There’s a lot of crap in this world. Most of it is for sale. If you believe all the ads you see, everyone promises to make you taller, better looking, healthier, smarter, and the envy of all of your neighbors. Because of this, the number of times I am disappointed in a product once I buy it greatly outnumbers the times when I am satisfied. And when did something being “just OK” and barely satisfying me become an acceptable goal?
What about “wow”ing me? What about knocking my socks off? What about making products that make me want to stand on my roof and proclaim to the whole neighborhood just how awesome something is? That almost never happens. But every once in while it does. This is one of those times.
I’m a “member” at REI. It’s one of my favorite stores. I can’t afford to go there that often, but when I do I love being in that store. One of the perks of being a member is that every year you are sent a “dividend”. It’s a % of what you have spent that year given back to you in the form of a gift card. I love getting those. It’s like an unexpected Christmas gift.
This year mine was something like $35.00. If you know anything about REI, $35.00 doesn’t go very far. But, armed with my gift card, I headed to REI to do some shopping. While there is always a lot I want to buy there, I told myself I wasn’t going to go crazy. I would just spend the $35.00 and no more.
When I passed the Hydro Flask display, it caught my eye. I had just seen Huk Lab selling these on their site and they had nothing but good things to say. I figured why not, and grabbed an orange 32 oz. After tax I think I had to shell out another few bucks. Without that gift card, I never would have spent $35 on a water bottle. No way, no how.
Within a week I bought a second one.
So what’s the deal with this Hydro Flask? Isn’t the good old stand by Nalgene bottle good enough? No, it’s not. In a celebrity death match of water bottles, the Hydro Flask leaves the Nalgene in a messy bloody heap in the middle of the ring. Yeah, it’s that much better.
First, and most importantly, let’s talk about temperature retention. With a plastic bottle, even if you completely fill it with ice, on a hot day you’ve got maybe 2 hours of cold water before it’s just not refreshing anymore. How many days of disc golf have you finished by choking down warm or hot water? If you put some ice and some cold water into a Hydro Flask, it will be icy cold almost a full day later. I’ve left these in my car, in the sun, for a solid 10 hours only to open them up and find ice cold water inside. It’s amazing.
It’s almost as good at hot too. This winter, I went out in some ridiculous temperatures to take pictures. The hot chocolate I brought with me in my Hydro Flask stayed hot in sub zero (actual temps not that girly wind chill number people like to throw around) temps for a solid 4-6 hours. And I don’t mean it stayed warm. It stayed HOT!
Next let’s talk about hygiene. Unfortunately, it’s just a fact that plastic bottles start to smell after reusing them for a while. No matter how much you wash them, one day you put them up to your mouth and you get a whiff of that terrible smell. Then you have to break out the bleach or other caustic cleaner to try and fix it. I’m never happy to have to do that. And I’m never really sure if I was able to rinse all the bleach out or not. The Hydro Flask is made of 18/8 stainless steel. It has no pores, so will never, ever smell. Super easy clean up too.
These things are durable too. I’ve broken plenty of plastic bottles. The lids break off, the bottle cracks, I accidentally drop them on a rock. The Hydro Flask carries a lifetime warranty. From customer reviews, they honor it too. You can’t beat that with a stick (well, actually you can, and it won’t break the bottle!)!
Lastly, and this might just be me, I can’t drink out of a Nalgene without spilling water down my face and onto my shirt. I don’t know what it is, but I end up spilling like I’m a 3 year old every time. Not so with the Hydro Flask. I can actually drink out of it like an adult human!
One of my main goals with this blog is to continually bring you things that help you play better disc golf. Staying hydrated is part of that. Helping you spend your money on things that actually help you enjoy your rounds more is another. I would honestly be shocked if you bought one of these and was anything less than extremely happy. Yeah, you can go buy another Nalgene at Target for a fraction of the price. I did that for years. Never again. The Hydro Flask is worth every penny. No BS.
You can buy them in a bunch of sizes and colors. The best prices I’ve found are in the Amazon Hydro Flask store. Take a look. Treat yourself. You’ll be refreshed and happy you did. It’s hot out there folks, make sure you’ve always got an icy cold beverage with you. And for you craft brew people out there, yes they make a growler too!
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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”