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We live in what has become a portable world. We have portable cameras. We have portable music stereos. We even have portable buildings! This new life on wheels has created a network of electronic gadgets that makes our home-away-from-home our home. Whether we are traveling to Chicago on a business trip or to Cancun for vacation, we can virtually pile our DVD player, stereo system, PC, television, and video game system into our suitcase! Man, however, cannot live on music and reality shows alone. Other traditional but portable gadgets that never require a power source, such as flasks, also help make our life complete.

Flask Facts
Exactly what is a flask? It is a wide container with a flattened neck; and although the container allows a person to carry a sea of various liquids, it is often used to hold alcoholic drinks. In short, flasks are jars without handles. Their main feature is that their shape and size fits snugly into people's pants pockets, making them ideal for people on-the-go. Flasks are made of a variety of materials, and in several styles. To keep a metal taste from filtering from the metal body into the beverage, high-quality versions usually include a glass lining.

Flaskology 101
Centuries before the upper class started using the modern liquor flask in the 1700s, everyone used a less portable version the flask. Today, if people were to spot you drinking from a hollow cantaloupe or honeydew melon, they would surely give you funny stares. As far as strangeness goes, however, your flask is not by any means unique. Several written accounts from the Middle Ages mention liquor actually being stored in gutted fruit! The only moment in history when flasks lost a little of their popularity was during the Prohibition, when the sale of alcohol in America became illegal. At the time, the state of Indiana even prohibited the sale of all flasks!

Strong, Even When On the Go
Though flasks have changed over time, traveling has not. Traveling has always been rough. When you travel by air, you have to endure the occasional air turbulence. When you travel by sea, there are rough waves and merciless storms. Even traveling on the road can sometimes be just as rough. At times, even top-of-the- line luxury or sports cars cannot avoid a pothole the size of Kansas. So while glass bottles at home or in bars can store alcohol without any problems, portable flasks must withstand the bumps and jolts of traveling. To do this, they'd have to be made of strong materials like silver or chromed metal.

Drinking in Style
Because form follows function for portable products, liquor flasks must first be sturdy. However, they can look good too! Many are wrapped in materials, such as leather, to put a finishing touch on their aesthetics. Others include an area on their exteriors, where you can engrave your initials to make your flask more personalized. These containers are made in every shape, size, and design under the sun. There are slim ones, tall ones, and round ones. There are small ones, large ones, and everything in-between. There are also those that show your favorite sports team's logo, ones that are plastered with camouflage, and even ones that look like cell phones or binoculars!

Undeniably, we live in what has become a portable wold. No matter where we go, however, flasks are among those things that let us live the "pick up and run" lifestyle.