In the olden days, we just used our hands...

Imagine that you are out in the wild and the unrelenting sun is beating its searing hot rays down upon you.  Your thirst is nigh unquenchable but luckily, you come across a stream.  Immediately, you fall upon your knees, cup your hands in the water, and bring the cool, refreshing liquid to your parched mouth.  Now open your eyes.  The chances are slim that this will ever happen to you and if you are out in the wilderness, rather than hunt for that ever elusive stream, you will most likely slip your hand to your pack and pull out a water bottle.

Simple, lightweight containers that are capable of porting liquids around without the worry of spillage, water bottles are often purchased, used, and then thrown away or hopefully recycled.  People use them daily, but are they appreciated for more than what they are tasked to do?  Water bottles today take on various different shapes and have been designed and redesigned many times. They vary in size and form depending upon the amount of water you wish to port but the standard 0.5L bottle is one of the most common of sizes being toted around today.  While it does not carry the recommended amount of water for daily consumption, its compact size and ergonomic designs make for the greatest selling points.  The Arrowhead brand water bottle, for instance, stands just shy of 8 1/2 inches tall and 2 1/2 inches at its widest point.  At about a thirds way up from the bottom, the shape of the bottle curves slightly inward before it slopes back up to its dominant width.  By incorporating this curve, the thickness of the bottle attains a girth that is directly proportional to the curve of the human hand.  The decreased size of this part of the bottle is designed so that the fingers and thumb may comfortably wrap around the bottle.  In conjunction, the continuation of the curve back to its dominant width serves as a stopper for the hand from slipping up the length of the bottle, much like a cross-guard on a sword.  The bottle itself has several indented ridges that circulate horizontally in a repetitive manner giving the bottle some much desired texture.  Since the medium used for this bottle is plastic, the indented areas make for tactile texture that the smooth plastic would otherwise have lacked.  There are many features to be found in this water bottle, but there is great harmony in its composition.  Every contour serves a purpose and comes together to form an aesthetically pleasing and useful item.  It is simply amazing how far the ways in which we may drink water have developed.  We still have the natural cups of our hands but have simply added the water bottle to our arsenal.