Do you sometimes find yourself running around without a moment to stop and think all day? Are you so busy that you sometimes don’t have time to take breaks for basic needs like sustenance and hydration? The truth is, there are many of us living this busy American lifestyle, and it is easy to get so caught up in the business of our own lives that our physical health and wellbeing suffers. By carrying a water bottle during the day, however, we can keep that easily refillable source of hydration nearby and increase overall health with that little lifestyle adjustment. Since researching different types of water bottles is not high on the list of priorities for businesswomen or well-rounded college students, I have taken the time to compare two viable options on the basis of, convenience, appearance, health benefits, and material quality. Here are the contenders: SIGG standard one liter metal bottles and the Camelbak .75 liter plastic bottle.
For most busy Americans, convenience is the most important factor in purchasing a water bottle. Both SIGG and Camelbak offer screw-top lids with carrying loops. The bottles can be attached to bags with carabiners at this point. Another consideration for carrying water bottles, however, is weight. While Camelbak plastic is lightweight, metal SIGG water bottles can be quite heavy on their own—so the SIGG is heavier when full, but also has weight when it is empty, while the empty Camelbak is almost weightless. Another feature of the metal SIGG to note is its ability to retain temperatures. Because of the medium, cold water in a SIGG will stay colder longer than in a plastic Camelbak. This feature has a flipside, however: in warm climates the SIGG can get very warm and stay so.
One must also consider the drinking opening options for both bottles. The standard SIGG bottle has an open neck with a screw top. Although this option is more convenient than the ubiquitous Nalgene with its gaping opening, the standard Camelbak lid is even more preferable. The Camelbak spill-proof lid is also a screw top, but includes a straw feature so one does not need to unscrew the lid every time one takes a drink. Although some may consider this appearance immature, as a spill-inclined individual, I value this feature above the more sophisticated look of a pure screw top. Appearance is important to most consumers, and both brands offer personalization in the appearance of the bottle. Both SIGG and Camelbak offer a variety of colors and patterns for their water bottles. While Camelbak offers both solid and translucent bottles (plastic or metal), SIGG offers all solid colored bottles (metal only) but a wider variety of personalized patterns. A consumer who values individualization more than the practical purposes of the water bottle might prefer SIGG’s multitude of options. However, there are other factors to consider when purchasing a water bottle besides convenience and appearance—health benefits or risks are important considerations as well.
Both SIGG and Camelbak offer a variety of sizes of water bottles. The volume range for SIGG is .3 liters (or approximately 10 ounces) to 1.5 liters (50 ounces). Camelbak offers bottles from .5 liters (16 ounces) to 1 liter (34 ounces). While SIGG offers a significantly larger range of volumes, this feature should not be a primary deciding factor unless you are looking for a particularly small or large water bottle. Most people would prefer something in the Camelbak range anyway, and any of these bottles are easily refilled. If you work in an office of a college campus, for example, you probably spend most of your day near enough to a drinking fountain to take a thirty second break to refill every couple hours, rather than running to the fountain every few minutes for a refreshing drink. Hydration is important to overall health so having a water bottle easily accessible all day can be a real help!
Today’s health-savvy water bottle user understands the risk of the chemical BPA (Bisphenol A), found in the process of making certain kinds of plastic and resins used to line metal food and beverage containers. Although the FDA has not yet determined BPA a toxic substance, concerns have been raised in terms of its link to cancerous development, thyroid dysfunction, and neurological issues, and some retailers recalled products containing BPA. In August of 2008, SIGG offered an exchange system for anyone owning a SIGG water bottle purchased pre-August 2008, to be replaced with a newer, BPA-free version. Camelbak has never used metals or plastics containing traces of BPA, and even boast first to market with a BPA-free hard plastic water bottle, according to their CEO letter on the Camelbak website. Camelbak also includes a “BPA-free” label on all of their water bottles. Currently, however, neither brand includes BPA in any of their products.
There is more to the materials of the bottles than health risks, however. Material durability is important; as consumers, we want to make the most of out investments. In my personal ownership experience, both SIGG and Camelbak products stand up against the test of time, exhibiting only superficial deterioration. The SIGG may acquire dents if dropped and the Camelbak scratches, but neither is likely to crack or break unless under severe duress. Each product is clearly of high quality and will last with every day use.
Both SIGG and Camelbak offer high-quality products that are durable and healthy options—providing daily hydration without chemical leakage. But for the typically busy, hardworking American, the convenience of the Camelbak outweighs the personalizing options of the SIGG. While the SIGG retains cold temperatures longer than the Camelbak, the plastic Camelbak option is more versatile and offers the ease of its lightweight and spill-proof features. If you consider yourself one of those busy individuals struggling to make time for basic needs, the Camelbak is the best option for you, available online (http://www.camelbak.com/sports-recreation/bottles.aspx) or at outdoor recreation stores like REI.
Convenience
Temperature very affected little change
Drinking opening open neck, screw top spill-proof straw screw top
Handle/carrying lid loop lid loop
Weight metal weight lightweight plastic
Appearance
Translucent/solid all solid some solid, some translucent
Colors variety variety
Patterns many few
Health
BPA no no
Volume .3-1.5 L/10-50oz .5-1 L/16-34 oz
Material Quality
Durability: dents/cracks easily dents scratches
Hi Evanie,
ReplyDeleteGreat job appealing to everyone! I like that you listed exactly what you were comparing before you actually compared. I think you could have incorporated a little more transitioning between points, although I knew where you were going because you listed it at the beginning. However, I wish you included pictures of the two types of water bottles. I think it would've made the paper easier to look at. Also, I wish your table columns were all even. Other than that, good job!
So, I was really happy to read this because I recently bought this gigantic water bottle (neither SIGG or Camelback) and I'm still in that phase where I'm trying to figure out if it's working for me or not. In any case, I thought this was a fairly well-written piece that included enough information that people can get the idea as to what is available. I do wish that there had been photos, at least one each. But other than that, I enjoyed reading it. I liked that you appealed to everyone even though you could have simply focused on dehydrated college students. I think that added another level of interest. Overall, good job!
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