Listen, when you work as a professional travel writer like I do, you tend to form a deep, emotional attachment with your water bottle du jour. On the road, it becomes a life-sustaining necessity when you’re dashing across the Newark airport to make a 45-minute connection or jostling side to side in a luxe Kenyan safari Jeep.
After visiting all 63 national parks in the United States with a single water vessel in tow (a CamelBak Eddy+, thanks for asking), my beloved bottle was looking a little forlorn, and a close friend couldn’t stop raving about the Owala FreeSip. I picked one up about two years ago, and it’s scarcely left my side since.
To date, my FreeSip has been to six continents (including Antarctica), on countless day hikes and on a handful of long-distance road trips. Let’s get into what makes it so unique and functional.
Owala’s FreeSip water bottle is a game changer in the field, mainly for its use of an easy-to-clean, dishwasher-safe lid and straw, which also allows users to choose between “sip” and “gulp” functions. It boasts excellent insulation and comes in a huge variety of fun colorways.
What we liked about it
While it’s true that water bottles don’t often have a ton of technical features, the Owala FreeSip manages to pack a lot into a small package. Here are a few of our favorite specs.
Great insulation
One of the best things about the FreeSip bottle is how darn cold it keeps my drinks, for up to 24 hours. That’s thanks to its three-layer, vacuum-insulated stainless steel construction. How does it work? Much like a double-walled carabiner mug, the multi-layer design traps a layer of air between its stainless steel panels, creating a more efficient heat seal than porcelain or plastic alone.
I’ve left chilled water in this thing all day and overnight in my car during the summer, and in the morning, it was still cold. This is a fantastic perk if you’re like me and hike a lot in the hot, sunny summer months. Pack your Owala full of ice water, leave it in the car at the trailhead, pop in some electrolytes after your romp and voila! A refreshing, post-hike treat.
Sip versus gulp feature
This is the feature that made me initially fall head over heels for this water bottle. Unlike Owala’s insulated tumblers or competitors’ soft-strawed water bottles, Owala has changed the hydration game with its patented FreeSip spout design, which allows users to sip daintily from the straw or tilt the entire bottle back and chug through its larger wide-mouth opening. Personally, I find that the straw feature is a lifesaver on long road trips to places like Moab and Yosemite National Park, because it allows me to stay well-hydrated without taking my eyes off the road.
Durability
When you routinely pull over to scramble up random boulders in Joshua Tree, set off to bike along the Boulder Creek Path or rent a motorbike in the rural Philippines, your reusable water bottle is bound to take a few hits, drops, dings and scratches along the way. Unlike a lot of other metal water bottles I’ve tested over the years, many of which were filtered water bottles, the FreeSip retains its shape, insulation and leak-proof qualities, even when dropped onto a hard surface like concrete.
What we didn’t like about it
After putting this awesome water bottle through the wringer for two straight years, there are just a couple of things I’d love to see improved in future editions.
Not dishwasher-safe
OK, so in all fairness, this one is only partly true. According to the official Owala website, the FreeSip water bottle’s top and straw are dishwasher-safe (which is great, because that’s where your mouth goes), while the stainless steel bottom container needs to be hand-washed, namely because of its paint-brushed exterior. Because of this, I tend to only drink water out of my FreeSip to avoid a sticky, difficult-to-clean mess. It would be great if the company improved its bottom cups to be dishwasher-safe, for easy sterilization.
Only for cold beverages
At its price point of $33, I’d love to see the Owala FreeSip rival other pricey metal drinking vessels like Hydro Flask’s coffee bottle, which can insulate both hot and cold beverages. At the moment, the FreeSip is only recommended for cold and room temperature drinks, because of the possibility of a build up of pressure, making it more of a smoothie, juice and water bottle, as opposed to an all-in-one hot and cool container.
How it compares
At $33, the Owala 32-ounce FreeSip water bottle might seem expensive, until you see that competitors like Hydro Flask’s 32-ounce Wide Mouth with Flex Straw Cap ($50) and Yeti’s 26-ounce Water Bottle with Straw Cap ($40) are significantly more expensive.
On the other hand, CamelBak’s Eddy+ is much cheaper ($17) for the all-plastic version and similarly priced ($35) for the stainless steel edition, which can store both hot and cold beverages. The only down side? CamelBak’s soft straw design makes for a tricky-to-clean dirt and algae trap.
Looking for something more kid-friendly, in terms of size? Owala has also launched a 16-ounce Kids’ FreeSip ($23), which comes in loads of the same fun colors as its adult model.
Bottom line
If you’re looking for a simply awesome stocking stuffer for that thirsty runner or hiker on your list, or you’re eyeing a chic new water bottle for yourself, you can’t go wrong with Owala’s 32-Ounce FreeSip. Yes, it’s pricier than a random one you might find on Amazon, but the brand offers a lifetime warranty against manufacturer defects, as well as a handy shop for replacement parts, should you need them, both of which we feel more than justify its price range. After two years of hardcore testing in Alaska, Kenya, Antarctica, Tasmania, California and Colorado, I can safely say that this is my favorite water bottle and road trip sidekick on the planet right now.
