Vapur Insulated Chill Water Bottle

Water bottles are all the same, right? Well, not really. We can, or should, all agree that: 1. It's really important to stay hydrated when you’re out fishing, be that on a river, lake, some saltwater flat, or in blue water. 2. Single-use plastic bottles are a scourge that run counter to the ethos of anyone who truly appreciates the outdoors.

I recently chanced upon this hard-sided, double-wall stainless steel insulated, BPA-free bottle from Vapur, and I like it. The company says it will keep hot liquids hot for 12 hours, but I’m never going to test that threshold, because all the coffee or tea is gone in my drift boat by the time we shove off. Vapur also says it keeps liquids cool for 12 hours, and I can actually vouch for that, having left the bottle filled with crushed ice/water by my feet in a dory for a full float, and it kept the water very cold.

At 20 ounces of capacity, I consider that half a day’s worth of fishing. So, if you’re out for the long haul, you’ll want a refill.

But what distinguishes this bottle from others is the cap design, and I don’t even think the company begins to understand what a home run that is for the average fly angler. You push a button and the cap snaps open. You draw a drink from the nozzle, and can snap the cap shut with one hand, or by pressing it up against your chin.

Unscrewing a cap usually takes two hands. When I’m fishing, or rowing, I don’t have two free hands. If I can reach down, grab a bottle, push a button, take a swig and seal it tight, that’s as good as it gets. And, the cap also comes with a built-in carabiner clip, so you can clip it to a pack easily.

Add to that, It doesn’t sustain leftover flavors, in case you decide to load it up with Margarita instead of water. So, if you go to the open air concert the night before you float, you won’t be re-tasting Margaritaville…

I don’t have many dings to report–what the heck are you going to ding about a water bottle? Maybe the slightly narrow mouth makes it a tad harder to load ice into. But it’s a pass-fail test on the insulation factor. If that’s a pass, it’s all about function, and the cap of this bottle has it stand apart from any other option out there.