The Hydro Flask, a very good water bottle, has seemingly taken over the world. Entire grocery store end caps are devoted to displaying various sizes and colors of the stainless steel accessories. Stickers designed to perfectly personalize a Hydro Flask abound on Amazon. And people are trying to explain its new cultural significance. It’s not just a great reusable, affordable water bottle, though it is also that. So why are Hydro Flasks now everywhere?
Hydro Flask popularity: Blame VSCO girls
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Hydro Flasks were already popular with outdoorsy types, but then VSCO girls got ahold of the stainless steel insulated water bottles and sales started to skyrocket.
VSCO is a photo-based social network that lets you share filtered images — sort of like Instagram, but without comments. The girls who share photos of themselves on the app have popularized a specific look, which includes hair scrunchies, Puka shell necklaces and environmentally friendly accessories like, you guessed it, the Hydro Flask. Whether motivated by irony or genuine love of an extremely normal aesthetic, the quest to emulate VSCO girls has spurred sales of the Hydro Flask — and stickers to show off its owner’s personality — to insane heights in the last year.
But it’s also a top-rated water bottle, winning high marks from hiking and camping enthusiasts as well as Amazon shoppers looking for an easy way to hydrate on the go. Even if you’re not a VSCO girl, a Hydro Flask is worth buying.
Hydro Flask prices and sizes
The lineup starts at $29.95 for the basic 18-ounce Hydro Flask, available with either a standard or wide mouth. A 21-ounce Hydro Flask is $32.95, a 24-ounce is $34.95, a 32-ounce is $39.95, a 40-ounce is $42.95 and a 64-ounce is $59.95. That’s a lot of options. You can also choose from a variety of caps — for instance, if you need a flip-top or sport lid sometimes, you can snag one from $5-$10.
Hydro Flask also makes bottles and tumblers to hold other substances, such as coffee, wine and beer, if you like to keep your water bottle reserved for water and not Chardonnay (I don’t have that problem).
There’s even a 12-ounce kids-sized Hydro Flask with a wide mouth for $29.95.
Hydro Flask colors
In addition to various sizes and lids, Hydro Flask also comes in a million colors (well, not a million, but many).
The classic 18-ounce Hydro Flask comes in standard colors like white, black, graphite grey, cobalt blue, Pacific blue, lemon yellow, olive green and watermelon pink. When you choose a larger size, like the 24-ounce model, you can choose from lilac, frost blue and jade green.
Hydro Flask also releases specialty collections like the current holiday lineup, which includes limited-edition colors like Cranberry (red), Poinsettia (pink), Spruce (green) and Icicle (white with baby blue accents).
Hydro Flask stickers
If you don’t want to stock up on limited-edition colors, you can bedazzle your Hydro Flask with stickers to add personality.
There are tons of cute options on Amazon, from ‘90s-themed options with 21st century catchphrases to eco-conscious stickers that celebrate nature.
A slew of Etsy sellers also stock sticker packs for decorating your Hydro Flask. Just search for “VSCO stickers” or “stickers for Hydro Flask” and comb through pages of search results to find The Office stickers or a 50-pack of stickers popular on VSCO. You can even order a customized nameplate sticker so no one mistakes your Hydro Flask for theirs.
Bottom line
Hydro Flask offers something for everyone, from a VSCO girl to an athlete. Even office workers could use a Hydro Flask — getting up from your desk to refill your water bottle counts as activity, after all.
Hydro Flask isn’t the only game in town; rivals like Klean Kanteen and S’well also keep your liquids cold and come in cool colors. But Hydro Flask consistently ranks as the best water bottle you can buy. The fact that it’s now trendy to stay hydrated is just a bonus.
