(Part 3) Top products from r/HydroHomies

Like many of my brothers in this sub, I'm always thirsty and always want water. In particular, I want it ice cold and in massive quantities. A while ago, I got this refillable 100z "cup":

Pic with pint glass for size comparison

I lived near a gas station with really well filtered water that let me fill it up for free, so I was set. Unfortunately, after moving, all the places near me want like $1 for an ice water refill in that thing. Fuck that. Here's an overview of all the components needed.

Pitcher - I use this Brita pitcher. In the past I used the bigger one here, but it honestly sucks to fill up because it's heavy and unwieldy, whereas the pitcher form factor is really easy to just refill right after you use. It also pours quite a bit slower. Apparently my new place does some filtration of water before it comes out of the sink, so I might switch to this guy for instant filtration. Also make sure to change that damn filter often enough. Having charcoal leech into everything when it breaks down from too much use won't hurt you but it definitely looks bad and takes some time to clean out.

Giant Cup - Valero Corner Stores sell this, though the 64oz and 52oz variants are more common. Plenty of other gas stations sell identical 100oz cups with their branding, but you just have to find one. If you don't mind paying the pretty steep cost (~$20) some people sell them on Amazon, like this one. I really really wish Yeti or some other company made a 100oz cup made for drinking that insulates as well as theirs do, but I haven't found one.

Reusable Straw - The big cup comes with a plastic reusable straw which you can see in the pictures of the one I linked to, but I don't like it. The ridged structure that makes it easily bendable also causes drag on the water and makes it harder to drink. So what I use are these. They are just the right size. They get a bit off smelling after a while (a month or two), and there's a brush included to clean them, but I can never really get them cleaned well, so I honestly just toss them and use another. It's $8 for 5, so you're looking at maybe $15 or so a year in straw costs. I had also looked at some of those reusable metal straws but then I realized how bad it would suck to pick up the cup too quickly and bash my teeth out with the inertia of a full 100oz cup.

Ice - Here's the the tricky one. This is basically why I filled it up at the gas station in the past. I'm really picky about ice and will only use clear "restaurant quality" ice. The kind of ice made in most freezer ice makers is cloudy because of air bubbles in the water, meaning that it also picks up any off smells in the freezer, melts far too quickly, is weirdly soft, etc. If you do it right, you can get pretty clear ice from ice trays, but if you're doing that for a cup that big, it's gonna take a lot of time. Here is a pic of the ice maker I bought to solve this problem (I bought it here). It does a really good job making clear, good tasting ice. I fill it up with a full load of water from the pitcher and usually within 90-120 minutes, it's full of clear square ice. Here is a pic of some extra ice I stash in the freezer from it. I'll edit this with a pic of some fresh super clear ice in a bit, I don't have any on hand right now. Overall, I like the ice machine, though I will say that it costs quite a bit to run (it runs at around 150W, spiking to 190W) and should be wiped down every week or two. It might just be easier to grab some of the 10 or 20lb bags of ice from the gas station or grocery story and use that. It is nice to be able to make it on demand though.

Every morning I get up and fill the ice maker up to the top, sip on the leftover water from last night while I wait for the new ice, and then refill when I'm done. I usually drink two cupfulls of water a day.

But what if I want my water to get me drunk?

The best part about water is that it makes the best mixed drink for sipping at home. Just carbonate it and mix it with a spirit. The Japanese highball is the height of such mixed drinks, but I've found that some experimentation yielded a variety of great options. I usually do around 5:1 water to spirit, but usually I eyeball the spirit pour and just full up the glass.

How to make it at home? Sodastream of course! Here is a picture of my Sodastream bottle, a very fancy eau-de-vie, and the resulting beverage. Here are my top picks for spirits to mix with your delicious spicy water:

• Plantation Stiggins Pineapple Rum - This is distilled with pineapple to give it some good pineapple flavor, but it's not too sugary. It's 20g/L of sugar, meaning that a drink made with 3oz of it has under 2g of sugar, making it a great option for ketohomies who miss fruity cocktails.
  
• Dingle Gin - Any decent gin will do, The Botanist is another great option. Mixing it with the water brings out the gentler botanical and herbal notes and makes for a refreshing drink.
  
• Lustau Solera Gran Reserva Brandy - This can be tricky to find, but if you can, try it. There's a $35 Gran Reserva and a $25 Reserva. The Gran Reserva's a bit better, but both are good. It ends up tasting like delicious sherry soda. Subtle nutty, chocolate, and maple syrup notes, but not sweet at all.
  
• Any bourbon - Japanese whiskey is good but my dirty secret is that I'll take a good bourbon highball any day. Weller OWA 107 is a great option that goes really well with the sparkling water, though it's next to impossible to find. Something with high value like McKenna Bottled in Bond, Wild Turkey 101, or Old Grand Dad 114 will do the trick.
  
• Green Chartreuse - I was amazed this works, but it does. Really REALLY herbal, so if that's your thing, go for it.
  
  There are tons of other great options and plenty of bad ones (funky rum like Rumfire or Wray & Nephew, mezcal, peaty scotch, etc. are things I love that don't work)
  
  Hope this inspires people to drink more fuckin water.

Yep. The reverse osmosis process is non-selective in what it filters from the water. It will remove the "bad" things from water like heavy metals, chemicals, etc. but it will also remove the "good" things from water like calcium, magnesium, etc. In my system, right before coming out of the tap, the water is run though a "pH filter" that raises the pH of the water above 7.0 (RO water can be slightly acidic) and adds calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, etc. back into the water which will improve the taste. While it is technically possible for plain reverse osmosis water to leech minerals out of your system, that isn't really a concern unless you are already super deficient in those minerals to begin with as you likely get more than enough of each of those minerals that the amount lost due the water leeching them from your body during the short time it is in there is negligible. So I don't buy into the idea that the remineralization of RO water has any great health benefits, I just enjoy the taste of water that is slightly less acidic and has slightly more mineral content. The difference in taste to me is noticeable enough that I can tell when it is time to change the "pH filter" in my system.

So my system is:

Stage 1: Sediment filter - Removes larger particles like dirt, sand, rust, etc. that may have been brought in through the water pipes or sucked up from your well)

Stage 2: Granulated Active Carbon filter - Removes cloudiness as well as organic compounds/chemicals that add a bad smell/taste to the water like hydrogen sulfide (rotten eggs smell) or chlorine.

Stage 3: CTO Carbon Block filter - A enhanced version of the Stage 2 filter. It further reduces cloudiness and organic compounds/chemicals.

Stage 4: Reverse Osmosis Membrane - Removes any particle large than 0.1 nm.

Stage 5: Post Carbon filter - Similar stages 2/3 to remove taste/odors.

Stage 6: pH filter - Contains calcium carbonate, magnesium oxide, and mineral stone media to correct pH and add some minerals back to the water for improved taste.

There is also an optional 7th stage available that contains a UV lamp filter to kill any microorganisms in the water if you live somewhere or get your water from a source that has a high likelihood of having microorganisms (like if you got your water directly from a lake or stream) but I don't need anything like that and a decent portion of my system is probably already overkill since I have city tap water but my wife was super concerned about lead in the water for our kids in the aftermath of the Flint shit show, but her paranoia lead us to have amazing tasting drinking water!

I don't even buy regular water bottles anymore. The Camelbak Eddy was the only one I tried, and it was good but I needed something bigger, that had or accommodated a straw, that would fit in my car's cupholder, and would keep drinks cold throughout the day and night.

I've gone through at least 20 vacuum bottles - in my cheapskatery, I became a collector - and the only two to stand the test of time are a 32oz and 68oz Aquatix. I've had them both for over 2 years now, and I've always felt that Hydroflasks are overpriced.

Lots of colors (for 32oz), very reasonably priced ($28 & $48), stays cold for 24hrs, and I suggest getting the silicone bottom sleeve for the 32oz. It didn't exist when I bought mine, and my bottle's dinged/scratched now. The 68oz definitely does NOT fit in a cupholder.

32oz: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TVO38F0/

68oz: https://www.amazon.com/Aquatix-Insulated-Stainless-thermos-Midnight/dp/B00UZCB3B8/

And these are the straws I bought for them, if you're interested. I stretched a straw out completely and cut it to size. When it's in the bottle, the cap seal compresses it upon closing - and it pops up again upon opening. Sometimes I have to fish the straw out of the spout, but I just use a pair of tweezers I keep in my pocket :D

I would suggest this from Amazon. You can also get a 40 oz one which is what I have. They are awesome and while made out of plastic can be used for a really long time.

Edit: Also cheap???

Only $18 on Amazon, and 1,000 gallons of clean water... wow

LifeStraw Personal Water Filter for Hiking, Camping, Travel, and Emergency Preparedness https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006QF3TW4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_GiB4Cb92S2TQE

This one's better IMO, double-walled

https://www.amazon.com/Takeya-Originals-Vacuum-Insulated-Stainless-Steel-Bottle/dp/B0188QBELG

Please treat your dog to one of these.

Because OP doesn’t seem to understand what you’re asking, and because I wanted to know as well the brand seems to be Estilo. I saw a page on amazon with what seems like the same bottles.

https://www.amazon.com/Estilo-Glass-Water-Bottles-Stainless/dp/B0170GWLRQ

Another commenter mentioned Briefton glass bottles. The two companies bottles look identical. Briefton bottles are 18oz compared to the 16oz Estilo bottles. I’d buy the cheaper one tbh, but do you.

They don't seem to have the square ones anymore....that's besides the point. Point is to stay hydrated.

Estilo Beverage Dispenser on Base with Ice Core and Flavor Infuser, Clear, 2 gallon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016V0Y4BS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_hmpkDbVJKT7PY

I use

Brita Large 10 Cup Water Filter Pitcher with 1 Standard Filter, BPA Free – Grand, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01414DEEE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Sma7CbW3YNC90

Apartment so cant hook up to the sink. No complaints.

ah thankyou for not littering.


There are silicone based, collapsible bottles available for both yours and the collective health--as well as convenience.

Here you go!
https://www.amazon.com/Baiji-Bottle-Collapsible-Silicone-Bottles/dp/B00UGQBTP8

** liter -> litter because i'm sure it was bothering you.

bought it from amazon
link

I got mine off amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015SY3VGM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_qx6kDbB65THKV

No, these are bags specifically made to be filled with water and kept in the freezer so you'd get ice balls after a few hours. Like these: https://www.amazon.com/Disposable-Cube-Pack-2400-Cubes/dp/B00DP6P6R8

S’well Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle, Double Wall, 17 oz, Ocean Blue https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B005OJVTWU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_NEy6Cb0YAV5F4

$40 CAD

Here you are

I really only know of one company that does filtered water bottles, Brita. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IHVIBT6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_sjU6CbN1TM02X