Here at ZRecs HQ we've been drinking a lot more water lately thanks to a flood of stainless steel, aluminum, BPA-free plastic and even glass water bottles we received after telling companies we'd be evaluating BPA-free water bottles for a comparative review. We ended up receiving some 40 items, and thirty-one BPA-free water bottles made it through the use and rating process to be included.

In evaluating these water bottles for review, we initially developed a multiple-criteria rubric for scoring and intended to break results out into top, middle, and bottom tier classes for sequential posting, as we have done with past Sippy Cup Showdowns. As we worked, however, some of these scores started to feel arbitrary given the different priorities many of these bottles satisfy. In the end, we decided to divide them into broad classes - Insulated, Lightweight, Heavy Duty, and Niche - and break all but the last category into Top Picks, recommended alternatives, and those we disliked.

Every water bottle in this review was used multiple times over a period ranging from several days to several weeks. Some are bottles we have long-term experience with, although we chose not to highlight this. Every listing has an image of the water bottle under discussion in the ZRecs Guide, and many have demo videos posted there as well, which offer a detailed breakdown and reassembly of the bottle. Links to brand pages in the Guide for every item can point you to this content as well as to other products made by these manufacturers.

Let's get to the bottles!

Insulated water bottles: Top Picks

All three of the insulated water bottles we tested were among the best water bottles we used - not just because they are insulated, but because they add that feature onto good bottle designs that we liked even in their uninsulated versions.


Camelbak Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle with Bite Valve: A durable, stainless steel straw bottle with a flexible valve you bite to open, this water bottle also comes in a single-walled variety for a few bucks cheaper. The bottle is easy to drink from, easy to disassemble and clean, fits in standard cupholders, and has multiple styles available, though all show off the bottle's brushed stainless steel. Weakness: Camelbak's bite valve is that liquid can pool within the top drinking spout, expand in the heat, and spray out the top when the straw is flipped into its open position. | Camelbak products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon


Laken ISO 70 Aluminum Water Bottle: Laken's double-walled aluminum water bottle with an Aerogel fill layer for insulation is lightweight and keeps cold drinks cold. Laken water bottles have exterior threading to ensure interior coatings are evenly applied and do not break down as the lid is screwed and unscrewed. Weakness: None known. | Laken products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon


Thinksport Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle: A durable, heavily insulated, double-walled, vacuum-sealed stainless steel water bottle with two screw lids, one for drinking and one for filling and cleaning. Includes a removable internal mesh filter to keep ice in the bottle. A great value at an affordable price point. Weakness: In older bottles, adhesion between metal exterior and plastic screw threading of lid may slip, requiring a firm grip to open and close the bottle. | Thinksport products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon

Lightweight water bottles: Top Picks

We had three favorites in this category, each filling a different niche.


Polar Bottle: A lightweight polypropylene bike-style sport bottle with a layer of foil insulation that works surprisingly well, the Polar Bottle could easily have wound up in our Insulated category if it this wasn't such an unusual feature in a lightweight bottle. Weakness: None known. | Polar Bottle products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon


Earthlust Stainless Steel Water Bottle: One of the lightest stainless steel water bottles on the market, Eartlhust bottles (20 oz. or 1 L) feature attractive designs and come with a well-fitted loop cap with a rubber seal. If you've been looking for eye candy, Earthlust supplies the best-finished, nature-inspired water bottles for your hydrating naval-gazing. Weakness: Thin walls mean cold liquids warm up more quickly. | Earthlust products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon


Nathan 500ml Flip Straw Water Bottle: Nathan's 500 ml stainless steel water bottle puts Nathan's excellent flip straw top, which features durable construction, a built-in caribiner and soft straw tip, in a relatively small package. Leak-proof. Weakness: Flip straw requires some muscle to open and close. | Nathan products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon

Lightweight water bottles: Other recommended options

BioGreen Biodegradable Easy Hold Sport Bottle: BioGreen water bottles are made from low-density polyethylene with an additive that makes them break down more readily and completely in landfills or (the manufacturer claims) compost piles. Otherwise, it's a pretty straightforward and very inexpensive sport-top water bottle, although a bit faster flow would be nice. | Check prices on Amazon

Camelbak BPA-Free Better Bottle w/ Bite Valve: A lightweight version of Camelbak's stainless steel bottle, and one for those committed to seeing their drinks. Made of durable Tritan copolyester. | Camelbak products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon

Kid Basix Safe Sporter: An attractive 20-oz. stainless steel drink bottle with a sport top, flip-top cap, hard plastic base and silicone gripper sleeve. We loved this bottle's design, ease of use, and fast flow, but the screw lid's body, which is composed of a solid central piece and an outer ring, is relatively fragile. The outer ring broke the first time we (accidentally) dropped it, and the attached flip top won't be hanging on for long. That said, this bottle's combination of insulated sleeve, hinged cap, and fast flow sport top make it a good choice if you aren't dropsy, and the base is made of very hard plastic, the most likely drop point. | Kid Basix products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon

Laken Standard Aluminum Water Bottle: Laken's standard bottles have a loop cap that is easy to screw on and off and a wider mouth than other aluminum bottle brands without edging into "wide mouth" territory. Laken's water bottles are coated with a BPA-free lining that has undergone vigorous testing. | Laken products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon

Lightweight water bottles: Not recommended

Bilt Vite Stainless Steel Water Bottle: A lightweight stainless steel water bottle with molded hand grip and sport top. Unfortunately, the sport top is a considerably weak link, difficult to open and close, slow-flowing, and featuring a poorly-functioning air valve that forces you to drink in small sips. | Bilt products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon

Camelbak Podium Water Bottle: A biking bottle with a twist-to-open sport cap that doesn't improve on the standard design. The bottle's dial settings become firm near the beginning and end of the turn, making securing the valve in a fully open or closed position slightly awkward. There is no clear advantage of this lid type over the standard pop-up ring lid typically seen in biking water bottles, particularly as the latter can be opened with the user's teeth. Available in 21- and 24-oz. sizes. | Camelbak products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon

New Wave Enviro 1L Water Bottle: Works fine, but hard to clean due to its hourglass shape and many ridges, and only a little more substantial than a disposable water bottle (it's made of a PET varietal that is a little stronger). | New Wave Enviro products in the ZRecs Guide

SIGG BPA-Free Aluminum Water Bottle with EcoLiner: As consumers, we'd be prepared to trust SIGG's still-in-beta EcoCare liner - they're replacing any bottles with flaking liners with no questions asked - but we were disappointed by the new version of its twist-to-open sport top, which has a muddy, awkward feel and leaks whether open or closed, including from the seal around the lip of the lid even when the sport top. SIGG clearly has some design defects in their new sport top to fix, and we recommend you give them a chance to do so or stick with SIGG's loop cap lidded water bottles. | SIGG products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon

Durable and simple: Top Picks

Our four Top Picks in this category are tough, easy to use, and versatile.


Nathan Flip Straw Bottle with Silicone Sleeve: Nathan's straw bottle design offers a fast flow, soft straw top, and built-in caribiner. Their 700 ml bottle comes in several designs, but our favorite is paired with a silicone sleeve that offers insulation for hands and helps minimize damage from drops. The lid is one of the most durable we've used. Weakness: It takes a firm push to open and close the lid. | Nathan products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon


Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Wide Mouth Water Bottle: A lightweight, 27-oz. stainless steel water bottle with a wide-mouth top. Simple, well-made, and opens in a 3/4 turn. Weakness: None known. | Klean Kanteen products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon

Contigo Autoseal: A tall 24-oz. water bottle with Contigo's Autoseal valve (push a button to open a small drinking spout) that feels more natural in the company's outstanding insulated mugs but works surprisingly well in a water bottle too. Lid has a built-in caribiner. Made of durable Tritan copolyester plastic. Weakness: None known. | Contigo products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon


Nalgene Stainless Steel Wide Mouth Water Bottle: A thick-walled stainless steel water bottle built to near-military specs. You'll be thrilled at how long this well-made water bottle keeps water cold - just make sure you get the one that gets slimmer at the bottom to fit standard cupholders. Weakness: Heavy. | Nalgene products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon

Durable and simple: Other recommended options

Nalgene Everyday Tritan Water Bottle: A BPA-free version of the polycarbonate Nalgene water bottle that made the company famous. | Nalgene products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon

New Wave Enviro 20-oz. Stainless Steel Water Bottle: A no-frills stainless steel water bottle with loop or sport top that are interchangeable with Klean Kanteen components. Recommended with the loop cap. | New Wave Enviro products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon

Camelbak BPA-Free Better Bottle: As long as you know how little you're getting, this is an economy bottle that will take a licking. Good for those who would consider Nalgene's Everyday Tritan bottle too gulpsome. | Camelbak products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon

Camelbak Stainless Steel Water Bottle with Bite Valve: A non-insulated version of the bottle described above. You should go for the insulated one! Bite valve can be spitty. | Camelbak products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon

Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Colored Water Bottle: We love the rich, powder-coated colors of the Klean Kanteen, the redesigned logo, and were thrilled to see that the brand's once-cheap sport top has also been much improved. The top now features an angled loop to clip a caribiner onto, and the lid that snaps on the top of the sport cap actually opens and closes the cap for drinking, too, with 100% accuracy - this means you can prepare the bottle for drinking in a single move, rather than the two-step process of some other brands. To our surprise, however, the air valve still emits a quiet but high-pitched squeaking sound when you drink from it, and the bottle leaks from the air valve, too, when the bottle is left on its side or shaken upside down. We still like this bottle, even with the sport top, though some users might be happier with a simpler loop cap. | Klean Kanteen products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon

Nathan Flip Straw Bottle: A well-made, well-designed stainless steel water bottle in a variety of colors. Built-in caribiner and durable lid design. Flip-up straw requires significant force to open and close. | Nathan products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon

New Wave Enviro 40-oz. Stainless Steel Water Bottle: A no-frills stainless steel water bottle with loop or sport top that are interchangeable with Klean Kanteen components. Recommended with the loop cap. | View in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon

Thermos Nissan Intak Hydration Bottle: The Intak features a nice flip-top lid that seals well and offers fast flow, but the shape of the bottle and the ridges in its walls make it one of the most difficult to clean bottles we've used. The "hydration meter" is a simple twist ring that slips easily out of any position when the bottle is handled. A decent water bottle, but don't use it for anything else. | Thermos products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon

Durable and simple: Not recommended

Nalgene Tritan OTG Hydration Bottle: A 24-oz. plastic bottle with a wide drinking spout and firmly fitting cap, Nalgene's Tritan OTG bottle is leak-free and durable, but its flip-top has a plastic clasp that is awkward to open and close. | Nalgene products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon

New Wave Enviro 24-oz. Stainless Steel Water Bottle: This bottle has a contoured shape with a nice grippable area, but the sport top sticks and is quite difficult to open. Unlike Klean Kanteen's similarly sized bottle, this one's lid doesn't open and close the valve as it is pulled off or pushed on - but it also doesn't leak through the air vent. | New Wave Enviro products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon

Niche water bottles: Perfect, for the right user

These water bottles couldn't really be judged against others because they meet such specialized demands. If one of these bottles is right for you, you'll probably know it.

Ecousable Ech20 Filtering Water Bottle: We like this water bottle's ability to filter water in the bottle, but it adds a lot of weight, diminishes the volume significantly, and the in-the-act filtration means you have to suck pretty hard to get water. It also costs more than many other water bottles, and the filter will theoretically stop working after a while (1,000 gallons). A specialty bottle that's sure to have an audience among those who are particular about their water's taste or need to drink from just about any source. | Ecousable products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon

Here's a video demo of the Ech20 water bottle from the ZRecs Guide, where we have hundreds of "teardowns" of water bottles and children's products along with simple ratings and chemicals of concern for over 1200 products.


New Wave Enviro 2.2L Reusable Bottle: If you like chugging lots of water and want to carry it in a very large bottle, this is a BPA-free version of what is still usually made in polycarbonate. | New Wave Enviro products in the ZRecs Guide | Check prices on Amazon


Sesen Glass Water Bottle: A 520 ml glass bottle with a spring stopper (think Grolsch beer bottles). Slim, truly beautiful, and made of thick-walled borosilicate glass for the most durable glass drinking vessel you can imagine. For an around-the-house or workspace drinking vessel, it's a great alternative to a sports bottle or open-topped glass. Weakness: Well, this bottle will break if you are very clumsy or don't treat it right. It isn't suited for sports or motorcycle riding, and we do have some questions about using a glass drinking bottle in a car. | Buy direct

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In accordance with ZRecs' Keep No Stuff reviewing policy, all new water bottles received and evaluated for this review will be donated to charity or given to others who can use them.

Last weekend my family took a camping trip in our home state, Oregon. We stayed on a huge lake, surrounded by coniferous trees, including redwoods. Mt. Hood stood proudly in the background, still topped in snow.

For the most part, it was a fun trip that included activities interesting to both the teenager and the toddler, with an itinerary developed along the lines of my previous post on planning fun camping trips with kids. We took long walks, floated in our raft, did some fishing, and enjoyed evenings around the campfire.

There were a few challenges, though. We weathered a storm (including hail), for one. We struggled with a tent that no one could set up. And we fought that age-old scourge of campers: A battalion of mosquitoes.

Those little pests love mountain lakes. But we were prepared!

We took Buzz Away Extreme Spray, a natural insect repellant. It was important to us to use a product that is DEET-free, herbal, and most importantly, that works.

One thing that makes this product work well is that it comes in a spray bottle - common among the nasty DEET stuff but not so common for natural products. Some herbal products are oils or lotions and more difficult to apply. Being able to spray it on our heads and over our clothes made a big difference in repelling the relentless critters.

We did have to re-apply every couple of hours, but when we did, it worked. I have tried other natural products that seemed fairly useless. This time, I came home with no bites AT ALL. My husband (who used it less frequently) did have bites on his legs.

The only downside is that the smell is fairly strong (think Citronella).

Buzz Away also claims to repel other pests like ticks and fleas. We didn’t run into any of those, but I wouldn’t doubt it. One interesting claim they make is that DEET-based products repel fish as well. Not sure about that although it certainly piques my interest as we did do some fishing on the trip. But the bottom line is that we are not willing to risk the potential harmful effects of DEET for humans.

As I stood by Timothy Lake and watched a swarm of mosquitoes fly around my toddler, I was glad we had our Buzz Away Spray. We might have gotten a couple of bites, but we could have been miserable!

You can pick up Buzz Away! mosquito repellant on Amazon or on the Buzz Away website.

What about you? How do you ward off the critters when you are enjoying the great outdoors?

Who needs noxious microwave cleaners to scour a nasty microwave? Not you!



[Via]