SPY agents, trained to be discerning and skeptical, are tasked with identifying high-value targets for shrewd shoppers. Products curated by The Informant are the best of the best: beautifully imagined and thoughtfully made products that become instantly indispensable.
Since I was a teenager, I’ve been drinking a gallon of water a day. In high school, when I was in choir and strained my vocal cords, I realized I had to take a beat, stop slugging the fountain Diet Coke from the gas station nearby, and put something in my body that actually made it feel better.
The habit stuck.
Today, I consider myself a bit of a water bottle connoisseur. I’ve used what feels like all the brands. First, in high school, it was a Gatorade bottle. College was my Contigo and CamelBak era. Post-graduation, I dipped my toe into Nalgenes (and still have one that is absolutely covered in stickers). I have a bright pink Starbucks cup in rotation, too, and will always drink from a mason jar if everything is in the wash.
Then I discovered the Owala FreeSip.
It happened when a friend of mine brought her Owala to a park hang. I’d seen this water bottle on TikTok, where Watertok had, for a moment, been a strange hydration trend.
The Owala’s main selling point is its straw and locking mechanism. Other water bottles, like a Contigo or a CamelBak, have silicone spouts that are unfortunate breeding grounds for mildew; the Owala’s spout is hard plastic, and large enough to wipe up or throw in the dishwasher and clean. The Owala’s spout also has two openings: a small one that’s the actual straw, and a large one for taking a longer drink. I have yet to spill mid-sip, and the bottle’s insulation keeps it from sweating and leaving rings everywhere.
Also, as an unexpected added benefit, the locking mechanism prevents my cat from tipping over my bottle, which he has done many times before, and spilling it.
Could I have resolved all of the potential issues with other water bottles with coasters and more frequent cleanings? Yes. But does the Owala solve all of those problems and come in a bright pink colorway? Also yes. I’ll choose it every time.
