Water Bottles

Water bottle, flask or travel mug: telling them apart

A reusable water bottle is the simple choice for cold water or squash through the day. A flask is built to hold a drink's temperature, usually with two walls and a vacuum between them, which slows heat moving in or out. A travel mug is made for sipping a hot drink on the move, through a lid you drink from.

So we would begin with the drink: if tea on a frosty morning is the point, check how a flask is made before you choose.

Plastic or stainless steel

Plastic is light, which counts in a school bag or on a long walk, and most of our range uses it. Stainless steel weighs a little more but is hard-wearing, and it does not hold on to flavours the way plastic can, so water still tastes of water months later. Some pieces in our range are made with it.

Most of the range also uses silicone, the soft, flexible material often found in seals and mouthpieces. A seal that lifts out is worth looking for, as that is where smells tend to linger.

Size, lid and where it will travel

Picture where the bottle will spend its day. A small one slips into a lunch bag or a side pocket, while a large one saves refills on a long working day but is heavier once full, so check the height of the one you have in mind against the pocket it needs to fit.

The lid matters too: a screw top is simple, with few parts to clean; a flip or push-button lid opens one-handed at the gym; a straw lets you sip without tipping the bottle back, and some in our range have one. Colour is worth a thought as well, since a bottle you like is the one you remember to bring, and you will find a few in green among ours.

A kids' water bottle for the school day

When you are choosing a drinks bottle for a child, think about who will be opening it: a lid they can manage on their own and a bottle that copes with a few bumps count for more than the picture on the front. A name label, or a strip of tape written on in pen, stops it going missing in a classroom full of lookalikes.

Some pieces in our range are children's water bottles, and some are a good fit for back to school, ready for the bag beside the pencil case and the lunch box. A spare saves the morning when one has been left at school.

Giving a bottle as a gift

A bottle gets used daily, which makes it a sound choice for someone who is hard to buy for. Among ours you will find some to suit her and some to suit him, for the commute or the gym bag, and some for a teacher's desk. Some would also make a welcome Christmas present, and a flask goes down well with a favourite tea or hot chocolate tucked in beside it. If you are unsure of their taste, a plain colour is the surest bet.

Keeping bottles, lids and seals clean

Rinse a bottle out whenever you empty it and give it a proper wash once a day or so in warm, soapy water, with a long bottle brush for the base and a small one for the lid and any straw. Take out the seal where it lifts free and leave the parts to dry fully, open, before you put the bottle back together.

Check the care details before anything goes in the dishwasher. Some pieces in our range should be kept out of it, and some ask to be washed by hand, since dishwasher heat can warp plastic parts and wear down a printed finish over time.