Hi everyone!

This is actually my first post so hopefully I haven't broken any rules because I am very excited to find you guys.

So i've been researching building a pond and have begun a lot of the initial work and have found a nice plot of land - although it is pretty small.

I go out there almost every day and have been digging by hand with my an old buddy of mine whose dedicated to getting this thing done. Doing all this work really works up a thirst, and i've been bringing plenty of water, but I hate that it's not cold. My friend says that a lot of guys he knows has an insulated water bottle that keeps water ice cold for days at a time, but I dont know much about these. I'm not even sure what they're called. I think he said they have some sort of vacuum insulation?

I thought you guys might have some clue as to what I should look for. Please help a geazer out!

Sam, I generally take a small ice chest and fill it with some small water bottles. A couple of them are frozen.

I have nothing but praise for my Yeti rambler water bottle. It works great.

There are some less expensive knock offs out there now, and I hear they also perform well but have no firsthand experience with them.

Another vote for Yeti's. I love mine, and got one of the new thermos for this year.

Knock offs? Tony I went by my "in town" outdoor shop last week, and they had orange promotional Stihl vacuum mugs. All I touched was the box. My wife saw it, and called dibs PDQ. Gotta love a women that appreciates the merits of a Stihl mug.

The Yeti's are nice, I have one my wife bought me for coffee, keeps it hot for hours. I also have RTIC, one of the knock offs at half the price, it works just as well. If you go with a colored one, Yeti has the nicer finish. RTIC offers camo pattern if you are into that. You really can't go wrong with either brand in my opinion, more of personal preference on finishes and how much it is worth to you.

Welcome to the forum Sam.

I also echo the Yeti products and we also use some of the knockoff's that also work.

Another trick we use when going somewhere and do not want to risk a cooler or cups getting stolen is just freeze water or beverage in pop bottles. Drink them as they thaw. Gallon jug of frozen water for big jobs. 20oz pop bottle for lesser needs. Two litre intermediate. Take a second jug of unfrozen and pour in the frozen jug if you drink faster than it melts.

Sam,I also welcome you, this is a great site. Not to be rude but I usually am. Are you seriously digging a pond by hand? What size are you considering? I hope some dirt guys come on and explain just how much dirt a 20'x20' hole 10' deep involves.
Do not mean to be negative but you should consider a different method. Call some local pond builders (not just excavators) and get some info/qoutes. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Sam,
Welcome to Pond Boss....post pics of your project when you have time...

Bob all of my ponds were hand dug.

Hand on the lever and steering wheel of a large machine!

Snrub, I read your first line and about filled my pants. Then I saw your sa addition and had ta smirk. Ya got me for a second.

Wow! What a warm welcome! Thank you everyone for the replies.

Now that I know what those water bottles are called i've looked into the matter a bit further and found this article which compares two different brands. https://icecoldcooler.com/yeti-vs-hydro-flask/

I know snrub and a few others said the Yeti is the go to, but after reading this it looks like the hydroflask has lifetime warranty at the same cost. I will go with this one for now. Thank you all for the help.

As for Bob-O's comment, I've looked into some diggers and will be calling them to get some quotes. How should I go about finding which one is the most trustworthy? It seems like every time I hire a contractor they're always rushing the job to get my dollar!

The only thing wrong with stuff like that as I see it, is if you sip water or soda it's fine. I'm not a sipper though. When I drink water or soda, I turn it up and drink it, so for me it's a waste of money. My SIL gave me a 30 ounce yeti and a rtic and they are nice and will keep a drink cold for hours if you like to sip.

My doctor says I should be drinking at least 120 oz a day if I am out in the field which is quite a lot. I just got myself the 64 oz from the hydroflask company so I am hoping to fill it halfway with ice in the morning and refill it 3 times or so with water throughout the day. Hopefully it really does keep the ice because I need my drinks ice cold.

Sam,
I talked to the county NRCS agent and they had a list of heavy equipment operators.