This giant sports water bottle is the only thing standing between me and dehydration

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It’s the eternal workday dilemma – do I get up to fill a glass or go on without water? Oftentimes, I choose the latter, even when my throat is drier than the Atacama Desert. I know it’s a wrong decision, but sometimes I’d rather keep working on a task (and I mean, by “working on a task”, watching emotional puppy videos on The Dodo) rather than walking all the way to the sink. Two hours later… still thirsty. But I decided to turn my life around with a little help from a half gallon Banqiue water bottleAnd now a sip of water is always on hand.

My Pankio water bottle looks like something you’d see my brother holding a torn deltoid at the gym because, basically, sports water bottle. It’s not for the timid – it’s for the dry. Equipped with a massive handle, leak-proof lid and thick rope, it’s made of heavy-duty, BPA-free plastic and most importantly, it’s also 100% free. Phrases like “Keep drinking!‘ or ‘It’s about to finish! Its see-through design means I can always see how much water is in it – and it often has water because it’s so big. This thing is a beast, and drinking from it will make you feel like one too.

My Pankio is so sturdy that I know it won’t spill or break if I decide to take it on the go. But it doesn’t go anywhere. He sits at my desk from nine to five, all day, every day. As I prepare my morning coffee, I fill it up, and be ready for the next eight hours. And despite tilting my head drastically all the way to take a big gulp from a 5-pound jug of water during Zoom calls, it might make colleagues think I’m do a lot, I like to think it sort of matches my whole life aesthetic: extra.

I’ve learned a lot since I bought this bottle, like that drinking water through a straw from a tasty little cup is a very ineffective way to stay hydrated. I’ve also learned that you don’t really have to do yoga to wear yoga pants, and you don’t have to exercise to own a sports water bottle.