Water Bottle Wars: Modern Canteens Serve Up More Than H2O

To compete for customers and shelf space, water-bottle makers are adding all kinds of bells and whistles to this outdoor gear essential.

Many of these bottle innovations arrive at our door each week. Some stand out. Some leave us scratching our heads. Here are a few of this season’s most interesting endeavors and innovations in water bottles.

Mobot Foam Roller

The Mobot certainly looks weird. That’s because the brand made this soft-sided “mobility” water bottle for drinking and rolling — your IT band, that is. The recycled stainless steel vessel is covered in bumpy, high-density EVA foam. Those scientifically placed nodules are designed to hit known trigger points that overworked muscles love (and hate).

Some color combos are downright gaudy. But putting two recovery aids in a single water bottle — hydration and elongation — is pretty smart. Plus a “quiet sip” flip straw lets you drink slowly rather than chug. Three sizes hold 18 to 40 ounces for $40-60.

Collapsible Bübi

Tricky to say without laughing, the Bübi bottle is a folding, puncture-resistant silicon water bottle that’s also BPA free. It’s an obvious pick for activities that demand saving space, like backpacking. The collapsible container even flips inside out for easy handwashing but can also go in the dishwasher (lower rack), microwave, and freezer.

Plus, a removable C-shaped carabineer makes attaching the bottle to a pack a snap, and also serves to secure an empty, fully rolled Bübi. The moldable, heat-resistant bottle comes in three sizes, with sport and flip caps for customization. A cup made of the same material screws right to the lid socket — for humans and canines. Now available for $17-30.

Aquio: Tunes in a Bottle

The Aquio is a water bottle with a detachable Bluetooth speaker. Like most modern canteens on the market, the Aquio is insulated with double-wall steel to keep hot or cold beverages in their preferred state for a long time.

The multitasking container holds 16.9 ounces of fluid, which won’t hurt the waterproof, sandproof speaker if you spill on it. My kid tested that straight away.

If you take the speaker bottle around a campfire or another outdoor setting, you’ve got about eight hours before you need a recharge. The Aquio is available now for $70.

No Aftertaste: Purist Bottle

Inspired by nature, the minimalist Purist bottle is designed to do one thing well: preserve taste. After all, when hydration receptacles get too quirky, it’s easy to forget their purpose, which is to hydrate humans.

Not so with Purist.

Using a process called the “lotus effect,” the brand transforms silicon dioxide into an aftertaste-less glass interior. That prevents water from tasting like metal, plastic, or whatever else was left behind after that last cleaning attempt.

Purist bottles come in 10- to 32-ounce sizes, along with four appropriately modern color choices: bare, black, ash, and bone. Three lid styles — jar, pour, and 360-degree — can further customize the sip. Available in October for $34-52.