You might think there’s a lot of water on planet Earth, however, this amount pales into insignificance when you compare it to every water bottle available on the market in which to carry the stuff around.
The water bottle market has become increasingly complicated. From glass and steel bottles that add electrolytes to your water, to plastic bottles that are cheap and easy to carry around, there’s a lot to think about now. In this article, we’re going to highlight 5 of the most important features you need to consider before you pick your water bottle of choice.
So, in no particular order, let’s begin with…
What is the bottle made from?
There’s little question that plastic bottles are the cheapest and most common water bottles out there. Unfortunately, there’s also little question that they’re the most damaging to both you and the environment.
With many plastic bottles seeping the chemical Bisphenol A into the water they contain, this pollutant has been linked to type 2 diabetes, breast and prostate cancer, infertility, and a whole bunch of other nasties. In short, it’s really not the material you should be storing your drinking water in.
Far better options are glass or steel bottles. Aside from being much healthier for you and the environment, they leave no residual aftertaste in the water (ever smell plastic when it gets warm?). What’s more, they simply look more attractive — and let’s be honest, that matters too, even if it shouldn’t.
Does the bottle simply store water or enrich it?
If you’re going to carry a water bottle around with you, you might as well get yourself a bottle that enhances the health benefits of the water it contains.
Some products out there boast filtration systems and the like, but others actually modify the water itself. Innovative research in the field of electrolysis has shown that by electrolizing water, you can actually breakup the H2O molecule and amplify its active elements–like H2, O2, O3, H2O2 and solvated electrons. By freeing up these active elements, you can increase the functioning potential of the biomolecules in your body, like proteins, amino acids, antioxidants and many more.
Is it large enough?
Another simple one, but important, nonetheless. If you’re engaged in any kind of strenuous exercise, you should be drinking somewhere between 4 to 6 ounces of water every 20 minutes or so.
Admittedly, this depends on your outdoor regime and how hot it is, but better to carry more water than you need, than to find yourself dehydrated and miles from the nearest convenience store (where the water is probably being sold in plastic bottles anyhow).
Is the bottle easy to maintain?
Given that glass or steel bottles are preferable (and that ones that amplify the water are even more desirable) how easy are they to look after?
Needless to say, the upside of traditional plastic bottles is you can simply throw them in the dishwasher — they may be slowly poisoning you but at least they do it conveniently. If you’re going to get yourself a healthy, state-of-the-art water bottle, however, make sure that it’s easy to maintain — or even better, has a self-cleaning capability.
Is it easy to drink from?
This might sound like an obvious one, but with a huge array of different style caps, lids, and straws available, it’s important you pick the right delivery system for you.
When considering this, you might want to bear in mind that the more complicated the delivery system is, the more chance it can go wrong. That’s not to say that simple screw caps are definitely the way to go, merely that if you need some quick hydration during a hike, you don’t want to be stuck with a broken straw or quick access cap.
So there you have it — a few things to think about when picking a water bottle. If you’d like to find out more about water bottle options and how WEO is using science to improve bottle technology, you can find all out latest updates here.
