Students at Utah State University strapped into harnesses and grabbed free water bottles from a giant pit Monday, Sept. 14, courtesy of Lehi-based Owala.

The water bottle brand set up a human claw machine on the Logan campus as part of a 10-campus college tour, ABC4 reported. The activation also featured engraving stations, heat-press customization and exclusive merchandise, according to Influencer Marketing Hub.

Taylor Morse, Trove Brands' director of content and community, told ABC4 the company chose to stop at USU because its headquarters sits in Lehi. Being out in the community matters to the brand, Morse said.

USU student Alison Anderson tried the claw firsthand.

"You have to get into a harness, which is like overalls and a backpack," Anderson said. "You go up, over the pit … and then you just grab the first thing you can and that is what you get."

The pit was filled with Owala water bottles.

The college tour grew out of a broader experiential marketing push the company calls "Owalafy It." Trove Brands launched that campaign in August 2025, sending surprise activations to fans around the country, according to the company's blog. The human claw machine is the campus-sized version of that strategy, giving students a hands-on encounter designed to stop foot traffic between classes.

Owala is one of several brands under Trove Brands, a privately held company headquartered at 250 S 850 E in Lehi. The brand launched in March 2020 and grew quickly. By October 2023, its FreeSip bottle had earned a spot on TIME magazine's Best Inventions list in the Fitness category. Steve Sorensen, CEO and co-founder of Trove Brands, invented the FreeSip bottle.

Trove Brands says its products are now sold in more than 100,000 retail locations across more than 100 countries.

The college tour is scheduled for 10 campuses total. Other stops and future dates have not been announced publicly.