I'm conflicted. On one hand, Nalgenes are so cool (and in case you've been living in a deep sea bunker for the last decade, they're those fun-colored water bottles you see at REI and hanging from hipster belt loops). They're bright. They're outdoorsy. They supposedly don't ever break, EVER.
This is how excited people get about their Nalgenes:
They decorate them with amphibians, and take fun pictures.
OR
They go hiking and notice their Nalgene sort of matches the point where sky and ocean meet, and take a picture of the three existing harmoniously together, to remind us how the man-made was once a part of nature, too, and, like, so totally one with...with everything. You know, man?
OR
They store pasta in them...?
So the optimistic side of me says, "Buy another Nalgene! They're so cute! So versatile! You should carry a liter of water on you at all times!" Then the cynical, devilish Ashleigh strokes her black mustache and says, "But they sell Aquafina for a buck at Rite Aid, with easy-to-grip features and a small spicket from which to drink."
The thing is, I always get excited about Nalgenes. I really like those turquoise and cobalt ones--aren't they pretty?! But everytime I fall for its good looks, I wind up with my heart in pieces. Nalgenes are heavy. I don't like carrying around a liter of water (or double pint, or third o' gallon, or whatever...I don't really know measurements. But it holds a LOT of water, is my point). What's more, the little meter thing noting how many ounces you're drinking disappears entirely, if you wash it enough--which you need to do, because it looks so grimy and scuffed so quickly. Lastly, those big ones are just plain awful if you are trying to work out and drink from them at the same time. I wind up a mess! And after a while, those mouth guards you can buy also look the kind of filthy that will never really be clean again, and they remind me of the mouth guards we wore playing lacrosse in high school...which reminds me of the time I tried out and didn't make the team, which remains a permanent scar on my self-esteem.....and my life.
Anyway, I ponder all this because I'm debating purchasing another Nalgene, and I wonder, are they overrated? Do I just want to look outdoorsyish or hipsterish? Sort of, yes. Both. But is buying one better than getting an Aquafina from Rite Aid every time I'm on the go? Yes, I think it is most definitely better, at least financially.
What to do?
Yours,
Pensive in PA
4 comments:
Dear Pensive,
I myself have succumbed to the beauty of the Nalgene over and over. Fortunately for my wallet, instead of picking these off the shelves of stores and paying for them I've collected them from various campsite bathrooms and trail heads over the last couple years. I view them as a water storage container for later, not something you would want to drink out of unless desperate due to the sloshing-on-your-face nature of the 5 inch diameter mouth hole. I hope this helps.
Love,
Your sister
(Yes, Pensive, I know you're my sister.)
aghhhh campsite bathrooms
P-
I am pro-Nalgene. I think in the end you will save money by not buying all those Aquafina bottles which end up in the trash/recyclables. Also the pink Nalgenes are so cute! Oh yeah, and Nalgenes are also awesome because they store all kinds of stuff in lab- we even use them with these fancy filters attached to sterilize buffers. SO HIP.
<3,
K
i dont want what cobalt or what the hell other color you said. i always just get the purple ones - have about 4. i seem to like to forgot i have them and buy more (so i fully support your buying one if actually need it). the point of this post was to make fun of you for not knowing how much one holds, i mean it says right on the thing - but it totally backfired on me. i went to look at one of the dozen i own, and found - just as you said(i hadnt read that far yet), it had completely washed off.
p.s. hola bologosphere, esto es mi premerio tiempo. yiiahh, lo sabeis, lo sabeis. ahora, YO VUELVO A LA DANZA
p.p.s - sterilize buffers? whao, ill never look at my nalgene the same
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