Hey, Hydrators!
I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you how important it is to stay hydrated—it’s ESSENTIAL really. That’s why it’s important to have your trusty water bottle at your side during outdoor excursions. Whether you’re hiking in the summer or snowshoeing in the winter, it’s smart to have some water with you while you’re out.
People knew this a long time ago just as we know it today. And despite the fact that no plastic, metal, or glass water bottles were able to be made thousands of years ago, people figured out ways to transport their clean, fresh water. Our ancient ancestors discovered that curing animal bladders made them stronger and able to carry water for an expedition.
These crude carriers were obviously not water bottles. They weren’t really even canteens (the water bottle’s ancestor), but they moved water. It took quite a while to get to the reusable plastic or stainless steel water bottles that we’re familiar with today.
Hollowed-out gourds became trendy means of transportation for a while. But it wasn’t until the cowboys of the Wild West sewed together leather bags to use as canteens that a water carrier doubled as something from which a person can conveniently drink. Canteens made of metal and even wood became popular means of water transportation in the military.
Canteens are used as simple means of water holders on camping trips nowadays, but water bottles have really taken over in that department since the early 1970s.
It started a little over 20 years prior in 1949 with a type of plastic that was developed by a chemist named Emanuel Goldberg and his team. This plastic, Nalgene, was intended for laboratory use as bottles and storage tanks as the material is able to hold a variety of liquids (and solids) which have very low to very high temperatures.
These bottles were continuously missing from the lab as members of the team kept taking them out to use as water bottles during leisurely hikes or exercise sessions. It wasn’t long before the President of the Nalge Company, Marsh Hyman discovered that his son’s entire troop in Boy Scouts used bottles from the Nalgene lab for their outdoor activities.
So the bottles were given color and a cool style and marketed as reusable plastic water bottles—a much better alternative to buying disposable plastic water bottles. Nowadays water bottles have all sorts of features like measuring lines and built-in filters.
Enjoy your water, wherever you go.
- John