When you attach an Air Up Pod to the top of your Air Up bottle, the pod releases a scent as you drink, giving you the impression that the water is flavoured when it hasn't actually had anything added to it. To me, Air Up is really an alternative to flavouring your water with bits of fruit. I don't know how disposable plastic pods, which can be recycled a maximum of two or three times (as with all recyclable plastics), can possibly be better than using fruit, which you can eat or put in your compost bin once you've used it to flavour your water. They’re essentially tiny granulate cubes made from natural plant and fruit extracts which are low in calories and free from sugar, artificial flavours and sweeteners. The bottles are made with a perfectly sized drinking hole to drop these cubes inside and flavour the water – hence the name, Waterdrop. The body curves inwards around three quarters of the way up so you can wrap the rest of the hand around the body as you press the lid. I’d suggest it really needs to be a little higher, though I do have small hands. That said, Air Up is not for everyone, especially those who drink a lot of water and need a larger water bottle capacity (the plastic version holds 22 ounces while the stainless steel version holds 28 ounces). One tester said, "I wish it were available in different sizes, so I didn't have to refill it so often."

Any BPA free water bottle, like all the ones above, are safe. Exposure to the industrial chemical BPA is believed to cause health problems, as I have explained in more detail in the introduction, but thankfully manufacturers are extremely cautious to avoid it these days. Glass and stainless steel are both naturally BPA free. If you’re particularly safety-conscious with your water, consider buying a filtered water bottle. If you've seen the Air Up water bottle on social media, you may already know that it's a water bottle that utilizes flavor pods to enhance the taste of your water without actually adding any flavoring to the water itself. The pods are placed on the water bottle and when you take a sip, the flavored air bubbles travel through your mouth to your nose where your brain interprets it as flavor. Weight: We found the plastic Air Up bottle to be lightweight, but the stainless steel version is on the heavier side. And if you don’t like the flavour of stainless steel bottles often add to your water this might be just the solution. Most companies say they can keep water cold for 24 hours and hot for 12. We wouldn’t recommend keeping water in your bottles any longer than that as it can start to take on a stale taste. That said, you can safely store tap water for up to six months, according to Healthline. Which are the safest water bottles to buy?Strawberry-Balsamic, Wild Berry, Raspberry-Lemon, Orange-Passionfruit, Iced Coffee, Orange-Vanilla, Basil-Lemon, Sweet Coconut, Guava, Watermelon, Mango Passion Fruit, Elderflower If you’re buying a reusable water bottle with the intention of becoming more environmentally friendly, it doesn’t get more sustainable than the S’wheat bottle. The S’wheat is a reusable plant-based water bottle made from wheat straw and bamboo. The wheat straw is the stalk part of cereal plants which remains after they’ve been harvested. Usually, wheat straw would be used as biofuel, animal feed or burnt in the open - causing pollutant emissions. As for the younger Flanders tester, her water intake has noticeably increased, she is remembering to take her stylish bottle with her everywhere she goes (two things I often find myself nagging about) and is happily pondering what she'll choose for next week's flavour.

Fill your water bottle with water to the capacity line, then attach the mouthpiece with the straw to the bottle. The experience of using the Air Up Pods took me a bit of getting used to. Essentially, Air Up mixes flavoured air with your water, and I found swallowing gulps of water that contain air bubbles an odd sensation.I’m often a little wary of water bottles with straws because I’ve previously found they become rather unhygienic. This water bottle uses antimicrobial drinking surfaces and a stainless steel telescopic straw, which comes with its own cleaning brush. It’s just as well, since it can’t go in the dishwasher. I liked how sturdy the bottle was and how, despite spending a week throwing it into bags for various school holiday excursions, it didn't leak at any point. My one minor gripe is that it isn't dishwasher safe, but to be honest at that price I'd be handwashing it anyway to make sure it lasts properly. I was surprised at just how disappointing I found the Watermelon, Peach and Wild Berry flavours. They tasted incredibly synthetic to me – more like cheap sweets than fruit.

I've gone from being convinced this was something overhyped and overpriced to cautiously converted to my daughter's view that for her this is a 'must-have' for school. I won't lie though, at this price I was relieved when my seven-year-old tried sipping from it, screwed up his face and asked if he could have a standard Spider-Man themed water bottle for a fraction of the price instead. Kids obviously won't accept that as an alternative, though, as what they're really after is an opportunity to show off owning the Air Up brand to their peers, and to get excited about trying out the snazzy flavours. According to Air Up, the flavorings in the pods are made from natural flavors, extracted from plants, fruits and spices. The company noted that specific details that "relate to Air Up's [intellectual property] are proprietary."We tried the 480ml classic silver steel bottle. The bottle was really sturdy, as you'd expect of something made of stainless steel, but unlike some other bottles I've had the water coming out of it didn't taste metallic.