Re the "silly loops", I find them very handy. Carrying multiple bottles, or I often take one in the car so easier to carry with hands full.
Its nice to have options of different bike bottles.
I drive my car to maybe 1% of my rides so maybe that's why I never used those loops. Every ride, my bottle is the last thing I put on my bike. I did have them on my bottles for a few years before I realized "Why do I have these loops I don't use?"