If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll have seen that I’ve reviewed a few water bottles in recent years. Whether I’m working from home or navigating the streets of South East London, a reliable bottle is a non-negotiable daily essential. I basically don’t feel motivated to drink water unless it’s loaded with ice, so I’ve always got a water bottle by my side.
Lately, my social media feed has been flooded with the new Simple Modern Mesa Loop bottle. It looks sleek and affordable and positions itself as an alternative to the Owala with the covered mouthpiece feature.
The videos hyping the bottle piqued my curiosity and I was keen to try it. I love my Owala and I wanted to see how the Simple Modern Mesa Loop compared.
Here is my honest breakdown of the design, the usability, and how it holds up in the real world.
First Impressions: A Sleek, Tall, and Clever Design
Here are the everyday design details where this bottle really stands out:
- The Quiet Silicone Base: One of my absolute favourite features is the integrated silicone boot on the bottom. It protects the base from dents if you accidentally drop it, and it prevents that loud, embarrassing metal clang every time you set it down in a quiet office or café.
- Wide Mouth Opening: The neck of the bottle is wide. It makes it easy to fill with large ice cubes without having to awkwardly force them in one by one. It also means you can actually get a dish brush inside it properly (although I checked and because of its height I can’t fit my hand in comfortably).
- The Covered Mouthpiece: The lid has a spring-loaded cover that snaps shut with a click. It keeps the contoured straw completely covered and protected from germs when you aren’t sipping. If you are tossing this into a bag or carrying it on public transport, knowing the mouthpiece is fully covered is a massive win for hygiene.
- The Easy-Clean External Seal: From a practical standpoint, this makes life so much easier. The silicone seal is completely external and exposed on the lid. It is incredibly straightforward to wipe down, doesn’t trap hidden moisture, and the whole thing – lid and body – is entirely dishwasher safe.
- A Proper Folding Handle: The bottle features a significantly larger, flexible loop handle with a comfort grip coating. It folds down flush against the lid when you don’t need it, but is comfortable to hold with a few fingers when your hands are full.
- A Slim Leakproof Design: The Mesa Loop has a covered lid and toggle lock so it is completely leakproof. Also its slim design means it easily fits into car cupholders and backpack side pockets.
The Performance: The Hot Day Ice Test
Of course, a bottle can look as pretty and minimalist as it wants, but it actually has to perform. Simple Modern claims the Mesa Loop can keep drinks cold for up to 24 hours. To test out the insulation claims, I compared it against my 32oz Ello Pop & Fill bottle.
I filled both right to the top with ice and water before heading out. The difference was actually quite surprising and noticeable:
- The Ello Bottle: The ice melted completely. The water inside didn’t turn room temperature, but because the ice was gone, every time I refilled it throughout the day, the new water got warm quickly.
- The Simple Modern Mesa Loop: Even when I was down to the last bit of water, over a third of the ice was still completely solid. The Mesa Loop was definitely the winner on this test.
Because the ice actually stays frozen, you can top it up multiple times and still enjoy crisp, ice-cold water every single time.
The Downsides: What to Keep in Mind Before Buying
While I love the design and the bottle in general, no product is absolutely flawless. If you plan to take the bottle out with you there are a few things you should know:
- The Lock Button Risk: To lock the lid, the Mesa Loop features a small toggle button mechanism that clicks up and down. While it functions perfectly well, the button sits completely exposed on the outside of the lid. If you are throwing this bottle blindly into a packed tote bag, there is a genuine worry that a stray item could brush against it, slide the toggle up, and accidentally pop the lid open. For peace of mind, it’s definitely a bottle better suited for an external backpack pocket rather than floating loose next to your electronics.
- The Stability Factor: Because of that tall and slim silhouette I mentioned earlier, it is inherently top-heavy when full. It tips over much more easily than chunkier flasks, so you have to be careful when setting it down quickly.
Mesa Loop vs. Owala FreeSip: The Pro & Con Breakdown
Given the design, it is impossible not to compare the Mesa Loop to my Owala FreeSip. While it beats the Owala on several design points – like the beautifully cohesive, monochrome colour options, the built-in quiet base, and the external lid seal that is vastly easier to clean, it isn’t a flawless victory. Here is how the finer details stack up:
- The Game-Changing Locking Straw: Anyone who owns an Owala has probably experienced at some point the internal straw falling out. There is nothing worse than realising your straw is loose, and having to fish it out with your bare fingers. The Mesa Loop completely fixes this by using a mechanism that physically locks the straw securely into place. It will not budge.
- The Straw Trade-Off: The catch with Simple Modern’s locking system is that you have to use the specific straws they provide because of that unique locking component. Fortunately, they give you two straws in the box. With Owala, you can easily swap in third-party replacements or even switch to a third-party metal straw if you prefer.
- No “Chug” Option: The Owala FreeSip is famous for its 2-in-1 spout that lets you sip through the straw or chug. The Mesa Loop does not have a chug opening. It is purely a built-in straw bottle. If you like taking massive, uninterrupted gulps of water during a workout, you might miss that feature.
The Verdict
At its accessible price point, the Simple Modern Mesa Loop gives you premium, top-tier insulation and a stylish, portable design. As long as you are happy with a straw-only sip and store it carefully in your backpack side pockets, this bottle gets a massive thumbs up from me. It’s easily earned its spot as a daily travel bag essential.
I recently posted an overview of all my insulated bottles, from the Stanley IceFlow to the Yeti and Hydro Flask. If you’re in the market for a new reusable water bottle, you can read my full comparison post here.
