Polar Bottle Review
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A water bottle is a water bottle. Right? Think the only differentiators are capacity and nozzle-type? Well, that certainly used to be the case. Product Architects decided they could improve your workout experience if they could preserve the cold temperature of your hydration. Meet the Polar Bottle.
Much like a thermal cannister, a Polar Bottle has a dual-wall construction to hold the temperature of its contents. Between the first and second wall is a reflective liner to bounce off any light that dares to warm up your refreshment. Polar Bottle claims this unique combination will keep your drink cold twice as long as a conventional bottle would.
First, I took the Polar Bottle out for a run. The bottle fit in my Nathan handheld, but even without, the bottle design is nicely notched for a good grip. I filled the bottle with cold water from the tap and hit the road. It was 68 degrees and sunny outside. Ninety minutes later, despite a beachfront route and plenty of sloshing, the remains of my bottle were still cool. Nice work, Polar Bottle, but maybe my first test wasn’t harsh enough.
So I then filled the bottle with cold water, put it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, and headed to the sauna (ah, the suffering we must endure in the name of product testing…). I laid in the sauna for 30 minutes, at 112 degrees, and my water was still somewhat cool when I got out. Now I’m starting to be impressed. I wondered if the Polar Bottle would withstand an overnight in the freezer, which would be dreamy for desert-climate hikes and runs, and the product information confirmed that it can. Good to know.
My next plan was to take it out on a long trail run, but the weather cooled off significantly. So out of curiosity, I decided to test the insulating in reverse, to see if it would hold my drink warm. Before my early-morning, 43 degree trail run, I mixed my electrolyte powder with hot water from the tap. By the time I got out on the trail 45 minutes later, it had cooled down to just ‘warm’, but that’s where it stayed for about an hour. Just long enough to get me through the warming up phase, and allow the sun to come out in full force. I seriously doubt that the folks at Polar Bottle would condone the use of hot water in the bottle, since that’s not its intended use. But as a nerd, I had to try it out.
In general, though, what really impresses me are thoughtful features. And Polar Bottle has a few of those.
The reflective, foil liner I mentioned is doing double-duty as wallpaper; Polar Bottle is able to print arty patterns and custom logos onto this liner for a snazzy alternative to the plain white we’re used to. Because this liner lies between the bottle walls, the artwork remains protected and will not wear off over time.
The Polar Bottle is dishwasher safe, and more importantly, the nozzle can disassemble for cleaning. No more looking questionably at your water bottle, wondering how much mildew is about to go into your mouth. Sometimes when items are able to disassemble, it affects their performance in use, but I haven’t had any valve malfunctions with the Polar Bottle despite regular disassembled trips through the dishwasher.
Lastly, there is a removable, handy carrier loop on the top, which I used with a carabiner to keep track of my bottle. I attached it to my gym bag, my backpack, and even my hydration waist pack. Hooks on a pinky finger too, when you have more gear to carry than you have hands.
The Polar Bottle comes in two sizes: 20oz for $10.99, and 24oz for $11.99. For more info on the Polar Bottle, visit www.polarbottle.com or www.amazon.com/polarbottle.
