Best stickers for water bottles, cars, & kayaks
You want a sticker to last? Here’s a guide to choosing the best stickers for your water bottle, car, bike, camper, or kayak.
As an adventure lover, whether casual or obsessive, it’s important to have the right gear for exploring. You not only want that gear to be durable but you want it to hold up to all weather and terrain so you can enjoy your journey and not spend additional money repurchasing because it broke down or wore out too quickly.
Purchasing stickers for your water bottle, car, or any outdoor gear, should be no different
While stickers won’t protect you from the elements, they will add some colour and personality to your gear. It’s important that it is just as tough so you can enjoy many journeys with it.
How to personalize your water bottle, car, or camper with stickers
A lot of the gear you get from your local outdoor store, have logos of your favourite brands or are super generic. This may not offend you at all, since some brands and logos have some pretty cool style.
However, if you’re looking for something a little extra, personalizing your gear with some playful, nature inspired stickers is where you can have some fun and make it your own.
Why stickers?
Stickers are a great, inexpensive way to put a piece of art on your water bottle, car, laptop, journal, or cooler to showcase who you are, where you’ve been, or what you love.
“A word of warning...unless the shop name states otherwise, some multi-sticker packs you find on Amazon or Alibaba are actually not endorsed by the original artists. Check the origin of the stickers to ensure they are being sold by the artist themselves.”
But our search shouldn’t start and end there. If you want a sticker that will hold up to water, dirt, sun, and all the rest, you’ll have to find a high quality weatherproof sticker and avoid getting suckered into buying packs of 10 for $1. Unless of course you’re looking for quantity vs. quality.
Sticker selecting tips
To find a sticker that will last, here are some things to look for.
Thick vs. Thin Stickers
Thickness will prevent ripping, tearing, and general breakdown over time.
Vinyl vs. Paper Stickers
Paper dissolves relatively quickly once exposed to outdoor elements. They may also start peeling off the backing if they’re on the cheaper end. Vinyl is more durable over a long period of time and can hold up to being washed while staying in tact.
UV coating vs. Uncoated Stickers
A UV coating on the sticker will ensure that colours on the sticker won’t fade in the sun or bleed away with water exposure.
Permanent adhesive vs. Semi-permanent adhesive
Permanent isn’t as scary as it sounds. It simply means it has a lot more “stick” than semi-permanent. This will ensure it doesn’t move or get peeled away as you’re using your gear. Semi-permanent is better for static elements like cars, as you’re not active with that type of sticker. It also won’t leave a ton of residue behind if you decide to sell it.
Where to find high quality stickers?
Since getting into the sticker design business over 3+ years ago, I’ve tested a number of suppliers and only one seems to have checked off all of the must-haves which I feel good about selling.
They had to be:
Colorful
Waterproof
Sticks well
Resistant to fading or cracking
Art doesn’t peel away from backing
Purchase one to see how my stickers hold up on your next adventure.
Have one already?
Leave a comment to tell me how they’re holding up!
Other posts of interest
