I had never owned a water bottle before I entered college in 2005. Whether my perception of the ubiquity of water bottles was triggered by a change in location (from Texas to California) or a change in times, it’s certainly a staple item here and now.
If you told me ten years ago that $30 would be considered a fair price for a good water bottle, I’d first ask you “What the hell do you mean, a good water bottle?” And then I’d tell you to GTFOOH and proceed to take a sip out of my Powerade bottle that I refilled with faucet water. But here we are, with popular premium brands such as Sigg, Klean Kanteen, and Hydro Flask being present at every desk in tech startups.
But I’m not here to give you another reason to hate techies. I’m here to share the various water bottles that I have accrued over the years, and what I use them for.
My primary home water-only bottle.
My wife got me this glass water bottle from Starbucks. The only thing I know about the manufacturer of the bottle is that it has “VESSEL” stamped on the bottom side of it.
This follows me to whichever room I’m in when I’m at home on weekends. It’s a very aesthetically pleasing bottle, and having it around increases my chances of drinking water by a large amount. Most of my water consumption probably comes from this bottle.
My commute bottle.
I got this bottle a couple months ago when I started taking the Caltrain regularly. I found it on Amazon and ordered it based on the cheap price, small size, and great reviews.
Despite being ultra thin and light, the insulation is spectacular on this thing. I have to leave the top off of it for a while before drinking my coffee due to how well it retains heat.
I use it exclusively for coffee or tea. I fill it with coffee at home before I leave for the train, and I finish my coffee by the time I arrive at my office. I stop by the cafeteria in my office and fill it with cold brew coffee before getting to my desk, which I sip on throughout the day. I attached a carabiner to it, which I use to attach my bottle to my belt loop when I’m walking around at work and using my hands to carry other stuff.
My gross-water bottle.
This was a free water bottle that I got from work a few years ago. It’s one of the higher capacity h2go bottles that has both wide and narrow mouths.
I use this bottle exclusively to either mix my pre-workout or my water-flavorings. I love the taste of pre-workout and other sugar-free flavorings. I know that’s not a popular opinion, and it’s certainly not one that my wife shares. This bottle is designated as the “gross” bottle so that my wife knows not to accidentally drink out of it.
My bed-side water bottle.
I found this 40 oz insulated Hydro Flask on Slickdeals for a lot cheaper than it usually goes for, and nabbed it without thinking twice. This might have been my commute bottle had I gotten the 26 oz size, but it’s too large to carry around as it is.
This bottle is awesome. Its insulation is great. The material on the outside keeps it grippy. It never beads water. The top screws on and off in a satisfying and sure manner. Hydro Flask, if you want to sponsor me for an endorsement, I’d be happy to do so.
I keep it by my bedside and frequently sip out of it when I get thirsty before bed and immediately after I wake up.
My backup home water bottles.
The bottle on the left is a h2go bottle that I got from the first half marathon I ran in San Francisco back in 2010. The bottle on the right is the oldest of the bunch — my Berkeley Nalgene that I got in 2006.
I started hoarding bottled water a couple years back when I learned about the possibility of the big earthquake cutting off our water supply for an extended period of time. Since then I’ve stocked up on a bunch of food and water in the garage, but these two water bottles are a relic of the time before I had a garage.
These two always stay in the fridge. I only drink out of them when I let the Brita filter get empty, and don’t want to wait half an hour for a glass of water.
