Hydration is KeyAt BottlePro, our motto is Health Through Hydration. One major health risk that can be avoided through proper planning is to have enough water for your hike. We've lived in the desert in Utah and western Colorado for 10 years, we've done A LOT of hikes in these areas where planning water needs is absolutely critical. We learned early on how essential it is to bring more water than you think you might need. In this video, we talk through how much water you should bring on a hike, including best practices and recommendations so you can adventure safely. And one major recommendation that we didn't specifically say in the video is to time your hike properly. If it's July and you're in the hot desert, you might want to start hiking before sunrise and finish by noon. We indirectly covered this in the video when talking about taking temperatures into account, but we wish we had made this recommendation more explicitly in the video. You wouldn't believe the number of hikers we've seen around here start long trails in the middle of the summer heat with just a small disposable water bottle! Video TranscriptHiking is a great activity both for your physical and mental health, but if not planned properly, hiking can be dangerous. Every year, there are stories about people who have close calls or even die while hiking due to dehydration or hyperthermia, aka an overheated body. Most incidents involve people who are hiking a new trail and may be unfamiliar with the area and the climate. This is especially true with tourists in desert areas like in Arizona, California, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado, but it can happen to anyone, anywhere. Here we’ll review best practices and guidelines to help you stay properly hydrated on your next hiking adventure. Have a Hydro Flask or other large bottle?Check out our Amazon store for fun and helpful accessories, like fruit infusers, cup holder adapters, and carrying slings.
Step 1: Research Your RouteThe first rule of hiking is to plan ahead and know how long you’ll be gone. There’s a big difference between a 3 mile flat hike in the forest and a 3 mile hike with 2000’ of elevation gain and no shade in the desert. Always look up the trail details from a site like:
(Click on an image below to link that site's Mt Garfield hike entry as an example.) Step 2: Estimate How Long You'll Be HikingIn general, it takes most people between 30 and 60 minutes to hike 1 mile. That’s a pretty big range, and your rate depends on a variety of factors including your own personal fitness, the elevation gain, the terrain (like if it’s sandy or involves scrambling), and the weather. And if you have children in your group or if you like to stop to take a lot of pictures, it will almost certainly take longer. Again, Alltrails.com is a great resource you can use to estimate the hiking time, and it’s based on results from other hikers so it takes factors like elevation gain and terrain into account. But it may still be a good idea to plan on needing more time if you’re not in the best shape or if you’re hiking a new trail. Step 3: Estimate How Much Water You’ll Need According to REI, a good rule-of-thumb is to have roughly 17 ounces (a half-liter) of water for each hour of moderate activity in moderate temperatures. Adjustments You’ll have to use your own judgement on how to adjust that number based on factors for each hike, like your familiarity with the hike, your fitness level and health, your age, the temperature and humidity, and the elevation gain and terrain. If you’re new to hiking or are trying a new route, we recommend doubling the rule-of-thumb and bringing 34 ounces, or roughly 1 liter, per hour that you expect to be hiking, especially if temperatures will be over 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you get through these steps, you should have a good idea on how much water you should bring on your next adventure. Check out our next video to see our recommendations on the best water bottles and bladders to bring on hikes. Want to take your favorite bottle to the next level?Check out our Amazon store for fun and helpful accessories, like fruit infusers, cup holder adapters, and carrying slings.
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Which Hydro Flask Lid Should You Get?Congrats, you have a Hydro Flask (or are thinking about getting one soon)! It's hard enough deciding which Hydro Flask bottle to get, but have you also thought about which lid you'll use? Hydro Flask has four (4) lids available right now on Amazon: Flex Cap, Flex Sip, Flex Straw, and Straw Lid. In this video, we go over how each one works, what we like and don't like about each design, and how we use them. If you'd rather read through the review than watch the video, see the written summary below. SummaryHydro Flask has four lid options, and you might be asking which lid is best for you. We've reviewed and tested each lid extensively, and here's what we think. Links are in the description. Which one is best for you? Well, it depends on how you want to use it, but we can tell you how we like to use them.
Flex Cap
Make It Even Better with a SplashPro Splash Guard Flex Sip
Make It Even Better with a FlavorFuze Steel Flex Straw
Make It Even Better with a FlavorFuze Straw Infuser Straw Lid (Original Design)
Also works with a FlavorFuze Straw Infuser Want to take your Hydro Flask to the next level?Check out our Amazon store for fun and helpful accessories, like fruit infusers, cup holder adapters, and carrying slings.
What's a Hydro Flask Flex Sip Lid?Hydro Flask released the Flex Sip lid in early 2020, and it's a fantastic addition to their product lineup. Now you can take a sip with a quarter-turn of the lid, instead of having to take it all the way off But the lid has quite a few moving parts, and knowing how to take it apart for cleaning and then put it back together may not be intuitive at first. Our quick 60 second review will show you how to use, disassemble, clean, and reassemble your Hydro Flask Flex Sip lid. Where Can You Buy a Flex Sip Lid?
Want to take your Hydro Flask to the next level?Check out our Amazon store for fun and helpful accessories, like fruit infusers, cup holder adapters, and carrying slings.
With summer in full gear and news of heat waves across the country, make sure you stay safe out there. Keep cool by adding ice to your bottle, and if you're using a Hydro Flask with the Flex Cap, use SplashPro to keep your ice at bay. Designed specifically to fit wide mouth Hydro Flasks. It also fits Iron Flasks and Takeyas, but not Nalgenes.
Follow along as we tackle this tough, but fun hike!Located in Palisade, Colorado off of G Road.
Hydration products we used (follow the links to Amazon) 1) Hydro Flask 40oz Wide Mouth 2) BottlePro Cup Holder Adapter 3) SplashPro Splash Guard 4) HikerPouch Leather Bottle Sling Click the link below to see the video on InstagramHere's what we think about Hydro Flasks's new Flex Straw LidWe've seen a lot of questions like:
With all of Hydro Flask's cap options (not to mention 3rd party versions), it can be a little confusing. To help keep things straight, we're reviewing Hydro Flask's new Flex Straw cap and will let you know if it's worth a buy. See our video review belowAnd if you'd rather read the review, keep scrolling past the video.
What's Different with the New Design?At first the new lid may not seem very different, but there are a few key changes. Change #1: The Handle The previous straw lid had a hard plastic handle on one side that was basically a finger-loop. Some common complaints were that it was uncomfortable, especially when you're juggling holding other items too. The Flex Straw cap solves many of these criticisms. The handle is the same style as their Flex Cap and Flex Sip lids. This is a much improved handle design that we are totally on board with. Change #2: Easier Cleaning
Change #3: Leak Resistance Another common complaint of the previous straw lid was that it could leak fairly easily. The spout wouldn't "snap" into place, so it if wasn't pushed all the way down by accident, then you could experience some leaking if your bottle tipped over. Based on our initial tests, the new Flex Straw lid seems to be less likely to leak. The main reason is that the spout "snaps" into the locked position. Once you hear the click, then you should be good to go and not have to worry about leaks. We really like this change. The lid just feels a lot more secure and better-engineered than before. Change #4: Insulation The old cap really didn't insulate very well at all, but the new Flex Straw cap changes that. Hydro Flask added their Honeycomb(TM) insulation to the design, and the silicone insert also helps. One of the main reasons you probably have a Hydro Flask is to have an insulated bottle, so this is a welcome improvement. Our VerdictWe like just about every change that Hydro Flask made with this new design. It seems to improve nearly all aspects of the previous straw lid. We highly recommend it.
Want to Make Your Flex Straw Lid Even Better?Try out our FlavorFuze Straw fruit infuser. It's a clip-on infuser that is compatible with both the old and new Hydro Flask straw lid designs.
Loose Leaf Tea in Hydro Flasks - A Match Made in HeavenMany people search Google for things like:
We get a lot of questions about this too. Hydro Flasks are primarily used for water, but plenty of people would love it if they could have different flavors, like fruit infused water, coffee, or tea. In particular, tea is what we're focusing on today. And check out our FlavorFuze Steel Mini demo video at the end!Can You Make Hot Tea in a Hydro Flask?
And unlike some concerns with plastic and even aluminum, from what we have found, stainless steel won't leach chemicals or pollutants into your beverage. Flaske has a great article covering more details about the question of "Are Stainless Steel Water Bottles Safe to Drink From." So does Elemental Bottles, where they recommend looking for bottles that are either made from #304 or 18/8 stainless steel (Hydro Flasks are made from 18/8). We highly recommend checking these articles out if you have any other questions or concerns. Best Hydro Flask Bottles for TeaYou should also consider what type of Hydro Flask you want to use, since that can have an effect on which type of tea infuser will work best.
Tea Infusers for Wide Mouth Hydro Flasks (like the 12/16/20oz Coffee Bottles and also 32oz/40oz Bottles)Now that we know putting hot tea in stainless steel bottles like Hydro Flasks is safe, let's look at the best ways to do it! OPTION #1: MAKE IT SEPARATELYHistorically, the most common way to enjoy tea in your Hydro Flask has been to brew it outside of your Hydro Flask first. Then just pour the tea into your flask, and you're good to go. This is great for many people because they already have tea-making equipment. You'll also need to go this route if you are using a narrow-mouth Hydro Flask bottle.
OPTION #2: MAKE IT IN YOUR HYDRO FLASKYou can save yourself some extra dishes and time by brewing your tea right in your Hydro Flask! But this option can be a little trickier because not all tea infusers and strainers will fit in Hydro Flask bottles. The inside diameter of wide mouth Hydro Flasks is right around 2.1 inches across, so be sure that your strainer is smaller so it can fit!
FlavorFuze Steel Mini DemoMy Soda Habit Story
I'll be 35 years old tomorrow, and I've had a soda habit since I was a kid. Growing up, it wasn't uncommon for me to drink 2, 3, or even 4 sodas per day. As you might guess, I've also been overweight most of my life too, which is certainly not a coincidence. But at 35, I finally kicked my soda habit. I'm down almost 10 pounds this year, and best of all, I feel like what I'm doing is sustainable.
​Here's what's working for me, and hopefully it'll help you on your journey too. Step 1: Know the Problem
​If you're reading this, then you've likely already heard or read about the major health issues that can result from regularly eating or drinking high levels of sugar.
And a lot of other people have too, judging Google Trends. The interest-over-time for "Low Sugar" has been slowly-but-steadily increasing over the last several years.
Google Trends - Searches for "Low Sugar" for the Previous Five (5) Years
Of all the ways that consumers regularly ingest sugar, sugary beverages are the primary culprits. These include:
According to the American Heart Association, the maximum recommended sugar intake is 36 grams of sugar per day for men. For women, it's 25 grams. Each one of the drink examples above is either right at those limits or way above them, all from one drink.
Seeing how bottle and can sizes vary, it's also interesting to look at the sugar concentration as shown below. ​One of the more surprising realizations for most people is how most fruit juices really aren't good for you. Sure they provide some benefits like vitamins and other nutrients, so in that way they are better than sodas. But the sugar content per ounce for Minute Maid orange juice is essentially the same as a Coke!
There are plenty of people smarter than me that study this topic for their day jobs, so I'll leave it to them to provide additional details and research about sugar and health. Here are some of the more helpful articles we've read.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Guidance on Added Sugars WebMD: How Sugar Affects Your Body American Heart Association: How Much Sugar is too Much? Healthline: 11 Reasons Why Too Much Sugar is Bad for You And keep in mind that diet sodas aren't free-and-clear of problems either. There is growing evidence that drinks with artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose are bad for you as well, as discussed here. Step 2: Find Your Real Motivation
You can always have a combination of motivations, and many of these are related (like weight loss and long-term health). ​But whatever the situation, the key is to figure out what primary focus and goal really motivates you.
A Personal Story - My New Motivation
After reading articles about how sugar essentially acts like a poison and how sodas in particular are "empty calories" that provide no nutritional benefit, I knew it was in my best interest to quit.
Each time I tried to change, I would start off a few days or weeks without sodas, but then I would slip and start drinking them again. The most common backfiring strategies I used were:
The reason that these backfiring strategies worked on me was that I hadn't determined what my real motivation was yet. I said I wanted to lose weight, and that can work for many people. But the problem, for me, is that I'm fairly comfortable in my own skin already. Also, I have always been overweight so it's not easy for me to truly realize how much better I might feel to achieve a healthy weight. It was more abstract. But as I got older, something happened. I started thinking more about how little time we truly have, and how chronic diseases that we always read about and learned of back in school are very real. And then someone very close to me passed away. He smoked most of his life, and though he was finally able to quit a few years ago, by then the damage was done. He developed cancer and passed away earlier this year. He urged me to improve my habits now and to learn from his life experiences. This changed my motivational focus.
Instead of just wanting to lose weight, my new focus became achieving better long-term health. This seemingly small change in my focus and goals made all the difference for me.
Step 3: Strategies for Change
Once you know what really motivates you, it's time to start thinking about how you'll make changes.
​There are many strategies that you can use to cut out soda from your diet. Here are a few.
A Personal Story - My New Routine
Honestly, I've used all of the strategies listed above to varying degrees. But the ones that helped me the most are #1 and #4. By drinking more water, I've been able to feel fuller and am less likely to drive to the store for a soda. And by using a flavored drink alternative, I can still take a break from "boring" water each day and satisfy my need for flavor.
This is what's working for me.
Need another bottle? Check out Hydro Flask's Amazon store.
Step #4 (If Needed): Don't Be Afraid to Reset
Stopping any habit can have its ups and downs. It took me over a dozen attempts over the years before I reached sustainable change. Don't feel ashamed if you don't succeed initially. Re-evaluate your motivations and strategies, and keep trying.
![]() After debuting just over 10 years ago, Hydro Flasks quickly gained traction as the go-to insulated water bottle. For many people, the simple benefit of having a bottle that is vacuum-insulated was enough of a selling point. For others, it's the clean, yet stylish design. Whatever the reason, Hydro Flask continues to build its following and shows no signs of slowing down. It's only natural what happened next. A whole range of accessories have been developed with the goal of making life with these amazing but cumbersome bottles a little easier. We here at BottlePro got involved in this niche early with our cup holder adapter, so we've seen it grow over the years, including new notable accessories coming available fairly often. Here are some of our favorites for the best accessories for Hydro Flasks in 2022 (focusing on 32 and 40 ounce bottles). ACCESSORIES FOR GETTING AROUNDThe most common accessories for Hydro Flasks involve making it easier to bring your bottle wherever your adventures take you. These include cup holders, bottles slings, and handles. #1: Cup Holder Adapter
#2: Stylish Bottle Sling
#3: Heavy-Duty Bottle Sling
#4: Leather Bottle Sling
#5: Paracord Handle
ACCESSORIES FOR PROTECTIONNext, consider investing in something that can help keep your bottle looking great for years to come. #6: Bottle Sleeve
#7: Bottle Boot
ACCESSORIES FOR FLAVOR AND ICENow that your bottle is easier to bring along with you on your adventures, it's time to think about ways to improve what you're actually drinking! #7: Flavor Infuser
#8: Ice Alternative
#9: Splash Guard / Ice Stopper
ACCESSORIES FOR CLEANINGIt's not the sexiest category, but you should certainly put some thought into cleaning your Hydro Flask. #10: Brush Kit
Bonus: Bottle Tablet Cleaners
We reviewed four popular adapters on the market today. This video will help you decide which cup holder adapter to purchase for your bottle. Clicking the links will take you to Amazon so you can check prices.
If you'd rather read the review, we've included a transcript of this video below for reference. (And if you purchase something, we get a referral fee as an Amazon Associate! Thanks for your support!) We reviewed: And while we focus on a few types of Hydro Flasks, this review is also applicable to other large bottles like Nalgenes, YETIs, Klean Kanteens, Simple Moderns, Takeyas, Thermoflasks, Iron Flasks, Fifty/Fifty, Swig, and many other popular bottles on the market today. If you're not sure whether you need an adapter at all, we highly-recommend you visit the blog post referenced at the beginning of the video so you can determine if your car's cup holders will likely work with any of these adapters. Or if you're using a smaller bottle, you may not even need an adapter! Just click the link below to view that post. Which Hydro Flasks Fit in Cup Holders? - The Ultimate Guide (Updated for 2022) Video Transcript: Hydro Flasks are great bottles, but many of them are so big that they don’t fit in standard cup holders. So we’re going to review four of the most popular cup holders on the market today, and give you our thoughts and recommendations. Links to purchase are in the description. This video focuses on comparing cup holder adapters needed to use larger Hydro Flasks, and we assume you already know you need an adapter. But you may not need one at all if you have a smaller Hydro Flask, like a 21oz. Check out our blog post for a full step-by-step guide. Link in the description. Let’s get started. Amazon Basics First we have Amazon Basics. Like many popular categories, Amazon released their own cup holder and have undercut most other adapters on the market. But it’s still very functional and a good option on a budget
BottlePro Next up we have BottlePro, which is our cup holder adapter.
In summary, BottlePro is a great budget alternative to Amazon Basics for 32 and 40 ounce Hydro Flasks, but for smaller diameter bottles, you might want to look at an adapter with centralizer tabs. And keep an eye out for our upcoming 3rd version, which will have many improvements. Swigzy Next is Swigzy, which is a great premium option.
Joytutus Last is Joytutus. This cup holder is a good option overall.
So that’s it! We hope this review has been helpful. Don’t forget to check out our website at bottlepro.net, where we have other products like infusers and splash guards for Hydro Flasks. And subscribe to our blog for more content like this, hydration news, and updates on product deals. Thanks for watching. |
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