Eco Vessel Scout Review

The simple design and cute graphics of the Eco Vessel Scout make this bottle a kid magnet. It is made from thick #304 recyclable stainless steel which can withstand drops and falls. The flip straw is easy to use and there isn't a need to tilt the bottle for drinking due to an interior straw. It has a one-piece top with an integrated loop handle. Made for children 3+ years with a 13 ounce capacity and including an extra straw, this bottle can become a daily hydration workhorse. Replacement parts are available if needed.

Likes

This bottle's design is simple and straight forward with 3 parts that are easy to disassemble and put back together. The spout is easy to use and requires little sucking power in order to drink. This is a really nice feature given that some of the competition was a bit of a chore to use and required excessive sucking power that possibly only super heroes possess. You will need a small straw cleaner to keep the internal straw tidy.

Though the Scout isn't insulated, its quality steel body doesn't impart unwanted flavors to liquid contents or leach chemicals the way plastic potentially can. The flip straw spout with tag is a nice feature because grubby hands don't have to touch the mouthpiece's tip in order to open for use. This makes the drinking spout potentially more hygienic than the bottles that required fingers on drinking spouts in order to open them. The lid has a nice hard loop good for attaching the bottle to backpacks or strollers.

Dislikes

While the spout folds down, it is still exposed to the outside elements. We would love to see a covering that would protect the spout from dirt and debris. If the bottle is dropped on the ground or left under a car seat, it could get pretty dirty. In terms of use inside a backpack, we recommend that the bottle be positioned sitting on its base as it can leak when full even when the spout is closed. As the Scout isn't insulated, we recommend its use only for water.

The bottle body itself is sort of fat and could pose an issue for little hands to grasp. We found the painted versions a little more grip-able than the plain stainless steel. However, the older version painted options tended to chip even with exclusive hand washing. The newer version's matte paint tends to be more durable. It also requires the use of a small straw brush to clean the internal straw properly, which adds another level of bottle maintenance. However, though not its intended use, some users found the bottles worked fine without the straw and just required the bottle be tipped up instead.

The newest version of Eco Vessel's Scout and Frost got rid of the plastic thread attached to the body. Now it is just stainless threading that is integrated into the body. Though we found this a bit more difficult to get the lid on just right, there is no longer an issue with this plastic neck breaking and becoming unglued from the body, which occurred with our normal day to day use of the Frost, even with exclusive hand washing. Kudos to their customer service, who promptly sent us a new Frost after providing them with photos of our damaged product. Bottles with the plastic neck are still in circulation, however.

Conclusion

Although the Scout is 43% lighter than its insulated version the Eco Vessel Frost, it has the same capacity of 13 ounces. We are fans of its stainless steel body, the company's innovative phasing in of an internal silicone straw, and the easy to drink spout. Keep in mind the Scout is for 3+ years and the heavier Frost for 4+ years. Mostly because the silicone-lined spout is prone to peeling off if chewed.