Have you got the bottle for it?!
I promise this won't be a Green Planet preachy blog. (I think I may have covered that base already with my plastic bag rant) But we are all far more savvy now about the small changes we need to make that will have a big impact on looking after our planet. A very simple place to start is with with a reusable water bottle.
There are a lot of options out there and they all function in a slightly different way (besides administering water to your mouth). So here's a round up of some of my favourites, varying in function and price...
Starting with a simple, good value bottle. I give you the Systema Water Bottle from £2.50
This is a no fuss, does exactly what it says on the bottle, bottle. Ergonomically designed so it's very easy to hold when in the gym. The 'twist and sip' top makes it easy to drink from whilst on the move, but it won't leak in your bag. There are two types of mouth piece, the sports (oval shape) top and the standard round mouth piece. The bottles are available in the pictured 700ml or a smaller 460ml, which is great for kids. There are various colours to choose from. We own a couple of these and I think they're great.
Next up is my filtered water choice.
Bobble Carry Cap Water Bottle from £7.99
Now I opted for this one over the Brita water bottle for one simple reason, set up time. (A water bottle is normally the last minute thing I grab as we're running out the door, so 'prep' is not an option). The Brita bottle requires the filter pad to be soaked before use, where as this Bobble bottle just requires you to squeeze the first bit of water out to clear any carbon dust from the filter. The filter needs changing roughly every three months which isn't too bad and once again, it's nicely designed to fit your hand.
Your two size options are 550ml or
1 litre. Provided the kids don't have a stinking cold, I often carry a 1 litre bottle around with me in the car or on a day out for the family to share. There are several colour options available which helps to keep the 'who's is who's' arguments to a minimum.
Good job Bobble.
Ok, so I'm going to get a little bit ponsy for a moment with my next bottle.
Infruition Sport Fruit Infuser Bottle from £9.99
I know I know, this totally goes against my 'no time for prep' thing. But think of this as your self indulgent 'kids are at school me-time' water bottle. The fruit/herbs go into a central cavity with a filter in the lid to stop bits getting through. Available in 700ml, this bottle allows you to let your imagination go wild with your infusion possibilities. Lemon, lime, mint, cucumber. The combinations are endless. Stop short of Chilli con carne water and you've got yourself a tasty way to help get those 8 glasses a day into your bod.
Now this next type of water bottle is a bit of a wild card.
Nomader collapsible Water bottle. from £14.95
I do cringe a little as I put this option forward, as it's not lost on me that it's for quite a specific occasion. That occasion being when you want a water bottle with you...but not with any water it! Of course the plan is that you'll fill it up when you get to your destination. I did once see a version of this get slammed on Dragons Den, but there are quite a few out there so there must be demand for them. I guess the thinking is that you don't always want to carry a cumbersome, heavy bottle around with you, and you can always fill it at the gym or work.
Available in 650ml, you may well find it more useful than you think.
Last but not least, this is the piece de resistance of water bottles.
Chilly's Bottle from £20
My first thought was, are you just paying for fancy packaging? But these bottles are the real deal. They claim to keep drinks cold for 24 hours or hot for 12 hours. This is a claim they can make, as I found it to be true. The drinks bottles come in 260ml, 500ml, 750ml and a family size 1.8 litre. The range of colours and patterns blow other bottle out of the (cold for 24 hours) water. Avocado pattern, metallic finishes and urban trendy matt coatings (you had me at avocado pattern) mean there will be just the right Chilly's Bottle for you.
Going back to my earlier point about packaging (which is super cool looking and made from recycled materials), you can give a Chilly's bottle as a gift and look so right-on it's painful! People will genuinely be grateful you gave a them a water bottle as a present!
I should make one point about these bottles are far as family use goes. These are an 'open neck' bottle like a Gin bottle (sorry, my mind wandered slightly there). But by that I mean, there is no drinking spout or sippy top.
So there you have it, my 5 best in category. I'm off to finish my bottle of Evian...only joking of course! I end on a word of encouragement. If you are thinking of spending upwards of £20 on your next water receptacle, don't lose your bottle!
(I crack myself up)