With soaring prices and falling temperatures many people are looking for an alternative to the on the go drinks from coffee shops and cafes. And there are a whole range of options on bottles which promise to keep your beverages hot - or cold - for hours at a time.
But with various choices of what is available - do they work and are they worth the money? Sporty student Eve Cooper is looking to save cash but without missing out on a hot drink when she takes part in the many activities she enjoys.
She put one of the big names through its paces and was amazed at the results. Already a Chilly's bottle owner which has lasted for more than four years she was given the chance to try out the Chilly's Series 2 - and it left her stunned at the difference.
The 20-year-old psychology student at Northumbria University, who also works in a bar, took it with her through a busy week of activities. This is what she found.
"Being an avid Chilly Series 1 user for years I’ve never felt a need to move to the series 2 bottle. After all it is a thermal bottle and not much could be different.
"Chilly has always been my go to as the perfect bottle for all things active as mine is as good today as when I bought it over four years ago. It is also stylish, coming in some lovely designs. So of course when given the chance to try out the Series 2 I jumped at it.
"The Series 2 bottle is a sleek design that comes in three pieces, the bottle, collar and loop. The bottle I tried costs £30 and it claims to last 12 hours hot and 24 hours cold - but does it work?
"I really wanted to put the bottle to the test so it stayed with me on every activity I did through the week as well as coming to work with me. I started by testing how long it stayed cold, filling it first thing on a morning - and checking it a couple of times through the day - and again the next morning.
"It definitely hit the mark and the water was as refreshing the following morning as when I filled it. However, it is unlikely that I would need it to stay cold that long as it would have been refilled several times on a normal day.
"Next it was the turn of the beach. It might be a cold autumn day but they are still great days for heading to the sea and the surf. I made my coffee before I left then took the bottle with me. My biggest shock came when I went to have a drink after I'd finished and it was still too hot to drink without waiting. I've taken other cheaper versions and they have been pretty cool by the time I needed them.
"It also went through a week of work and Uni and it was also fantastic to keep cold drinks in when going to lectures and work. So far so good.
"My next challenge was the dry ski slopes at night. I filled it with coffee and it keept me warm for the two hours of skiing in freezing temperatures.
"Finally I checked out the claim of keeping drinks warm for 12 hours - and discovered something I was not prepared for. It easily cleared the 12 hour mark, passed 18 hours still hot and even after 24 hours it was warm enough to still drink. I love my Chilly's bottle but didn't expect that.
"It isn't just the length of time it keeps drinks hot and cold but the design of the Series 2 has moved on. It is built to be compact and smaller but still holds 500ml of liquid. It also has a rubber base to reduce the sound when putting the bottle down, a subtle improvement I hadn’t even thought of until I began comparing the two.
"The collar is made with an antimicrobial material that reduces microbes by 99.99% but also allows for the bottle to taste nicer when drinking from rather than drinking straight from the metal like with the Series 1 bottle. The loop on the lid is another improvement as the Series 1 required a separate carabiner to have a loop to carry the bottle making the Series 2 an easier everyday bottle.
"Despite all these fantastic features my favourite part of the Series 2 is that the bottles are completely customisable! Each part can be changed allowing for you to express yourself however you feel whether that is a monochrome bottle like the predesigned ones or different colours for each part as well as the option of custom engraving.
"This bottle has now become the one I use daily and has replaced the Series 1 despite how great that one was. In my opinion this is the perfect gift for any students, commuters or adventurers."
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