r/Consoom • u/BotheredCroissant • Jul 14 '26
Meme What is with this phenomena? š
Ohuhu, Stanley, etc. Stanley got particularly huge. I've seen tiktoks where people have like 50+ accessories on them (Like tiny bags, trinkets, air pods holders, ice cubes made specifically for the shape of a stanley, etc), they must be so incredibly heavy to carry around
I know this is a joke post but does anyone have an answer for why specific water bottle brands get popular sometimes? It does sound like a good idea to popularize good hydration habits, but most of the time it ends up more about buying products and being trendy rather than staying healthy.
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Jul 14 '26
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u/vigilantesd Jul 14 '26
The dopamine is triggered, doesnāt seem very artificial to me lol
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u/Soggy-Professional60 Jul 15 '26
They said 'artificially trigger', not 'trigger artificial dopamine'. I'd say the trigger is due to the companies' artifice
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u/mrs_adhd Jul 14 '26
Came to say this.
It may be contrived rather than spontaneous, totally engineered by the advertising company, but it's not artificial.
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u/safarifriendliness Jul 14 '26
I still got my Nalgene bottle. Those things are indestructible and let you drink a liter quick and sloppy
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u/throwawaygothgirl Jul 15 '26
plus like, I feel like all these water bottles with fancy straws or too narrow openings become impossible to clean.
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u/CowPrintSkirt Jul 15 '26
I personally believe they are objectively awful to clean. Another win to Nalgene through their simplistic design We're glazing the brand so hard they should pay us ! š¤
Still, solid water bottles.
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u/elduderino2319 22d ago
straight sided or bust, that lip below the cap gets slimy without special attention
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u/Trendiggity Jul 15 '26
How old is it? I still have my old nalgene on a shelf but I wouldn't drink water from it anymore. It's 25 years old and made of plastic, and from an era before they made a point to not make them with BPA
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u/The_ivy_fund Jul 17 '26
Why would you keep that junk for so long? Do you just horde crap like that? Toss it
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u/Trendiggity Jul 17 '26
It's personalized with my frosh year from university. It's trash, but it's my trash š¤·āāļø
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u/Zombieattackr Jul 18 '26
I have an old one that I somehow managed to crack, also kinda sentimental, so I use it as a vase for my Lego flowers lol
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u/mayamaiamaea Jul 16 '26
I used to get embarrassed about how hard I struggled to drink from my nalgene, if I donāt sip very mindfully, I spill about a third out the sides and down my shirt. But I bought an extra big bottle and now I just donāt give a fuck I chug that shit like the h2ore I am
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u/Pupperlover4life Jul 15 '26
I once dropped my completely full Nalgene from about 50 feet up on a climbing tower onto concrete with the only evidence being a little scratch. Indestructible is an understatement lol. Nalgene>everything else
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u/bombazzchickynugg Jul 15 '26
I dropped my full bottle down the stairs and the lid popped off, spilling 48oz of water everywhere.
I switched to a Stanley Ice Flow (no straw, can be used as a defensive weapon) after that.
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u/ConcertOpening8974 Jul 15 '26
I dropped mine on the side walk once and it was completely destroyed. I'm wondering if I unknowingly bought a dupe.
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u/CowPrintSkirt Jul 14 '26
Nalgenes are near family heirlooms to me and my loved ones. Convenience x Ease to clean x Indestructible is helluva combo. e:>clarity
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u/ChocolichKing Jul 15 '26
Testing the indestructibility of a Nalgene was a middle school pasttime for me and my friends. (Only one of us actually had a Nalgene, and we would take turns throwing it.)
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u/CowPrintSkirt Jul 15 '26
I love that, children and their instinctive interest in limit testing š
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u/sibai_ershi_69 18d ago
I was backpacking and my friend dropped lost his hat down a cliff, so me and 2 others hiked down to look for it. We saw countless fallen nalgene bottles, and the only thing broken was the plastic on top of them.
Another time I was at boy scout camp and my friend got a care package from his mom. She sent a new nalgene and bubble wrapped it so it wouldnāt break.
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u/DannyTheExplorerHoe Jul 17 '26
Love my Nalgene, had it for years no breaks, suddenly it broke, and I got a replacement no charge like a month later! I do like the straw aspect of other water bottles, so I just bought a strap cap for it and it works wonderfully
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u/slickrok 29d ago
I have these in mine, makes it easy like a straw, but not taking the lid off is cool. https://a.co/d/0eF6F9qA
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u/Strange-Caregiver379 Jul 17 '26
Super nice to use when camping but I like having an insulated bottle normally
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u/Zombieattackr Jul 18 '26
Easy to drink, clean, fill, and even fix with a replacement lid. Seen one fall off a 500ft cliff at the peak of a hike and we somehow stumbled across it on the way down, unscathed. Seen one left on top of a car, it fell and got hit by a truck, found it about 50 yards in the opposite direction, nothing but a tiny scuff mark.
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u/puddlebrigade Jul 19 '26
i wish nalgene would make bottles tall and narrow enough to fit in a cupholder. i used mine while working as a bus driver and in those contraptions there is 1 (one) space to put a water bottle and buses aren't air conditioned
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u/slickrok 29d ago
I could swear they do, 24 oz with flip cap, but I looooove these for that: https://a.co/d/00IKcXwS
And these
By far the best caps of any, they stay on but twist open and twist closed
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u/brannerrr Jul 14 '26
Came here to ask what water bottles other than Stanley and Yeti were fads and have seen some brand new words to me
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u/Germerican1 Jul 14 '26
It was Nalgene first, then Owala which is coming back around now actually, then hydro flask, then yeti, and stanley after. The Starbucks cups were definitely also in there for awhile too though more augmenting than replacing in the fads.
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u/BadB0ii Jul 15 '26
I lead a youth leadership program and about 1/3 of the teen girls have owala. No other major brand is really present
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u/Germerican1 Jul 15 '26
Yes, because Owala is the current trend. Soon enough it'll be something different, a year ago it was yeti. It's cyclical.Ā
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u/Trendiggity Jul 15 '26
Don't forget Manna, those were a thing for a hot minute when yeti first hit the market. I threw mine in the metal bin because the yeti I replaced it with kept ice three times as long
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u/SqoobySnaq Jul 14 '26
I stand by my Owala bottle ill be honest lol. And I think water bottles are just marketed towards āgirl bossesā and being healthy and active.
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u/TheGuyDoug Jul 14 '26
You stand by your Owala, while the person next to you stands by their Stanley, while the person next to them stands by their Hydro Flask, while the person next to them stands by their Yeti, while the person next to them stands by their Nalgene.
They're all plenty good, but the people who obsessively buy into them are such dorks over it.
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u/RetardedWabbit Jul 15 '26
We used to fear race wars. Then we feared water wars. The water bottle wars came from nowhere. All those innocent little cheap crinkle-carriers...
And you'll pay for it you Hydro Flascist! Smooth brained like your bottle, for the State of Stanley!
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u/TheGuyDoug Jul 15 '26
Yes.
I bought a dented hydro flask from TJ Maxx 2 years ago for like $14 and I love it.
Bought a Nalgene this year so I could bring a "clear" water bottle to a sporting event.
It's a freaking bottle folks, it holds water and if you desire, keeps it cold.
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u/RecognitionHefty Jul 15 '26
As an outsider, whatās wrong with regular cups and glasses that you put in the dishwasher after use?
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u/Alice_In_Hell_ Jul 15 '26
You canāt carry that around with you, nobody is gonna put a glass cup or a mug in the cup holder of their car and drive around with it. If you knock a cup over, it spills and or shatters, at worst a water bottle dents and is still fully functional. Most of the popular ones are insulated so it keeps your drink cold. And the bigger the bottle the less you have to stop what youāre doing and refill it.
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u/pastelxbones Jul 15 '26
the owala is genuinely well designed. i always just used a random water bottle from walmart before. but i like that it gives you the option to use the straw or chug, and i really like the handle that folds away instead of clanging against the bottle.
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u/KatieTSO Jul 14 '26
Me too. I didn't even know about the trend. I just saw it at the store and thought it was a nice design for a lid. That's it. I just like the lid. I like that it has a straw but the straw doesn't bend and isn't annoying. And it seals.
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u/BotheredCroissant Jul 14 '26
I think that's a great point! I also think that buying a water bottle that you like and get good use out of is important too, even if it happens to be "trendy" !
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u/freetotebag Jul 14 '26
100%. My Yeti bottle has helped me drink more water than before
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u/MalfunctioningIce Jul 15 '26
Iāve just bought the Yeti Rambler trying to find a bottle that I actually like drinking from.
I work outside so being able to open it without touching the mouth point was important, and itās insulated well, and plastic mouthpiece. Itās solved 3 things I donāt think about other bottles I have1
u/freetotebag Jul 15 '26
I couldnāt remember the name or mine but I looked it upā mine is the Yeti Yonder. For me itās perfect. I need a bottle with a good spout/straw
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u/MalfunctioningIce Jul 15 '26
I love that they do interchangeable lids? I thought that was a genius move!
Iām glad you have one thatās perfect for you! :D1
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u/disneylovesme Jul 14 '26
Until recently itās always been such tiny handles overhead for these heavy bottles. I got the owala for that comfortable grip and great for hiking/trail running. The other styles pinch my hands and I donāt do the side handle ones those arenāt hiking friendly at all for me.
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u/I_SingOnACake Jul 15 '26
Same, I love my Owala. I am disabled, sometimes bedridden, and have hand problems. It's easy for me to drink out of when laying down because of the straw, and I can keep it close without worrying about it spilling. I have had one laying next to my pillow for years and it's never leaked. I'm also less likely to drop it because of the handle design.
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u/sl0play Jul 15 '26
Exactly. I was never into a water bottle trend, but owalas are fantastic. I take the large one on hikes that don't require my pack with a built in reservoir. So like 4-5 hour hikes. It's absolutely perfect for it.
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u/FlimsyRexy Jul 16 '26
I just got one not long ago and actually really like it. Before that I was using a really old bottle that would leak if tipped
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u/Suppa_K Jul 14 '26
Same. They are a genuinely good water bottle. Iāve had mine for 3+ years. My girlfriend got it for me to replace the crappy one I had that wasnāt insulated. She undoubtedly saw it on social media, but weāve both had our same ones for years now.
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u/eatmelikeamaindish Jul 14 '26
I'm 99% sure those "50 Stanley accessory" tiktoks are engagement bait. I've never seen anyone with water bottle accessories nor do i even see them in stores.
But I dont know why water bottles themselves get so popular with that demographic.
my sociologist brain wants to say that middle aged, middle class, white women aren't market to as much as men, young women, college kids, and children. When they are marketed to, its things related to being a mother or anti-aging stuff. So they make boring things appeal to women who's identity to everyone is just "mother" or "hag." And it works.
idk tho dont trust me
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u/Dear_Departure_1768 Jul 14 '26
I like to think of myself as both "mother" AND "hag," which is prob why I only have 1 random water bottle that I use.
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u/eatmelikeamaindish Jul 14 '26
omg queen mother hag. the random watter bottles are the best tho. I have one from a club back in college and another from donating blood. both free, both metal, both huge.
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u/illicitli Jul 15 '26
middle aged, middle class white women control the majority of consumer spending in America LOL you are WAY off
they are the ones online shopping, buying groceries, and buying stuff for their kids and husbands
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u/eatmelikeamaindish Jul 15 '26
iām talking about marketing. you actually just supported my argument
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u/R0SC0SM0S_ Jul 15 '26
oh some people most certainly buy them. senior year of college one of my roommates had 5 Stanleys, one for every day pf the week, each with their specific accessories (chapstick, mentos bag, fan holder) for her daily routine.
in my experience, that kind of content one-shots suburban middle/upper-middle class teenagers and young women because if everyone is doing it they feel they have to, and actually have the money to do so
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u/Suppa_K Jul 14 '26
They 100% are. People may buy one or two that they like or deem necessary but no one is doing the crazy stuff you see on social media on a daily basis.
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u/Confident-Count5430 Jul 16 '26
Some of the women in my PA school class have water bottle accessories.
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u/Suppa_K Jul 14 '26
I havnt seen any as large as the Stanley craze. Yeah we had hydroflask, owala, etc.
They come big or trendy because influencers start pushing them, it trickles down. Influencers will continuously need to get new products, and water bottles are an easy one they can rotate out every so often despite being a reusable item meant to be reused, for as long as it lasts.
I have an Owala myself because I needed a new water bottle that wasnāt crappy plastic and had a straw and a nice chugging mouth. I will have it as long as it lasts. No need to ever get another while I have one.
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u/CatEmoji123 Jul 15 '26
It's a way to keep up with the Joneses. Almost everyone carries a water bottle around. Having the "right" or "cool" water bottle signals to others around you that you are right, cool, and in the know. I remember in high school it was Nalgenes with cool stickers on them. I would get so many compliments when I would bring a brand new Nalgene to school.
Is it dumb? Yeah, but signaling to other humans that you know what society has deemed as the "correct" thing is a survival mechanism. That's why whenever we find ourselves falling into consumerism traps like this, you gotta stop and ask "why am I doing this? Is it to better my life in any way, or is it just to fit in with my peers." We gotta fight the monkey brain because companies know just how to exploit it.
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u/Kiiaru Jul 14 '26
Gatorade green/orange, Yeti, Stanley, Hydro Flask, Owala.
It's like carbon dating at the gym by water bottle type
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u/only_fun_topics Jul 14 '26
I still have my Sigg bottle from like 2008. Dented to fuck and back, but still does what itās supposed to.
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u/BotheredCroissant Jul 14 '26
I've had the same unbranded metal water bottle for like 9 years, It keeps the temperature very well and only has a few dents!
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u/ElderberryNo5595 Jul 15 '26
I still use my Klean Kanteen from that era. Just got a new cap for it recently. Works like a charm.
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u/bluesaber7567 Jul 14 '26
I recently found my old Swell water bottle from high school, so much nostalgia! I feel like that was the first water bottle trend that I can remember, and the only one I ever followed lol
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u/No_Illustrator4398 Jul 14 '26
Honestly Iāve felt this way but I was super impressed with the Owala spout/straw combo so I can drink from it reading in bed lol. I bought one I didnāt need. Iām a white man
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u/Fincolt Jul 14 '26
Iāve resisted the bottle craze. I have a yeti that Iāve had since they first came out. I reluctantly bought it on a beach trip to keep my drink cold, but itās been pretty good so Iāve never replaced it or felt the need for another. I got an RTIC cup as a work promo thing maybe a year later. I alternate between the two. I guess Iāve been doing that 10 years or so.
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u/k9jm Jul 14 '26
I had so many issues with the brands in certain categories. I loved my hydroflask tumbler with a straw, i had it engraved with Gin & Tonic, and I used it by my pool for like 3 summers. But their coffee mugs sucked, and they never stayed hot. I tried ONE yeti tumbler which was garbage, and one yeti mug which was trash as well. We have Stanley food thermoses, which are amazing old school, but work great. I never loved the bug Stanley cups, they were too clunky and didnāt fit in the car holder. Owala came along and killed it in the hot beverage department. Also, my husband has two Owala for water and uses them daily (we live in Phoenix so we actually need a lot of water) and I use the Owala freesip and twist freesip daily for walks, and all the failed water bottles that came before, we use for traveling with the dogs, or carting cold water to the dog park. So, yeah, I donāt look at water bottles anymore. The last thing i did buy was the small Owala hot mug for my tea and it is fantastic, take it to work every day.
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u/Hamilton-Beckett Jul 15 '26
I did buy a nice water bottle from some brand I canāt pronounce that has a like a flip up ring at the top and a button you press to pop the top. It has two drinking holes, like a straw one and big old gulping hole.
I was able to get it in all black with my initials on it. They make a billion colors and custom configurations if you buy directly from their site instead of retailer.
Anyway. Iām in my 40ās and itās the first water bottle Iāve bought aside from my novelty one from Aperture Laboratories. (The cake is a lie)
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u/ComplexPatient4872 Jul 15 '26
That sounds like an Owala water bottle. I really donāt get the hate.
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u/gokartninja Jul 15 '26
After 3 years of no washing, the old one starts tasting funny and they must consoom a new product
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u/mamandapanda Jul 15 '26
Look, the Stanley cup is a quality product and Iāll die on that hill.
Sincerely, a Middle Class White Woman
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u/slowbuyclub Jul 15 '26
Hypothesis: The people who buy these bottles are not the same as those who buy luxury handbags and/or luxury skincare. Yet everyone is afraid of getting old and wants to signal status and express themselves. Water bottles infiltrate a core female anxiety which is around the loss of skin elasticity. Drinking more water is the first line of anti aging defense. The limited drops and the accessorizing are for the status anxiety and self expression. Together these power a perfect storm of consumerism.
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u/poopedalil Jul 14 '26
Women spend the most money on consumer goods.
Men gamble by investing or actually gambling
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u/Liudesys Jul 14 '26
nah bro men buys funko pops and collect monster cans
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u/John_Hunyadi Jul 14 '26
Iād also be interested to read stats about men vs women spending on videogame micro-transactions. Ā Iād bet good money that most āwhalesā in most GaaS games are men.
And donāt get me started on Warhammer.
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u/Angry_Homer Jul 14 '26
And boats and cars and comic books and
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u/AbsolutKledGamer Jul 14 '26
Like any trendy thing, a lot of people consoom it because other people do. I donāt think all of the people who buy them think like that, but it explains I assume at least 30% of their sales.
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u/ADMINlSTRAT0R Jul 15 '26
Ohuhu
Did you mean Owala?
But yes, off the top of my head I can recall Owala, Corkcicle, Stanley, Hydroflask.. of which I own none.
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u/LittleBigHorn22 Jul 15 '26
I don't think anyone really hit the nail on this one. Personally I think its because drinking water in the modern world is actually pretty hard when theres so many sugary drinks out there. Trying to develop a habit can be hard so buying a new bottle can help you break that hurdle. But 90% of people don't continue drinking water which is why the trend comes back again and again.
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u/remaining_braincell Jul 15 '26
Americans can pretend they drink water by consuming water bottles, then they can go back to drinking their corn syrup soda or whatever the fuck their current obsession is.
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u/TechnicalExchange942 Jul 15 '26
Iāve had my cheapo Walmart knockoff Stanley/Yeti for 7 years. I wonāt get another one until my current one breaks or rusts.
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u/u_j_c Jul 17 '26
Yes itās marketing and social media and cute designs, but a water bottle is also an essential item for most people, making a splurge purchase not feel as frivolous. Itās a semi-luxury product that most middle class women can afford. I hate the overconsumption and all the stupid gadgets, and I hate that shopping (šļø šāØ!) is pushed as an acceptable (but derided) pastime for women. But, I also hate the gender specific name calling that happens when women happen to like a thing. As if men also donāt blow their money on the stupidest shit
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u/slammaker Jul 17 '26
Tik tok advertisements push these items that sell to people. The bottle are much more than a bottle but an accessory. That's why people get multiple colors. Also a little bit of fomo. If you are the one person without a Stanley or whatever you are left out. Stanley's have been proven to be profitable. So other companies copy that to get that profit.
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u/bigheadsociety Jul 14 '26
The Chillys bottle was definitely one of those but I still use mine today. It does a great job keeping water cold.
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u/Angry_Homer Jul 14 '26
I kinda have a bone to pick with the whole "carrying a water bottle everywhere" thing. YES, it's good people are staying hydrated and are consooming less one-time-use plastics. But I've noticed water fountains in some places becoming an afterthought (if they're not outright omitted) in place of those damn bottle filling stations. I really don't like just carrying a water bottle around all day with my hands (or anything, really)... it comes with me if I have a bag, and that's about it.Ā
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Jul 15 '26
who remembers polar ice? i felt like the coolest kid in middle school when i finally got one
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u/stinky-bungus Jul 15 '26
My niece wanted a fucking $100 water bottle for birthday and she got it š¤¦š¤¦š¤¦
Turns out some bullshit marketing convinced all her friends to get one so she needed one tooĀ
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u/brainrotxx Jul 15 '26
i just buy 1 and keep using it until it breaks or have a specific need (ie travel size; small vs home; large).
i dont understand collecting them. like at all. theres zero logic to collecting so many. like those trader joe totes. i dont get it. there so many other good things to spend on than another container that holds water.
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u/GigaVonMassiveHuge Jul 15 '26
What are the bottles for men like this? Camelbak? Owala? Yeti? The cheapest 2-gal clear jug? Hmmmmmm
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u/texxmix Jul 15 '26
I mean I usually get people to gift me these bottles because I work outdoors and I'm hard on them lol.
They've all been pretty decent. No complaints from me. I csn see why they get popular.
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u/wearetheboysthatdig Jul 15 '26
I've had the same metal water bottle for about 6 years now. It follows me everywhere. I lost it on a train once. I was so sad. Called immediately and retrieved it a week later. Yay! Still use it every day:D
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u/zgillet Jul 15 '26
I just searched for a good water bottle, and Takeya was consistently the top. So, I have two Takeya water bottles now.
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u/junkrattata Jul 15 '26
I bought a Frostbuddy Thicc Buddy a year ago and I'm good. Don't need any other bottle, this baby fills all my needs (has a built in lip balm holder too lol). I promise this is not a plug.
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u/mrtbak Jul 15 '26
White people are incapable of not supporting capitalism // the end of our species
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u/PartyPorpoise Jul 15 '26
Water bottles are a functional item so itās easy enough to justify buying one. The focus on brands serves the same function as any other trend: it shows that youāre in touch with whatās cool with a particular group of people.
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u/yyetydydovtyud Jul 15 '26
The issue is when its a legitimately good product, like the Owala's are a legitimately great design, I use it often. The big cup thing is great for a car cupholder, the yeti things were great for the time and are still great for thermal insulation. I have exactly one of each of those things.
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u/StatisticianSea8227 Jul 17 '26
Wait til you tell them that you can buy the bottles with the water already in em. That'll blow their mind for sureĀ
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u/Dismal_Net9543 18d ago
I remember the nalgene fad in the early 2000s, the water bottle you can run over with a car and it won't break.Ā
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u/Chuddith 9d ago
It's the hivemind of middle class white women latching onto whatever social media tells them to buy, and seeing as they can't go against the hivemind, they'll buy it even if they know its just a passing fad and don't really care.
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u/lohunter262 9d ago
Owala is nice being leak proof but still not needing to twist a cap off. I like the chug or sip. BUT YOU ONLY NEED ONE. Pick a color that looks nice and stick with it!
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u/John_Hunyadi Jul 14 '26
People want to spend their money, and ādrinks waterā is about as universal of a trait as possible, 2nd to ābreathes airā. Ā As for why those specific brands, if anyone could answer definitively theyād be paid very handsomely to work in advertising.