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Long hot water bottles are tube-shaped hot water bottles that typically have a larger capacity (2L) than standard-sized hot water bottles (1,2L). They provide the same benefits are their traditional cousin, keeping users warm and able to help soothe muscle aches and pains. The primary advantages of long hot water bottles are that they stay warm longer and can be used by two people at the same time given their length (70 – 80 cm).
How long does a long hot water bottle stay warm?
Long hot water bottles can stay warm for between 5 and 7 hours depending on the cover you use. Indeed, using a wool cover may keep your long hot water bottle warm longer than a polyester cover for example. Read our article on the best material to use for a hot water bottle cover for more information!
Most long hot water bottles on the market are between 70 and 80 cm and have a capacity between 1,7 litres and 2 litres.
What are the benefits of long hot water bottles?
Like traditional hot water bottles, long hot water bottles can help you keep warm, soothe muscle pain, and also help you save on energy bills.
Curious about all the benefits they bring? We’ve written an article providing an in-depth description of hot water bottles' benefits.
Advantages of long hot water bottles
1. Stay warm longer
As they have a larger capacity (up to 2L), long hot water bottles stay warm for longer than small (0.8L) or standard-sized hot water bottles (1.2L). A long hot water bottle filled towards the end of the afternoon is likely to keep you warm all evening.
Depending on the cover you use and the environment, long hot water bottles stay warm for between 5 and 7 hours, based on our experience.
2. Easier to share with another person
Long hot water bottles are great when used for two people. If you sit on the couch with a friend or one of your loved ones, a long hot water bottle can be placed behind your back and keep you both warm at the same time. It can also cover both your laps while you watch your favourite movie.
It is thus a great item to use if you want to share a warm and cosy moment with someone, compared to the traditional hot water bottles, which are more challenging to use for two people at the same time.
3. Provide playful designs for children
Long hot water bottles come in various designs, colours, and patterns (like traditional hot water bottles!). However, long hot water bottles leave more space for creativity given their shape. For instance, some manufacturers designed covers to turn them into friendly caterpillars or snakes for example. This can be great for children who want to cuddle a warm friend on a cold day.
Most children love fluffy toys! Long hot water bottles can be great companions both as a toy (remember to of course keep your children safe when using hot water bottles) and as a source of warmth when they are sick for example.
4. Easier to cuddle with when you lay in bed
Given their shape, long hot water bottles are arguably easier to cuddle, especially when you’re lying in bed. They are easier to wrap your arms around if you need a warm oxytocin ("cuddle hormone") boost on a rough day.
Don’t get us wrong, traditional hot water bottles are also amazing when it comes to comfort us on bad days or when we're ill. Long hot water bottles may simply feel more like we’re actually hugging someone when we need it!
Disadvantages of long hot water bottles
1. Difficult to manoeuvre
As their name indicates, long hot water bottles are...long. Being between 70 and 80 cm and having a capacity of up 2 litres (which is basically 2 kilos), long hot water bottles are not always easy to manoeuvre.
Having used it ourselves, we have a hard time imagining children or elderly people dealing with a 2-kilo-long hot water bottle, from the filling process to carrying it to bed. In this case, the traditional hot water bottle seems to be a more user-friendly alternative.
2. Not easy to travel with
Given their size, long hot water bottles are not as convenient to travel with as classic hot water bottles, especially small ones. Indeed, travelling with a long hot water bottle will require you to roll it up and take up more space than a flat empty traditional hot water bottle.
As you can see in the picture below, you can easily lay a traditional flat hot water bottle in your suitcase or backpack, whereas a long hot water bottle may be more cumbersome.
3. Can be challenging to fill
As previously explained, long hot water bottles are pretty difficult to manoeuvre given their size, capacity, and weight. They are thus not as easy to fill as traditional hot water bottles, which you can hold by the neck over the sink and easily fill.
If you're filling it over your sink (which is what we recommend for safety reasons), the tube will create a space between you and the sink as it fills with water, forcing you to lean over the sink from a distance. This makes the whole filling experience a bit less stable than with classic hot water bottles, which you can simply hold with one hand in your sink.
4. Difficult to use on a specific part of the body
Long hot water bottles are not very flexible when it comes to applying them on a specific part of your body. While they are often advertised as being great to wrap around your neck, for instance, we found them to feel very heavy and the neck and more comfortable to use on our lap or behind our back.
For example, if you’re using a hot water bottle to soothe muscle pain in your thigh or want to use it as a cold pack on your elbow, long hot water bottles are difficult to place and keep stable on a certain part of your body compared to traditional hot water bottles.
Final thoughts
We see more and more long hot water bottles emerging in the hot water bottle market. Just like the traditional hot water bottle and the electric hot water bottle, the long hot water bottle has its pros and cons! We hope this article gave you a first overview. Why not try it out yourselves?
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