This October marks two years with my first Owala water bottle — a “Hyper Flamingo” colored, 32-oz bottle that I had coincidentally stumbled across on Amazon after hearing recommendations from an old friend. Despite my dad’s comments about its sippy cup-like appearance, it made its way into my cart. My Owala quickly became a source of emotional support for me and finally replaced the Hydroflask I had held close to my heart since the VSCO girl trend of 2019.

I started collecting more bottles as I became more and more invested in Owala. My friends quickly followed and did the same, claiming signature colors and styles to fit each of our respective personalities. We obsessed over ColorDrop, Owala’s exclusive series of limited edition water bottles sold in finite quantities, and competed to see who could scout the most in the grocery store aisles. Our parents most definitely described this as an addiction, admittedly it may have been and may still be, but surely there are worse things to be addicted to as growing adolescents.

Outside of school, my friends and I traded pictures of the Owala bottles we captured in the wild. I’d gape if I saw more than two Owalas at the same park, in the same airport or in the same Target shopping cart at the same time, compelling me to pull out my phone and send a snap to the group chat.

Moving to Vanderbilt as a first-year student, I have come to understand that the Owala bottle trend may not have been as niche as I had previously thought. I counted over a dozen bottles on a Monday afternoon in Rand and decided to start questioning the owners to discover their thoughts.

Though Owala has a few styles, the most popular I’ve seen on campus is the FreeSip. This lid is equipped with a unique leakproof two-in-one spout, granting the ability to both slurp through a straw and gulp through a wide opening. Several students, including junior Samantha Wachs, mentioned satisfaction with this versatility.

“I like that it has two functions. You can sip it or you can chug it,” Wachs said.

First-year Abby Faulhaber agreed, noting that she utilizes both features.

“I’m a big fan of that,” Faulhaber said. “Sometimes I like my straw and sometimes I like to drink it like a normal water bottle.” 

Though owning up to being a fan of this particular bottle, Faulhaber admitted indifference to water bottle brands in general. Agreement came from first-year Austin Smith.

“It’s a bottle, it’s not that deep,” Smith said.

Even with this, Smith recognized the pragmatic, spill-proof design of the bottle. Sophomore Sam Mitike mentioned the positive surprise of this as well.

“My [old water bottle] was spilling water out of the straw, this one [has] no leakage. I highly recommend,” Mitike said.

Upon first glance, Owala bottles often flaunt bright and stereotypically clashing colors. For first-year Annabelle Futch, this is exactly what drew her in.

“I feel like they have more personality. A little more spunk,” Futch said, a proud owner of two 24-oz bottles under the branded color names Candy Store and Water in the Desert.

This is just what makes Owalas special — the ability to find the perfect combination of hues to perfectly match a person’s character. Junior Hope Mandler expressed similar sentiments with her own bottle.

“I like the color scheme. I think it looks pretty granola, I’m vibing with it,” Mandler said, referring to her 24-oz Boneyard.

Even having received an Owala as a gift, junior Oscar Almanza felt as if the quirky color scheme well represented him.

“It’s a nice green with a blue trim,” Almanza said, referring to his 32-oz Forresty bottle.

In terms of my own personal collection, it’s hard to pick favorites. My current go-to Owala for daily life on campus is either my 24-oz Extraordi-berry or my 32-oz Voodoo, the former being a November 2022 special edition ColorDrop and the latter a Whole Foods exclusive. Even with these in mind, I love having the ability to pick and choose each morning which water bottle best suits how I want my day to play out.

I am nowhere close to surprised to see the popularity of this water bottle brand growing with water bottle connoisseurs and casual hydration seekers alike. From the practical two-in-one FreeSip technology to the incredibly eccentric names of the bottles themselves, I am eager to sit back and enjoy as Owala water bottles take over the world.