Overall Score
- Ease of Use 65%
- Durability 40%
- Seal 50%
- Maintenance 40%
- Insulation 30%
Key Takeaways
A Full Day of Hydration in One Large Bottle
If you don’t have access to drinking water throughout the day, this is a great choice for you.
Transporting Isn’t Too Difficult
The bottle is heavy, but the side handle and strap make moving it manageable.
Clear Volume Markers Make Regulating Your Water Intake Easy
Motivational messages serve as a fun reminder to keep drinking water.
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Overview
The Bottled Joy 1 gallon is mostly what you’d expect. It’s large, a bit heavy and meant for a more sedentary lifestyle. If you’re deciding between this bottle and a Camelbak or ThermoFlask you’re comparing apples to oranges. The Bottled Joy 1 gallon is designed for a specific use case: all-day hydration for those who don’t have access to water.
If you’re driving on the road all day or your work environment doesn’t provide access to drinking water, this bottle is probably a good match for you. With one filling of the Bottled Joy, you should be all set, morning to night. The volume markers on the side allow you to regulate your water intake so you know exactly how many ounces you’ve consumed and how many are left to go. Some of our reviewers preferred keeping their eyes on the motivational markers throughout the day. If you need hydration encouragement, the Bottled Joy displays messages such as “go for it” at 9am, “shoot for success at 1pm” and “don’t give up” at 3pm.
For most of our review team, the Bottled Joy wasn’t the best fit. The feedback boiled down to the obvious; if you can refill a smaller bottle throughout the day and already have good hydration habits, there are more practical options out there.
However, a few reviewers felt that having all their hydration in one place helped them reach their daily goals. If you’re someone who will appreciate the reminders that come with a 1 gallon bottle and don’t mind the weight, this could be a great match.
Ease of Use
The feedback from our review team was that the Bottled Joy was easier to use than expected. The side handle and strap made it possible to transport this 1 gallon giant from the home to the car or from the car to the office. Cars were typically involved when our users transported the Bottled Joy from place to place due to the weight. We don’t recommend carrying this a long distance or putting it in a backpack as it could lead to strains and pains. When you do need to move it, we recommend grabbing the bottle by the handle and embracing the arm workout while you go from place to place.
“When I first learned I was testing this bottle, I kept thinking it would be similar to a 1 gallon plastic water bottle you’d find at a grocery store… This is better constructed and the handle made it relatively easy to carry around.”
The bottle has a simple flip top that can be opened with one finger. A small amount of pressure unhooks the cap from the locking mechanism and you’re half-way to hydrating. The second half is a bit more difficult as it requires lifting the bottle to your lips. Keep in mind that when full, this bottle weighs over 8lbs. All of our reviewers who tested this bottle noted this point and readers should take this into consideration.
Durability
The Bottled Joy 1 gallon bottle is definitely sturdier than a gallon jug you can buy at your local supermarket, but it’s also nowhere near as strong as other plastic bottles we’ve tested at HydrationReview. There is no comparison to the strength of Tritan bottles like the Camelbak Eddy + or the Nalgene Wide Mouth. Out of caution, there were no purposeful drops with this bottle as reviewers felt it could easily break on impact.
In fact, the bottle comes with directions that explicitly warn against dropping it from a “high place.” The word “high” is up for debate, but we’d recommend avoiding any possible drops.
Seal
The Bottled Joy did not leak during testing, however, given the size of this bottle, it wasn’t subjected to the same rigorous testing as our other bottles. Reviewers did not attempt to carry the bottle in their purse or backpack and users were very careful to keep it upright avoiding any major spills.
We strongly advise against carrying this bottle in a bag of any sorts, especially in situations where the bottle could be turned upside down. An overturned Bottle Joy with a loose cap is a quick way to ruin your day.
Maintenance
Users will need to hand wash the Bottled Joy. The directions warn against putting it in the dishwasher and also state “no hot liquid above 120°F.” We found that warm soapy water and a good shake got the job done. The directions also suggest using baking soda and vinegar to clean and this might be a good practice every once in a while.
Insulation
The Bottled Joy 1 gallon was able to hold a cold temperature for about 2 hours into the temperature control test. Starting just above freezing, the water inside the bottle warmed to room temperature in under 6 hours. During real world use, this will likely be a much shorter timeline as the user will be drinking water and possibly carrying the bottle outdoors where sunlight will warm the water.
Unless you are refrigerating the bottle during the day or adding ice, you’ll need to be OK with drinking mostly room temperature water from the Bottled Joy.
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