It is often the most practical of gifts(other than socks, shirts and ties) that are the most appreciated and the most used as the year progresses. One gift that shows you are imaginative, and you care, is to give a healthy gift. For example, a new water bottle. It is aa great way to start the new year and encourage your family, friends, and co-workers (and yourself) to drink more water. They are the gift that keeps on giving back by helping to foster a healthier lifestyles.
I carry a water bottle just about everywhere I go, but in doing so, I have learned that not all water bottles are of equal quality. Some leak. Some don’t have proper linings, and some make the water taste bad. Get a good water bottle and it makes a good investment in your health and future. And, as I’m suggesting, it makes a great gift that is unique and affordable.
While a full size 16 oz. water bottle is the standard and great for desk or car, if you already carry too much around town, the full size bottle is going to weigh you down even more. But it’s challenging to find a small (8 oz or under) water bottle that is “just enough” for a few hours walking around town and that aren’t “sippy cups” meant for children’s lunch boxes. Most adults really don’t want to be drinking from a cup with a nipple that features Dora the Explorer (or some other kid-friendly design) on it! The mini bottles are great for tucking into a tote when you are dealing with TSA regulations at the airport. Just fill your bottle up on the other side of the security screening, and you have enough water for a short trip in the air, or anywhere!
That’s why I’m suggesting the 8 and 12 oz water bottles from a “green” company called Enviro Products Inc. They are for anyone, including adults, featuring Flip N’ Sip style tops, not sippy cup tops. The “flip” is a plastic “straw” top that you push down into the lid, when not in use, and the “sip” is a wide mouth top that allows you to add ice or other items, and drink without the flip cap in place. This company literally has tons of products from the tote-able 8 0z. water bottles, to 5 gallon bottles. If you want to impress someone, especially a guy, tell them that this company is the official bottle licensee for the US Ski Team and US Snowboarding. If daring athletes can use these water bottles, certainly that adds as bit of allure to the product.
The photo above shows my favorite product, the completely lightweight but durable, BPA-free “LunchBox Bottle, designed for use by anyone over 7 years of age. The jewel-tones colors are run, the plastic top doesn’t leak, and you know if will be safe.
Also impressive is Enviro Products’ new line of Stainless Steel bottles that they call the “New Waves Seriously Safe® Stainless Steel Bottle.” They claim that it is “the last bottle you will need to buy. The the 304 food grade stainless steel bottles with Flip N’ Sip caps have no hidden liners that might leach bad stuff into your beverages. They re available in plain silvery stainless, or colors and patterns. They range in size from 12 to 40 ounces. The tops feature the sip and flip style, and the 12 oz size is still lightweight, even when filled, but small enough to be travel friendly.
It is a personal decision to choose the rugged stainless (it also insulates and keeps your water or beverages cooler, longer) or the extremely lightweight and easy to tote, plastic. I don’t want to sound sexist, but men probably would prefer the metal, and women, the lighter-weight and slightly smaller bottle. But of course, there are a million options in-between, as well! Whether you’re gifting a “big drinker” or just someone who likes to carry a little water with them, there’s something good, safe and healthy, for holiday giving. These items are not available directly from the web site, but they can be found in a lot of local retailers and health food stores. To find out what other items (including lunch bags and boxes) and water bottle styles there are from this company and to find retailers near you, visit www.newwaveenviro.com
Another unique water bottle system is the Bobble. I immediately loved Bobbles, and raved about them in past advicesisters.net reviews. It was the first re-useable water bottle I ever tried that was perfect for travel, and also had it’s own filter inside the bottle. Bobble is available in a number of sizes, and it is patented. It filters while you drink, which means that no matter what the water source you’re drinking from (e.g. the water fountain at the airport or train station), your water will be pure, safe, and delicious. The plastic is 100% recyclable, and free of BPA, Phthalates and PVC.
A Bobble bottle will filter the equivalent of at least 300 water bottles, with a carbon filter that is a proven, powerful chemical absorbent. As water passes over the filter, the negative ions of contaminants are drawn to the carbon granules, where they remain. The filtered water has a cleaner, crisper taste and meets or exceeds NSF International Standard 42, the standard that governs public and private drinking water. Instead of paying for individual bottles of Spring water, you can use water from the tap to male any water taste better and healthier, while saving our planet from even more plastic throw-away bottles.
I personally like the clear plastic Bobbles with colorful tops, that come in three sizes: 13oz/385ml – sugg. retail: $8.95; 18.5oz/550ml – sugg. retail: $9.95 and 34oz/1L – sugg. retail: $12.95. But now there’s also a bunch of 24 oz. opaque Bobbles called Bobble 24/7 (srp. $9.95) . These have an attached, soft-touch cap with an easy to carry handle. These are probably designed with the sports enthusiast in mind, but I really like the all in one, soft-touch cap that gives you one-handed ability to drink and re-cap. The Bobble 24/7 is available in magenta, blue, grey color tints. While the original Bobbles should be hand washed, these are top-rack dishwasher safe, and use the same replaceable carbon filter as original Bobble.
The one thing I didn’t love about Bobble is that the slender opening of the bottle didn’t allow you to put ice in the bottle, unless you happen to have slender ice cubs (or an ice maker that crushes ice). But now there are also specially designed, easy to release Bobble Ice Trays ($6.95 each) with soft push bases and a stackable design. They’re made of food grade plastic that is BPS-free and they’re also dishwasher safe. The slender shape is that of the Bobble, but it also fits right through the neck of the bottles, to keep your water colder, for longer. Each tray makes 14 bobble-shaped frozen ice inserts, perfectly sized. You can get them in blue with red inserts, or pink with blue inserts. They’re meant for the Bobble, of course, but you may find that they have lots of other uses, including helping to keep your drinks cool in other beverage bottles you already have, with slender neck openings.
You can find Bobble products in a wide variety of stores (I even found them in a Cracker Barrel and Whole Foods), but for more information and more Bobble-entric accessories and replacement filters, visit: http://www.waterbobble.com/
