Best Insulated Water Bottles for Families + Giveaway

This spring, summer, and fall we did a bunch of testing of ways to keep water cold for an entire day in the Wyoming/Montana heat.  If we head somewhere, it is always for a long day (because driving almost anywhere requires that) and keeping hydrated is a must.  Water getting hot in the car isn’t enjoyable for anyone drinking it, and this is the first year we have put some energy into making sure we have good water all day long.  As we head into fall and winter now, we still need drinks to stay cold OR hot and be ready for quick family drinking (of things like milk and hot chocolate, of course).

All of these bottles kept water cold for a similar amount of time – definitely a full long day (24 hours) and sometimes longer than that depending on the outside temperatures.  As far as hot drinks, 8 hours was perfectly possible for at least keeping it very warm.  They also are all BPA free, resist odors and keep water tasting fresh (even if hot chocolate was in it last.)

Eco Vessel FROST $22.95:  Because of the straw, this bottle is not recommended for use with hot beverages.  It’s just not safe.  However, it’s an excellent size (13 oz.) for both my kids to have cold water for quite a while.  While it is not recommended except for kids aged 3+, our two year old uses it with almost no issue.  The only “problem” he has is being strong enough to open up the straw on his own.  We also put “hot” chocolate in it for them occasionally, because they never really drink it hot anyway – luke warm is good enough for them!  Easy to clean because the straw is stiff and there aren’t many nooks and crannies for “junk” to get lost in.  You DO have to watch, though, to make sure they are not biting on the straw – it occasionally will break (but a replacement lid can be bought for less than $4).

Hydroflask Wide Mouth 64 oz. Growler $49.99:  I know some people keep “other” beverages in this growler, but we have found it is perfect for a keeping up a “refill supply” of cold water and for bringing enough hot chocolate for the whole family after sledding, skiing or snowshoeing.  It’s definitely too big for me to handle drinking from one-handed, but we keep it in the car almost all the time so we know we have fresh water.

21 oz Standard Mouth Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle $25.99:  This is the water bottle that Mama doesn’t share.  It’s mine and I don’t want any floaties in it.  While I drink through it pretty quickly (especially pregnant), it is the only bottle that I have that really does keep my water cold all day long (24 hour day…) and never smells funky.  This is the largest size that is available in the “standard opening” models, but they do have a 40 ouncer available in the “wide mouth” version.

What insulated water bottles do YOU love?  

Giveaway!

I have a “blue glow” Eco Vessel FROST water bottle to share, thanks to Eco Vessel.

As usual, please use the Rafflecopter Widget below to enter to win. The winner will be emailed and announced on this post in the Rafflecopter Widget. Have questions? Please don’t hesitate to contact me at mountainmamatales(at)gmail(dot)com so I can help!  Sorry, this giveaway is open to the U.S. only.

[cf]rafflecopter[/cf]

Hydroflask and Eco Vessel generously provided us this gear per our request in order to facilitate this review.  However, as always, the opinions expressed here are completely and honestly our own.  You can find my full disclosure here.  

© 2013, Tales of a Mountain Mama. All rights reserved. Republication, in part or entirety, requires a link back to this original post and permission from the author.