Made in Hong Kong: the Camel vacuum flask, once an essential for school packed lunches, and the story behind it

Before electronic appliances became household staples, vacuum flasks were a necessity to keep drinks hot or cold for long periods of time. Hong Kong-made Camel flasks, with casings featuring colourful peonies or industrial-looking grooves, were the container of choice for many local families, and many still fondly remember them.

Douglas Young, co-founder and creative force behind Hong Kong design brand GOD (or Goods of Desire), has boyhood recollections of Camel flasks because his mother used to give him hot soup in one to take with him to primary school.

“We had them at home at the time in the 1970s, but somehow stopped using them when I went to high school, which had a tuck shop. This made packed lunches unnecessary,” he says.

According to Phaedrus Lam, assistant editor of Hong Kong cultural brand and magazine Obscura, the flasks were one of the first Hong Kong products to be used subtly as props in films many decades ago, which reflects how popular they were.

“In old Hong Kong films, you can often spot insulated water bottles, which are bulky and colourful with floral patterns. In fact, most of them are Camel products,” he writes, adding they were usually red because it is an auspicious colour in Chinese culture.