As more and more people recognize that disposable water bottles are wasteful and bad for the environment, they’re switching to reusable bottles. To assist in their purchase decisions, we’ve covered a variety of different bottles, from single wall plastic bottles, to double wall stainless, and just about everything in between. But the Vapur is nothing like any of them. It’s so different, it gets its very own article.
For starters, it’s referred to as an “anti-bottle”. That’s a pretty accurate description, since its design is so unlike what we think of when someone mentions a water bottle. Using three layers of BPA-free plastics, the Vapur is a combination of polyethylene and nylon. Rather than a stiff bottle that maintains a cylindrical shape, the Vapur is flexible, and folds flat. It’s an interesting concept, because now you can roll up your empty bottle and put it in your pocket. Very un-bottle like. Since it is comprised of flexible, foldable plastic, there is no need to worry about denting or cracking either. The Vapur is durable enough for every day use, and will withstand the rigors of tough outdoors abuse. The interior is odor, stain, and taste resistant, so your water tastes like water. Should it need a cleaning, just pop the top off, blow some air into it to give it some shape, and put it in the top rack of your dishwasher. Like your water really cold? Fill it up about half way, and throw it in the freezer over night. Top it off with water, and enjoy refreshing icy cold hydration for hours (actual results may vary). This works much better than feeding ice cubes through the smallish opening, but it is big enough to accommodate most cubes. The lid twists off easily enough, and locks in place positively, so there’s little worry about it accidentally coming off. There’s also an o-ring to prevent leaks. As you can see in the model we tried, the top has a hinged cover, making it ideal for outdoor use, as it keeps things clean, with no worries about losing the lid. Another nice feature of the lid is the included carabiner, which serves two purposes. First, you can hang it off your pants, shorts, purse, backpack, or just about anything with a loop. Second, when the Vapur is empty, roll it up and secure it with the carabiner. Stow it away just about anywhere, even your pants pocket. Try that with a regular .7L or one liter water bottle.
So what else can we say about the Vapur anti-bottle? Besides replacing disposables, they get pretty high marks on the green scale. Not only does it require less energy to make them, but since they are made in the US, there are less issues associated with transportation. And because they fold flat, they take up roughly one fifth the space of a rigid bottle of similar capacity. The included packaging is as minimal as possible, and is printed with soy ink, which is pretty much an accepted norm today. In recognition of their efforts to create a product that’s useful and environmentally friendly, Vapur was the recipient of the 2010 FPA Silver award for Sustainability & Environmental achievement. Well done!
Vapur offers bottles in several configurations, including different tops, capacities, and color options, along with limited editions. See them all at vapur.us
– Brian