If there’s one thing I love after a long hike on a hot day or when kicking it around the campfire in the evening it’s sparkling water. Sure, camp cocktails are great, but frankly, I don’t need alcohol to celebrate. If you feel the same and you can never keep enough cans of sparkling water in the house (or the cooler), then the Aerflo System Bottle is for you: a reusable water bottle that carbonates water at the touch of a button (OK, several touches).
What is the Aerflo and How Does it Work?
Yup, the Aerflo is a portable, lightweight, easy-to-use personal carbonation device that turns still water into seltzer, no batteries required. It utilizes refillable, recyclable C02 cartridges to pressurize and carbonate 12 ounces of water at a time so you can make some fizzy water and be on your way whether you’re hiking, camping, road tripping or whatever.
You just insert a dedicated C02 cartridge into the screw-on cylinder on the underside of the lid (that sits in the bottle), fill the bottle with cold water to the fill line, press the button on top of the lid about four times until it vents, then press it and shake it one to four times depending on how fizzy you like your water.
Yes, you can customize the fizziness based on how bubbly you like it. And voila! Your own bottle of fizzy water. During testing we found that each cartridge carbonates about four bottles. That’s what the brand advertises, but we were surprised that was accurate considering we like our water on the extra bubbly side, which took about four pulses-shake cycles to achieve.
The Problem with Normal C02 Cartridges
Most C02 cartridges from most brands are made of aluminum, a recyclable material, but they aren’t easily recyclable. Not via curbside recycling, anyway, because of the pressurized canisters. So in order to recycle them, you have to exchange them at a participating retailer or return them via mail after purchasing a mailer.
Once you do, most brands recycle the cylinder (likely in partnership with Terracycle) and trash any bits that can’t be recycled. This, of course, requires you to actually send them back in, but most brands do offer an exchange program where you buy new cartridges and get free shipping for the ones you return.
But that does mean that most new cartridges are made of virgin materials. Aerflo created an option that’s reusable instead of recyclable, thus reducing not only waste and the need for virgin materials, but some of the energy required for recycling metals.
Sustainability Forward
The Aerflo may even be more sustainable than buying box after box of aluminum cans of sparkling water (though the true footprint of each is hard to parse). Because while yes, sparkling water is usually sold in infinitely recyclable aluminum cans packaged in a recyclable cardboard box, A.) cans of water are heavy, which means they have a larger shipping footprint, and B.) you have to actually recycle those cans, which not everyone does.
The Aerflo tackles both those problems. For starters, the C02 cartridges are much smaller and lighter than cans or bottles of water. They weigh less and take up less space in shipping containers and delivery trucks, which means their shipping footprint is smaller. What’s more, nothing on the cartridges gets trashed when they’re sent back and refilled; the whole cartridge stays in tact for it whole usable life.
Secondly, the brand ensures most customers will recycle their used cartridges because they include shipping materials and labels for them when you order a new box.
In fact, when you order a new box, a return label is included automatically. When the box arrives (it took well over a week to be delivered so factor that into your order schedule), you simply take out the fresh cartridges, place your spent cartridges inside, and send the old ones back in the same packaging.
When you do ship spent cartridges back, they get sent to a clean room where they are washed, inspected, flushed, refilled and inspected again so they can be reused again and again, for up to five years according to DOT regulations! If they’re faulty, they’ll be recycled. So instead of requiring a ton of energy to recycle aluminum cans after a single use, the energy footprint is reduced by simply reusing the same cartridges over and over. Pretty Rad.
Plus the kit and refills are shipped in plastic-free packaging.
Is it as sustainable as drinking plain tap water? Of course not. But compared to cans of water, other carbonating solutions and plastic bottles of sparkling water, they’re certainly a more responsible option.
Aerflo: Pros, Cons and Best Use Cases
The technology and usability is pretty cool. But it still has its drawbacks. So here are where we think the Aerflo excels, where it falls short, and what it’s actually best for.
Cons
- Cold water is required to make fizzy water, so if you don’t have access to a fridge, you’re out of luck.
- The bottle isn’t insulated, so it won’t keep water cold.
- If water goes flat and there’s less than half a bottle left, you have to empty and refill the bottle and make a whole new batch.
- The large cartridge housing on the underside of the lid is a bit unwieldy to hold or set down when you’re actively drinking.
- You can’t fly with the cartridges, so it’s not ideal for those who do a lot of air travel and want sparkling water.
Pros
- You can customize the carbonation level to your preference.
- Cartridges work out to about the same price as average priced cans ($21 for 12 cartridges that each make about 4 bottles equals about $0.43 per bottle).
- Reusable cartridges reduce waste.
- Water in the bottle stays carbonated for about two hours in the fridge thanks to a well-sealing lid.
- The bottle fits easily in a backpack water bottle pocket or car cup holder.
- There’s no battery or power required.
- It takes up far less space than cans of water.
- There’s a cap only option for insulated Hydro Flask bottles if you already own one and prefer a way to keep your water cold.
- Easy to clean thanks to a locking twist-off base.
- Carbonates water with juice, too.
Best Use Cases
So the Aerflo is obviously not well suited for every situation. For starters, since you need cold water for it to work, on road trips or when camping, it might be tough to keep cold enough water on hand unless you have a handy Dometic electric cooler. Because of that, we don’t see it working on day hikes or backpacking trips, either.
It’s an extra bummer that we can’t take it on a plane with the C02 capsules, because we’d love an alternative to canned sparkling water (which for some reason flight attendants then ALSO pour into a plastic cup) in flight.
That said, for everyday use, I’m a big fan because it means I don’t have to remember to pick up another box of sparkling water at the grocery store or run out last minute if I want a special beverage (an extra bonus because I hate grocery shopping). And while the Aerflo bottle isn’t insulated, I was able to decant it into an insulated bottle after carbonating. That kept it cold for much longer.
Bonus: there is a cap-only Aerflo option that works with Hydro Flask bottles, which is rad. It means if you already have an insulated Hydro Flask, you can get just the cap and use the bottle you already love.
I liked having the Aerflo on road trips, too. Sure, I could always stop at a gas station and pay too much for a can of sparkling water, but it was nice to just reach into the cooler in the backseat and have the option at the ready (as long as I remembered to keep the bottle in there so water stayed cold).
And for camp cocktails? Nothing beats it! Especially if the alternative is either a big plastic bottle of seltzer that starts going flat immediately after opening or a cooler full of so many cans of water that you can’t fit your giant tub of hummus (just me?). The Aerflo lets you carbonate what you need for just a drink or three, mix away, and enjoy!
Another plus: If you prefer your sparkling water with a little fruit juice (I like a little lime or homemade shrub in mine), you can carbonate them together! The instructions don’t recommend carbonating straight juice or other liquids, but we tried it with a tablespoon or two of additives and while we had to open the bottle slowly to de-gas it so liquid didn’t fizz out the top, it worked. That’s not the case with some tabletop carbonation devices, so huzzah!
Bottom Line
If you love sparkling water, are trying to reduce waste, and love the thought of a personal, portable Soda Stream, the Aerflo is worth a look. It’s not perfectly suited for every activity, but it makes pretty dang sparkly water tailored to your preferences and is just as easy to use as it is to reorder your next box of cartridges (no regular subscription required). As a sparkling water enthusiast, I’ll definitely be putting it to use for everything from daily hydration to bubbly camp cocktails.
