, dirty and exhausting trails