Living Green With Jerinda: Back-to-School With the CamelBak eddy BPA-Free Reusable Water Bottles

Thank you to CamelBak for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own.

Being an eco-friendly person, I love reusable water bottles either made of glass, stainless steel, or BPA-free plastic. Regular, disposable plastic water bottles are a huge source of pollution so we try to avoid them as much as possible. CamelBak has just release their redesigned eddy bottle which features a faster flow rate and is more durable than its predecessor. It comes in a .6L, 1L, or a .75L bottle, which is the size we received, with their patented flip-top bite valve that allows you to drink without tipping or spilling. Plus, its loop handle can be hooked to a carabiner or easily held with just a finger.

We love our stainless steel water bottles, but have been looking for something more lightweight and easier to carry when we’re out running errands, working out at the gym, hiking, or walking as a family, and the CamelBak eddy is a perfect fit for our needs. This bottle is very light - even full of ice and water - and the loop-top is really easy to carry and is ergonomic so it doesn’t leave harsh impressions on my finger. We very much love these bottles and always carry them with us everywhere we go. This also helps us all get in our daily recommended water intake, and that’s an added bonus. We all love drinking out of them and will be purchasing two more soon so we can each have our own and not have to share. The CamelBak eddy is also dishwasher safe.

My only critique would be that I really wish these bottles were insulated because they sweat quite a bit and leave wetness from the condensation everywhere. When we purchase additional bottles, we will be opting for the insulated CamelBak eddy.

You can purchase the .75L CamelBak eddy at www.shop.camelbak.com for approximately $15.00 and the .6L Insulated eddy for about $20.00.

Back-to-School Must-Haves: Klean Kanteen Wide Insulated Bottle

Now that our oldest is entering the 3rd grade this fall, I think he is old enough to start taking soup to school for lunch during the colder months.  He is all excited about that idea.  The only thing I had to do was find the right type of container to transport the soup.  I need something that is kid-friendly, would keep the soup hot from the time it was prepared in the morning until lunchtime, and something that would fit in our son's lunch box.  Rather than opting for a thermos, it looked like the more compact 16oz Klean Kanteen Wide Insulated Bottle would work out perfectly for us.

In order to find out if the Insulated Klean Kanteen bottle would keep soup warm for 5 hours, approximately the length of time between packing the soup in the morning until lunchtime at school, I filled the bottle with piping hot water.  Then I allowed the bottle to sit for slightly longer than 5 hours.  When I went back to check the temperature of the water, I was very pleased to find that it was still hot.  The water was no longer piping hot, but rather the perfect temperature at which to serve hot soup.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

This BPA-free stainless steel vacuum insulated bottle can be used for both hot or cold liquids.  It does need to be handwashed, but I think it is worth the bit of extra work if it means that our son can have hot soup for lunch during the school week.  All I would need to do is include a covered container (in which he can pour the soup), a spoon, and some oyster crackers to give our son one of his favorite things to eat . . . hot soup.

To learn more about this and other Klean Kanteen products, visit www.kleankanteen.com, where you can also learn more about Klean Kanteen's many charitable partnerships with organizations, such as 1% For the Planet and the Breast Cancer Fund.  This 16oz insulated bottle retails for $25.95 in stainless steel and is built to last a lifetime.


Thank you to Klean Kanteen for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

Living Green With Jerinda: Vapur Reusable Collapsible Water Bottles

Vapur is an utterly unique water bottle that they’ve labeled the “anti-bottle”. Vapur Anti-Bottles are BPA-free, ultra-durable plastic bottles that are dishwasher safe, as well as odor, taste, and stain resistant, and freezable. Best of all, they fold flat when finished so they store away easily and are super easy to carry.

Typically, we try to avoid plastic because of the toxins, but my kids’ backpacks are so heavy when carrying the stainless steel ones around, so I thought I’d give this a go. I’m glad I did. These bottles are fantastic! We were sent one .5L Vapur bottle for each of my kids along with a sweater (bottle cover) for each bottle. I love that they can go in the dishwasher, making my life easier, and I can freeze them so they’ll stay cold all day. The sweaters keep the frozen bottles from making a mess and they also help hold the coldness in so the bottles stay icy until the end of their day. They also come with a handy clip, so it’s easy to hang on their backpack and, at the end of the day, they just roll up the empty bottle and put it in the front pocket. They are very well made, to boot, so they’re sure to last a while.

These bottles would be good for adults and children alike. They would be great to store in cars, put in purses or diaper bags, take hiking or playing sports, and many other places. I think that anyone could find a use for Vapur Anti-Bottles.

You can buy Vapur’s full line of Anti-Bottles on their site, www.vapur.us. They come in singles or multi-packs and are offered in two sizes, .4L and .5L. Their prices start at $9.99.

Thank you to Vapur for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon.

Living Green With Jerinda: Back to School with Klean Kanteen

In 2004 Klean Kanteen made its first, basic stainless steel water bottle as an alternative to plastic and a successful company was born. Since then, Klean Kanteen has expanded from the basic bottle to many varieties and colors and has become a leader in plastic water bottle alternatives.

My family has been in love with Klean Kanteen for years. Each member of my family has a classic one in various sizes and we have sippy cups for the daycare as well. Of all the metal water bottles I’ve ever bought, none have outlasted my Klean Kanteens. Klean Kanteens are handmade from toxin-free materials, have very nice large mouth openings for ice, and are 100% stainless steel except for the caps, which are BPA-free plastic.

Klean Kanteen was nice enough to send us three new bottles, the classic 18 oz. in orange, a wide-mouth insulated 12 oz. in white, and a wide-mouth insulated 20 oz. in stainless brushed along with two extra café caps, similar to coffee shop lids, in addition to the standard loop and sport caps.

This is the first time I’ve ever tried the insulated bottles and I absolutely love them. It keeps hot and cold food and drinks at their desired temp for up to 6 hours, has durable double-walled construction, made of 18/8 food-grade stainless steel, and has a 100% stainless interior. I am thrilled with the quality of these, love that they fit in my car’s cup holders, and think they outperform in insulation. I am hoping to be able to purchase two more of these for my family very soon.

Any of Klean Kanteen’s stainless steel cups would make an excellent water bottle for children heading back to school. Last year my oldest used two: one for water to keep him hydrated throughout the day and one in his lunch box. I am excited that this year he’ll be able to use an insulated one to keep his water icy all day.

You can purchase Klean Kanteen products at many retailers nationwide. For details on where to buy or to shop online, visit their website, www.kleankanteen.com.


Thank you to Klean Kanteen for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon.

Review: Personalized Chuggington Water Bottles from Ty's Toy Box

Spring just flew by in a flash for us.  There is only one more game left in our 7 year old's Spring soccer season.  I am not complaining though.  The temperatures are getting up there and, during some of the games, it was really too hot for comfort for both the players and people on the sidelines.  On days such as those, a large water bottle is a must for all three children.

I had tried different aluminum water bottles for my son in the past.  One had an opening that was too large for a child, which caused him to constantly spill the water when he tried to drink it.  Another one was so large that, when I filled it, the bottle was just too heavy for a child to carry.  These 20oz aluminum personalized Chuggington Water Bottles worked out perfectly, not just for our 7 year old, but for our 4 year old twins as well.

These bottles come in two styles . . . the Dizzy Sports Bottle and the Ride With Chuggers Sports Bottle.  We received 3 personalized bottles with one child's name on each.  I love how the bottles have interchangeable tops.  It can be used as a standard sports bottle with a pull-up spout or as a regular bottle with a screw on cap.  All 3 children ended up preferring the spout top.

I have to say that all 3 of my children love to use these bottles at home, but when I packed them to take to our son's soccer game a couple of weekends ago, he did not want to take it over to where he sat with the other players.  I suppose around here a 7 year old is not suppose to be a fan of Chuggington in public, but can have as much Chuggington fun in the privacy of his own home as he wishes.

These Chuggington sports bottles are part of a line of personalized Chuggington gifts offered by Ty's Toy Box, which also includes t-shirts, hoodies, backpacks, wallets, hats, room signs, pillowcases, and tote bags.  The water bottles retail for $21.95 on Chuggington.TysToyBox.com and comes with Free Personalization with one name up to 9 characters.


Thank you to Ty's Toy Box for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon. 

Giveaway & Review: "WaterWeek Kids" Reusable Bottles by Reduce [CLOSED]

As I have mentioned in the past, I have been looking for easy ways to teach our kindergartner to be a little more green. We already have reusable snack containers and just added a water filtration system to our kitchen, so these BPA free WaterWeek Kids reusable bottles seem like a logical next step.

Since our son needs to take a snack to school everyday, this set of bottles is perfect because there is one for each school day. We chose the boy's set to try out, but there are also a girl's set and a sports themed set available.

What I thought about these WaterWeek Kids bottles:

1) My initial concern about drinking from reusable bottles is whether they will give off a chemical or plastic taste when my son drinks from them. I am happy to report that he did not detect any taste from the bottle and he is pretty picky about taste. He even pointed out the difference the first day when I tried to give him filtered water instead of spring water.

2) I very much like that this set comes with a tray. It makes it very easy to store neatly, as well as easy to notice when there is a bottle unaccounted for.

3) I like that the tops screw on just as they do on a regular water bottle. This is what my son was use to, so it's good that he can go a little greener without making a huge change. We use to buy him the short Poland Spring Pods and these WaterWeek Kids bottles fit just as well into his snack cube.

4) My son very much likes all the bold designs. Although it is a little ominous, his favorite is the red one with the skull and crossbones. He calls it his pirate bottle.

5) We've washed these bottles in the dishwasher on the top rack many times. We put the caps in a basket to keep them safe while being washed. We have not had any problems with the bottles warping or the designs wearing off the outside.

These WaterWeek Kids bottles have not only been great for my son to take to school, but he uses them at home as well. He always keeps a bottle by his bed and one handy while he is playing. I am even thinking about getting a set of full size WaterWeek bottles for use around the house.

To learn more about the eco-friendly kitchen products offered by Reduce, visit ReduceEveryday.com . The Reduce Compactor Can is one of their newest products, which I think would be extremely smart for a larger family like mine.

Thank you to Reduce for providing a WaterWeek Kids set for this review and a second set for our contest prize.

What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive their choice of one WaterWeek Kids sets of reusable bottles. (Winner may choose between the girls, sports, or boys themes.)


Limitations:
This giveaway is open to U.S. addresses only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.


How to Gain Entries:
Browse the selection of Reduce eco-friendly kitchen products. Then leave a comment telling me what product (other than the WaterWeek Kids) would be something you could use to make your kitchen a little more eco-friendly. You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.

Extra Entries:

1) For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.

2) For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.

3) For 10 extra entries, blog about this contest linking back to this post AND ReduceEveryday.com . Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments with the link to your blog post.

4) Friend me on Facebook. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Facebook profile.

5) For 2 extra entries, share the link to this contest post on Facebook. Then leave TWO separate comments with the link to your Facebook profile.

6) Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.

7) Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.

8) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

9) Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.

<br /> <a href="http://www.3garnets2sapphires.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd206/Busymonkeez/Graphics4Me/NEWBlogButton125x125.jpg" /></a><br /><br />

(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)


Random Drawing:
This contest will be closed on Monday, December 21st, 2009 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

Good luck in the drawing!