How to Choose a Reusable Water Bottle

The best bottle is the one you actually carry, which usually comes down to weight, lid type and whether it fits your bag and your car cup holder.

Materials

  • Double wall stainless steel: keeps drinks cold all day and hot for hours, durable, heaviest, cannot go in most dishwashers on the hot cycle without dulling the finish.
  • Single wall stainless: lighter and cheaper, sweats with cold water, transfers heat straight to your hand.
  • Tritan and other rigid plastics: lightest, cheap, clear so you can see the level, scratches hold odour over time.
  • Glass with a silicone sleeve: purest taste, no retained flavours, heaviest for the volume and breakable.
  • Collapsible silicone: packs to nothing, useful for travel, hard to clean thoroughly.

Understand the insulation claim

Cold for 24 hours and hot for 12 hours are typical claims and they assume the bottle is full and stays closed. Every opening resets the clock, and a half full bottle loses temperature far faster because of the air inside. A wide mouth loses heat quicker than a narrow one.

Lid types

  • Screw top: the most leak resistant, needs two hands
  • Flip straw: easiest to drink from while moving, most parts to clean
  • Chug or spout lid: fast flow, one handed, slight splash risk
  • Push button: convenient, the mechanism is where leaks develop first

Buy the lid you will use. A leak proof lid you find annoying ends up loose in a bag, which is how bags get soaked.

Size and fit

Around 18 to 24 oz suits a commute and most cup holders. 32 oz is a good desk bottle. 40 oz and up gets heavy and often will not fit a car holder. Measure your holder diameter before buying anything large.

Stopping the smell

Odour comes from the gasket and the straw, not the body. Take the lid apart every wash, pull the silicone seal out of its groove, and let all the parts dry separately. A weekly soak in warm water with a spoon of baking soda, and a bottle brush plus a thin straw brush, keeps a bottle neutral for years.

See our fitness and sports and kitchen and dining ranges.

Back to blog