7 ms·
Cupholders Are Everywhere
- mehly 9y agoand nalgene bottles don't fit in any of them!
- GrumpyNl 9y agoDont know the bottle, but thats a bad designed bottle then.
- Analemma_ 9y agoThat seems unfairly knee-jerk. Nalgene bottles are very good at doing the thing they were designed to do- being water bottles for hiking (it's fairly noteworthy when I see a hiker drinking out of something other than a Nalgene bottle). To fit in cupholders, they'd have to have a much smaller diameter, and thus either hold much less water, or have a "layered" shape (like the large drink sizes from fast food restaurants). Either of these would be a major compromise.
- tgb 9y agoMoreover Nalgene water bottles became popular for consumer use (previously they were a laboratory equipment company) in the 70s according to Wikipedia. I believe that well predates the rise of cupholders in cars.
- gyrgtyn 9y agoFurthermore, they have lids.
- benjohnson 9y agoYep - you can still buy the original HDPE lab version by the case: Part number 2104-0032
- kenhwang 9y agoAnd they always fit perfectly in outdoors activity vehicles with "cupholders", like kayaks!
- InitialLastName 9y agoNalgene bottles are also nigh-on indestructible. I don't know if they still do, but at one point they had an "if you can break it, we'll replace it"-level warranty). Having the layered shape would compromise the structure you get from the regular cylinder.
- kurthr 9y agoThey're typically 1 liter plastic cylinders for holding (in/out) water. I've seen a few cupholders where they did fit. You can find cheap adapters where they don't. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nalgene https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nalgene
- orky56 9y agoCupholders are designed for disposable cups from fast food e.g. coffee cups from Starbuck/McDonalds, soda from 7/11, plastic water bottles. A lot of reusable water bottles store much more liquid in shapes that are more symmetric or even bottom heavy to ensure greater stability. These disposable cups go straight from the restaurant, to the car, and to the trash.
- mehly 9y agoThis was a joke mostly. I have no issue setting the bottle on the back seat or something. I'm a bit of a nalgene and water fan.
- dingaling 9y agoThe risk with a bottle on the seat is that it can roll off, slide under the driver seat and then obstruct the pedals.
- t3f 9y agoFWIW, I love my BottlePro2 [0] for my Nalgene's, I have a few of them and they fit into my glove box when I need to pull them out. [0] https://www.bottlepro.net/products/bottlepro-2-new-and-improved-cup-holder-for-hydro-flasks-nalgenes-yetis-and-more https://www.bottlepro.net/products/bottlepro-2-new-and-impro...
- rconti 9y agoMy 2016 Golf's door pockets are perfectly sized for a 1L nalgene.
- bgribble 9y agoMaybe they are getting better, but for a long time German cars' cupholders were breathtakingly bad. I remember a Mercedes SUV a family member drove that you pushed a button and up popped this complicated structure with arms that unfolded to embrace your cup (if it was in a limited range of sizes). I guessed at least 20 parts, half of them moving, instead of the American car's zero-part hole in the console.
- EvanAnderson 9y agoI broached the subject of cupholders in cars w/ a German expat I worked with around 20-ish years ago. She told me that German attitudes toward driving were such that drinking any beverages while driving is an unnecessary distraction. She said that she was surprised and appalled at how many distractions US cars have. My sample size of German drivers is 1. I'd be interested to hear if others have similar feelings.
- wink 9y agoMake it 2. I try to avoid drinking while driving (pun not intended) but I'm not 100% on that. Sure, if you're on the road for a few hours you might take a sip now and then, a cupholder is nice - but I try to avoid it. It's better with a second person who can hold your drink. :P I don't think I've had coffee while driving more than twice in my life (as a driver, 16+ years). Both cars I have access to at the moment do have 2 cupholders in the front bottom middle, but in one car they really suck (not high enough, very small, not flexible, anything bigger than a small can will nearly touch your stick shift) so they're never used. In the other car you can put a coffee cup there, but using both of them at the same time is also not ideal. Oh, and the bottle holders in the doors also kinda suck, you can kinda wedge a small can (250ml, like Red Bull) in, or a 500ml water bottle, but good luck taking it out to drink. The unscrewing part is why I also try to avoid this. That said, I never even looked if and how many and what quality of cup holders a car I was about to use/buy has.
- macjohnmcc 9y agoMy wife has a 2002 Mercedes ML320 and it has usable cup-holders near the front door pillars and a place for bottles in the front doors. Not sure about the back since I never ride back there.
- reaperducer 9y agoI wish they were everywhere. I spend too much time driving long-distance and wish my car had more cupholders. Seating for five. Three cupholders. One of them in the back seat. Lame.
- SteveJS 9y agoOn a similar note: I want summer clothing that does a better job holding an iphone.
- roflchoppa 9y agoneon fanny pack.
- twic 9y agoLip plate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lip_plate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lip_plate
- annywhey 9y agoA vest with zipper pockets is my go-to all weather solution now (outside the hottest of climes)
- Jtsummers 9y agoRunning belt. Better than the fanny pack suggestion, more concealable if your shirt is untucked. I, personally, just choose the fashionably unpopular option of cargo shorts. But if I had to come up with something else, I'd use my running belt.
- madengr 9y agoI can CCW a full size 1911 in summer clothing, so an iPhone should be simple.
- presidentender 9y agoThe nature of iPhone access is very different: you want to make sure you feel the phone go off, and it's culturally acceptable, so concealment isn't a concern, which means that 'summer clothing' can include fitted shirts and needn't include a belt. Making concessions in your attire for the sake of your hobby is a necessary evil. That isn't the case for phones.
- notatoad 9y ago
- roflchoppa 9y agoIn my 240z I have to shove my coffee into the ashtray, which sucks because then it cant be used for extra-curricular activities. In the e30m3 have to shove my coffee between the seat and the door, its snug like a bug. 68' Classic MiniCooper has an ashtray for every passenger, and a communal one in the front. No cup-holders, less airbags.
- dkoubsky 9y agoAt least they're all really cool cars.
- roflchoppa 9y agoYeah they really enjoyable. I daily the 240z, no complaints here. All smiles.
- rconti 9y agoMy E36 M3 has a ring in the cupholder meant to accommodate smaller cups, which is promptly thrown away the first time it sticks to a cup that you then throw in the trash at a roadside rest stop...
- roflchoppa 9y agoIt’s made for euro cups, aka espresso shots ha.
- teeray 9y agoMy 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee has my favorite arrangement now. One standard cupholder for each passenger and a water bottle holder in the door. This means that even when you can't pull over to get a drink, you can always reach down and get water. However, the regular cupholder remains free if you get a coffee or whatever.
- rconti 9y agoMy VW golf has a large enough holder in the door for a 1L nalgene bottle. It's AMAZING. I rarely drink from it while driving but I often take a large bottle of water with me wherever I'm going, just so I have it to drink from at my destination, or whatever. For example, each of the past 2 weekends I've driven an hour each way to a trail race and have lots of water when I arrive. I suppose I could just let it bang around in the trunk the entire journey, but having it secured seems far more civilized.
- gpresot 9y agoInteresting how this seems to be a non-issue in Europe (I guess shorter commuting distances and public transport). Which also might explain why european cars have (or used to have) flimsy or badly designed cup-holders. I imagine the cup holders where designed in a rush to suit the North American market after the rest of the interiors had been finalized.
- benplumley 9y agoThere's also far less of a takeaway drinks culture in Europe, for both fizzy drinks and coffee. The only drink I ever have in a car is a bottle of water which fits fine in the door pocket.
- stronglikedan 9y agoI recently bought a new car and cupholders were a major factor in my decision. I drink a lot of water and hence require a large cup (Yeti 30oz Rambler). I took my cup with me to every dealership, and was surprised that it only fit in a couple of cars that I looked at (one of which I ended up with).
- gyrgtyn 9y agodid you lose the lid?
- jessaustin 9y agoI thought most Yeti products could be purchased with optional wheels and ICE? Don't worry about a cupholder, just ride around in your cooler.
- stronglikedan 9y agoFunny enough, I didn't, but my brother in law did, so I gave him mine since I never used it. I guess I did lose it by proxy. I'm a chugger and lids tend to restrict the flow too much for me.
- madengr 9y agoA beer goes between the legs, not in a cup holder.
- swlkr 9y agoThe 4runner is great because the front cupholders are separated vertically and horizontally, you can't mistake the passenger side from the driver's side.
- Luc 9y agoI don't think I've ever felt the need to drink in a car. Must be a cultural thing, or I guess Americans are making loooong car trips.
- Jtsummers 9y agoYeah, long car trips. Just visiting my parents is 2 hours by car. My sister would be 2-3 days (I fly for that). I drove to visit my nearest aunt and uncle and that was a very, very long one day drive. About 12-13 hours.
- icebraining 9y agoIt must be cultural, because two hours doesn't seem that long to me, yet nobody I know would drink in the car on such a trip, we'd stop at a gas station / roadside diner.
- rconti 9y agoProbably. I can't see why I wouldn't at least want the option of being able to carry a beverage. But I primarily drive two-seaters and don't see the need for more than one or two, let alone 19! It just seems like a waste of time to sit for 30 minutes in the middle of a journey and wait for your coffee to cool. It's far more leisurely to sip it as you drive instead of feeling hurried to finish it.
- icebraining 9y agoYeah, another of our cultural differences is that we mainly drink espressos, not large cups. So it's a 5-10 minute break, not 30.
- koolba 9y agoIf you drink coffee in the morning and drive a car to work then as a matter of public safety you should have a cup holder.
- 9y ago
- wazoox 9y agoAFAIK the cupholders are a purely North-American thing. I never used one, ever, in any car, and I know of only one person that ever uses them to hold beverages (though never cups, always water bottles). Really an unfathomable mystery to me.
- deepspace 9y agoMore an American thing, I think. Here in Canada (specifically British Columbia), eating or drinking while driving is considered distracted driving, and police will issue a fine of $368 and 6 driver penalty points.
- jessaustin 9y agoDrinking from a straw in a cup would be the least distracting action most drivers I see would ever take. Much less distracting than playing games on the phone, applying makeup, reading, etc.
- jbob2000 9y agoI have never gotten or even heard about someone getting a ticket for eating/drinking while driving. It would be national news if someone got one of these tickets. Going through the drive-through for a cup of coffee and drinking it on your way to work is part of the norm here, dare I say that it’s part of our national identity. Sure, it’s technically a crime. But it’s never enforced unless you’re being extremely negligent, just like jay walking. I think officers use the rule of “did you cause other drivers to take action to avoid you?” when enforcing this.
- reaperducer 9y agoIf Europe had cities as far apart as America does, it would be different. Remember that North America has states and provinces larger than some European countries. Heck, there are American COUNTIES larger than 23 European nations.
- icebraining 9y agoThe size of the countries doesn't matter that much. Almost 1% of workers in the EU cross country borders in their daily commutes. Close to half a million of French residents, for example.
- seiferteric 9y agoA telecom equipment company I used to work for had patented a cupholder in a outdoor enclosure. This was sort of an internal joke, but I think they did actually make them.
- chiph 9y ago> On the luxury end of the spectrum, cars like the Rolls Royce came equipped with elaborate, monogrammed picnic baskets complete with silver utensils. They may not have it listed as an option, but I would think that Rolls Royce could produce one for your new Phantom. Edit: I have placed a call to the local dealer and hopefully they'll let me know if you can still get one. Reply from Rolls Royce - they offer the champagne flutes and refrigerator as a standard option for the rear seat, but a picnic basket would be available through their bespoke program, where they'd create one just for you. (I didn't bother asking the price!)
- rconti 9y agoThe linked Saucemoto Kickstarter project is just... wow. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/19375970/dipclip-a-cup-holder-for-your-sauce?ref=backerkit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/19375970/dipclip-a-cup-...
- dano 9y agoThe following is from Tom's obituary in WAPO [1] Tom Magliozzi (cartalk [2]) once held up the Chevrolet minivan for ridicule, questioning why it needed 13 cup-holders. “That’s one area where General Motors has excelled,” he said. “When people talk about the Japanese being ahead of us, they don’t hold a patch to us in cup holders.” 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tom-magliozzi-half-of-the-irreverent-car-talk-duo-that-made-auto-repair-fun-dies/2014/11/03/31c0c684-6392-11e4-836c-83bc4f26eb67_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tom-magliozzi-h... 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_Talk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_Talk