A friend of mine tipped me off to these handy little water bottle holders, made with ribbon and a rubber O-ring (found in the plumbing department of any hardware store). The right size O-ring snaps perfectly onto the top of a water bottle while ribbon that’s been sewn to it goes up and over the shoulder for easy hands-free carrying (there’s a belt loop carabiner option as well!). Since we’re heading into summer, it’s the perfect time to whip up a few of these so your kids can easily carry their own water bottles on your summer adventures.
You can make one of each for each person in the family, using different colored ribbon, so no one gets their bottles mixed up. Everyone can carry their own water – no more sharing bottles and hoping you aren’t also sharing flu germs. These carriers also work well for kids heading out on bike rides.
All you need is some ribbon and an O-ring. Your ribbon should be sturdy and around 3/4 inch wide. (You could also use belt webbing for an even sturdier carrier.) Your O-ring needs to be this size: 7/8 x 1-1/8 x 1/8. You’ll find it in the plumbing section. Mine were 89 cents each. If you’d like to make the carabiner verson, which can hook onto a belt loop or backpack strap, you’ll also need a carabiner – I found mine by the rope at Home Depot for about a dollar each.
For the over the shoulder carrier, cut 4 feet of ribbon, then loop one end into an O-ring and sew to secure as shown. I sewed back and forth five or six times to make sure it was secure. (If you really don’t want to sew, you could probably use hot glue.)
Loop the other end of the ribbon into the O-ring and sew as well, making sure the ribbon isn’t twisted up. Slide the O-ring down over the cap of a water bottle and you’re all set!
NOTE: 4 feet of ribbon was just right for my 12-year-old son, but you’ll want to make it shorter for younger children.
The carabiner version is almost simpler. Cut a 5 inch length of ribbon and sew on end around an O-ring as shown above. Then sew the other end around a carabiner. Done!
Easy, practical, and cheap: it’s the perfect project.
For more kid projects, check out my marshmallow catapults or mix’n’match felt monsters.
Wendy says
Hello! Thank you very much, these are great! Does anyone know what size O ring is best for a sport water bottle size?
Valerie says
Perfect! I’ve been searching all over to buy one after breaking my old one (instead of rubber o-ring it was a plastic thingy) and I couldn’t find anything without waiting for it to come on the slow boat from China (literally!). Now I can make my own 🙂 Thanks!
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Shirley says
RE DIY O-ring bottle holder…Just what I’ve been looking for. However, the only belt webbing I can find is 1″ wide..Does that seem doable with the 1 1/8″ 0-ring?
Lorena says
perfect! just the simple project I need for a bunch of girls to “make their own” water bottle holders!! It seems that kids at camp can open up more bottles than they can drink and we end up with a ton of half consumed bottles! This will solve the “who’s water is this?!” dilemma PLUS what fun to decorate your own right?!
Kelly says
Great idea! Was easy and fun to make
Anj says
YES !!! I have been looking for this !!!! Thank you
Tracy Campbell says
How big was your carabiner?