My favorite reusable water bottle

by Elsha

I have not always been great at staying hydrated. As an adult I discovered that there is one big thing that helps me remember to drink water- using a water bottle instead of drinking from a glass. Now, I live in Colorado where tap water is wonderfully delicious, so buying bottled water to drink is silly. (Plus I think all bottled water tastes like plastic. And I find it wasteful. ANYWAY.) That leaves me with reusable bottles. 

I've tried several kinds over the years and here are my thoughts.

I know metal water bottles are popular, but I think they make the water taste funny. Plus, I prefer an attached lid which most metal bottles don't have.  

{photo credit: mysigg.com}

Sports type water bottles like this one make me feel like I should be working out. I don't want to suck on my water bottle.

{photo credit: fuelbelt.com}

Plastic bottles like this one are cute, (and dishwasher safe!) but the opening isn't big enough to get ice in. I know I could keep them in the fridge, but I like ice water. (Also, no attached lid on these.)

{photo credit: reduceeveryday.com}

Something like this might be nice, except I don't want to deal with washing a straw. I feel like they're never really clean.

{photo credit: rei.com}

And all my picky specifications lead me to my very favorite reusable water bottle. One of these:

{photo credit: nalgene.com} (In fact, I even own one in that color.)

Nalgene actually makes several varieties of bottles, but this one fits all my specifications: plastic, attached lid, open mouth, and easy to get ice into. It's also dishwasher safe! These specific bottles hold 32 oz, which makes it easier for me to get enough water because there's less refilling. (Plus they're marked on the side so you know just how much water you're drinking.)

What about you? Do you use a reusable water bottle? Do you have a favorite?

(Also, just as a side note here, all the bottles in this post are BPA free.)

Comments

[ellbee]

I think that if I didn't already know you were in Colorado, I would have guessed from the Nalgene. They're everywhere out here! I've got a cabinet full of 'em, along with other failed water bottle experiments. I really wanted to love Sigg, but I agree. The water just tastes funky. For a while, I did abandon my Nalgene for this bottle, but the lid clasp broke when my toddler threw it across the room. That's what is great about the Nalgene bottles... they're simple and TOUGH.

[ellbee]

Nuts. My link didn't work. This bottle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002VJX4EW/ref=asc_df_B002VJX4EW1891388?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B002VJX4EW

[jennielynn]

THANK YOU for this post. I've been debating about a water bottle for far longer than I feel comfortable admitting. You hit all my concerns (those straws squick me out!) so Nalgene it is!

[PomJob]

I don't have a favorite - I use the free bottles I get at trade shows and expos. BUT, I did see one on Shark Tank that I want. The bottom unscrews for easy cleaning with seems genius and sanitary. Google isn't returning any purchasing leads but Mark Cuban invested in the company so I'm sure we'll see it somewhere.

[Serror]

I love my wide mouth Nalgene even more now that I have a splash guard. It makes drinking out of the bottle easier, but cleaning and ice are still just as simple.

Something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Guyot-Designs-GD-4-Splash-SplashGuard-Universal/dp/B002YMN2D4/ref=pd_sim_sg_3

[facebook at school]

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