Hammered Dark Copper Bottle & Leather Carrier, 750 ml

What

A 750 ml hammered copper water bottle with a leather cross-body carrier. Mine is the Dark Copper version, with a quieter finish than polished copper. The carrier has two pockets: one fits a modern iPhone Pro, and the smaller one takes a few credit cards.

For plain still water; hand wash and dry after use.

Why

Glass or titanium would usually be my choice: I like water to taste of water. But the Indian Ayurvedic tradition of storing it in copper vessels appealed to me. I began looking specifically for copper—or pure silver—with a compact leather carrier. Finding the bottle is one thing; finding a lovely carrier that actually fits it is quite another.

My other contender was the Hermès Flaneuse. Nearly £3,000 is more devotion to hydration than I can quite manage. I would also struggle to enjoy a city while worrying about somebody making off with my water bottle. Even setting that aside, it is stainless steel, which tends to give water a metallic taste to me, and 500 ml feels a little mean for an extended outing.

ALFIQ gets much closer to what I wanted: understated dark copper, leather and a useful 750 ml. The pockets turn the carrier into a little bag for water, a phone and a few cards. I’ve given the smaller pocket to an AirTag, so the bottle has a better chance of coming home with me. I would prefer a leather strap to the woven one, but that is a small wish. I love the set.