It actually took me a while to come up with this topic; not for any lack of use, but the contrary – I use both of these so much that I they’ve come out the other side of usefulness into ubiquity in my life.
I’m talking of course, about my coffee mug and my water bottle.
The bracelet around the coffee mug says “Memento Mori – Do The Work” and is from Mark Luell’s blog Growing Up Guns. The link here says they’re out of stock, but I’m not sure if that’s accurate or not. I’d suggest contacting Mark directly if you’re interested. There’s only one reason I don’t wear it, and that’s because I don’t like much besides a watch on my wrist. Personal preference. I love the message though. Might do a run of stickers with that phrase, in fact… stay tuned.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand.
I’ll start with the coffee mug – it’s by Contigo, who has been very good to me over the years. This particular model is older, and lacks the “lock-out” feature of their newer mugs, but nevertheless, a couple years ago when I had the bottom ring come off (mostly cosmetic), I e-mailed them and asked how they suggested I best reattach it.
They responded by sending me a brand new mug. Needless to say, I was impressed.
The primary feature that appeals to me about this mug is its “press to open” mechanism, whereby the mug’s default state is “closed” and only by pressing the button on the rim, do I get it to open and dispense the sweet, sweet elixir of life… er, my coffee. This prevents my genius self from wearing coffee as frequently as I otherwise would.
As for the Nalgene bottle, it’s pretty self explanatory. This one I think I got at REI on clearance; I’ve got two of them and they’re awesome. The only complaint I have is that they don’t insulate, but I’m not horribly particular about my water temperature, so it doesn’t bother me terribly.
The one upgrade I did make to both bottles immediately is the humangear capCAP. This allows me to drink my water without wearing it (noticing a theme yet?), and the loop that retains the lid seems to be much more durable than the stock Nalgene one.
Again, both of these guys follow me about everywhere, and I’ve had little to no complaints with either – I’ve had plenty of other coffee mugs and water bottles, but I keep coming back to these.
Until next time.
-T