Comparison XD Design Bopp Sport vs Stanley Classic Flask

— Flask. Quite a diverse class of tourist containers for liquids. Flasks can be produced from different materials, in different volumes, shapes and designs, some of them are not only an item of equipment, but also a stylish accessory. One of their characteristic features is the presence of a screw cap, which makes it difficult to drink quickly, but at the same time makes such containers convenient for long-term storage of liquid; see "Plug type" for details. Some of the flasks are cylindrical and almost indistinguishable from bottles in appearance; the difference, again, is the presence of a screw plug. Note that specific varieties — bicycle flasks, etc. — are separated into separate categories; see below for more details.

— A bottle. Containers of this type have two distinctive features: an elongated cylindrical shape and a stopper in the form of a valve (the latter distinguishes tourist bottles from flasks of a similar shape). This option is good especially when you plan to drink frequently on the go. The materials of the bottles can also be different.

— Classic flask. Flasks of a characteristic flat shape, usually made of metal ( steel), designed to be easily carried in the pocket of an ordinary jacket or even pants. In addition to the shape, a characteristic feature...of such vessels is a relatively narrow neck and a cork with a loop (a classic of the genre is a loop in the form of a rigid bar that leans back when opened, but there are other options). The traditional use of classic flasks is the storage of alcoholic beverages — cognac, balm, etc.; especially since the narrow neck facilitates pouring in small doses and even makes it possible to drink directly from the flask without fear of “sipping too much”. To fill such a vessel, a special funnel is usually required, it can be included in the delivery, but most often purchased separately. Also note that classic flasks are often made in an original design — rich, solid, or vice versa, funny — and are often used not so much as tourist equipment, but as a fashion accessory.

— Veloflask. Vessels intended primarily for use by cyclists. By design, they are more like bottles than flasks, because. most often they have a cylindrical shape and a valve that allows you to drink on the go; the name "bicycle flask" is used rather for brevity. At the same time, the size and shape of the bottle are selected in such a way that it “sits” securely in a special mount on the bicycle frame. Thus, having such a mount and a bicycle flask, a cyclist can carry a supply of drink with him without using bags, backpacks, etc.

— Flexible flask. Drinking containers made of soft elastic material — usually polyethylene or other polymer. They can be equipped with both a valve and a screw plug. One of the advantages of such a vessel is that the space occupied by it decreases as the volume of the contents decreases; and an empty vessel can generally be rolled up into a compact bundle or stored in a thin “layer”, which practically does not take up space. You can drink from a flexible flask without turning it over — by squeezing the walls, or even simply sucking in the liquid with your mouth. In addition, flexible walls make it easier to place a flask in a tightly packed backpack or bag (however, note that such vessels tolerate strong pressure worse than classic rigid ones).

— Waterskin. Water tanks made in the form of a soft leather bag of a characteristic shape — teardrop-shaped, sometimes also slightly curved. Compared to the flexible flasks described above, wineskins are more durable and reliable due to thick and dense walls. In addition, the volume of such vessels is noticeably larger, and the design, usually, is made very stylish (most often on a hunting or ethnic theme). However the main advantage of wineskins usually lies precisely in the design — such products do not have any special practical advantages over other types of tourist vessels. As a result, modern wineskins are produced mainly for fans of antique equipment, role players / reenactors and other connoisseurs of the original style.

— Baby bottle. A variation of the bottles described above, intended for children. Such containers have smaller volumes than adult models, and are also often made in a bright, attractive design; this is where the differences essentially end.

Nominal (working) volume of the vessel. In fact, the largest amount of liquid that can be poured inside without problems, without filling the container “to the very cork” and without risking spilling the contents upon subsequent opening. Accordingly, the volume is indicated with a margin; most bottles and flasks allow for slightly more liquid than is nominally stated, however this is not recommended.

A capacious vessel allows you to carry more drink with you, but it takes up more space, and it will weigh (especially when filled) accordingly. Therefore, when choosing, it is worth considering the features of the planned application. In addition, certain types of flasks and bottles have their own volume requirements: for example, in classic flasks (see "Type"), the volume rarely exceeds 300 mL, and bicycle flasks hold about 600 – 700 mL, because. a larger vessel would be difficult to carry on a bike rack.

The type of plug provided in the design of the vessel.

— Screw. Cork in the form of a cap with a thread, screwed onto the neck when closing; to open this cap, you need to unscrew it, there are no other options to get to the contents. The main advantage of such stoppers is reliability — they close the vessel very tightly, minimizing the risk of spillage, preventing the contents from “expiring”, and also reducing the risk of bacteria or contamination; the latter has a positive effect on the shelf life of drinking in a closed container. On the other hand, the cork is not very convenient to unscrew-twist with frequent drinking, especially on the go.

— Valve. Cork with a valve through which you can drink. At the same time, the cork itself is most often attached to the thread and can be unscrewed like a screw, but the key difference is precisely the presence of a valve. The latter usually looks like an elongated spout, but the design features may be different. A fairly popular option is the “hat” at the end of the spout, which you need to lift up to open, and lower it back to close. Such valves are sometimes called "sports" — you can open and close the valve with your teeth, right on the go and without using your second hand, which is convenient when running long distances, cycling, etc. Another variety is a short tube on a swivel mount: when it is hidden in a nest on the lid, the valv...e is closed, when it is raised it is open. Other options are also possible. Anyway, the valve is very convenient in situations where you often have to drink from a bottle / flask, and it would be inconvenient to unscrew / tighten the screw cap.

— Screw and valve. Models equipped with both types of corks described above — up to the fact that each cork hangs on its own loop and both are permanently attached to the flask. Thus, the owner can choose the type of cork, depending on what is more important to him at the moment — reliable closure or quick access to content. At the same time, the real need for such universality rarely arises, and this option is not widely used.

The presence of a loop for the cork in the design of the vessel.

A loop in this case is any device that attaches a cork to a flask / bottle. The most popular option is a strip of elastic or rigid material, attached to the vessel at one end, and having a round cutout at the other end, in which the cork can rotate freely. In addition, the loop may be in the form of a cord, chain, or the like. Anyway, the convenience of this function is obvious: the risk of losing the cork is reduced to almost zero.

The main material used in the construction of the vessel.

— Plastic. An extremely popular material used in most modern flasks and bottles. Plastic is light, easy to manufacture (due to which it is inexpensive), most often elastic, which allows, if necessary, to slightly compress the container to accelerate the flow of liquid; it can be made transparent. At the same time, plastic withstands shocks much better than glass, and its fragments are not so dangerous — despite the fact that you still need to try to break the plastic container to fragments, and many vessels, even from a strong blow, are more likely to collapse than crack. All this led to the prevalence of plastic. Among its shortcomings, it is worth noting sensitivity to high temperatures — for example, a plastic bottle forgotten at a campfire can become unusable, and not all models from this material are suitable for hot drinks. In addition, plastic, especially inexpensive and low-quality plastic, can give the contents an unpleasant taste and smell. And some types of this material are incompatible with alcohol and acidic products like juices — the surface is damaged and begins to release harmful substances. So, when choosing a flask made of plastic, it does not fit to clarify its overall quality (for example, according to reviews), as well as suitability for "aggressive" liquids and warm drinks.

— Aluminium. Aluminium-bas...ed alloys combine light weight, strength, durability and corrosion resistance. In addition, they normally tolerate low and high temperatures, and are also, for the most part, insensitive to alcoholic beverages and acids (such as fruit juices). On the other hand, this material is noticeably more expensive than plastic, and it cannot be transparent in principle. Therefore, it is relatively rare. Also note that aluminium has a high thermal conductivity, which does not contribute to maintaining the temperature of the contents and makes it difficult to use in thermoflasks.

— Steel. According to its properties, stainless steel is in many ways similar to aluminium, however, on the one hand, it is more durable and cheaper, on the other hand, it weighs more. Therefore, it is most often used in those vessels for which aluminium is poorly suited — in particular, in thermal flasks and classic flasks (see "Type"). In the first case, the relatively low thermal conductivity plays a role; in the second — a lot of weight: classic flasks are small in size, and massiveness in this case creates the impression of strength and solidity (and most often this impression is quite justified).

— Glass. Glass is remarkable primarily for its transparency. Also, this material is completely chemically inert, suitable for any drinks and does not give them an extraneous taste or smell, and such a bottle looks and feels more solid than most plastic analogues. On the other hand, glass vessels are massive and at the same time fragile — because of this, the fall of even an empty bottle from your hands can end in failure. Therefore, this option is extremely rare, and it makes sense to choose glass containers for calm conditions with minimal risk of an "accident" — for example, for exercising in the gym when you do not plan to drink on the go.

— Polyethylene. Most often, this refers to the soft plastic film used in flexible flasks (see "Type"). Such a film is similar to plastic in almost everything, except, in fact, softness: for example, the compatibility of polyethylene with certain types of products should be specified separately, and it should not be used for hot drinks at all. Occasionally there are also hard flasks made of thick solid polyethylene — they generally do not have significant differences from plastic ones.

— Polyurethane. Another soft polymeric material, similar to the polyethylene described above, however, for a number of reasons, it is used somewhat less frequently.

— Skin. Leather is the traditional material for waterskins (see "Type") and is virtually non-existent in other types of flasks/bottles. It is quite durable and practical, while it has a beautiful appearance, and it is pleasant to the touch (especially since suede can also be used as leather). On the other hand, this material is expensive, and has no fundamental advantages over other options, except for the appearance. Therefore, leather is considered a designer, fashion option — just like the wineskins made from it.

Empty container weight.

The lighter the vessel, the easier it is to carry it with you, the less excess weight you have to carry “on yourself”. On the other hand, this is of fundamental importance mainly on long trips with a lot of equipment, when “every gram counts”; and excessive lightness can adversely affect strength and reliability. Therefore, it does not always make sense to chase the smallest possible weight — especially when it comes to plastic containers, the difference between which is a matter of grams.

A separate mention in this case is the classic flasks (see "Type") — they are specially made quite weighty, because. many fans of such products consider massiveness a virtue.