H2O at Hand

I don't recommend holding a water bottle to carry it (you should carry it on your waist), but if that's your habit, H2O at Hand is useful. It is comfortable to carry, at least in warm weather. The 12 oz water bottle is just enough for a walk of an hour or less, and will weigh less the more you drink. That will reduce your risk of getting strain from carrying it in your hand.

I don't recommend carrying your water bottle in your hand, as it can lead to poor walking form and strain your shoulders, elbows, or wrist. But I know many of you routinely just grab a water bottle and head out the door. With H2O at Hand, you can keep just a light grip on the bottle so you won't raise your blood pressure by gripping too tightly. I'd still prefer you to wear a water-carrier waistpack for better walking form.

Water Bottle

The 12 oz. water bottle is a good size for a walk of an hour or less. I found using the sipper valve that the water didn't flow very well - lots of bubbles with the water. But you can easily remove the cap and drink from it instead. The mouth of the water bottle isn't big enough to add ice cubes.

The biggest drawback I see is that until the water is half gone, your hand is warming up the water, or getting cooled down by it. For that reason, I delayed doing a test of the H2O at Hand until I had warmer spring weather. You could always wrap some cloth around it to insulate it yourself.

It was easy to carry, but my hand got sweaty holding it after an hour.

Reviewed: 5-11-06