When these first came out I thought they were the coolest thing. No more plastic bottles and oh so de rigeur for trampers/hikers. The dings in the metal sort of became like badges of honour for trampers as it showed how you really got out there and weren’t a delicate flower. But now you can buy metal water bottles in just about every shop there is, including baby outfitters. But I maintain that they are still the best thing for travel and tramping. They have a multitude of uses besides carrying water to your gullet and here are five.
#5 Foot Massager
Have a seat. Put the bottle on the floor and roll. Ahhh!
#4 Emergency toilet
You’ll need a funnelling device for this one. Sorry, no photos.
#3 Burglar Alarm
Attach the empty bottle to the door in a cheap hostel or guesthouse so it will rattle if someone enters when you are sleeping. You could drop a couple of small stones or other items inside to increase the rattle, just don’t forget to remove them before you fill the bottle with drinking water. I take no responsibility. And, if you think quickly, you could also grab the bottle and hit an intruder over the head with it. Again, I take no responsibility.
#2 Yoghurt maker
All you need is one spoonful of live yoghurt from your last batch, some gently heated milk (stop before boiling point, and then cool down to body temperature before adding the yoghurt), and a bit of a shake. Place the bottle in a warm water bath that goes about 1/3 to 1/2 way up the outside of the bottle (ie. the water does not go in to the bottle) depending on what the room temperature is, and a towel or other cloth to cover the whole thing overnight to keep it warm. Leave the top off of the bottle and be sure to keep the whole contraption warm. In the morning you will have a nice, soft yoghurt that you can pour out and drink or add fruit to. It’s also advisable to have a bottle brush handy for afterward unless you have a freakishly long tongue.
And my all time favourite…
#1 Hot water bottle
I have to note that the manufacturers do not recommend this although there are many a traveller who do not heed the warnings. In the very least, be sure you have a bottle that is not lined with something that will melt. Place a sock on the bottle and prop it up securely. Fill with hot water (not boiling), close tightly and pop into your sleeping bag or bed. If you stir a few times in the night, it would be a good idea to open the bottle briefly to allow for the change in pressure that occurs whilst the bottle water is cooling. Otherwise your bottle may become indented and could even leak. Or, you may just prefer to use the bottle as a bedwarmer by letting it sit in the sleeping bag for a few minutes and then leaving it out, uncovered, until morning. If you’ve boiled the water for over three minutes, and you haven’t used a bottle lined with a BPA leaching substance, you end up with a bottle full of potable water in the morning which makes this a double win!
Do you have any other uses for your water bottle? Leave us a comment or a Tweet. And, if you do any of these, we’d love to feature your photo.
Loved this! I just bought one and never even realized the other 5 things it could do, LOL. Sure got my money’s worth
Thanks for stopping by, Amy
I was thinking you could make some water bottle yoghurt from those cows you are always talking about. I’m pretty sure you’d be the first on your island.