Travel Tech Review | Collapsible Water Bottles

BYOB. No, I’m not telling you to bring your own booze…or brownies for that matter. Mmmmmm…..Sorry, I got distracted. I’m telling you to bring your own water bottle with you when you travel. It seems like such a ridiculous thing to always have on me when I fly, but it REALLY does make sense. Trust me.

Mmmm…brownies….shit, sorry!

Let me help you smell what I’m cooking:

First, you get to the airport, pass security, and immediately walk by 4 water fountains. Since you don’t have a bottle to fill, you end up going to the CIBO and buying a $2 bottle of water. Then you board the flight and have to subject yourself to the shot glass of water they bring you, forcing you to cal the flight attendant over every 10 minutes. Then you make it to the hotel. Are you going to drink from those hotel room glasses? You’ve seen the stories.

Of course you could continue to refill the Poland Spring bottle you got from the airport, but it’s not BPA free, and is not meant to be refilled. Not to mention that TripKnowledgy is all about helping the environment as much as possible. AKA, not buying bottles of water.

There are a bunch of options when it comes to collapsible water bottles, from pouches to accordion style. They all cost roughly the same as a half-dozen bottles of water BUT they can last you YEARS! Think of all the bottles you’ll save…not to mention all the hotel glasses you can avoid like the plague…literally.

Here are a few of my top choices:

The Vapur Element Collapsible Water Bottle is one of the coolest looking options out there! Whipping it out in public will garner plenty of attention, but in the positive way. I had at least 5 people come up to me asking about it on the subway. My favorite part about it is that unlike some other collapsible bottles, it didn’t require two hands to make sure the bag didn’t collapse while I was drinking. The BPA free plastic held its shape and the mouthpiece got me through my day without a drop of spillage. When I was done, it easily rolled up and fit easily into my bag, taking up 1/8 the space that my stainless steel water bottle used to take up! Winning. http://vapur.us/

For the athlete on the run, I suggest the Elevate Sip N’ Go Bottle. When I’m not being a lazy bastard, I choose this bottle for my workouts because it’s portable size and optional sports carrying case is perfect for freezing water and taking small sips as I’m running. It’s also the perfect size for a purse or small messenger bag. http://www.buysipngo.com/

For all of you Nalgene fans out there, the Nalgene Wide Mouth Cantene is a great alternative to their hard plastic bottles if you don’t have a lot of space in your bag. It’s got the typical wide mouth Nalgene top and still sports a BPA-free plastic. It only comes in clear (more colors please!), which can look a little similar to a plasma bag, and the larger sized bottles are better for stationary pouring than on-the-go drinking. But the smaller 32 oz option will be a great addition to the brand you’ve already come to trust. http://nalgene.com/