by Clare Magargal
Trends are everchanging and shaping a culture. They define specific periods and in some ways, define a person. Whether you are a trend follower or a trendsetter, you’ve probably been affected by a trend in one way or another.
When you think of trends over the years, what would be your first thought? Hair? Clothes? Well, what about water bottles? What started as a way of saving the planet and reducing our carbon footprint on the Earth quickly turned into a social status. It seems as though a new “trendy” water bottle comes out every few years or so and this determines whether you are in style or not.
As you can imagine, purchasing a new water bottle every few years, even when the one you have from a couple of years ago still works great, can get pricy and lead to overconsumption. It seems as though many people forgot the original meaning of the reusable water bottle, to save the planet, not produce more waste.
History: “Born from Science”
Our story begins long ago in a faraway land, 1949 Rochester, New York that is, when a chemist named Emanuel Goldberg developed the first plastic pipette jars. Later on, he established the Nalge Company. Fast forward a few years to the 1960s when the company's scientists decided to take their labware on a backpacking trip because of the lightweight and leakproof design. During the 1970s the labware bottle became very popular with hikers and adventurers because they promised to Carry In/Carry Out and Leave No Trace to help preserve the land. This sparked the idea for the company to start making and selling similar products but specifically marketed towards hikers. The Nalgene Company was literally “Born from Science.” To learn more about the Nalgene water bottle and its popularity over the past 70-plus years, please read this article that highlights the early start of the iconic reusable water bottle.
The Early 2000s
The original “it” water bottle is the Nalgene water bottle. Lightweight and colorful, this timeless water bottle was very popular with folks who loved being outside and going on classic adventures. This bottle replaced the wasteful non-reusable plastic water bottles you get from the vending machine. The 32 oz wide-mouth water bottle goes for about $17.
The Early 2010s
When I was in elementary school, in the early 2010s, Gatorade Squeeze Bottle. This 32oz water bottle goes for about $6 at Dicks Sporting Goods. This was very popular among the athletes at my school. People decorated theirs with colorful ducktape and sticks, a trend that still hasn't gone away. This bottle provided easy access for athletes who wore cages and mouth guards, like in ice hockey, football, and even soccer. You could just squeeze the bottle and water would shoot into your mouth, it was quick and easy.
Another popular water bottle during this time was the Contigo water bottle. They were fairly kid-friendly and inexpensive, I remember seeing these bottles in the isles of Acme and other grocery stores. They come in a variety of colors and sizes which is appealing to kids and adults. Most of the designs also have a flip-up straw for easy on-the-go water drinking. The 24oz Ashalnd 2.0 Contigo water bottle goes for about $15.
A step up from the Contigo bottle came a little later, the Camelbak. Very similar to the Contigo, this plastic water bottle features a flip-up straw, colorful designs, and a loop at the top to hold easily. The Eddy+ 32oz Camelbak water bottle is about $17.
How Could it get better than this?
All these water bottles did their job, they held water for easy access at school, work, or the gym. One big complaint from them however was that they did not keep water very cold for long periods. Introducing the era of insulated water bottles. The isolated water bottles are made primarily of stainless steel or aluminum, making them very noticeable when you drop them and very easy to dent.
The Late 2010s
S’well water bottles have an appealing and unique design to them. The basic design can fit in a cup holder, however, the mouth of the bottle is on the smaller side, making it hard for ice cubes to fit through. The stainless steel material makes it so that your drink of choice stays at the proper temperature, hot or cold. The 25oz Original Bottle is $45.
Once the app VSCO became popular, so did Hydro flasks. This isolated water bottle has interchangeable lids, sip caps, straw caps, and chug caps. Hydro Flasks became trendy among teenage girls and the era right before the COVID-19 pandemic. The 32oz Wide Mouth water bottle is about $45.
The Early 2020s
Stanley Tumblers, not to be mistaken with the N.H.L Stanley Cup, became all the rage on TikTok among GenZ during the early 2020s. The New York Times calls this water bottle “social-media-famous” in their article The Sisterhood of the Traveling Stanley. The convenience of this cup is that it has a slimmer base making it easy to slip into a cupholder, and a straw for easy access to water while on the go. The 30oz Quencher H2.O FlowState Tumbler is $35.
(Insert “Big Dumb Cup” graphic here)
Also a viral TikTok phenomenon, the Owala is the newest and latest “it” water bottle. This bottle offers two options, sipping the water from a straw or taking a swig from the open mouth. This water bottle even won Time Best Inventions of 2023 in the Fitness category for “Hydration Made Fun.” The 32oz FreeSip Water Bottle is about $33.
Now What?
We’ve come a long way since the creation of the Nalgene water bottle 70 years ago, but now it seems like people have lost the point of the reusable water bottle. Children are asking for Stanley Tumblers and Owala bottles for Christmas. Videos have gone viral of elementary schoolers crying on Christmas morning while opening up their brand new $40 hot pink water bottle because now they will finally “fit in” amongst their peers. What will happen when a new colorful water bottle hits the shelves? People will open their wallets no matter the price and ditch their previous bottles that work perfectly fine.
How to Make Your Bottle Last
Take proper care of the water bottle you have and it will last. Remember to rinse your bottle out at the end of each day and leave it in to dry in a clean spot. Once a week, use warm soapy water to soak your bottle and sanitize it. Pro tip: put your water bottle in the fridge overnight or during long periods of not using it. This helps prevent bacteria from growing.
If your bottle has a straw, this is where mold likes to hide, clean your straw regularly with a straw brush and soap. Lastly, try to only put clean water in your bottle. That means no soda, juice, or alcohol. Clean water only keeps the bottle spotless and polished.
Some water bottle brands even have their cleaner and tools you can purchase for convenience. Here is a link to the Hydro Flasks cleaning page and here is a link to an REI Co-op page on how to properly care for your bottle.
My tip to you is don’t let the trends get you down. Purchasing high-quality items that will last you a long time will help you live a more sustainable lifestyle and save money. A high-quality water bottle is a good investment, for you and the environment. With that being said, just because something new and shiny comes out, doesn’t mean you need to buy it.
I enjoy learning how to properly take care of my water bottle. I find this article to be interesting on I think that recent trends of the Stanley Cups and Owala water bottles have been the perfect example of the over consumption culture that have accumulated that I think have gotten so bad after the pandemic since no body could do anything outside so why not indulge on Amazon.
This is an issue I think about all the time! It was with the Stanley when I stopped following the water bottle trends. I remember getting the S'well and the Hydroflask, some you didn't mention that I remember are the yeti bottles and the O2Cool mist water bottle. I had all of these and most of them are still in use. I love that you gave tips to make your water bottle last. - Maren Franklin
I'm curious how much information about the environmental impact these water bottle trends have. I've seen insane pictures of people "collecting" every color and design of Stanley Cups that surely will end up in a landfill in a couple of years. Reusable bottles are wonderful, but the cost of it becoming trendy seems like it may wind up becoming more and more harmful.
You present a really interesting topic here. It is so odd that even what we drink out of can be a status symbol. The first water bottle I remember becoming really popular is, of course, the Hydro flask. From there on, it seemed like water bottles were treated as an extension of our style, like any other accessory. But I wonder why that is? And what makes the Hydro flask, Stanley, and Owala so much "trendier" than the other bottles you mention? Anyway, I completely agree with your last sentence, and I appreciate how you bring attention to the disconnect between the intended purpose of water bottles and how society treats them today.
-Lexi Oybkhan
I really liked your article especially when you mentioned how the Nalgene bottle came to be because that was new to me. I honestly never thought about how bottles originated but coming from labware was not on my radar! Your article made me realize how often I've fallen victim to the trends that were going on because I've had almost every single water bottle on the list.
- Anna Frasso