I know I’m not the only one who
travels with a water bottle. We’ve been through a lot of trips in the past
where we went and purchased a case of water at the start of our vacation so we
would have water on hand the whole time we were there. Not only does this get
old, but a bottle of water can be unwieldy and inconvenient, not to mention
terrible for the environment. I can’t tell you the amount of places we’ve been
that don’t have recycling bins available.
We’ve taken to bringing a reusable
bottle with us and it has worked much better, though once it’s empty, you’re
basically just walking around with a thing you don’t want to carry that takes
up space in your bag. HydraPak has fixed this issue with their Stash bottle. It
is a flexible bottle that “stashes” into itself when empty, taking up little
space, but then ready to be refilled whenever you need it.
This bottle was made for outdoorsy
types who have limited space, but as a traveler, I feel like I have the same
issues. Nobody wants to carry around an empty bottle, and the Stash bottle has
a fun twist and lock construction that allows the bulk of the bottle to nestle
into the top and bottom and take up much less space. It can easily be kept in a
jacket pocket or your purse.
I’ve had other “folding” and flat
water bottles, but the problem with those were many: cleaning, size, ability to
freeze, how to carry, awkward drinkability. Amazingly, the Stash doesn’t have
any of these problems. The construction of the bottle gives it stability and
doesn’t allow it to collapse while drinking and holding onto the middle of the
bottle. It has a large flat bottom, meaning you can actually set it down
without all your water leaking out when it flops over, because it doesn’t do
that.
The mouth is wide, so you can add
ice to it if you want, but you can also freeze it, to keep your water even
cooler throughout the day. I added some water to it, popped it in the freezer,
then filled the rest with water and voila! Cold water all morning. This is
something I’d totally do when out all day, like sightseeing or at a theme park.
(Remember, most theme parks will refill your bottle with cold water, and some
will even give you ice.) The nice little loop on the top allows me to hang the
bottle on my bag or even use a strap that I have to carry it crossbody. And
when it’s empty, I can snap it together and toss it back in my bag. The wide mouth also makes it easier to refill at a water fountain if that's your only option.
The top and bottom construction
give the middle a hard “case” when compact, so you can’t accidentally “break”
your Stash bottle, which was also a problem with those others. Something sharp
in your bag jabbing it could totally just puncture your bottle and there goes
you trying to be environmentally friendly. Your Stash is in its own case, which
actually doesn’t take up more room and is still incredibly lightweight.
So, how does it work? Your Stash
comes already compact, so in order to use it, you unscrew the lid and then
squeeze the sides of the bottom together. This eliminates a vacuum seal. The
bottle then untwists from its case and you’re ready to fill it with your
beverage of choice (you can even put hot water in it up to 140°F), screw the lid back on
and you’re set. When the bottle is empty, take the lid off, twist slightly
while pushing down and then snap the top onto the bottom and replace the lid.
Easy!
I love this bottle, but I also
worry all the time about washing a bottle of any kind. You can’t put this in
the dishwasher, but that’s okay, because HydraPak has that covered too. They
sell something called Bottle Bright. They are all-natural tablets that you toss
into your bottle, fill with water and swish around. The tablets effervesce to clean
your bottle (any bottle, hydration reservoirs or anything else that’s hard to
clean), remove stains and odors and give it a shiny clean look. Woot! I love
these things and will definitely use them on my stainless steel bottles as
well, because those are terrible to clean well.
Do you have little kids or want to share your
hydration without sharing germs? HydraPak has these great little cups called
Speedcup. They are reusable and flexible, so they can be shoved in your bag
without worry. I crushed one of mine down when I was coming back from Vegas and
it easily regained its shape. It’s made of the same polyurethane as the Stash,
making it highly durable. What I love about these is they nest inside each
other and barely take up any room.
My immediate thought is that when you travel
with kids, they always want something, including being thirsty all the time.
They can have issues using water bottles, plus they are often sick or germy.
Give them their own little cup and keep their germs away from your bottle.
If you have an active person on your wish list (maybe a dad or a grad) or you need something like this yourself, get one or two before you next trip, camping venture or hiking tour. You won't regret it.
Other Specs
Where to buy: On HydraPak website or Amazon | Bottle Bright: HydraPak or Amazon | Speedcup: HydraPak
How much: Stash: $18 | Bottle Bright: $8 | Speedcup: $20/pack of 4
Colors: Mojave Orange (shown) | Mammoth Grey | Sequoia Green | Malibu Blue
More Details: 750 ml (also available in 1 liter), 50% lighter than a hard bottle, made of ultra-durable, abrasion resistant TPU & RF welded seams for superior durability and elasticity, 100% BPA & PVC free.
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Disclosure: I was provided with the Stash bottle, Bottle Bright and Speedcups for the purposes of this review. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.
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