Where can I find a reusable water bottle with a small mouth?
July 15, 2011 11:19 AM   Subscribe

Where can I find a reusable water bottle with a small mouth?

I drink a lot of bottled water. I recycle the plastic bottles, which is better than just tossing them out, but it'd be great to eliminate the plastic all together.

I'd like to upgrade to a reusable water bottle for every day use, but I've looked at a lot of them and I have one major concern - they all seem to have wide mouths. I don't want to end up wearing my water, I just want to drink it! I don't drink cold water so I don't need to fit ice in there or anything. Bottled water has about a 1" round opening. Are there any reusable bottles with similar sized openings? Or would that make them impossible to clean? If so, is there a happy medium? I really dislike the huge openings on Nalgene bottles and I don't really care for the "sport" tops with pull spouts either.
posted by geeky to Food & Drink (28 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Sigg water bottles have narrow mouths.

There are Nalgene bottles with narrow mouths as well, like these.

In my experience, the Sigg bottles are impossible to keep clean and unsmelly. But then again, I am quite lazy about cleaning my water bottles.
posted by Think_Long at 11:22 AM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: I've seen some of the Siggs and others like Klean Kanteen online, but not in person. They still look wider than the average plastic bottled water that I'm used to. So I guess am asking as those easy to drink out of without getting it all over you? Or is there something narrower out there?
posted by geeky at 11:29 AM on July 15, 2011


Best answer: I have a set of these Contigo water bottles that I picked up at Costco. I really like them because I am clumsy and spill things easily, but the vacuum seal means I don't with these. And I can drink one-handed without having to screw off the top (perfect for road trips!). They are also, in my estimation, easy to clean, and the neck of the bottle (not the cap you drink out of) is wide enough you could add ice if you wanted to.

I also have a few of the narrow neck Nalgene that Think_Long mentioned, but I prefer the Contigo, using the Nalgene only when I want to have more than 24 ounces of water available at one time.
posted by paisley sheep at 11:31 AM on July 15, 2011


I haven't used this, but this Thermos brand Stainless bottle looks like it has a pretty small mouth. Reviewed on Cool Tools
posted by toddje at 11:35 AM on July 15, 2011


Best answer: Kleen Kanteens have mouths that are smaller, but they are not as narrow as the Nalgene bottles that Think_Long linked to. Those are the closest in size to the openings on bottled water that I've seen. I have a 500ml Nalgene bottle with a narrow mouth, and I don't find it to be hard to clean at all. A daily wash and rinse with warm water and soap keeps it unsmelly. Siggs were too hard to wash thoroughly, and the standard screw-on cap grossed me out because it leaves too much of the mouth exposed.
posted by extramundane at 11:37 AM on July 15, 2011


There's also the Splash Guard. A plastic insert that stays at the mouth of the wide-mouth bottle to make the opening smaller, but still give you the wide-mouth benefits.

example at LL Bean
posted by cellojoe at 11:39 AM on July 15, 2011 [2 favorites]


They sell Sigg bottles at Target. They are not hard to keep clean at all and they are just a tiny bit wider at the opening then plastic water bottles. I love mine!
posted by Hanuman1960 at 11:39 AM on July 15, 2011


Best answer: I absolutely love my S'well Bottle. The mouth is just over an inch wide, so not too small and not too big. They hold about 17oz. 10% of all sales go to non-profit programs that improve access to safe water.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 11:42 AM on July 15, 2011


Best answer: Similar to the bottle toddje linked, Thermos teamed up with Threadless and Target to distribute some nice bottles (I think you have to get them at Target). I love mine specifically for the small mouth. It's a little bit smaller than a beer bottle opening.
posted by mindsound at 11:51 AM on July 15, 2011


This is the best water bottle of all time. Seriously. A friend of mine turned me on to it, and I have since influenced FIVE other people to buy one :) As far as watter bottles go, it is seriously awesome.
posted by sleepykitties at 11:55 AM on July 15, 2011


From a different angle: is it possible to just get a Nalgene/whatever wide-mouthed bottle and stick a sturdy straw in it?
posted by tivalasvegas at 12:12 PM on July 15, 2011


The Platypus Softbottle has an opening that is the same size as the average disposable (recyclable) water bottles. The best part about this container is that it can be rolled up when empty so it doesn't take up a ton of space. I went ahead and purchased the bigger size because, hey, I don't have to fill it up all the way and it doesn't take up as much space as a hard container with the same volume. It's BPA-free and the only danger is spilling water on yourself if you don't hold it the right way, but you get the hang of it pretty quickly. Also, it's just water.
posted by CCCC at 12:19 PM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]


This looks just like a plastic water bottle, but is made of glass. I haven't used it, but it should have the right kind of mouth.
posted by cider at 12:46 PM on July 15, 2011


Following up on tivalasvegas (and if you can't find a bottle you like), there are bottle inserts that eliminate the splashing/wearing your water problem.
posted by BlooPen at 12:52 PM on July 15, 2011


Subzero makes a stainless bottle like the Kleen Kanteen, but much, much cheaper. Walgreens was selling them for $4 a while back, including a standard plug stopper (as shown in the link) and a flip-top sipping stopper.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 12:56 PM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]


got a Eddie Bauer or REI near you?

Platypus will be at both of those, and has a small mouth. plus some versions roll up :)
posted by zombieApoc at 1:18 PM on July 15, 2011


Response by poster: You guys are such a wealth of information. I love it :)

I really like what I see in the Contigo bottles - small opening, dishwasher safe, comes in durable stainless for when I go hiking, and autocloses so I don't have to futz with a screw on lid or worry about knocking over an open bottle on my desk. Sounds great. The S'well bottle looks like a good size too.

Sounds like I need to go to Target and get a hands on look at some of these other bottles. Who knew Target was the place to get water bottles?

The inserts for wide mouth bottles would definitely help, but I think the wider bottles in general just aren't for me. I have small hands and I'd think I'd prefer a slimmer bottle for easy holding. If I need a larger bottle for hiking though I'll definitely keep those in mind. The Platypus could be cool for hiking too. I know it's "just water" - it's not big deal when doing outdoorsy stuff but I'd rather not have it all over me at work.
posted by geeky at 1:18 PM on July 15, 2011


While you are at Target, look at these guys:
http://www.thermos.com/product_details.aspx?ProdId=944&CatCode=hydr

You can't tell from the picture, but under the flip top is an opening about the size of a screw-top water bottle.
posted by He Is Only The Imposter at 1:40 PM on July 15, 2011


If you've already got a Nalgene, you could just get one of these.
posted by sportbucket at 3:21 PM on July 15, 2011


I was also going to suggest Target. I got a metal bottle there that has an opening that's not much larger, if any, than a plastic water bottle. I don't know the brand (I'd check, but the mister has it at the moment). It's even pretty (black with silver silk-screened flowers on it).
posted by deborah at 5:45 PM on July 15, 2011


Best answer: I got one of the sipper insert things for a wide-mouth Nalgene, but I still hated it. I can't stand the pop-top or bite valve bottles, they make me feel like a hamster. I gave my Sigg bottle to my SO -- I didn't like not being able to see how much water I have left, and I didn't like having to hang on to the cap while drinking (since it's not attached.)

My narrow-mouth Nalgene is my favorite water bottle.
posted by desuetude at 6:17 PM on July 15, 2011


Target carries these Intak bottles which have a flippy cap over a narrow opening. See closeup at that link. Easy to keep clean, and I (generally) don't wear the water.
posted by jessicapierce at 10:13 PM on July 15, 2011


There are plenty of aluminum water bottles out there with small openings. I don't know any brands but I see them all the time. I'm sure Target carries them in all sorts of hip colors and designs. Also a lot of places sell them (or give them away) with their logo on it - I work at a blood bank and this is a popular donor item.

I also have a sport bottle that I'd like to recommend because it's high quality - CamelBak Podium. The top locks so that it's leakproof. I've never had mine spill.
posted by radioamy at 11:12 PM on July 15, 2011


Oh and get a bottle brush for cleaning.
posted by radioamy at 11:13 PM on July 15, 2011


I have an aladdin water bottle that has a small opening and is really nice to drink from. I've seen them a fair bit in the UK - not sure about US though.
posted by smudge at 12:50 AM on July 16, 2011


You said you don't like "sport" tops, but I have a Camelbak "Podium Chill" which has an interesting "squirt" top on it. You can hold it upside down and it won't leak, but when you squeeze it, it squirts out water. You kind of have to try it, but it's certainly a narrow stream and it's pretty hard to get water on yourself.

Don't believe the hype about the "insulation", though, that's silly. It has maybe 1/8" of foam surrounding the bottle.
posted by aaronbeekay at 9:48 AM on July 16, 2011


Flylady waterbottle

Doesn't sweat...small mouth opening but wider mouth for adding ice....keeps ice overnight. Downside: holds 16 oz.
posted by vitabellosi at 12:34 PM on July 16, 2011


Response by poster: Follow up! I went to Target to check out my options. Decided I wanted metal (instead of plastic) for durability, that I hated anything with a flip top (pinched fingers, etc.), and that Nalgene bottles are definitely too wide for my hands. Did some more Googling and ended up with...

A narrow mouth HydroFlask. Stainless steel, insulated, BPA-free with no plastic lining (like Sigg bottles), donates 5% to charity, and has a mouth opening of about 1.5 inches. So far I love it and I'm already thinking about buying a second one!
posted by geeky at 1:56 PM on July 28, 2011


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