We are finishing the year with a roller coaster ride of conventions, business trips, and guest appearances throughout the United States, which is both exciting and harrowing. With baggage limits, tons of costumes, and crazy travel schedules, the pressure to pack only what we needed was critical. We were lucky Arctic Zone™ sent us the Titan 14-ounce Deep Freeze stainless steel mug and 20-ounce stainless steel bottle just in time for the big events. They both packed easily in Elle’s backpack and Fred’s messenger bag, and we were ready to test their ability to keep up with the wild schedule.
TITAN BY ARCTIC ZONE™ 14 OZ. STAINLESS STEEL MUG WITH MICROBAN® INFUSED LID
The mug is available in seven colors including Coral Reef, Sharkskin Gray, Pine, Blue Lagoon, Citrus, Moss, and Navy for $26.99. We chose Pine for Fred. It was right-sized at 14 ounces and maintained its heat to the last drop.
TITAN BY ARCTIC ZONE™ 20 OZ. STAINLESS STEEL BOTTLE WITH MICROBAN® INFUSED LID
Elle chose the water bottle in Coral Reef, and it is also available in Sharkskin Gray, Pine, Blue Lagoon, Citrus, Moss, and Navy for $27.99. For its inaugural run, the bottle kept Fred’s milk supply for his coffee icy cold each day of his trip, then went on to keep Elle’s ice water cold from airport layovers to 15-hour cosplay days, even overnight on the bedside table.
THE TRIPS
First up was the Maker’s Faire in Orlando, Florida, a quick three-hour drive from home base and a marathon weekend of crafting, creating, and meeting with thousands of eager learners. Fred took the mug and bottle to the event, where he was soloing as a featured creator. He lives on a steady diet of instant coffee with milk and sugar, so he wanted to have his supplies on hand and not need to leave his table for refills (Since Elle would not be on hand to make coffee runs). They both knocked it outta the park and kept Fred in a steady supply of coffee the entire weekend.
From there, we packed up for a flight to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the Warhammer 40k US Open Grand Narrative Finale. We were cosplaying for four days in a fully-immersive narrative experience as the Lords of War, Illthanech Starblade and Lord Militant Castigane. Wearing cosplays for a few hours a day is taxing. Knowing that we would be cosplaying for upwards of 14 hours a day, we knew hydrating and caffeinating would be vital to survival. (Hydrating is important, cosplayers! Don’t forget that.)
We packed our Titan bottle and mug in our carry-on luggage and made good use of them on the way. The 20-ounce bottle is slim-fitting and slipped into her backpack with lots of room to spare. Fred’s mug fit as easily in his bag. The pressure-fitted Titan™ lid with silicone gasket came in handy when he transferred his coffee from the flimsy cup to survive boarding and taking off. No spills!
Aftertaste? Thankfully no. Elle cannot drink water from a plastic bottle because of the aftertaste – from dish soap, previous uses, and weird air. So, when she remembered the bottle had been previously used to carry milk, she was skeptical that it would have an aftertaste. Alas, it did not! She filled it up with a bit of ice and water, keeping her hydrated throughout the travel day. According to Arctic Zone, the lid features Microban® to help protect against up to 99% bacterial odors and stains and make cleaning easier. Thanks, Microban®!
Once the cosplay weekend began and we were fully immersed in our characters, the bottle and mug were hidden from sight, but we can report that they got us through some tough times! Elle left the bottle on her nightstand with a few cubes of ice and water. When she woke up in the morning, she was delighted to find it had kept cold – even the ice survived! The bottle has a copper-plated interior layer, 18/8 stainless steel, and high-pressure, vacuum-sealed insulation providing up to 24 hours of cold or up to 12 hours of heat. Nice!
Perhaps for our next cosplay adventure, we will create disguises for our Titan mug and bottle so they can stay with us on the con floor. But the disguises will need to be temporary because we plan to take both on our next non-cosplay adventure – camping!