SIGG Traveller Alu .6L — Minimal Water Bottle

No surprise that I dig SIGG water bottles. They are minimalist, aluminum, simply, and durable. 

Made in Sweden, the bottles are BPA-free bottle is extruded from a single piece of pure aluminium, no seams, highest stability with lowest weight, 100% recyclable, guaranteed to be taste-neutral and resistant to fruit acids and isotonic drinks according to an independent testing institute (Nehring, Germany), fulfills FDA requirements (Food & Drug Administration USA), elastic and unbreakable, and a coating that will not peel off, even if dented on the outside. That’s a lot to write but the moral of the story is that they are great bottles.

This particular one is a favorite. While many come in fancy patterns, various stamps, and decorative items attached, this is raw aluminum. Almost as if it were something from the military, the only printing on it is the SIGG logo and the Made in Sweden stamp.

The raw aluminum look, however, is deceiving. There is a high gloss coating to protect the bottle—it is almost glass on the exterior giving it a pleasing touch but also a good grip.

The cap is designed to be used with a carabiner but also is perfect for a single finger. At .6L, it is perfect size for just about any backpack or bag. And the lip on the bottle opening is smooth an comfortable on against one’s lips.

While this is definitely an Adrian’s Gear post, it is also about design. Some water bottles might have more frills and such but as I will admit to every time, design is of utmost importance. SIGG brings something to the table that most water bottles don’t—looks. A lot are just too technical looking, over designed, trying-too-hard details and it turns me off. Sigg, like Apple, keeps it simple and that’s what I really love about it.

As the oceans fill up with trash from humans, I had a personal goal this year—a resolution to us less disposable materials. My EDC spork (Light My Fire), goes with me everywhere to reduce how many plastic forks and such I use. I try to avoid straws and plastic bags, and I keep some reusable produce bags on hand for when I head to the grocery story.

On the other hand, plastic bottles are one of the most common trash items found in the ocean and I try my best to reduce my usage of such items. Carrying a water bottle is great and SIGG bottles last for a very long time. After they have lived out their usefulness, one can easily recycle.

Saving the planet and looking good doing it, if one wants a great water bottle, this is one I’d highly recommend. And if you do want something little more bold than raw aluminum, they come in dozens of colors: white, black, smokey pearl, turquoise, green, royal blue, etc. Check them out and pick one up.

Price: $18

Light My Fire — Spork Classic

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Never would I have expected to, one, write a review about a spork, nor, two, expect a spork to win design awards. But years ago this did in fact all happen.

Sweden is known for many things including their culture of design. One Swedish designer, Joachim Nordwall, designed a fork-spoon-knife combination both excellent is design and excellent in function. On one end, a spoon, and the other end, a fork-knife combination. Simple yet effective.

Coming in a variety of colors, one can pick the spork that fits their personality best—I own several of this fantastic utensil. I keep one in pretty much every bag or backpack I use frequently. I do my best to not waste plastic utensils, straws, bag, lids, etc. when eating out so carrying one of these is not only a tribute to a favorite design but also helps save some trash from going into the environments.

One might find it a little silly that this utensil has reached a level whereby it gets entire articles written about it but sometimes it is the little things in life that are fun.

The first time someone sees one of these sporks they tend to either chuckle or be rather curious—or chuckle to cover their curiosity. But once they see it close up, everyone loves it.

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It makes a fun little gift for friends and family. I gave one to a longtime friend and colleague after receiving some ribbing for using mine during a lunch break at work. She now uses hers probably more than I use mine. But that is also what is kind of fun and exciting about the Light My Fire Spork Original. It somehow has the ability through its simplicity and design to inspire people to use it.

I definitely vote it a recommended item for your everyday carry list (EDC) but don’t be fooled by the knock-off versions. The real deal if made exclusively by Light My Fire of Sweden.

BPA free, dishwasher safe, extremely durable, lightweight (9g), safe for non stick cookware, heat-resistant.

Price: $3

Acorns

Saving money can be challenging. There is so much cool stuff to buy, vacations to take... bills to pay. I have a 401k, a savings account, and a change jar. I feel pretty good about my savings overall but years ago I wanted to have something a little more automatic and silent.

Great thing about a 401k, you can’t really touch the money until you retire. Bad thing about savings, you can pull from it whenever. Funny thing about the change jar, I rarely use cash so if there is ten dollars in that jar, it is a lot.

When Apple Watch launches in 2015, a lot of developers were showcasing their skill and ideas in what they could do making apps for watchOS. One that caught my eye was a very stylish app named Acorns—a digital version of a change jar but also a lot more.

The Basics:

Opening an account with Acorns, you link any debit or credit card(s) you’d like. Ever purchase you make using the registered cards will rounded up to the next dollar and that money is then deposited into you Acorn account. They call them 'Round-Ups.'

Like a change jar or piggy bank, that change adds up pretty quickly. You need not do anything other than pay for things as you would normally.

After you hit a threshold, five dollars is the default, that money comes out of your checking account and is deposited into the your Acorns market.

Additionally, you can setup automatic deposits every week or month. You can open up the app on iPhone or Apple Watch and deposit a specific amount anytime. The Apple Watch version is exactly that an watchOS app should be—quick, simple, at-a-glance, functions.

The best part is that you’ll have the opportunity to pull money anytime, should you need it, without any penalty. I’m not an investment advisor but I’d vote on keeping it in the account longer than shorter.

When setting up the account, it will ask you how to manager the investments. Since this is a secondary investment opportunity for me, I have it set to aggressively invest the money. I don’t have tens of thousands in Acorns so it doesn’t bother me to see it fluctuate but over all it has made gains.

There are some other functions that are fun and helpful. Found Money is a feature linked to some of the biggest online retailers and brands like eBay, New Balance, Nike, Walgreens, and Apple.

When you purchase things from those companies through the Acorns app, a specific value or percentage of your purchase is gifted to your Acorns account. If you buy some Nike shoes, for example, the investment is currently 5% of you purchase. Not bad.

Over the years I’ve used it, I’ve literally saved months of rent worth of money. Because it is not something I access frequently, I’m not tempted to spend the money. Being a beautiful app, fun, easy to use, and nicely designed, Acorns adds a little incentive to saving money.

It ranks in as one of my favorite apps simply because of how it works and its design but it also is a favorite service. I definitely recommend it. Make it your digital piggy bank and save for a vacation, your future, or just have some backup money for an emergency.

Download and everyone who signs up gets $5.

Download Acorns

Price: Free

https://acorns.com/invite/NXTWY6