Summer is upon us and that means one thing: the great outdoors! Whether you are going out hiking, fishing, camping, city exploring or even spelunking, you will need water and lots of it. It is the most precious resource on this planet, and exceedingly hard to come by while in the middle of a 3 hour hike. Naturally that means you will need a bottle to hold all that water, and not just any type of bottle (hint: you should use a thermal insulated bottle).
So, what kind of bottle should you use? Most people tend to just go to the local supermarket and get the biggest single use bottle they can find. Others will use their favorite work or school reusable bottle. You should really put a bit of thought into what type of bottle you use though.
You will want a bottle that is usable in all or most situations. This is why you need a thermal insulated reusable bottle. These are the metal bottles like Yeti or Hydro Flask you might see people use all the time. You may be asking why? They are a lot heavier after all. Here are some basic reasons to switch to a metal bottle, and not just for summer.
Temperature and Thermal Insulated Bottles:
This is likely the most important reason to switch to one. The main benefit of using thermal insulated bottles is that they maintain your drinks’ temperature much better. Most normal thermal insulated bottles are rated to keep drinks cold for 18-24 hours.
The 18-24 hours of cold are crucial. To put it into perspective, water in a cup of water takes about 15 minutes to reach room temperature. Water in plastic bottle needs less than an hour to reach room temperature. You may not mind room temperature water, but in the middle of the summer, the temperature is usually much hotter than tat. And your drinks temperature will follow it.
What are Thermal insulated bottles made of? Learn more here.
Imagine taking a drink after 3 hours of catching no fish a nice relaxing trip. It won’t take many hot drinks to make the fishing trip feel more like a chore and less of a getaway. Worse yet, if you are on a long hike and you fear dehydration, cold water will work much better at keeping your body temperature stable.
Long story short, you want cold water, and the best way to get it is through a thermal insulated bottle.
Health and Thermal Insulated Bottles
This comes down to three letters: BPA. You may be thinking, “Oh, but my bottle is BPA Free!” Unfortunately that does not matter most of the time. Tests have shown that even BPA-free reusable water bottles usually still have some in them.
And even when they don’t, companies often use alternative chemicals that are likely just as harmful. The “BPA-Free” labels ultimately do not mean much in terms of keeping you safe. And considering studies show BPA can stay in systems of mice for up to 4 generations, it is probably best to avoid it when possible.
BPA is only used to manufacture plastic bottles; so metal bottles do not suffer from the same downfalls. Although, you should still keep an eye out for what the bottle caps are made of, just to be extra safe.
Summer and BPA are an especially bad combination. Studies show that BPA leaks into drinks up to 500 times faster in the heat. Even if the thermal insulated bottle eventually heats up, at least it is not leaking harmful chemicals into your drink.
Even if you are not inclined to believe in the potential harms of BPA, I would still think it is better to be safe than sorry.
Cost and Thermal Insulated Bottles
Reusable bottles are MUCH cheaper than single use water bottles. Relying on reusable bottles can save you over $100 a year, not to mention the headache. Buying a larger reusable bottle means much less refilling when going out and about.
It is worth noting though, that plastic bottles are generally cheaper than metal ones. But, in my years of experience, the metal ones last much longer. Since they are made of steel, they can take a lot more abuse than plastic.
There are also cheap and reliable options for metal bottles. You do not have to spend $100 on a Yeti to get a good quality metal bottle.
The Environment and Thermal Insulated Bottles
It likely comes as common sense that switching to a reusable water bottle is better for the environment. Better yet, ditch the plastic entirely and go metal. Thermal insulate bottles are made of metal, meaning less plastic manufacturing. Plastic includes much more toxic processes to make compared to metal. All in all, thermal insulated metal bottles are just plain better. They keep drinks cool, keep you healthier, save you money and help the environment.
All in all, thermal insulated metal bottles are just plain better. They keep drinks cool, keep you healthier, save you money and help the environment.