Tip - Collapsible Water Bottles

Two of our travelers gave me this tip about an inexpensive collapsible water bottle that will be great for travel.  The cost – only $1 at Dollar Tree!  Can’t get any better than that! 

According to the Dollar Tree web site: “It is the ideal water bottle for people on the go!  When empty, the plastic water bottle completely collapses and folds for easy travel and packing.  Fill it up and it stands on its own, plus it has a metal carabiner for easy attaching to bikes, bags, and more.  Plus, it’s top-rack dishwasher safe and reusable, made of FDA-approved BPA-free plastic.”

The bottles hold over 16 ounces (I measured! and that’s 17.5 ounces according to the package).  It has a sip-top lid and cap, and comes in assorted colors according to what is available at the Dollar Tree you visit: pink, orange, red, yellow, green, blue, yellow designed, and black designed.  You can also order cases of 36 from their web site for the same price at $36 for the case plus shipping.

I decided to test them out this week and bought several in a variety of colors.  I’ve carried one to work and so far it has worked exactly as advertised.  I’ve seen other collapsible water bottles advertised, but the prices are $5 - $10 each and over.  You can’t go wrong with a dollar. 

As a traveler, you can fold and put into your carry on, backpack, purse, or pocket or hook it to a handle.  Once through security at the airport, fill it at the water fountain.  Its shape is also conducive to fitting in the seat back pockets of cars and planes.  Also you could fill with about a cup of water and put in the freezer (remember it will expand) and pull out whenever you’re ready to go somewhere and have cold water as it melts.

Great for travel, stocking stuffers, summertime gifts for friends or your child’s soccer or football team, outdoor jobs and gardening, school or work, on your kid’s belt loop at an amusement park, and on bike rides. Would love to hear your comments if you have other ideas.

To be fair, there are some drawbacks.  They do not fit in round cup holders, it usually takes two hands to tip and drink (it’s flexible, remember), it perspires if cold (and so does my regular water bottle and tea glass!), and I doubt it has a lifetime guarantee!

But again, for a dollar you can buy several, pack several, and have a spare if something goes wrong.  For traveling when you need to conserve space in your luggage and weight of the baggage, these look to be a good idea.