On this issue, I always go back to George Carlin:
January 6, 2024
"Ever since the 1990s, when staying hydrated first became a popular health goal for the general population..."
"... certain reusable water bottles have become trends in their own right. The wide-mouthed, screw-top Nalgene — first popularized among campers and hikers in the 1970s — were everywhere in the late 2000s. ... In the following years, tall and heavy stainless-steel water carriers rose to prominence.... In 2018, Vanity Fair declared the Goop-approved water bottle with a whole natural crystal affixed to the inside it... the status symbol of the year.... In 2021, a $28 'motivational' gallon jug of water with encouragements for the drinker printed on it at each level ('12 p.m.: Keep drinking,' '2 p.m.: Halfway there!') briefly became a social-media sensation.... Around the same time... Sasha and Malia Obama... were noted as Hydro Flask users...."
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Stainless steel can't be heated in a microwave, so you have to make the coffee elsewhere.
People lining up around stores and camping to buy tumblers that won't even fit most cup holders is why aliens won't talk to us.
Pretty SURE, was Way Before the 1990's that the idiocy of "8 glasses of water a day" 1st started
Carlin was entertaining, and a modern sage.
That said, 64 oz, once, twice, and, you're generally done.
Now gots to find me an owala.
New from Goop:
This Water Bottle Smells Like A Wet Candle - $69.99
Did they cover the wife upset that her husband got her the wrong Stanley that she wanted despite him getting the most expensive one and her only instruction was "I want the big Stanley"? He should have bought her a Peloton.
I'd never heard of the Stanley until the story went viral. I do use vacuum insulated drinkware, but that's because they work. I no longer pay the prices of YETI or RTIC. The Stanley looks too large for my needs.
The bottled water trick is nearly as good as the cable TV trick. It turned something that was formerly free into a giant branded industry.
I've had my large stainless steel Stanley thermos that I've lugged through the woods for over 40 years while hunting. It's just too heavy now. I've tried several plastic versions which leak at the most inappropriate times. Next one will be a Yeti at $40.
I prefer a glass (made from glass, of course, never plastic) filled from the tap. What the hell is wrong with people?
We are a foolish people. All you need for a water bottle is that it be able to hold the amount of liquid you will need and not leak if overturned. I prefer ones with wide mouths into which I can put extra large chucks of ice.
Yeti. The brand got so big, so fast, people put a Yeti decal in their car. they are amazing, but there are alternatives now.
"New from Goop:
This Water Bottle Smells Like A Wet Candle - $69.99"
Lol. This wet candle smells like Geyneth Paltrow's Stanley Tumbler.
I don't have a one gallon water jug, but I do have a one gallon growler filled with my favorite IPA from my favorite brew pub, with encouragements for the drinker printed on it at each level ('4 p.m.: Keep drinking,' '5 p.m.: keep drinking!' etc.) Does this count?
Those are "commission earned" links to Amazon.
Thanks to Bob Boyd's hilarious analogy, I will henceforth refer to Gwyneth Paltrow's vagina as her Stanley Tumbler. Keeps cold drinks cold and hot drinks warm.
It turned something that was formerly free into a giant branded industry.
Dave, the tap water in many places is genuine shit. DFW, West Sacramento, looking at you...
One word: Plastics
To be fair, most bottle water has the advantage over tap in being palatable at room temperature.
I've never understood this American female 'thing' for having a huge tumbler of water to lug around. I always end up being asked to carry something - but never, the tumbler. And on top of that, the idea of selecting boutique waters of some exotic pedigree to fill it. I work outside quite a bit, and take cheap fizzy waters to guzzle as well as ice water. I have a big jug holder on the tractor, holds a half-gallon Igloo. But it's also often dangerously hot when I'm working. In the wintertime, I don't bother. If you learn to stay ahead of your thirst you're fine, and the water fountain is also fine.
@ Humperdink
Don't buy a Yeti unless you also want to support gun control. There are many excellent alternatives.
There’s an idea in fitness called “anti-fragile.” It’s similar to the idea of functional fitness—I don’t need big muscles, I need to be able to dig a ditch or help a friend move without throwing out my back or being sore for 3 days.
Anti-fragile means being resilient, not defining your comfort zone so narrowly that you can’t easily move through life. You should be able to go 2 hours without drinking water almost no matter what you’re doing or what conditions you’re doing it in. If you can’t leave the house without a water bottle, you’re doing life wrong.
A bunch of years ago I heard a park ranger who worked at an arid National Park in the Southwest — I don’t recall which one — complaining about the need to try to explain to the (alleged) adults on a family hike that they didn’t have enough water to keep themselves and the children hydrated.
Anyone who has ever caught giardia from sipping water from a “pristine” mountain spring can explain why one needs to bring one’s own water on a hike, George Carlin or no George Carlin. My wife caught it — we don’t know from where because we aren’t hikers or even particularly outdoorsy — a few decades ago and the cure, a concoction called Flagyl, was almost as bad as the disease itself. “Life straws” claim to eliminate the threat of waterborne diseases from using natural water sources out in the woods. Can someone who is reading this and is a hiker or camper confirm that they work?
I run 10 miles a day in Arizona in the summer. I NEVER carry water. If I'm planning a longer run, I will occasionally drive out and stash a bottle at my turnaround point, but for 10 miles it is not needed.
I bought a 12 oz. bottle of kombucha. It came in a very nice glass bottle with a wide mouth and secure cap. I said to myself, "Self, this is a very nice bottle and it fits in my car's cupholder. I shall wash this bottle and fill it with tap water and take it with me on those two-hour drives to the in-law's." I like repurposing.
I have to assume that some really smart Stanley marketer staged a few of these events and posted them to Tik Tok or wherever and started a FOMO trend.
Smart, because people are stupid.
Whenever my daughter wanted to buy expensive "designer water", I'd ask her how she knew the store hadn't just used good tap water. I also made her take a blind taste test, with various bottles of expensive water and some good tap water, and she failed the test.
I told her if she wanted to impress her friends by hauling around "cool" water. I'd buy her a couple bottles. And then after she emptied them, she could refill them with tap water. Her friends would never know.
Normally, I just let my wife handle all her absurd demands, but the water nonsense was too much.
And here I've always thought that the simple peddling of drinking water in bottles was one of the great marketing scams of all time. But it has now been topped by this unlikely vending of overpriced designer bottles for that water. Genius.
My theory is the 8-liters-per-day water nonsense is greatly responsible for our obesity epidemic. Humans evolved a wonderful mechanism for knowing when to drink: you get thirsty. For some reason, the "experts" decided that thirst was not good enough. Instead, to be healthy, you had to drink even when your body was telling you that you were perfectly hydrated. Once people got used to ignoring what their bodies were telling them with regard to thirst, eating even when you are not hungry came naturally.
Bottled water is a classic example of selling refrigerators to Eskimos. Take something that's free, charge a preposterous amount for it, and make it a must do.
My recollection is this trend began with Perrier in the late 1970s. It let upscale restaurants to get diners to cough up more money. And comedians mocked its pretentiousness.
Now it's a must for everyone.
Bottled water profit margins must be incredible.
My wife drinks bottled water only. Generally from Costco.
Me, good MAGAista that I am, I prefer bleach straight from the tap. It kills any germs and keeps me astonishingly healthy.
I typically drink 5-8 large tumblers daily. For thirst mainly no particular heath fetish.
You all realize that about 80% or more of bottled water is just city water, don't you? It's mainly a scam
(Don't tell my clients)
I ble Starbucks for giving Coke the idea.
John Henry
"In 2018, Vanity Fair declared the Goop-approved water bottle with a whole natural crystal affixed to the inside it... the status symbol of the year.... "
Huh? They glued a rock inside their thermos?
I've got two Tervis insulated mugs and two Tervis insulated tumblers (large). The first I use for cofvefe (hot and black, like my girlfriends--just kidding) and the second I use for Memphis tapwater filtered through our fridge (the ice maker broke long ago so we just use old fashioned plastic trays to freeze cubes, like the pioneers did).
I literally rarely leave the house without one or the other, and if I'm out running errands as I was earlier, I may carry both. I'm such a regular at several gas stations around that the clerks often just let me refill my cup without charge whether I buy anything or not.
Sip sip sip all day. It's my thing.
Bob Boyd said: "@ Humperdink. Don't buy a Yeti unless you also want to support gun control. There are many excellent alternatives."
Thanks, I won't. That's the kiss of death for me.
@Bg Mike 11:07: " Can someone who is reading this and is a hiker or camper confirm that they work?"
Read carefully and shop wisely, but yes, the good ones work perfectly. A few years ago I went on a wilderness trip where all of our drinking water was filtered from the lakes. I had backup iodine and filter straws, but didn't use them. No problems at all. Modern filtration technology has come a long way.
Unknown,
We buy bottled from Costco in bricks of 36 bottles.
It is made in Dallas (from Dfw city water) and shipped to Puerto Rico.
The caps cost almost 2 cents each. Bottles almost a nickle. Labels and shrink wrap for bundles another penny or so. No idea what they pay for the water, the purification and the minerals. Then labor, energy and overhead.
Not a lot left for profit.
I don't know they make a profit but they do. They went from a mom & pop operation in a garage in the 80s to 20+ large plants in the us with more planned or under construction. They may make over 40% of all bottled water sold in the us.
Still 100% family owned.
John Henry
I'm with narr.
Cycle a kcup twice at 8am and fillmy 20oz Stanley travel mug.
Usually still nicely warm at 5pm.if not pour it in another cup and nuke it then back in the Stanley.
I seldom drink the whole cup. I just like something to sip on.
John Henry
This nonsense gets really annoying at the gym. I get thirsty maybe once during an hour workout, so I wander over to the drinking fountain to get a sip--but I can't, because some jackass is standing there filling his gallon jug from it. Nowadays people carry more water to cross the gym floor than Lawrence took to cross the Arabian desert.
It's all to support Female Canine Hydration Syndrome (FCHS). Ever notice, when you're walking your dog, that every woman you meet MUST offer your dog a drink? That means that women must always have water to offer your dog.
I, for one, looked up Stanley cups after reading this and immediately thought "that is exactly what I've been looking for!". Has a handle, easy to clean, holds a beverage ice cold, and helps me meet my water goals. FWIW, two of my specialty doctors recommend lots of water to help flush out the drugs I take but don't entirely metabolize.
Christy
Many years ago, in "Rising From The Plains" (IIRC), McPhee relates that the Wyoming geologist John Love (descended from Muir) said, "If I drink now, I'll be thirsty all day."
I'd only carry a water bottle if it's really hot, otherwise I'd rather travel light. At home I use a quart Mason jar with tap water -- works well.
@Aggie, much obliged. Any recommended brands?
Marlon Brando wanted to market "Brando's pure water" from his south pacific island. He was sure he'd hit upon on an idea that would make him a zillionaire. But the Beverage companies only offered him a couple hundred thousand for the rights. So, Brando refused to sell, and he never could find the start up money to market his own water.
Later, some company stole his idea and marketed "Fiji water".
Bottled water, its a game for cut-throats.
I think that as a general rule, most people don't drink enough water. I drink 12 ounces of fresh cold water every morning when I get up before I ever even grind my Colombian coffee beans and brew my coffee. I can tell the difference in how it makes me wake up and begin my day. My uncle was a doctor who graduated from Johns Hopkins Medical School. He told me that if you wait until you are thirsty to drink water, then you waited too long. I don't go overboard on this, but I make sure I have a fresh cold glass of water close to me most of the time so that I can take a drink if I'm thirsty. Or even if I'm not thirsty. It may not work for anyone else, but it works for me.
“Life straws” claim to eliminate the threat of waterborne diseases from using natural water sources out in the woods. Can someone who is reading this and is a hiker or camper confirm that they work?
I've always relied on the larger, hand-pumped water filters. I'm sure I've had hundreds of gallons of water from backcountry lakes over the years. Haven't gotten sick once.
Purity of Essence
@Big Mike, for our trip I spec'd out a large Platypus 2-bag model, which I would rig up each day when we made camp. It's a gravity-driven device, source water into one bag, which is filtered and sent to the clean water bag. It would quickly process enough water to cook dinner, then enough over the course of the evening for evening ablutions, breakfast, and to fill water bottles for the next day's paddling. We had 7 in our group and were never short of potable water. Also, pro-tip: there are flavor concentrates now where just a few drops will flavor up a whole large bottle of water, and this makes a big difference throughout the day. Very light to pack; some of them have electrolytes too.
Back in the days when people actually needed to carry their own water everywhere, they had these things called canteens. Easier to carry and drink from, and you don’t look like such a wuss when you do.
I think people drink too much water. In the John Wayne movies you rode across the sands and rinsed your mouth out with water and spit it out. I am not saying water is bad, but the thirst for water can make you weak. Listen to the song of the Sons of the Pioneers (written by Bob Nolan). I was told an Apache Warrior could drive across the lava flows of Arizona on one mouth full of water for days.
Is that best for your health? Perhaps not, so to be sure take a mouthful of water every day or so.
"My uncle was a doctor who graduated from Johns Hopkins Medical School. He told me..."
What did he think about ivermectin and the clot shot?
These kinds of posts make me question my sanity. Did I really just spend 10 minutes skimming through the utterly predictable "this is how I drink water" "this is dumb" posts? Christ on a bike, did I spend moments of my life joining in?
Wouldn't suicide be more productive...?
Waste of money, that's all I'll say. Bunch of fucking post-modern collectivist crap. Fuck Dylan Mulvany or whatever his name is. Right?
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