Klean Kanteen Poly Sports 2.0 Cap

I recently gave up buying bottled water. While I don't miss dealing with all the plastic bottles, I did miss the sports cap that my favorite brand came with. I was happy to see that Klean Kanteen offers a sports cap, and I am happy that it works just like any other sports-capped bottle I've used.

Like other reviewers noted, my sports cap whistled when I took a drink. Thanks to another reviewer, I discovered that if I loosen the cap just a little, I get a much better flow of water and no whistling. Basically, my sports cap works best if I tighten it just to the point of stopping and then no more. (My habit is to use more pressure and tighten it that extra turn or so.) Even though I leave off that extra turn, I have had no problem with leaking.

For the longest time, I held off on buying products like this one after reading several so-so reviews, or the one or two negative reviews in a bunch of good ones. It took me a long time to figure out that the very existence of an opinion forum will invite some people to nitpick, and often to even find problems where none actually exist. Such is exactly the case with the Klean Kanteen Sport Cap 2.0. I own three such caps, and exchange them among three Klean Kanteen bottles. I've never had the least bit of trouble tightening or untightening any of the caps on any of the bottles. Before writing this review, I went to a local store that sells these, and did another check there, exchanging several Sport Caps 2.0 with several Klean Kanteen water bottles. The result: Not a single problem. The caps all fit well, and tightened and untightened easily on every Klean Kanteen of every size that I tried them on. It's always possible that someone got a defective bottle or cap, but I find it difficult indeed to imagine that the average person would have any trouble whatsoever in this department.

As for flow and noise: The Sport Cap 2.0 is designed to increase the flow, and it certainly does. After a long run, I can drain a 27-ounce KK in well under 10 seconds with this cap on it. It's a cinch to wash it, and other than that it requires no maintenance. The only "drawback", if you want to call it that, is the slight whistling sound the cap makes when you drink from it--not some mysterious, strange sound that will make people wonder, but the ordinary sound of air rushing through a small hole in the cap, past a small silicone valve. The noise could probably be eliminated altogether if the valve hole was bigger--but this would make leaks much more likely (as it is, I can shake, drop, run with, and roll my KKs across the floor with no leakage whatsoever from this cap). In any case, I've used my KKs with this cap at work, in the classroom, and even in the quiet zone of a research library and never gotten so much as a curious glance due to this "noise" that is about as audible as a grumbling stomach.

Unless you spend most of your time inside a completely silent echo chamber, the air-flow sound won't be a problem for you, and as my three-year-old nephew can tighten one of these caps just fine, I doubt you'll find that to be an issue either. If you're looking for an excellent, easy-to-use-and-clean, high-flow cap for a KK, this is just the thing.

I was almost ready to quit using my cap because it was embarassing to use,no matter how slowly and quietly I tried drinking from it!
But, I sent klean kanteen an email asking if they had any suggestions, not really expecting an answer...but I did get an email back with the answer I hoped for. The tip they gave me WORKED, and I absolutely love the cap now, and it doesn't make a sound!
So, here's what they sent to me....I hope it works for you too.

From Klean Kanteen: "I do have some tips for using the sports caps. They are our most popular cap, as well as our most complained about. It is the air pressure that makes that funny noise.
Sports caps were originally designed and used with plastic drinking bottles, and with those, we have the ability to squeeze and change the pressure coming in and out. Because you cannot squeeze stainless steel, air has a more difficult time getting inside and making the water flow out. We had to alter the design to include an air vent in the cap to allow the pressure to escape. This air vent does have a silicone plug and valve; it helps to keep the water in.

1) The trick is to "gently" tighten the sports cap onto kanteen. Not over tightening the cap allows the silicone vent to function more quietly by relieving the vacuum created inside the kanteen.

2) Try to keep the air vent facing up toward your nose. This way, it keeps the vent facing upward so it is backed by air, not by the liquid.

3) Only tilt a little and then suck through the spout.

Try those tips, and in most cases they will take care of the noise and air flow issues.

The silicone white dot is the air vent; if you take it out it will leak. There is some natural variation among the silicone stoppers and the noise that you hear is air moving past the silicon. Some people who use the bottle specifically for sports and working out will actually take out the silicone stopper and find that they don't mind the drip as a trade off for the increased flow.

The little plastic cover of the sports cap, is a sanitary cover. It is not intended to bear the weight of a full kanteen, it is just to keep the nozzle klean and safe to drink from.

I hope that helps.... Let me know if you have any other questions.

(I deleted the name)
Customer Service Supervisor
4345 Hedstrom Way
Chico, CA 95973

800 767 3173
[...]


One planet, one you!

Its a solid sports cap that is designed specifically for KK. The reason it whistles is that the Kanteen is solid steel and unlike plastic bottles you cannot squeeze it to get the water out. You actually have to suck on the cap to get the water out. There is actually a little soft plastic valve that opens when theres negative pressure in the bottle letting air in from the outside. This is what causes the whistling. If you orient the cap so that this valve is on top and not touching the water inside, it wont make that chirping noise. A bit annoying (thus the -1 star) but it isnt something that is a real dealbreaker.

I initially bought the first version of the sport cap only to find it difficult to screw into the bottle and very, VERY noisy when drinking. It makes an odd squeaking sound, much to the amusement of my colleagues at lunch. So when I saw that this cap was specifically advertised as having better flow and less noise, I happily sent off my money.

It does flow more freely. Unfortunately, it also still squeaks. "Quieter" apparently means "less squeaky" rather than "silent." In contrast to KK's other caps, this one also requires a great deal of effort to screw into the bottle. I generally have to wrap a cloth around the cap, twist hard, and grunt. Given these caveats, the sport cap is still more convenient than having to unscrew a regular cap every time you want to drink, but Sport Cap 2.0 does have issues.

I normally do not like sports caps on my water bottles. After reading about this one I thought I would try it. The cap came before my new bottle did, so the service was fast. I did read somewhere to loosen the cap to get a better flow of water. This has worked for me- there is no leaking even with the cap loosened enough for the water to flow freely. Would tell others to purchase this product.

I have been using this cap now for a few months and it is excellent. The one way valve allows water to gush right out without very much provoking on my part.

When I first got the cap, I removed the clear plastic thing recessed next to the cap, thinking it was supposed to be removed. That was the one way valve, SO DON'T PULL THAT OUT (fortunately it popped right back in).

The handle is great on this and the water flows with very little effort. I highly recommend you get this if you already have a Klean Kanteen. It just makes everything easier: you're not going blue in the face sucking out the water, you don't have to screw/unscrew the cap every time you need a drink and it doesn't clank around and make obnoxious noises.

At first I was reluctant to purchase a "sports cap" for my Klean Kanteen because I wanted to take advantage of the larger opening when drinking water. However, after my wife convinced me to purchase extra caps, I'm glad I did.

The sports cap work very well. It doesn't change the taste of the water at all. It comes with a protector cap that is attached on the side of the plastic cap. Though, it takes a little getting used to placing one's mouth "around" the protective cap in order to drink from it. But don't let that keep you from buying it. It turns out that it's really handy to have while driving in the car. Before I had to unscrew the original top and temporarily set it aside. But now with the sports cap, I don't have to worry about it. And I only need to use one hand to do it.

My only "complaint" (though I guess I can't really call it that) is that I learned the hard way that it is necessary to push down ALL THE WAY on the sports cap when closing it. Otherwise, water WILL LEAK from the sides. Nevertheless, when done properly, it won't allow nary a drop from escaping.

My verdict: a definite buy, but experiment with it first to get used to closing it properly before filling with water, or any other type of liquid.

I received a bottle with this cap for Christmas and initially did not like the fact that you had to suck on it to get a good flow of water, and it was rather noisy when you did. I investigated a little and noticed a little clear plastic piece next to the spout. At first it was not clear to me what this was, but I decided maybe it was a release valve for the water flow. I pushed it while using and the water flowed much more smoothly without the need to suck and without as much noise. I then looked at the manufacturer's literature (a piece of paper inside the bottle) to see if it confirmed that this is indeed the little 'button's' function, but it said nothing about it that I could find. So I came to Amazon and noticed in the write up for this bottle/cap that it has what they are calling a 'push and release valve, allowing you to drink on the go'. I suspect that this is what this means. So... if this is correct, that should solve the issue of many peoples concern with this product (many reviewers complained about this issue of a noisy water flow, etc.). Also, to the manufacturer - if indeed the literature that you provide does not include these instructions (I could not find any), why on earth not!! That is the reason for 4 stars instead of five. I asked several other members of my family who have also been using this bottle/cap for a some time if they new this, and nobody did. Come on folks!

Functionally, this cap works as it should - dispensing water. But be prepared for the audible sounds of the air entering your Kanteen as you drink. It's a little annoying (ok, a lot) to hear the thing gurgling like it does. You'd think you'd get over it, because really - it's just a cap to a water bottle. But man, it'll drive you batty...