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As efforts towards curbing single-use plastics grow, it’s becoming more common for hotels, resorts, and travel operators to provide guests with refillable water bottles for use during their trips, and for airports to do their part by installing water refilling stations for travelers toting their own bottles. If you’re like me, though, you might have some qualms about the drinking water we have access to itself—especially when on the road, or in a foreign country. (As has been reported, while many cities have access to clean sources of water, our water-transport infrastructure and often century-old pipe systems are increasingly crumbling or, worse, contaminated.) Luckily, LARQ bottles have helped quell my concerns, as they feature a patented technology that cleans and purifies water with one touch of a button. Now, for a limited time, the signature LARQ bottle is available in a festive (and very giftable) Sahara Gold version that benefits Well Aware, an organization that provides innovative, sustainable solutions to water contamination and scarcity issues.
Along with a stylish shape that has won design awards, each non-toxic, mercury-free LARQ bottle features UV-C LED technology that both purifies the bottle’s interior and the water it contains; you can press a button to activate it, or let it automatically self-clean every two hours. (The bottle gets recharged by USB, with one charge lasting about a month.) The UV-C light eradicates biological contaminants, including 99.9999-percent of harmful and odor-causing bacteria and viruses, making this among the world’s first portable water purification systems. Double-wall vacuum insulation helps keep liquids cold for 24 hours and hot for 12, which means you can also use this for coffee or tea, but I prefer to keep my bottle dedicated just to water—using it both for on-the-go hydration when traveling and, in some places, to make sure water is extra-clean for brushing my teeth. The regular bottle is available in 17oz and 25oz versions (both fit in standard cup holders) for $95-$118, while the Limited-Edition Sahara Gold Bottle comes in the 17oz for $148, while supplies last.
