Rethinking Water with the bübi Bottle

The bübi Bottle wants to be unique in every way—from its look, feel and versatility, right down to its idiosyncratic name with the umlaut and stylized lowercase “b.” And on many fronts, it is a rousing success. We spent several weeks putting it through the wringer on multi pitch climbs, long hikes and around town in daily life.

The bübi Bottle comes rolled up—one of its more nifty functions. The bottle is made of silicone, which means it is scrunchable and flexible. While I haven't yet needed to roll it up super compactly, a backpacker trying to cram as much as possible into a small space would surely appreciate this feature.

What I’ve found most convenient is the bübi's of its sturdiness. Climbing up Mainliner, a 700-foot route in Lumpy Ridge, just above of Estes Park, Colorado, the bübi swung from one of my harness loops. I was slightly worried about it popping at first, but the silicone construction means it bounces and bends without tearing. At one point while still on the ground, I accidentally dropped it off the top of 20 foot boulder, and found it none the worse for wear at the bottom, despite the rock-strewn landing. Neither have all the ice cubes I’ve stuffed inside it caused any punctures.

Which brings us to another cool thing about the bübi. Being made of silicone, it can withstand temperatures as hot as 500 degrees fahrenheit, and as cold as -100. So if you accidentally drop it in the campfire, you probably don’t need to worry for at least a couple seconds. And if you find yourself in -100 degree fahrenheit conditions, well… what are you doing in a place that cold? Get out of there!

The team at bübi likes to market the bottle as more than a just a water container. Use it as a pillow behind your neck when you’re flying; keep your goldfish or trail mix in it; hell, you can even put your phone in it and use it as a drybag in your kayak (though neither they nor I are not recommending it… if anything happens, that’s on you, buddy).

If you do decide to put your cellphone inside it, you’ll probably want to wash it thoroughly before drinking out of it again, and the silicone construction makes that easy as well: you can turn the bübi Bottle inside out.

Clearly this bottle has a lot going for it.

Then again, you can only get so groundbreaking with a water bottle, and attempting to do so has pitfalls. The most irksome feature of the bübi Bottle is intrinsically related to the design conceit responsible for most of its awesomeness: the pliable, squishy silicone means that, even when the bottle is full, stability is an issue. Even a light graze is enough to unsettle the bottle, which—what with its rounded bottom and lack of overall firmness—is prone to wobble and roll, tilt and fall. I nearly sent my laptop to an early grave while writing this piece when I clumsily reached for my full and uncapped bübi sitting next to me, missed it by a country mile, and spilled water all over the kitchen counter.

Another shortcoming is the carabiner that so niftily holds keeps the rolled up bottle from unfurling. The biner is flimsy and broke on me inside two weeks.

Finally there’s the size. As a climber, 650 milliliters happens to be an ideal volume to bring up a 700-foot climb. For most other activities, I usually want a full liter at least. Lucky for you, bübi also makes a 1 liter size!

The verdict?

All in all, the bübi Bottle is a cool new piece of gear with lots of plusses, negatives that are pretty minor, and a very reasonable price tag. By no means is it a game changer, but it’s definitely worth a look if your ten-year-old Nalgene is now opaque from all the scuffs or your metal Sigg is dented to death. My bottle came in seafoam teal, but the quiver of colors includes  sunset orange, seaweed green, crimson red, gunmetal grey, pacific blue, amethyst purple, and rose pink.

Specs

-Size: 650 ml (22 oz); also available in 1000 ml (35 oz)

-BPA free

-Silicone construction

-Carabiner included

-Comes with an alternative Active Lifestyle Cap

-Microwave and dishwasher safe

-Price: $16.99

-One year limited warranty

Pick up your own bübi Bottle at https://www.bubibottle.com.

And once you do that, try it out on one of the hiking adventures available at The Outdoor Voyage, like this 8-day trip in Croatia!