Gym-goers with a small snack bag
A 500ml bottle can sit alongside snacks and kit without taking up as much room as a 1L or 1.5L bottle. Check the size of each bottle, not just the total volume of a multipack.
Who is this for?
Shoppers who prefer flavoured drinks
If you want fruit flavour while watching sugar intake, check the sugars figure and ingredients for the exact flavour. A sugar-free drink may still contain sweeteners.
People who prefer fizz
Sparkling water offers a different taste and texture from still water. Flavoured versions also need a label check: no added sugar does not tell you the full ingredients list or sugars per serving.
What should you check?
Plain still water
Choose it when: You want unflavoured water without added sweeteners and a compact bottle for your gym bag.
Consider: It may be less appealing if you strongly prefer a flavoured drink.
Sugar-free flavoured water
Choose it when: You want fruit flavour without sugars in the product you select.
Consider: Sugar-free does not mean sweetener-free; the bottle size also varies between products.
Sparkling flavoured water
Choose it when: You prefer fizz and find a product whose sugar and ingredient information suits you.
Consider: No added sugar is not the same claim as sugar-free, and fizz does not establish a workout-hydration advantage.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar and ingredients | Compare sugars per 100ml and per serving. Read the ingredients for sweeteners and flavourings; do not treat sugar-free and no-added-sugar wording as interchangeable. | I want a drink that fits alongside my snacks without overlooking sugar or an ingredient I prefer to avoid. |
| Bottle size | Check the volume of one bottle as well as the pack total. Compare a 500ml bottle with larger 750ml, 1L and 1.5L formats against the space in your bag. | A smaller bottle is easier for me to fit beside snacks and gym kit; for a longer outing, I may want more to carry. |
| Taste and fizz | Choose still or sparkling by preference. For flavoured water, check the exact product’s nutrition panel and ingredients rather than relying on the drink type. | I am more likely to pick a drink I enjoy, but I do not want flavour or carbonation mistaken for a workout benefit. |
| Pack format | Distinguish individual bottle volume from bottle count, and check whether you have room to store the multipack. | I want bottles I can take one at a time, without confusing a home-stock pack with what I will carry to one session. |
Common buying mistakes
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Treating sugar-free and no-added-sugar as the same claim
A no-added-sugar drink can still list sugars in its nutrition panel, while a sugar-free flavoured drink can contain sweeteners. Sainsbury’s describes its Lemon & Lime sparkling water as no added sugar and lists a sweetener among its ingredients.
Check sugars per 100ml and per serving, then read the ingredients for the exact product and flavour.
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Choosing a large bottle without checking bag space
A 1L or 1.5L bottle takes up more room alongside snacks and kit than an individual 500ml bottle. Highland Spring and Volvic also have 500ml bottles in the portable multipacks described here.
Compare individual bottle sizes before buying a multipack; choose a larger format when it suits the outing and what you can carry.
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Assuming fizz or mineral-water branding improves workout hydration
Those descriptions identify a type of water, not a demonstrated exercise advantage. The NHS describes water as a choice for hydration.
Choose still or sparkling water according to taste, ingredients and carrying format rather than an assumed performance effect.
Brand and retailer references
These examples illustrate differences in flavour, ingredients and bottle size; a brand or retailer mentioned here is not necessarily represented in the Joybuy products below.
Highland Spring
Offers plain still water and a flavoured still-water range.
- Highland Spring states in its June 2026 announcement that all five drinks in its flavoured range are sugar free.
- Its cited flavoured bottles include 750ml and 1.25L sizes; check the individual bottle before choosing one for a small bag.
Evian
An option to compare when you want plain natural mineral water.
- Evian describes its natural mineral water as having a constant mineral composition.
- Mineral composition does not, on its own, establish a workout benefit.
Volvic
Offers plain water as well as flavoured products with different ingredient lists.
- Volvic lists 0g sugars per 250ml serving for Touch of Fruit Peach & Raspberry Vitality.
- That cited flavoured product contains sweeteners and comes in a 1.5L bottle; check the particular Volvic variant you intend to carry.
Buxton
Offers plain mineral water in still and sparkling formats.
- Buxton describes its sparkling mineral water as containing no calories and lists a 500ml format.
- Choose the sparkling format for a preference for fizz, not an assumed hydration advantage over still water.
Tesco
A retailer reference for comparing plain and flavoured-water pack formats.
- Its listings include Highland Spring plain water in 12 × 500ml bottles and a 750ml sugar-free flavoured option.
- Check the individual product label and current listing rather than treating a category listing as a specification for every flavour.
Sainsbury’s
An own-label example of sparkling flavoured water.
- Its 1L Lemon & Lime sparkling drink is described as no added sugar.
- The product contains a sweetener, and its 1L bottle may take up more room than a 500ml gym-bag bottle.
Joybuy water options
These 500ml-bottle multipacks cover two choices for a gym bag: plain mineral water and sugar-free strawberry-flavoured water.
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Volvic Touch of Strawberry Sugar Free Flavoured Water 6 × 500ml
A flavoured option with individual 500ml bottles that can fit alongside gym-bag snacks. The product details list 0g sugars per 100ml and identify sucralose and acesulfame K as sweeteners. Follow the bottle’s instructions after opening.
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evian Mineral Water 6 × 500ml
Plain mineral water in individual 500ml bottles for carrying with snacks and gym kit. The product description identifies the drink as mineral water, without added flavourings or sweeteners.
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Volvic Still Natural Mineral Water 6 × 500ml
A plain still-water option with individual 500ml bottles for a gym bag. The product is listed as a six-bottle multipack; compare that pack count separately from the size you will carry to a session.
Questions about gym-bag water
When should I choose plain bottled water?
Choose plain water if you want a drink without added flavourings or sweeteners. The NHS describes water as a choice for hydration; for a small gym bag, also check that the individual bottle fits beside your snacks and kit.
Does sugar-free flavoured water contain no sweeteners?
Not necessarily. Volvic lists 0g sugars per 250ml serving for Touch of Fruit Peach & Raspberry Vitality, while its product information also identifies sweeteners. Check both the nutrition panel and ingredients for the exact flavour you are buying.
Is no-added-sugar water the same as sugar-free water?
Do not use the terms interchangeably. Sainsbury’s describes its Lemon & Lime sparkling flavoured water as no added sugar and lists a sweetener; check the nutrition panel for its sugars per 100ml and per serving.
What does natural mineral water tell me on the label?
For natural mineral water produced and labelled in England, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs says its composition must appear on the label. That information helps you identify the product; it is not a general ranking of how suitable different waters are for exercise.