Last month, we mentioned sending one of our fearless testers to Argentina, armed with an Eco Vessel water bottle. (Ok, he was going there already, we just gave him the bottle. It’s not like our budget allows international travel to test water bottles) The instructions we gave him were very simple: Drink water from this bottle. Every day. Let us know if you are able to avoid the water-borne bugs, and how the water tastes through the filter. Report back with as much detail as possible about the bottle. If you get sick, we would prefer as little detail as possible. That’s it.
Upon his return, the interrogation began. Did he get sick? Nope. Did the water taste better? He couldn’t really tell a difference with the filter. Was it easy to use? Once the filter was rinsed of the initial carbon dust, yes. The grey water was at first a bit disturbing, but that washed right out. The only complaint was that drawing water through the filter could have been easier. That’s a tough call there. As a reminder, the filtering element is composed of coconut shell activated carbon. We like this plant-based filter because it’s a good use of readily available organic material that would otherwise be wasted. The pore size is a tiny 3 microns, small enough to remove 99.9% of giardia and cryptosporidium as well as toxins and heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, mercury, copper. In addition, chlorine and suspended sediment will not pass through. Filtering all that out is a small price to pay for having to suck a bit harder on the straw. The downside is that over time, the filter work become less efficient, and eventually clog up. Depending on water quality, that should be around 100 gallons.
Eco Vessel was kind enough to supply our bottle for testing, and they generously offered another bottle in pink for our National Breast Cancer Awareness Month giveaway. But we’re not just handing it out that easily. To win, you’ll need to visit the Eco Vessel website, check out the Boulder, Summit, and Aqua Vessel bottles, and then comment below, telling us which one you want, and why. Our rep from Eco Vessel will choose one winner, and send out a pink bottle of their choice from the ones mentioned above. That shouldn’t be too difficult. As always, the contest is limited to residents of the continental US. All comments must be posted no later than midnight MST, October 27th. Good luck!
Note that Eco Vessel is also offering a very limited edition (Only 20 available) 17 ounce Triple Insulated Bottle with a Bani Band. Purchasing this Pink Pack supports breast cancer research done by Side-Out.org, with 50% of the purchase price being donated to Side-Out. What a way to give a little, and get something back! Not to mention you’ll have a very exclusive bottle and Bani Band headband. This would make a great gift for yourself or someone close to you. Better hurry though – with only 20 available, they won’t last long.
– Brian