This post is a hybrid product review and my favorite things post. I have a lot of love for my hydro flask, I think that really shows in this super long post about a water bottle!
I bought my first (and only for me) Hydro Flask on June 8, 2016 from Amazon. I had heard about the brand through a co-worker. Their joke was, “$50 for a bottle? It better make me skinny!” LOL
I was intrigued and wanted to know more! At the time, I was using a glass bottle and liked it a lot, but hated how fast the water warmed if I didn’t drink it fast enough.
So I decided to do some research on this expensive water bottle.
- This is what I learned after visiting the Hydro Flask website-
- The 40 oz Wide Mouth bottle keeps you well-hydrated from sun up to sun down.
- Color Last™ powder coat is dishwasher safe for even more convenience.
- TempShield™ insulation eliminates condensation and keeps beverages cold up to 24 hours and hot up to 12 hours.
- Durable 18/8 Pro-Grade Stainless Steel construction
- BPA-Free and Phthalate-Free
- Dishwasher safe
- Lifetime Warranty
That list was definitely a plus for the water bottle. I used to LOVE the Aquafina wide mouth bottle you would get in the convenience stores. I was very unhappy when they moved away from that design. So when I saw these had the Wide Mouth design, that was plus #1.
Plus #2 was the time it keeps liquid cold. I live in Las Vegas and summers are ROUGH. I always have water with me when we leave the house. And it doesn’t stay cold long. I used to bring an insulated bag with ice packs in a feeble attempt to keep the waters cold.
That was it, those two items were the sellers that made me go.. ok, I’ll try it!
So I bought it, that day, back in June of 2016 (over 4 years ago!).
I was sold.
I loved the feel of the powder coating. I have no idea why I picked the gray back then. I have color envy sometimes, but I love my bottle!
I loved drinking from the stainless steel.
I was skeptical about the length of time it would keep something cold.. so I had to test it.. it was the middle of summer here in las vegas, so I filled it FULL of Ice then poured in the water.
Closed it tight, then I left it inside my car (INSIDE MY HOT CAR IN LAS VEGAS) with the windows closed.
Guess what?!
After a full day at work, over 9 hours, locked in my hot car (with the high for the day easily over 108 – I totally just checked!), I opened up the Hydro Flask, and there was STILL ICE INSIDE!!! It had melted some, maybe about half.. but there was still ice inside that bottle after being in stupid heat for over 9 hours.
That little test impressed me so much! These bottles are legit.
Now, four years later, I’m using the SAME Hydro Flask from 2016. It’s got a lot of bumps and bruises and dents. But it works the same.
The 40 ounce size is perfect for day trips, and my water is always cold, even overnight! (I fill my bottle to keep by my bed at night and it’s still cold in the morning. I will say one thing.. it’s heavy when full! If I go on a walk, sometimes I take it if I know I’m going to be a bit, or I’ll leave it in the car and stop by and grab drinks as I do laps around the park. It is heavy.
Sometimes. I really really feel the water is colder after a few minutes inside the bottle than it was when I put it in originally. I tell my friends these things are made with some crazy voodoo magic!
When I worked in an office, I would fill it with ice and refill all day (I try to drink 3 of these a day-more if it’s got ice in it.) It was a great size so I always had water while working and didn’t have to make too many trips to the water cooler.
I’ve dropped my poor baby more than I care to admit. First off, dropping a Hydro Flask (or any metal bottle I assume) is LOUD. It’s so scary when it accidentally falls! I’ve dropped it on ceramic tile, concrete, parking lot, carpet… It’s not that I’m clumsy or butter fingered per se (I totally am).. but sometimes I just carry too much.. or I don’t remember its there and I swing around the wrong way and it goes flying. Oops.
This has resulted in some dents. This video showcases the bumps and bruises over four years has put on this bottle. This was fun to film with it about half full, it almost slipped a few time!
I actually love the bumps and bruises, it shows a history and gives it character. Every single one of the bottle we have has some sort of dent. And they all still work perfect.
Because of the dents on the bottom, it doesn’t sit flat flat.. it’s not falling over or anything, but it wobbles a bit. It annoyed me to no end when I was working. Then I found this fun product:
This is a bottlebottle Protective Silicone Sleeve This fits on the bottom of your Hydro Flask. It worked nice for me, as it completely fixed the issue of the wobbly bottom, and when you set it down on a hard surface, it muffles the sound.
Another interesting thing about the protective silicone sleeve is that it can be doubled as a drinking bowl for your dog on a walk! Super cool idea! And helpful if you’re out for a long walk or hike or drive and your pooch is parched! You don’t have to carry anything beside the Hydro Flask.
Washing the bottle. Now when I first got it, I used a generic baby bottle brush that I got from Wal-Mart. But I would smash my fingers trying to reach all the way in to clean the bottom and sides. Super annoying. I knew there had to be a better way and thank goodness for Amazon! I search long brush hydro flask and this was what I found.
I don’t feel the picture does it great justice, so I’ll show you the actual brush I have next to my Hydro Flask.
This this is perfect, it’s a bit flexible on the wire part, and it cleans the bottle great! AND. I don’t smash my fingers anymore! YAY! This has been such a great purchase and such a deal for the price!!!
I’ve used this bottle every day for over 4 years. And of course when I bought the bottle, my kids just HAD to have one too. I refused to buy it for them myself. My kids were going through water bottles like underwear back then, so I certainly didn’t trust them with such an expensive bottle. So they used their birthday money and bought their own!
My daughter started out with the 21 ounce with sports cap (in a tangelo orange color), then decided she needed more liquid capability, so moved to the 32 ounce wide mouth (in a light blue color), then she wanted to go to the full 40 ounce (in the gorgeous Blueberry color) as she got a bit older and needed more water during PE in school.
My son, my sweet boy, he wanted to go against the Hydro Flask because he found this Takeya in this fun Aqua color (pretty sure the color was a major factor) plus he really liked the lid option. (Fun fact, these lids also fit the wide mouthed Hydro Flasks and you can buy them separately. They work better for the kids in school, it’s easier to drink.) He actually used my daughters 32 ounce now in addition to the 24 Ounce Takeya.
I even got my husband hooked! He needed something with more liquid capability so we went with this 64 ounce bad boy for him:
And you know what? We still have all of them and they still use them to this day. I really feel me not buying them myself for them helped with this, they had a greater sense of responsibility since they had to use their own precious birthday money.
No more hot water, no more insulated bags to carry water. Everybody is set and we all carry our own bottle on trips!
We’ve definitely gotten our moneys worth from these bottles, and never had to use the lifetime guarantee at this point. They all do exactly what they are supposed to do and have been wonderful additions to the family!
