Tap Water vs Bottled Water? What Do You Drink?

Where do you stand on the bottled water vs tap water issue?  Do you have good drinking water coming out of your taps, or do you have to filter it?  Perhaps you prefer to buy bottled water to drink at home.

We have been fortunate to always have lived where the tap water is of good quality.  We have never even felt the need to use a tap filtration system.  For years I have carried a water bottle with me, filled with tap water, and we never purchased water in plastic bottles until we bought the boat.

The reason for that was a limited water supply when we were cruising for days or weeks on end.  We would fill the boats water tank with good, clean water from the tap at our marina before we left the dock.  And we would fill the two five-gallon bottles that we kept in reserve as well.  Those were for the possibility of a water pump failure... we would still have drinking or cooking water until we could get into port for repairs.  (Shower water was carried in our SunShower bags on deck.)

As we got to know our cruising grounds better, we realized that many of the small islands that we were visiting didn't have good, clean water at their marinas, and so we would not use it to refill the boat's water tank.  We were not about to foul it with unclean water... so our water supply was often nearly gone by the time we would arrive back at our dock, especially on longer cruises.

We started purchasing and carrying water in plastic bottles, to be used in case of emergencies and as added 'insurance' on our cruises... but I always felt a bit guilty about it.

Now that we are not doing longer cruises, we are no longer buying bottled water and I have been searching for a new water bottle for my daily outings.  And I found a beauty!  Actually, a couple of them.

I was recently offered the opportunity to try out some new WENGER Eco Bottles and I jumped at the chance.  I really liked the sound of them in the promo material. I have been using one or the other of my new WENGER Eco Bottle for the past few days and I just love them.

They are made from virgin aluminum and have BPA-free liners.  And they contain no toxins or other harmful chemicals.

The taller of the 2 bottles is a beautiful, shiny ruby red color and it holds a very generous 800 ml/27 ounces.  The Sporttop has several unique features:

• removable protective cover
• travel handle
• quick open-close
• safety valve to prevent fluid loss
• inside straw to speed consumption

The mouth of the bottle is wide enough to pop a few ice cubes inside and off I go!

The other bottle is a black mat in color and is a bit smaller in volume - 650 ml/22 ounces.  It has a Dualtop that is unique as it has 2 parts:

• the travel top needs only a slight turn to open
• twintop adapter changes wide mouth to small mouth
• each piece has a replaceable sealing ring

These bottles do come in other colors and have an assortment of accessories such as carrying pouches, wrist straps, and cleaning brushes. And, replacement tops are available.

Both of the bottles are a good fit in my hands. That makes them easy and comfortable to use.  And both of these lid styles are easy to attach to a belt or bag or even a back pack.  They fit bicycle water holders and also my running water belt.

And because they are aluminum the cold water tends to stay cold a bit longer than in a plastic bottle, too.

Here is what Eco Bottle has to say about their products.

"Wenger by Eco Bottle is the newest innovation in wide mouth bottle functionality with a leak proof, triple lock system that is fast to close with only half a turn.  In addition there are 4 interchangeable tops to accommodate everyone’s needs.  These innovative, aesthetically appealing bottles are recyclable at the end of their lifecycle.

Wenger by Eco Bottle has just launched in Canada at London Drugs."

This morning we had to go to London Drugs to pick up a small filing cabinet and I wandered around the store until I found the WENGER Eco Bottle display. I was really curious as to the retail price of these lovely bottles...

I was delighted to see that they are so reasonably priced.  The smaller bottle is $14.99 Canadian and the larger is $19.99 Canadian. I know that some of the other bottles I have considered were much more than that.

And to add to the fun, there is a contest.  The blogger who generates the most clicks will win a “Go Green Fizz” Starter Kit and Sodamix Variety 12-pack by SodaStream ($212.00 value!).

Just CLICK HERE if you want to help me out!

I was given these water bottles in order to review them but the opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Do you use tap water/filtered tap water or do you purchase water? 

 

 

Do you use a portable water bottle?  What material is it?