The Best Water Bottles – it’s Klean Kanteen!

Before we get into the best water bottles and why the answer is Klean Kanteen, let’s go back in time to you and your life…

FLASHBACK: you’re running around like crazy just trying to get the kids to their practices on a hot fall day. The sun is blazing, and you know it’s important to keep hydrated, so you grab a pre-filled plastic bottle from the fridge….NO IT’S A TRAP!

Ok, so maybe it’s not a trap. But, using manufactured plastic water bottles certainly isn’t your best option when it comes to keeping yourself and your family hydrated.

I’m a huge fan of drinking water, and carry it with me nearly 100% of the time at work and about 75% of the rest of the time, no matter what season of the year it is. It’s clean, it’s cold, and I just like to drink it. Plus it’s one of the top 3 things your body needs (food, water, and oxygen, yo!) so you’re going to have to drink some sooner than later.

COST AND BENEFITS

Some quick cost analyses: if you buy a case of bottled water at the grocery store, it can average anywhere from $0.02 -$0.04 per ounce, and that’s for the cheap stuff; “premium” water will be more. At $2.35 per gallon, gas for your car comes to about $0.018 per ounce. And if you buy an individual bottle of water from the cooler near the register, at $1.59 for a 20 oz bottle, you’re at almost $0.08 per ounce! On the flip side, a high quality bottle of water you fill up at home can be waiting for you in the car (or carried in your man-bag; I’m not judging) for practically nothing.

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THE best water bottles

“Ok Grant, I know I shouldn’t buy bottled water because it’s not great for the planet plus it’s expensive — tell me about the bottles already!” You’re right, I’ve bantered around long enough. My absolute favorites are stainless steel water bottles by Kleen Kanteen.

I’ve had one for almost 8 years, and the other for probably about 5. They’re pleasant to drink from, and nearly indestructible. 

You’ll see that they can dent, but those are only from drops onto a hard surface when full; if you’re more responsible than I am you can keep them cleaner. Plus, any big dents can be popped out. I like both the sport top as well as the widemouth; bottles for all occasions!

And I almost insist on having the koozies.

I find that they both keep the water colder longer as well as cut down on condensation (aka “sweating”), and even though this koozie says 32oz it works well with my 40oz bottle. And for the kiddos, hopefully we’ll upgrade to these sweet bottles before summer rolls around:

THE SOURCE

So where does this beautiful clean water come from? Well in order to fill up the best water bottles, I like having cold water on hand in the refrigerator, so I’m a big proponent of a Brita pitcher. We’ve had ours for years; this is the most similar current model:

Like many of you, I’m on a municipal water supply, so I also find that the Brita helps clean up the taste. The filters will need replaced occasionally; most of the newer pitchers have a use meter on them to indicate when it’s time for replacement.

If you’re fortunate to have a refrigerator with a filtered water spout on the door (you lucky dog) then you may be able to skip the pitcher, although I still like having copious amounts of cold water on hand, especially if you’re trying to get water for the whole family into bottles (the beat water bottles, mind you) for the day’s outing.

SUPER FANCY

Now something that’s been all the rage lately has been the “hot and cold” drinking bottles. I don’t yet have one of these, but some friends do, and spoke very well of them. If you’re the coffee in the AM and water in the PM kind of person and don’t want to mess with multiple drink vessels, this might be a good solution for you.

I’m looking forward to giving them a try, so if you like them, let me know in the comments! Plus, those bottles will go great with your new kids lunch box. 

Are you a fellow water enthusiast? Tell me all about your love for water and how you’re into the best water bottles in the comments! And for more tips and updates, submit your email below to keep up on all things sustainable in your home – thanks for reading!