A steel bottle with a plastic lid is still a plastic bottle.

All steel. No plastic anywhere. A 24oz insulated bottle with a steel flip-top lid you open with one hand.

Expected $55·24oz

Render of the Vaira bottle with the lid closed: black body, copper ring, brushed steel lid and a built-in handle — This is a render. Real photos once the prototype passes.

Photo coming: founder

[FOUNDER NAME TODO], founder

You know that smell from the lid. So did I.

I switched to a steel bottle to get away from plastic. The lid was still plastic. After a few months it smelled, and no amount of soaking got it out.

Then I started reading about microplastics, and about what can leach out of plastic even when it says BPA-free. I'm not a scientist and I won't pretend the research is settled. I just didn't want to keep wondering every time I took a sip.

So I started drawing a lid with no plastic in it. I've spent most of 2026 on it with an industrial designer. It isn't finished. The build log below is where I say how it's going, including when it goes badly.

[FOUNDER NAME TODO]

What it is

Lid: All-steel flip-top. Opens with one hand and locks shut. Designed to seal shut when it's locked.
Body: Double-wall insulated stainless steel. 24oz.
Drinking: Use the straw, or take it out and pour.
Carrying: Built-in handle. Fits a standard cup holder.

No plastic anywhere on the bottle.

The seal and optional straw are food-grade silicone, not plastic.

Photo coming: hand holding the closed bottle

In the hand, lid closed.

Build log

Newest first.

Oct 2026
Talking to people about their bottles before we touch the design again.
Sep 2026
First stainless prototype came back. The lid didn't meet spec, so it went back to the factory.
2026
About 8 months of sketches, foam models, and CAD with an industrial designer.
Where it started
A steel bottle with a plastic lid I could never get the smell out of.

Photo coming: foam models

Foam models from the design phase.

Questions

What touches my water?: Stainless steel, and the seal inside the lid. If you use the straw, that too.; No plastic anywhere on the bottle. The seal and optional straw are food-grade silicone, not plastic.
When does it ship?: 2027, after the prototype passes. The first one came back in September and the lid didn't meet spec, so I sent it back. I won't name a date until a prototype passes.
How much?: Expected $55. If you sign up now, you get 20% off at launch. Signing up is free and doesn't commit you to anything.
What size?: 24oz first. Other sizes depend on what people ask for.
Why not just buy a bottle with a steel screw cap?: You can, and plenty of them are fine. I wanted a flip-top I can open with one hand and that locks so it doesn't pop open in a bag. I couldn't find one I liked without plastic in the lid.

Leave your email and I'll write when the prototype passes.

Expected $55. 20% off at launch if you sign up now.

Build updates and one launch email. Leave anytime. Privacy