June 11 – Hydration on the Road – Stanley Pool Swirl

Yesterday I started my reviews of water tumblers to determine the best one to take along Route 66 as we travel later this month. Not only do I need a tumbler that keeps ice frozen overnight, but I also need it to be free from leaks, fit in a cup holder well, and be comfortably portable between the car and the places we stop. I need it to hold a lot of water, too.

That’s what concerns my husband as he chuckles to himself every time I take a new tumbler out to test.

Great, he quipped. We’ll be having to make a lot of pit stops, I see.

Call them what you want, but we’ve already mapped out frequent stops, I reminded him.

My sister in law and I have scheduled stops along the way in the Roadtrippers Plus app. We’re driving only a few hours each day, stopping to see the attractions and landmarks at the waypoints we have chosen. There won’t have to be many stops for the sole purpose of using the restroom ~ I’ll be taking advantage of the facilities where we’ve already marked the map.

Today’s review is for the Stanley Ice Flow 30 oz. Flip Straw Tumbler. When I first filled this tumbler with water and ice and held it upside down, it leaked.

I removed the top, cleaned up the water, and tried again. It turns out that the lid does not screw on as easily as the Quencher series cups. When I took the time to be sure that it was fastened tightly and held it upside down again, it did not leak. So here are the pros and cons of the Stanley Ice Flow.

Pros

It does not leak when the lid is fastened correctly.

I like the variety of colors. Pool Swirl appeals to my love of the ’70s.

The straw has smooth suction flow.

The straw is comfortable with its rounded edges (doesn’t hurt lips).

It fits in both of my RAV-4 cup holders in the console.

The mouth makes putting ice in easy (no bottleneck).

It’s comfortably held in the hand (body and handle, both).

The straw pops up and down – no need to remove it completely on the go.

Ice stayed frozen overnight.

It fits beautifully in the side pocket of my Travelon backpack.

Starting position for twisting the lid for the straw location doesn’t matter (on the Quencher, if you want the straw in a certain position, you have to experiment starting twist positions).

Cons

It takes some checking to be sure the lid is fastened correctly and tightened.

The twisting of the lid to get it off is not as smooth as the Quencher series.

It does not have a 3-stop lid position, so this is mostly for cold drinks.

It’s less bulky than the Quencher with the handle.

I ran out of water more quickly with the 30 ounce size, which is less than my normal size.

Tomorrow, I’ll review both Quencher models – the 30 ounce and the 40 ounce.