For anyone on the move, especially with children and in hot climate, concerned with the need to drink regularly a glass of safe water, it makes much sense to bring along a handy drinking water container.

The alternative is to stop every now and then at an automatic coin operated beverage dispenser, if you find one when needed, and pull out whatever fizzy drink the cans or bottles offer. The sugar or sweetener content should be of concern, but it is probably too late to think of better and cheaper options.

It is nowadays quite common that before going out one grabs a water bottle, one of those ubiquitous plastic containers who are supposed to store pure drinking water. Nobody seems concerned yet with the pollution of the environment generated in the process of throwing away empty bottles.

It is amazing to think that until some time ago one would not have accepted that people take out a bottle from a bag and start drinking in the most exclusive places like we see today as a matter of course.

The sad fact is that those expensive bottles, brightly decorated and attractive as they are and with a list of ingredients whose nature or influence nobody understands, have often been found no better than tap water.

So what should the preferred alternative be?
Either take with you a drinking water container filled at home from your filtered supply at the faucet, or use a special container with a replaceable filter cartridge, that lets you replenish it from whatever source.

Both these options give you a safe drinking water supply, as opposed to unsafe or questionable stuff, while saving you quite a sum of money that you simply do not take into account (although you should).

If you care you can add in the container a few ice cubes at every refill, so that you will enjoy refreshing sips when thirsty as long as the ice lasts.

In recent years the pitchers and carafe filters are proposed as low-cost alternatives to tap water and bottled water. It is true that any filter is better than no filter at all.

However one should remark that these products are less effective and more costly to use then regular filter systems designed to be installed at the point of use.

These pour-through pitcher filters offer lower quality at a higher price. They have limited effectiveness and low capacity due to the small cartridge size.

Larger drinking water containers are less portable but may be useful for car trips or for family use. They may have their own filters or they may be filled with filtered water.

In any case one should always be able to have access to as much safe drinking water as one needs, especially for children, babies and aging people. Thinking in advance may save from risking tough lack of water.