How Do You Carry Your Drinking Water?

Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug - lightweight and retains heat and cold very well - is my favorite travel accessory. I have used it for cold drinks (non-carbonated drinks, including water) as well as coffee and tea, and it's worked very well at maintaining the temperatures for both. Wirecutter agrees.
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-travel-mug/
One of the things I most like about it is you can easily pop it open and close it with one hand, unlike most mugs or thermoses.

I have a metal bottle that cost about 5€. It keeps the water cold and it tastes good. Many hotels, etc. will fill your water bottle for you from the kitchens. Some cities have fountains, like Strassbourg, on almost every street corner. I found this to be such a good idea.

Just a plain old water bottle but reading between the lines tells me you are a lot more fussy than I am. And I even use the fountains in Rome that may be a thousand year old. Haven't died yet.

Generally in the bottle it was sold in.

Or I tank up before I leave and carry it internally.

I also keep in mind that wine is about 85% water ....... which opens up several other enjoyable options.

I’ll second the recommendation for the zojirushi mug. I bought one on Agnes’s recommendation (at least 5 years ago). I use it everyday for coffee and it keeps my coffee hot for many hours. I haven’t used it for water, but I am sure it would keep water cold.

I'm not in favor of "buying more stuff" if what you already have will do the trick. If your metal flask for work has a good seal and fits in your bag, then go with that option. I offered up Zojirushi because it happens to be probably the best lightweight stainless steel flask out there, especially in terms of versatility: handles cold and hot liquids, easy to carry and manipulate (even if driving), variety of sizes and colors. I got it as as a gift and am totally in love with it, I've had it for about 7 years now. It has traveled with me everywhere (office, road trips, overseas, etc). I got it for my Mom and Dad, and both used it extensively as well. The only downside it it can't handle carbonated drinks, but that's a minor thing. Also, its design is such that there is no way to "hook" it onto something like most REI / outdoors/ camping products. You do have to assemble it correctly (so there are no leaks of any kind and retain the original temperature of the liquid), but that's easy too. It definitely fits in an urban environment without looking like a "camping" thermos/ mug.

Depends on what I'm doing. For city trips where I am just walking around and going in and out of multiple stores/small sights, I don't bring water with me. I like stopping at cafes or getting a snack (which includes water) at museum cafeterias. I prefer not to use plastic bottles, but if I'm sitting at a cafe I'm not going to drink out of my own water bottle, I'll either buy water from them or ask for tap water, depending on the country. If, however, I am out all day and not planning on stopping much, then I'll bring water. Examples would be hot, outdoor sights like the Acropolis, long park visits, hikes, beaches, and so forth.
I have a hydroflask 20oz bottle that fits in a messenger bag. I like it because the cap has a strap that is easy to hold with just a finger so it doesn't need to always be in the bag, and if your bag is strong enough you could probably use a carabiner clip to attach it to the outside of the bag. Also, the bottle keeps water cold. I stay in apartments, so I can put ice in the bottle in the morning and it stays nice throughout the day. If I'm in a place where I don't want to drink the tap water, then I can buy large bottles from the grocery store, keep them in the fridge, and fill up in the morning. Generally, though, I find tap water fine.

I’ve never brought my own water bottle, my backpack is full enough for international trips. I do keep whatever water bottles I buy to refill, but I prefer sparkling water anyway. At least at restaurants, I’ll often get a glass bottle for sparkling water.

I use a 32oz Camelbak, not sure the specific name but it won't leak. I don't like 20oz because I have to think too much about getting to 64 oz - whereas w the 32oz, I drink 2 and I've hit my daily water intake (exceptions, of course, for hot weather, when I drink more). Plus, I add flavoring (sugar free grape whatever) and the to go ones are built for 16.9oz, so 2 in that Camelbak work great.

I bought a slightly larger crossbody that fits the water with no issue and if I want, I can hang it off the bag w a carabiner .

At some point after arrival I’ll buy a soda, then refill that plastic bottle with water throughout the trip.

I second the Camelback. Mine has a large mouth for sink refill. You can get them insulated. I have a 3 liter, which works for the 3 of us.

If you really need your water cold, look for a double-walled stainless steel water bottle such as a Hydro Flask, or similar brand - this will keep it colder longer than a plastic bottle. They are durable and easy to clean. I like using a small water pouch like a Vapur or Platypus - these fold up to almost nothing when not in use for easy storage, and the Vapur ones have a carabiner clip top that I can secure to my backpack. It sounds like you were using a huge water pouch/bladder. Get something in the 20-32oz range, and you'll be set.

Thanks everyone for your ideas/comments. After researching the suggestions I have ordered a 12 ounce Zojirushi stainless mug in mint green. I love my iron flask and use it every work day, but it is too large to travel with. I really like the idea of the pouches, but they seem impossible to clean. I will update after I travel with the mug.

I note that you've already ordered a water container, but I wanted to provide a comment in case my method could be of use to others.

I always buy a bottle of water (about 750 ml) at my home airport before my first flight. I refill that as necessary during the trip and normally carry it in one pocket of my travel vest when out touring. When I get home I put it in the recycling bin so it doesn't end up in the landfill.

Being of an age that can make being too well hydrated a bit of a challenge, I'm disinclined to carry water at all. And I never have liked lugging around a bulky, heavy flask of any kind filled with any liquid.

I'm rarely in a hurry to do much of anything, so I tend to take a break in a café, get a cold sparkling water, fill up, empty out and then go on, refreshed. If I were to carry a bottle of water, it would be in a half liter plastic bottle that previously had sparkling water in it so that I could refill it with sparkling or still from the 2 liter bottles I typically buy along the way anywhere I travel.

I'm also iffy about using the water from the tap for anything beyond brushing my teeth, bathing and doing sink laundry. Even if it's potable and tasty, the mere fact that it's different can cause issues for me.

And I also totally get the desire for the water to be cold. Drinking tepid water may be required for hydration, but it does require an attitude adjustment for me.

Back home outside of Tucson our water is distributed by the city, but it comes directly from wells supplied by the aquifer and isn't treated in any way. It's perfectly potable but not that tasty, so we also have a reverse osmosis system. It supplies water to our ice maker and has a special tap for water directly from the tank. We are definitely spoiled.

Finally, I don't worry much about the plastic. No matter where we are, we recycle everything we possibly can and have for decades. Europe started making that easy long before the US even thought it might be a good thing to do.

I'm glad you found a solution, but I just wanted to chime in since we use something different than what's been mentioned. Brita makes a portable water bottle with a filter inside. It is thick-walled (plastic not metal) so it keeps water cool for a while. It also has a handle that makes it easy to carry as it is about 24 oz and will not fit inside a bag unless your bag is quite sizeable. I prioritize having good-tasting water available and am willing to carry it as a trade-off.

Based on this thread, I bought a Zojirushi 20 oz. bottle. It wasn't cheap but I think I'll get a lot of use out of it. I like the one finger opening and the easy locking top. It seems to work as advertised keeping things cold. Haven't tried anything hot yet.

Travel Boss, it works great with hot liquids. Pre covid, I used to fill up two zojirushi travel mugs with coffee to take into the office. My coffee was still hot in the afternoon. I still fill up the thermos in the morning even though I work from home. I also bring an empty one with me when I fly and fill it with coffee at the airport.

I don't carry drinking water with me. Like Lo, I don't want to have to stop for multiple pee breaks, and I don't like the extra weight. But I don't mind drinking tap water or any water available. We have well water at home, so pretty much any water will be fine with me.

And now that James E. has confirmed that you can hydrate with wine, I should probably add a wine bar to my sightseeing routes. :)

I don't.
I'll drink from public drinking taps in Italy, or stop for a drink at a stand or cafe to rest at the same time.

FWIW, the pouches are super easy to clean - as easy as any other water bottle. Good luck with the stainless bottle you got! I'm sure it will be great.

When I travel, I plan on frequent stops at cafes. That's one of the reasons I travel. So, carrying water in a bottle would cut into "cafe opportunities".

We each have a Hydroflask. We like the convivence of not having to detour from our activities to just drink water. We especially like it for our 10 hour flight, knowing we do not have to depend on the flight attendant just if we are thirsty or to take meds. BUT we carry these all over in our daily lives and it is not something special to be carrying around water for us, my husband more so than me.

I carry a Mon Bento (French brand that I buy at BHV) — I am a weirdo who doesn't / can't drink quite as much liquid as other people, so for a day out I usually carry my smaller one, which is 330 ML. I also have a half-liter one, which I will take for example next weekend when I take my long train ride to go to Denmark.

I don't know why but I am enamored of these bottles — they are light, have a silicon ring around the lid, and I like that they are square instead of round.

I always bring one of my small (330-ml) ones when I am flying: bring it through security empty, and then fill it up in the airport.

Yes sometimes if I am out for a very long day, I need to refill my bottle or, if necessary sometimes buy a supplemental bottle.

You can see the bottles here — if you click on the “to-go bottles” tab up top, the site will bring up an image where you can see comparison shots of the 330-ml and 500-ml bottles.

https://en.monbento.com/to-go-bottles

The ones I get are the MB Positive M and the MB Positive S.

P.s. that's an interesting insight from the previous poster re high return rates of Hydroflask bottles. Insider insight !

And oh yes — I absolutely prefer cold water but have just come to terms with the fact that when traveling, I am not always going to have cold water.