Clear2Go sent me a bottle to review and I have to admit that I was an initial skeptic. I have an adorable Sigg bottle but my main complaint with those is that you can't drink out of them fast enough and the mouthpieces drive me crazy (just personal preference - I like faster, easier drinking). So I knew I wanted to try something new. I drink a lot of water.

The Clear2Go has one great feature that made me really want to give it a try—it has a built-in NanoCeram(R) NASA-derived water filter (the Clear2Go bottle comes with one filter and then you can purchase replacement filters many gallons down the road). So, instead of waiting until you're near a Pur or Brita, you can simply put in tap water at home or on the go and get good-tasting and healthier water.

The downside to the Clear2Go bottle is the limited "cute" factor. Yes, grey goes with everything, but it's a bit of a duct-tape look. The general greyness means I've also left it behind in several shops because it's near invisible, which would have been terrible if I hadn't raced back to get it time and again. Another downside is that it's plastic, but if you want to be able to squeeze it for an extra fast flow, it needs to be plastic. Luckily the plastic is BPA-free.

The bottle top and pop-up mouthpiece are made of BPA-free TPE (thermoplastic elastomer resin) plastic, which has a kind of rubbery feel. That's a bonus for me because after biking or walking a lot, my hand-to-mouth aim isn't so hot and I've been know to wallop my front teeth with my previous bottle. The softer plastic on the mouthpiece is a bit more forgiving in my klutzier moments.

The filter is good for 100 gallons - the equivalent of 757 single-use water bottles - so it saves a lot of plastic from going into the landfill. It filters out chlorine taste, turbidity, cryptosporidium, giardia, and similar "class I particulates" (as assessed by WQA, a non-profit independent laboratory). And when you're done with the filter, you can disassemble it and recycle the parts, which is totally cool. Although the bottle is not made of previously recycled materials because of its injection-molding production, it is recycleable when you've worn it out with constant use.

Another feature that challenges the filter for coolness is the separate air intake valve. Most bottles create a kind of mouth vacuum where air needs to rush back into the bottle after a few big gulps, sometimes suctioning your lips in the process. The Clear2Go has a separate intake valve that lets air in and leaves your mouth un-sucked. Sipping and gulping are a bit more refined.

Best of all is is this unexpected bonus: when my darling 3-year-old asks for a sip from my bottle to wash down the mouthful of chocolate cake she's not quite done eating, the water is safe from cake contamination (aka backwash). With the Clear2Go, your bottle is free from bits of snack du jour even when you share with the kiddies. That's the best parent feature for sure.

Well, that, and you know that the water you're sharing is filtered and safer than random tap water.”

Now, want to be one of two winners to receive a Clear2Go bottle? Here's how: