Bluefin Hi-Drate insulated water bottle review

Description

Dehydration on the water is easy to miss. You are surrounded by it, you are rarely sweating visibly in a breeze, and the bottle is usually in the car. The Hi-Drate is Bluefin’s attempt to make the bottle part of the board rather than part of the boot.

It is a straightforward insulated flask, and the interesting part is less the bottle than where it is meant to live.

Bluefin Hi-Drate Data & Facts

• Capacity of 1000ml in a double walled, insulated body that holds drinks hot or cold.
• High grade 304 stainless steel in a satin finish, with a bamboo lid cover carrying an etched Bluefin logo.
• Dimensions of 31 x 5 x 8cm and a weight of 0.46kg empty.
• Leak proof and dishwasher friendly, designed in the UK and tested to industry standards.
• Pairs with Bluefin’s Bottle Dock, which suctions to the deck, and fits the Dri-Tide deck bag.

Test Criteria

Insulation and Capacity

A litre is the right size for a paddleboard bottle. Half a litre runs out on a long session and anything larger stops being something you want strapped to a deck, so this is the capacity that matches the use.

Double walled construction handles both directions: cold water stays cold through a summer afternoon and tea stays hot through a winter one. For anyone paddling in cold months, that second case is the one that gets used most.

Materials and Cleaning

304 stainless steel is the food grade standard for flasks, and it is the reason a bottle like this does not take on the flavour of yesterday’s coffee. The satin finish also hides the scuffs that a bottle picks up on a deck.

Being dishwasher friendly matters more than it sounds for kit that gets left in a car boot. A bottle that has to be hand washed carefully is a bottle that ends up unused, and this one goes in with the plates.

On the Board

The bottle’s real argument is the Bottle Dock, a separate holder that suctions to the deck so the bottle sits within reach while you paddle. That is the difference between drinking every twenty minutes and drinking when you get back to the car.

The dock is not included, and it is worth knowing that before ordering. The bottle works perfectly well in a dry bag or a deck bag, but the accessory it was designed around is a separate purchase.

The Sustainability Case

Bluefin positions the Hi-Drate as a replacement for single use plastic, with recyclable internal packaging and a bamboo lid cover instead of more plastic. That is a modest claim rather than a grand one, and modest claims in this area tend to be the honest ones.

The accessory range carries a one year warranty, and the store lists a small but perfect review record for the bottle at the time of writing.

Pros & Cons

Our Conclusion

The Hi-Drate is an unglamorous purchase that changes a habit, which is usually a better test of an accessory than a spec sheet.

It fits if:

1. You forget to drink on the water and want the bottle within arm’s reach.
2. You paddle year round and want hot drinks in the cold months.
3. You want a bottle that survives a car boot and a dishwasher without complaint.
4. You are replacing single use plastic bottles rather than adding another flask to a cupboard.

Budget for the Bottle Dock alongside it if the point is drinking while you paddle. Both are on the Bluefin store page, and the boards they attach to are in our guide to the paddle boards.