We said that in past tense because he used this device when he drove long haul and regionally. The type of truck he had then allowed him to carry ice in an ice chest and water to refill his cup as needed.

Now that he has a local truck driving job, he carries a one gallon jug with him each day to drink from in his day cab.

Still, we want to focus on this insulated mug. We'll describe its insulation, its lid and its dimensions and other things in this review.

We have had a number of large insulated cups over the years. Some of them didn't "hold the cold" very well. While we haven't done any time studies, in our opinion, the Bubba Keg keeps icy drinks cold for a long time. This is important on hot summer days, even when one has air conditioning in one's truck.

The sealable lid has an opening on only one side.

When we first got the Bubba Keg, Vicki twisted the lid into place after filling it with ice and water. However, the lid appeared to have the opening on the side away from where she wanted it to be for a right-handed user. Argh!

But she learned that the lid had been constructed in such a way as to allow the opening to be accessed from either side of the cup! Cool!

The drink cover on the lid is easy to open (lift up) and close (refit into the lid).

At left, Mike Simons is drinking water from his Bubba Keg behind the wheel of his truck.

Notice the good strong handle on this model.

Not only is it break-resistant but it is molded so that the handle will fit easily in your hand.

Vicki's water jug doesn't even have this!

Mike's Bubba Keg has a capacity of 52 ounces.

At not quite half a gallon, the capacity is still better than six 8-ounce glasses of water.

Except on really hot summer days when he needs more water, the amount of water in the filled cup is usually enough to tide him over for all or most of a driving shift.

When you drink a beverage at a preferred temperature, you probably want for the cup to hold it at that temperature until you're finished drinking it. You don't want to be forced to drink the beverage either more quickly than you desire or at a warmer or cooler temperature than you want.

Mike has only ever used his insulated mug for ice water.

However, the cup is also perfect for holding hot drinks like coffee and tea.

Some drivers like to "nurse" their coffee a long time. If this sounds like you, then notice that this label from a Bubba Keg sold in a truck stop indicates that it keeps

• hot liquids hot 3 hours and
• cold liquids cold 12 hours.

Besides having a smaller capacity, we point out that the 20 ounce cup has a different sort of "lip" on the lid than its larger brothers.

Notice from the photo here (with inset) that this cup's lid has a slightly raised edge.

This is possibly for easier drinking.

Each model still looks like a beer keg (a fact that some drivers may object to).

Mike thoroughly enjoyed using his cup on the road. He strongly recommends the 52 ounce size although others might enjoy a smaller size.

He notes that during the winter months, he has to make a conscious effort to drink water regularly.