I’ve long been searching for The One. No, not a romantic partner—the one perfect water bottle. It’s not for lack of trying. I’ve spent years cycling through reusable bottles. I liked many of them at the time, but eventually, they all just accumulated in the cupboard. They simply did not make the cut for the perfect match.
My requirements aren’t extravagant, but they are particular. I need a straw—I drink way more with a straw than without one—but it also needs to be leakproof, which isn’t always easy with straw cups. The viral Stanley cup, for example, pours out with the slightest tip. My perfect bottle has to hold enough water so I can get in as much hydration during the day with as few refills as possible. And it has to be cute, dammit.
I wasn’t sure it existed until I laid eyes on the Owala FreeSip.
Genie in a Bottle
The FreeSip is beautiful—I have it in the purple Retro Boardwalk color—but it’s also functional. The name refers to the mouthpiece that allows you to sip through the straw or tip it back and chug. I’ve never seen a bottle with two options like this, nestled together neatly in the top. (If this doesn’t appeal to you, the brand has a flip-top straw bottle too, though I didn’t try that one.) I also like that I can refill the bottle without taking the lid off, as long as I don’t want to use ice.
The mouthpiece is plastic with very few nooks and crannies, so it’s easier to clean than some other straw bottles I’ve used. I like chewing on the rubber straws of a CamelBak bottle, for example, but I feel like they are always slightly gross. With this, a straw brush works wonders, or you can throw the lid in the top rack of the dishwasher.
The lid flips open with the push of a button and a handle raises up for easy carrying. You can also click the handle down over the closed top. You can still open the bottle while the handle is down, but the handle covers enough of the button that it won’t accidentally open if it bumps into something. This bottle has bounced around my backpack and my car, and lain with me on the couch and in bed enough times that I’m confident in its leakproof claims.
Photograph: Owala
