Posts Tagged water bottles
Sigg Water Bottles for Travel and Outdoor Recreation
Every time I review or buy a stainless steel water bottle, I start by ensuring it’s BPA-free. At one time, Sigg water bottles did not meet this criteria, though in hindsight, this may have been due to their lucky-yet-unlucky position at the front of the stainless steel water bottle pack. At any rate, public awareness about BPA–Bisphenol A–grew, Sigg re-designed, and now all is right with the world. Time to move on to what’s new:
Sigg’s Active Top:
Basically, Sigg has taken the ease-of-use of a hydration bite valve and placed it on top of a water bottle. I’m sold. I like that it’s on several models and sizes, including my favorite: the Dynamic Black Touch .75L bottle. Unlike the wider 1L bottle, the .75L is thinner, which means it slides into my backpack pocket better. It also grips in my hand more naturally, thanks both to the shape and to its textured outside. The active top includes the pressure-relief valve, as well as what Sigg calls the pre-ventilation system, wherein you can lock the valve closed with one turn, making it completely leak-proof. One tip: be sure to set it from open to closed while gaining or losing elevation while driving, or it will send water bubbling up like a volcano. Grab the Dynamic Touch .75L for $28 at Sigg or Amazon.
Sigg Wide Mouth:
Sigg’s wide mouth line is fatter than the Dynamic Touch (no surprise there) but also very lightweight, which is a surprise. I tried out the Wide Mouth Touch 1L. It has the same ‘Touch’ texture as the Dynamic Touch, and a wide-mouth cap you can unscrew to add liquid or ice cubes. When drinking, use the smaller top cap instead, so you don’t slosh all over yourself. (What, just me?) For my purposes, the wide mouth 1L is too wide for use in my car and in some backpacks, but it’s ideal for my sons when they need lots of hydration on the side of the sports’ field. Pick up the wide mouth Touch 1L for $28 at Sigg or just $21 at Amazon. Comes in red or black.
Sigg’s Cuipo line:
Sigg has long been an advocate for environmental awareness, and is now partnering with Cuipo.com, a retailer dedicated to protecting the Cuipo Rainforest Preserve of Panama. Cuipo has acquired 13,354,600 square meters of rainforest set aside for preservation. Each purchase of a Cuipo item saves one square meter through their One Meter at a Time project.
The Cuipo line includes many sizes of bottles, starting from 0.3L children’s models and on up. My pick: the Sigg Cuipo Be the Solution 1L bottle, which is large while still fitting in most cup holders and backpack bottle sleeves. The mouth is wide enough for ice cubes, and it has the active top. The bottle is bright green with an attractive ‘Be the solution, not the cause’ slogan, and comes with a rainforest-saving activation code you can redeem at Cuipo to do your part. Buy the Be the Solution bottle for $24-$28 at Sigg or Amazon. Also comes in red with a ‘Respect and Protect’ slogan.
Posted by Amy in General Gear on May 14th, 2013
Stanley Nesting Water Bottle with Vacuum Coffee Mug
Taking double-duty travel gear in a new direction, this combination water bottle and vacuum mug from Stanley will pack down together when you’re not using them.
We’re always happy to see items that pack up easier. Besides all the crushable travel shoes we’ve reviewed regularly, we often get overly excited about packable wine kits, folding solar kits, collapsible camping bowls, or packable daypacks. And if you’ve got limited space in your apartment, you don’t want to fill your cabinets with more than you have to.
This Stanley nesting set is a classic vacuum bottle holding 16 ounces and a 40-ounce basic leak-proof, BPA-free water bottle. The water bottle is basically just a receptacle: no drinking spout or other way to get at the liquid without unscrewing it. So this functions better as something to take along camping or wilderness backpacking in dry areas than it does to travel with day to day.
The mug is a different story, rated to keep hot liquids hot for three hours or more and in my tests it did the trick from 7:30 am to lunchtime. There’s a turn mechanism on the top that allows you to drink from it or lock it down for transporting. This looks to be nearly the same as the one-hand vacuum bottle that sells for $30 on its own, so it’s almost like you’re getting the water bottle for free.
If your coffee doesn’t need to stay hot that long, say for a morning commute, there’s a cheaper version for $20.
I’d like to see the 2.0 version be a bit trimmer and more useful on the water bottle front, but for using on camping trips and then packing away afterwards, it’s a good product for a good price.
The Stanley nesting water bottle and vacuum mug lists for $30 at the Stanley website or Amazon.
Posted by Tim Leffel in Adventure Gear, Travel Light on April 10th, 2013
Made in America Water Bottles From Liberty
Do we still make outdoor gear here in the USA? Well, not often it seems, but Liberty Bottle Works is doing their part to prove it can be done. From recycled materials even.
I’ll admit my first use of a made in America Liberty Bottle Works bottle was not to drink water, but beer. At the Outdoor Retailer trade show they were filling up their stainless steel bottles with good beer and giving the money to charity. I liked the whole idea and after I washed it out, I liked the water bottle too.
Most Liberty Bottle Works models have a lid that is removed, but it’s a quick half-twist move to get it off, so it locks in place without lining up threads and screwing it on. (An optional lid has a folding spout.) The commission artists to design them too, so except for the solid Straight Up collection, they’re never boring to look at.
When they sent me one from their new kids’ line though, the look on my daughter’s face was even brighter than mine when I got handed 20 ounces of craft beer. I don’t know if we have Harry Potter to thank for this, but there’s a big owl craze going on now with the kids and my daughter was thrilled to add this to her t-shirt, her earrings, her book cover…you get the idea.
I’m up for anything that makes her remember her water bottle and want to drink from it, especially when we’re traveling in a hot place, so I’m happy she’s happy. It’s a nice size (this one’s 12 ounces, but you can get 16), it’s lined stainless steel, and is BPA-free. You can get it direct from Liberty or through Amazon for $15.
Other ones in this line include No Evil (monkeys), Tunes (skull with headphones), and a drawing from a contest-winning 6-year-old. See the whole kids series here.
Check out all the Liberty bottles at Amazon. If you’re flexible on the design, you can find discontinued versions on sale at Sierra Trading Post.
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Posted by Tim Leffel in General Gear, Kids and Family on December 26th, 2012
CamelBak eddy Glass Water Bottle
Want to use a solid-feeling water bottle that won’t get dented or scratched, one you can toss in the dishwasher to get it truly clean? Camelbak is hoping there are a lot of people in that camp with the release of their new glass eddy bottle.
I’m not sure I would have gotten too excited about this new choice in water bottles if I had seen it on a shelf in a store. It’s heavy and it’s obviously breakable if you chuck it across a concrete basketball court. But I’ve been using it the past few weeks since CamelBak sent a sample to try out. Although I’m not sure I’d ever take this on a trip that involves an airplane, it’s been good for car trips and the return home.
The eddy glass bottle does have a few distinct advantages, the main one being it doesn’t taste like metal or what’s been in it before. So if the can taste of stainless steel bothers you or you frequently switch back and forth between flavored water and regular, this option is a clear best choice. I tried iced tea, some dissolving vitamin water, and pure H2O and as long as I washed it in between, there was no aftertaste of what came before. Once I stuck it in the dishwasher, which I’m always a bit hesitant about doing with my plastic ones. It uses the good CamelBak bite valve, so you don’t have to tip it up or suck like a baby to get to what’s inside.
As far as the breakable part goes, this is thick glass forged in France, plus there’s a silicone wrap on the outside that makes it easier to carry and in theory anyway, less breakable. I didn’t abuse it to see if it would smash. There’s a lifetime warranty, but be sensible. As the company description says, “As with all glass products, the eddy Glass bottle could break if dropped.”
So, this may not be your best choice to jam into a frame cage on your mountain bike or to set off with on your round-the-world journey for a year. But for more casual travels close to home, it’s a good choice when you don’t want to be tasting what you drank last Tuesday.
The CamelBak eddy 0.7-liter bottle lists for $25. I’m guessing it’ll come down in price later after it has been out a while, so keep an eye on prices with these direct links to Backcountry, Altrec, or Summit Hut.
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Posted by Tim Leffel in General Gear, Kids and Family on December 19th, 2012
Two Innovative New Beverage Bottles From Stanley
Stanley is a great example of a brand that has a long, old heritage but has managed to keep innovating and reinventing. Sure, your first thought is probably a Stanley Thermos pulled out of a lunchbox by an oil pipeline worker or a lumberjack, but for the years I’ve been going to the Outdoor Retailer Show to see what’s new, Stanley always surprises me with something cool. (They were even showing off growler containers for beer last time.)
These two new bottles—one for hot, one for cold—aren’t so radical that you can’t figure them out in a few seconds. They just work better than what you’ve probably got now.
“I cringe when I hear that sound of someone sucking on a water bottle, like a little baby.” That’s what a relative of mine said once as someone nearby used her typical one with a nipple on it. The ones you have to unscrew each time are a pain though, so most of us make due with the sucking or put up with another type that’s prone to leaks. This one has a thumb-activated push button spout so you just press and drink. You wouldn’t even disturb anyone in a movie theater or lecture. This is made possible by a little mechanical lever inside that connects to the spout. So if you turn the bottle upside down without pressing the button, nothing comes out. It fits in a bike bottle holder or a car cup holder and only requires one hand.
This product comes with a rather long name though: Evolution ECycle H2O Bottle. After you spit all that out you need to pick the color Bonsai (pictured here) or Cobalt. The eCycle part of that name refers to the recycled plastic used in the making of this: 25% post consumer recycled, 100% total. So if you use this you’re keeping single-use plastic out of the ground and waterways, plus you’re actually getting rid of some of that plastic. Add a swivel carrying hook on the top and the ability to toss this into the dishwasher and you’ve got a near-perfect 16-ounce water bottle. Well, if you don’t mind spending $22 that is.
Get more details at the Stanley site and order it there or from Paragon Sports.
Next up is a bottle that makes a tiny change and achieves great results. This 16-ounce One Hand Vacuum Mug keeps your coffee or tea hot for hours but won’t spill if you’re hiking, skiing, or riding a Jeep through the backcountry. When it’s time to drink, you press a button and coffee comes out of a small hole at the top. What’s different is, the button is in the back—where your fingers are—not in the front where your thumb is. This makes the One Hand Vacuum Mug a true one-hander that won’t get dropped off the ski lift.
As with the first one, it fits in a bike cage or a car cup holder. It’ll keep hot drinks hot for six hours, cold ones cold even longer than that. It comes with a removable “grit guard” on top, which sounds like a great idea, but I lost mine in week one. This hot beverage bottle is made of stainless steel, but it’s double-walled so it stays cool to the touch.
This vacuum bottle is part of the Nineteen13 line from Stanley. What’s that mean? The year they were founded. Yes, they’ll turn 100 next year. They’ve figured out how to make tough drinking containers by now. Both these bottles come with a lifetime warranty.
Get it direct from Stanley or check prices at Amazon.
Posted by Tim Leffel in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Kids and Family on September 20th, 2012
