Hubby and I have always traveled with refillable water bottles. Sometimes it can be a pain in the neck to haul them around, but it just seems like it makes more sense than buying bottled water all of the time.
Last couple of trips we used Brita bottles, but had problems with leaking. Looking for recommendations on bottles you have used that don't leak.
Thanks for your help.
I swear by the Zojirushi stainless steel mug for both cold and hot liquids (why not kill 2 birds with 1 stone with a flexible product?). It's essentially a little thermos that's exceptionally lightweight, leak proof (provided you screw in the top correctly to keep the "seal"), and keeps your liquids cold or hot for even more than an entire day. I use it on all my travels to store coffee and water. The Japanese are wonderful designers of products and I love the Zojirushi brand (they make great rice makers too). This is probably one of my favorite things that I own, no joke.
https://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-SM-SA60-BA-Stainless-Steel-20-Ounce/dp/B00HYOGTTG?th=1
Here's a review from Wirecutter:
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-travel-mug/
I have a Vapur collapsible plastic bottle that has held up well. Look at camping/outdoor stores for sturdy options. But I think its just as easy (and cheaper) to hold on to an empty bottle and keep refilling it at the tap until it leaks, breaks or you lose it.
I just buy one bottle of water locally and then refill that cheapo bottle. If it's getting in my way, I can recycle it. I also don't tend to carry it very full, since water gets heavy, but more likely fill it from a tap as I go, unless I'm really going off-road and have reason to doubt that I'll find a tap.
If you want something that you can throw into any bag without leaking, versus carrying it upright in a pocket, that might not work for you.
I second Vapur, which I now bring with me almost everywhere. It's very compact and lightweight (when empty).
I swear by the Zojirushi stainless steel mug
agree, nice product, but not something I would pack.
I have a Vapur bottle. It leaked the first time I tried it, haven't used it since.
I haven't tried this, but it has a good review: Hydaway 18oz
The Hydaway is an all-silicone bottle with screw-off cap and a spout lid. It does an excellent job of finding the middle ground between collapsibility and leak prevention. Our former pick, the Nomader, is a sturdy bottle—almost like the real thing—but it collapses to not even half its height, about 6 inches. On the other hand, completely flat bottles we’ve looked at, like the Vapur Eclipse, can leak when lateral torsion is applied. The Hydaway manages to scrunch down small, and it passed all of our leak tests.
Laura's suggestion to refill makes a lot of sense.
I take the mini-bottle (4 oz. ?) the airline provides with a meal -- just the right size to sit upright in my purse.
I had a Platypus bottle that I took on many trips over probably ten years before it finally gave up the ghost. I replaced the Platypus, but they have changed it of course and it's a bit longer than the old one which doesn't work as well for me. I also have a Vapur that has the same length problem. I do love the fact that they are very flat when empty and can be so easily carried. Someone on this forum recommended collapsible silicone bottles but I have not yet looked into them.
I also use the Platypus collapsible bottles from years ago. I had to look at the design change, but I see some say they leak and inferior to the old design. As they seem to glump all reviews together it might be hard to know which design is worse. I know I prefered the stability of the. 5L than the .75L 'soft bottle'.
To be honest, these days if not in extreme heat, I just refill 2 water or juice bottles hanging around in my cupboard or free from the plane.
We used these from Nomader on a two-month trip last fall and they never leaked. I hooked mine onto my backpack and slipped it into the pocket made for a water bottle, or sometimes I put it inside. I also took it in my oversized purse for days I did not take my day pack. I really liked being able to fill it at the airport after we passed through security.
I am on a mission to reduce my plastic waste so an committed to using a reusable bottle when we travel. I feel like my community does a good job of recycling plastic bottles but it is not the case everywhere.
I bought 2, wide mouth bottles for about 4€ at a dept. store in Frankfurt. Easy to wash and they don't leak. Look in the sport sections of stores, or in housewares where they sell lunch boxes, thermoses, plastic boxes.
I do what Laura does. Buy a bottle of water and then refill it. You’re already using tap water so why buy an expensive bottle to to carry around and take up space? If it gets grungy, buy a new bottle of water. On my last 3week trip to Italy, I think I bought only 2 bottles of water.
I use one of these:
Nalgene transparent lexan square storage bottle
It’s small (8 oz), but water is heavy and I don’t want to carry more than that anyway. Fits in my small day bag, doesn’t leak, washes easily.
I am considering one of these (or something like it) for my next trip:
6 oz Memo bottle
The flat shape might be a better fit in my day bag.
Between my five year old, my wife and myself, I carry a camelback style bladder in my backpack. It gets smaller throughout the day. It gets us through the day. We have had ours for years.
I have tried a number of options, including using an old water bottle and have settled on the Platypus soft bottle in .5L: https://www.platy.com/bottles-storage/softbottle. It folds flat when not in use, taking up very little space in transit. When filled, it it still fits into my cross-body purse. I have not had any problems with leaking and take it both for international and domestic travel.
My approach is also similar to what Laura mentioned. I buy a bottle of water inside security at my departure airport and then just keep refilling it during the trip. When transiting airports during the trip, I empty it and then refill when inside security. When I get home, I recycle it so there's no waste at all.
Thanks to all for your recommendations. Interesting to read what others use. I had never considered the platypus bottles. Lots to look at.
Bottles of water cost anywhere from .50 to a dollar in Europe. I buy one every 2 days. In a month I have spent less than 15 dollars and never have to clean it or keep track of it in a backpack or hassle with it as I travel between cities.
Bottles of water cost anywhere from .50 to a dollar in Europe. I buy
one every 2 days.
The dirt cheap cost doesn't reflect the environmental damage from discarding all that plastic so frequently. In the past, I used to buy water in (small) plastic bottles too but I can't stomach all that plastic waste anymore. Better to reuse. It's really not that hard to carry or clean a reusable bottle. I do wonder what the water tastes like from those telescopic collapsable plastic(or plastic like) bottles that folks use frequently for camping, etc. - it probably tastes like plastic. Even the stainless steel has a bit of a different taste, but it's pretty minor.
Seconding Agnes' recommendation of Zojirushi bottles. I have the 12 oz one and carry it everywhere, including European trips. They are outstanding at keeping cold liquids cold and hot liquids hot. The lids lock in place, which prevents spills in your bag. And another great feature is that the seals and mouthpiece easily come off for cleaning.
I have the best luck with a half liter Nalgene bottle. I bought a cute Camelback bottle with built in straw a few years ago and that thing leaked constantly! I salvaged it by going to my local travel store and buying a different cap for it. I will stick with Nalgene in the future.
I'm with Laura on this one - I buy 1 water bottle at a grocery to refill and if that bottle is getting in my way, I'll find a recycling bin to toss it. I've also held onto the really small 6-8 oz. plastic bottles of spring water you get on the plane because they are compact enough to toss in your bag without weighing you down. Unless you are going on a hike or you just generally drink loads of water, that size bottle is often enough to get you through at least 1-2 sightseeing places before you eventually decide you want to stop for a coffee or lunch break and you can refill it with tap water.
If worried about bottles leaking, I've sometimes swapped out my bags I'll bring on a trip to either a small purse, daypack or messenger bag that has an exterior pocket large enough to hold a water bottle in a secure, upright position. I've also got a carabiner clip that can be attached to the strap of my crossbody purse and it will hold a water bottle - very easy to add or remove that clip when needed and if the bottle started to leak, I'd know it a lot sooner than if it was rolling around loose inside my bag.
Ideally, I'd buy a nice, well sized water bottle and use it until it falls apart. But, I lose them and now it also is contributing to plastic landfills. What I've ended up doing is saving the smallish water bottles that inevitably end up in my possession. (Icelandair has the perfect size for my purse, BTW) I start my travels with an empty water bottle and fill after TSA. I don't have problems with them leaking, sometimes condensation is an issue. I solved that by re-purposing a worn sock to use that as a sleeve for bottles when necessary. I've even had people comment on how cute the one I'm currently using and where did I buy it!
I have some collapsible plastic bottles. Health issues aside (I've concluded health scares aren't worth worrying about), I've found just reusing regular plastic bottles works fine. It needs to be empty going through airport security but can be filled before your flight and whenever you need to during your trip.
