Review: Owala FreeSip 

I've long been searching for The One. No, not a romantic partner—the one perfect water bottle. It's not for lack of trying. I've spent years cycling through reusable bottles. I liked many of them at the time, but eventually, they all just accumulated in the cupboard. They simply did not make the cut for the perfect match.

My requirements aren't extravagant, but they are particular. I need a straw—I drink way more with a straw than without one—but it also needs to be leakproof, which isn't always easy with straw cups. The viral Stanley cup, for example, pours out with the slightest tip. My perfect bottle has to hold enough water so I can get in as much hydration during the day with as few refills as possible. And it has to be cute, dammit.

I wasn't sure it existed until I laid eyes on the Owala FreeSip.

The Owala FreeSip comes in many different color schemes.

Photograph: Owala

The FreeSip is beautiful—I have it in the purple Retro Boardwalk color—but it’s also functional. The name refers to the mouthpiece that allows you to sip through the straw or tip it back and chug. I’ve never seen a bottle with two options like this, nestled together neatly in the top. (If this doesn’t appeal to you, the brand has a flip-top straw bottle too, though I didn’t try that one.) I also like that I can refill the bottle without taking the lid off, as long as I don’t want to use ice.

The mouthpiece is plastic with very few nooks and crannies, so it’s easier to clean than some other straw bottles I’ve used. I like chewing on the rubber straws of a CamelBak bottle, for example, but I feel like they are always slightly gross. With this, a straw brush works wonders, or you can throw the lid in the top rack of the dishwasher.

The lid flips open with the push of a button and a handle raises up for easy carrying. You can also click the handle down over the closed top. You can still open the bottle while the handle is down, but the handle covers enough of the button that it won’t accidentally open if it bumps into something. This bottle has bounced around my backpack and my car, and lain with me on the couch and in bed enough times that I'm confident in its leakproof claims. 

Photograph: Owala

The rest of the body is stainless steel and triple insulated, so water stays cold. I opted for the 40-ounce bottle so I can take fewer trips to the kitchen for refills, but there are 19, 24, and 32-ounce options too (there is also a 25-ounce plastic version, but I think steel is better). Even in 40 ounces, it's not too heavy. In a pinch, I could definitely use it as a weapon against an attacker, though I hope I never have to test that claim.

Even though this isn't unique, I like that there are replacement lids and straws available. (As of this writing, there are no 40-ounce straws available.) The lid is likely the first thing that will go, considering the button and flip action may give out eventually, so I appreciate that I can spend $7 instead of $40 to fix it.

Not everyone will agree, of course. My colleague Matt Jancer also tried the bottle, but did not find it as overwhelmingly perfect as I did, while WIRED senior associate editor Adrienne So found her perfect match in the Yeti Yonder.

That's the beauty of an emotional support water bottle, though—it suits your particular needs perfectly. My cats even drink from an Owala pet bowl. If you're still out there looking for your perfect match, it just might be the FreeSip.