The Dopper bottle
Best for: Portability | Tester: Sarah Fung, publisher, Liv Magazine
Why did you choose this water bottle?
I was gifted it a few years ago. I was skeptical at first, but found myself using it a lot.
What do you like about it?
Besides the main lid, The top half of the bottle also unscrews and can be used as a cup (or wine glass), which also also makes it super easy to clean. The slim design means that it’s perfect to pop in your handbag. My old Dopper is plastic but it now comes in stainless steel. A percentage of profits go to clean water projects in Nepal.
Anything you don’t like?
With a capacity of just under 450ml, it isn’t practical for hikes (though a larger, 750ml bottle is now available). This is strictly an “urban sipping” bottle.
Costs: US19
Buy online at amazon.com.
S’well
Best for: Looking cool in your gym bag | Tester: Sonalie Figueiras, founder of Green Queen (greenqueen.com.hk)
Why did you choose this water bottle?
I chose it because you can use it for both cold and hot drinks and I was very attracted to the design. I bought mine in Canada whilst on holiday there – it was the first time I’d seen them.
What do you like about it?
It’s plastic-free, it’s pretty and I love how many different prints and colors they offer.
Anything you don’t like?
I don’t love that you can’t really use a (metal!) straw with it. The rim is quite large, meaning that it’s not always easy to sip from.
Would you recommend your bottle to others?
Definitely! I bought one for my Green Queen co-founder Tracy, and my family
Costs: $250-350, depending on size and design
Buy online at thornandburrow.com.
Katadyn “BeFree” collapsible bottle
Best for: Portable purification | Tester: Janice Leung Hayes, food writer and founder of Honestly Green (facebook.com/HonestlyGreenHK) and Tong Chong Street Market (tongchongstreetmarket.com)
Why did you choose this water bottle?
It’s essentially a really tough but foldable bag with a filter screwed on. The filter is 0.1 microns, which is pretty good for something so portable. It means it can filter out most bacteria. In Hong Kong, it makes me feel a bit safer when I’m getting water from a public fountain. I bought this one from REI, an outdoor shop in the US.
What do you like about it?
Because it’s so soft and light, it’s great for my back, whether I’m hiking or out and about day-to-day.
Anything you don’t like?
It doesn’t stand up. Sometimes if it swooshes around too much it leaks a tiny bit at the top, so I have to try and keep it upright.
Costs: From US$20
Buy online at amazon.com.
BKR Bottle
Best For: Standing out from the crowd | Tester: Jasmin Blunck, Liv’s Admin Manager
Why did you choose this water bottle?
It is eco-friendly and looks cool too.
What do you like about it?
It’s really funky! It’s made of glass and comes in a selection of silicone covers.
Anything you don’t like?
You can’t carry hot water in it. The glass makes it a bit heavier than other bottles and some people don’t like the narrow opening, but neither of those things bother me.
Costs: From US$28-185 (HK$ HK$219-1450)
Buy online at mybkr.com.
Pura stainless steel bottle
Best For: Kids | Testers: Alex (aged six), Zach (aged nearly three) and Kate (mum who’s tired of bottles leaking in her handbag)
Why did you choose this water bottle?
A Mummy gave it to us.
Z It’s green!
K I was looking for kid-friendly, durable, leak-proof water bottles that are easy to clean, and this ticked all the boxes.
What do you like about it?
A Nobody else at school has this one and it doesn’t make my bag wet any more. The loopy thing [carry loop] is cool and I can clip my Pokémon keyring to it.
Z I can make it go open and shut on my own.
K I noticed that some stainless steel bottles taint the water a bit, but these don’t. We had Zach’s as a (silicone) straw bottle configuration when he was younger, but as all the parts are interchangable it was easy to switch to a sports top.
Anything you don’t like?
K It’s lightweight, which is good, but because of this, it’s prone to denting quite easily when dropped (which is frequently!).
Costs: $140-250
Buy online at plasticfreehk.com.
