In season one of Shrinking, Gaby (Jessica Williams) shows up with a gallon-sized light-blue water bottle, firmly making a case for all-day hydration. (There’s now a whole Reddit thread dedicated to it.) A season or so later, the bottle is covered in all kinds of stickers and accessories—an emotional-support object, yes, but also a marker of time. In fact, the bottle enjoys as much screen time as Gaby, not that we’re complaining! When she decides to gift one to her colleague Paul (Harrison Ford)—and he gruffly starts using it—it represents a significant milestone in their friendship.
Sure, it is no Stanley Cup (that unwieldy Frankenstumbler that’s known to survive a car fire), but does it do it all: a fitness accessory, emotional support, and social currency? We think so. The reusable water bottle that you carry around everywhere takes care of your hydration levels, but it also clings to you as a reflection of your personality.
Remember when ChakoLab dropped its pastel-hued LinLin Kettle (with a mock spout et al) and almost gave the Stanley Cup a run for its money? And while the internet was obsessing over Diet Coke—fridge cigarette, Diet Coke nails, you name it—GERM India dropped its Coca-Cola collab tumblers, sippers, and thermal flasks that made it straight to our wish list. Stanley, meanwhile, launched a new ‘hands-free’ Next x Nature canteen with a larger mouth for ice—very ’90s-coded, very summer-ready.
And then there’s Air Up, trying to “disrupt” drinking water by adding scented pods to bottles to trick your tastebuds. Innovative? Yes. Ridiculous? Maybe that too.
Here’s our handpicked collection of seven water bottles that will make hydration easier and your summer stroll a lot more stylish. If Harrison Ford can stay hydrated, there’s no reason you can’t.
