It’s Time to Buy a Tiny Water Bottle
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Whenever I see someone carrying one of the pillars of America’s hydration cult — a 40-ounce Stanley Quencher,Owala Free Sip, or Yeti water bottle with a chug cap — I think about how heavy and annoying it looks. Then I think about how much I love the freedom of traveling light, whether I’m commuting to work or taking my son to school. AndthenI think about how it’s time to unburden ourselves, as a people, from the idea that we must carry an entire day’s water supply at all times.
Granted, I live in New York, where I can almost always find a water fountain, a café with free water on tap, or a deli that will sell me a can of seltzer in a pinch. I still carry awater bottle. But it has to be slim enough to fit easily into my backpack (like the iconicZojirushi insulated tumblerwe’ve recommended for years), and light enough that I won’t notice the added weight. Even during a workout, I max out at an 18-ounceKlean Kanteen sport bottle— and when it’s empty, I simply take a break and refill.
I am not the only person thinking about this. Finally, it seems like the pendulum is starting to swing, with gargantuan water bottles making their exit from the Zeitgeist as more miniature ones take their place. Strategist writer Erin Schwartz is currently testing an ultralight titanium water bottle called theSilver Antthat holds 21 ounces but has a portable flat shape like a flask. Brands are also starting to think smaller. Last year, Owala launched a slimmer version of the Free Sip; it’s called theTwist, has a 2.8-inch diameter, and comes in two sizes: 24 ounces or an even more reasonable 18 ounces. And in the past few months, Hydro Flask launched a miniature bottle that holds just 6.7 ounces. It immediately went viral and is so adorable that, as soon as it came back after a speedy sellout, Strategist senior writer Lauren Ro and I each bought one on impulse.
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The miniature Hydro Flask is predictably popular on TikTok because it looks like a doll accessory and cleverly enters the brand into thebag-charmconversation. But it’s not a gag — 6.7 ounces is the size of one glass of wine or onebeach martini, and it’s an ideal amount of water or green juice or tea to have on hand for an average 35-minute subway ride, even if it’s too small for a road trip or a hike.
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In the interest of research, I stopped into the Park Slope Food Coop to check out the water-bottle selection; the only insulated 18-ouncer for sale was akids’ water bottle, so I bought the most neutral one, thinking I could cover the mountain-landscape illustration with some stickers. On my way home, I noticed a handful of much more stylish and adult-looking Kinto tumblers in the window ofBlok Hill’shome-goods store. We have beenhearing aboutthegreatnessof Kinto products for years, and I recently spotted a fellowNew Yorkstaffer carrying a striking, translucent-blueten-ounce Kinto water bottle. (It’s made of plastic and therefore not insulated, but it’s also quite easy to drink such a small amount of water before insulation really matters.) So I went inside and bought the smaller travel size, which holds just under 12 ounces and looks a lot more grown-up than the Klean Kanteen. When I got home I confirmed that both of my purchases fit into the side pockets of my backpack; then I washed them, filled one with ice water and the other with coffee, and left the house again with exactly the right amount of liquid to sustain me on my journey.
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A few more small water bottles we like
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