This Vapur water bottle review comes to you by Lauriane Giroux, originally part of our One Little Thing interviews.Â
What’s the one little thing you can’t travel without?
My Vapur water bottle! It’s a 0.7 litre soft foldable bottle. I tried it for the first time this year and was very pleasantly surprised.
>> Check out Vapur water bottles on Amazon.
Why has this one item been so important to you?
Maybe it’s because I’m from Canada, a place where we have and use a LOT of water, but wherever I go I always need to have a water bottle with me. However, bottles usually take up quite a lot of space (and don’t really fit well in purses), which is all the more annoying when the bottle is empty and still takes up half the bag.
This summer I went on a big Ireland trip and did loads of hiking, and decided to try a soft bottle and it saved so much room in my day pack! I was always very skeptical about this type of bottles, thinking they would either leak (lots of my hard, regular water bottles do!), or not stand straight or that the carabiner would rip the bottle from the weight of the water. Luckily, none of that happened with this one!
How packable is it? Does it take up much room? Is it heavy?
That’s the thing with these bottles, they’re so packable! When the bottle is full it does take up pretty much the same space as a normal bottle, maybe a little more flexible, but as soon as you start to drink from it, it takes less and less space. Once it’s empty you can quickly roll it and it’s as small as a tissue pack. As for the weight I would say it’s pretty much the weight of the water, otherwise it’s very very light.
Would you recommend this to your travel friends?
I most definitely would! It was great for me because I’m a travel photographer and even if I try my best to pack light, when I go on hikes, my day pack is pretty much already full of equipment. When I left with that bottle, I would either squeeze it in the bag (no worries, it won’t leak or explode in your bag) or tie it to the outside of my bag with the carabiner at the top of the bottle, and then roll it up once empty.
Can you name one situation where you were glad to have this item with you?
I was spending a few weeks living with friends in Dublin, and decided to spend two nights in a hostel in the Wicklow Mountains to hike around. Since it was a very short trip, I decided to try and fit everything in my daypack- photo equipment, toiletries, clothes and all. I had no room for a water bottle in the mix, but tied mine to the strap of my bag and went hiking. It got dragged everywhere and kept kind of swinging with the pace of my walk and still it held perfectly fine! When I was done I could put it in the bag and no worries.
How did you hear about this item?
Well, like I said earlier, I wasn’t really confident in using that type of bottles. When you’re hiking the last thing you need is to get everything you own wet because your bottle broke in the bag. My mom kept insisting that I should at least give it a try. One day I went to a travel center to get my international driving license, and they were selling these Vapur bottles which seemed quite well made and solid so I gave in!
What sort of traveler is this item perfect for?
This is perfect for thirsty travelers! But really there’s one for every type. They sell different sizes (0.4L, 0.5L, 0.7L, 1L) and different colors. They also sell some with a filter and others specially designed to carry wine! The only thing you need to do is go get one!
About the Author: Lauriane is a 21 year old travel photographer and graphic designer who can’t get enough. When she’s not traveling, she spends her time in Montreal working with musicians to capture shows and goes horseback riding to help her wait for her next adventure. Soon moving to Ireland to discover new parts of the world, you can follow her work at www.laurianegiroux.com.
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I also love that they fold up small and are perfect for travel, but a word to the wise from personal experience: Mike & I each purchased a Vapur for our 14-month RTW trip. I think his lasted about a month before the seam tore and mine lasted less than 3 months. The problem with mine was that the space where you loop a carabiner through eventually stretched out and tore open the bottle’s seam. Hopefully they make their products more durable now, but just a note to fellow travelers to be aware of that issue should you choose to purchase one.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Tara!
I totally get it!
When I was shopping I didn’t want to buy the ones with the carabiner directly tied to the the “bottle part” by fear of something like this happening.
That’s why I chose one where the carabiner is attached to the top part of the bottle.
Good to know I made a good decision!
I love these bottles. I used them for hiking because once you drink the water you’re not stuck with a giant heavy plastic bottle in your pack.
I love using these ‘anti-bottles’!! I had a 1L in the same color as the one in your photo, and recently bought a 0.7L in matte dark blue. I actually like the non-matte finish better, since you can see all the oily finger marks easily on the matte Vapur bottles.These are completely non-leak, which amazes me because I toss mine into my leather work bags ALL the time but they never get my things wet, not like my other twist open/close reusable bottles. I brought my Vapur bottle on my Europe trip this past April and it saved me a lot of bag space. I also go rock climbing a lot with my bottle, and a lot of friends ask me about it. I really recommend Vapur, too 🙂
I love my Vapur (1L in black/red) and have toted it all over the world. I have been using the same one for a year and have never had a leak or tear. My favorite feature is the clip where you can attach it to other bags because I generally have gear with me (cameras, scuba, etc). I often clip my Vapur to a daypack while hiking/biking or carry it on dive boats by attaching it to my dry bag and it draws many “oohs and ahhs”. When it is time to clean, simply rinse with soapy water and blow into it to inflate the bag so it can air dry standing up – the remaining water drops easily evaporate. For air travelers in safe-water regions, the Vapur is nice to be able to fill, empty and refill before and after airport security checks. When I am in areas without safe water, I do refills wherever I can find purified water dispensers (e.g., fill up at a hostel before departure) so I always have clean water with me when I need it. Recommendation: For travelers who like to add flavor drops/crystals to their water, get a dark color to avoid staining.
I love this bottle! I’ve had it for a year and it still functions perfectly. While traveling in Amsterdam we visited some museums where water wasn’t allowed. It was great to just stuff my hydration in my coat (it was winter) pocket instead of renting a locker or chugging it. Can’t do that with a nalgene!