Polar BottleInsulated Water Bottle (24-Ounce) (Big Bear)

I first found Polar water bottles at Dick's Sporting Goods. Now my hubby and I have several that we use for the gym, work, and life in general. We love them and we see many people toting their Polar bottles around our gym. I like ice-cold water, especially when I'm working out, so I store mine in the refrigerator and add ice before I work out. The water stays very cold throughout my hour-long spin or yoga classes. I take one to work, though the water does not stay cold for the entire day (8 or 9 hours) unless I keep adding ice when I refill. Speaking of melting ice, condensation rarely forms on the bottle, and I've found that this occurs if I've added more ice than usual. I usually fill the bottle and leave 3-4" at the top for ice (6-8 full-size cubes) and it's fine. For long car rides, we'll fill a couple bottles halfway and freeze them overnight, and then we'll add water in the morning.These bottles are easy to clean as long as you have a good bottle brush that reaches the bottom (I recommend the OXO bottle brush that is both long enough and dishwasher-safe for disinfecting). We have the 24-oz bottles but I definitely will order a smaller one to fit on my bike this summer. I bought the blue Big Bear bottle from Amazon and I love it. Who wouldn't want to see a cute polar bear every time you take a sip of water during their workout? The bottles are easy to hold while you're working out too. You can squeeze water into your mouth or slurp it--whichever you prefer. I like the black handle that makes it easy to carry or to grab from a bottle holder during spin class.One issue worth noting is that some of our bottles are very scratched on the bottoms where they were placed in the holders on the spin bikes at the gym. It is a tight fit and constantly moving them in and out of the holders scratched them quite a bit.

I used to use cheap, uninsulated water bottles on my bike. If I put cold liquid or ice in the bottles, they would "sweat" and drip water right into my front derailleur and bottom bracket. Not good, especially for steel bikes. The Polar bottle solves this problem. Thanks to intelligent engineering, it can be filled with ice cubes and water without producing condensation... and the contents stay COLD. The Polar bottle is also very tough and can take many miles of cycling without showing significant wear. Another good thing: You can select different color patterns to complement the color of your bikes (or make socio-political commentary). The Polar bottles are not inexpensive, but quality construction, durability and advanced functionality make them well worth the money.

I bought one of these as a replacement for a lost Camelbak Podium Big Chill (*sniffle sniffle*) and had really low expectations for it as I'd previously seen a 4 star general rating on it. I decided to gamble on it and ordered the bottle with the blue bear design for $8 (WOW, affordable). I've had it for about a month so far and use it often during weekdays for my commute to college, so I guess I consider it to have been used well enough to post a nice review.Pros:-Price : very affordable-Designs : wide array of designs on the bottles, enough to be able to choose something that matches your bike or even appeals to your eye. The bottle is somewhat contoured for hands as well-Functionality: works as intended and keeps water cool way longer than standard bottles. It also doesn't release chemicals (according-Neck Loop : it's nice to be able to clip it onto a backpack strap with a carabiner instead of having to open the pack to store the bottle-Size: 24 ounces is a nice amount of storage for water. Not enough for the whole day but there's always a way to refill it.Cons:-Materials : The plastic used to make the bottle seems like it was recycled. Don't get me wrong, this is GREAT, but the inside section is a white plastic that resembles the kind Clorox bleach gallons are made of. I suspect that's what makes the water taste a little funny.In my opinion, this bottle is great for the price. Some people might not want one because of that funny taste (which DOES diminish after a while) i mentioned. I definitely recommend it though. Happy shopping!