I was watching a video this morning (a Austrian female backpacker/survivalist that I recently subscribed to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8YspBOujTQ&feature=g-all-s ) Note: the gals on ETS might be especially encouraged to see some good advice from the female persuassion, she has about 27 outdoors videos.

She's got a pretty good kit but one thing stood out at the end of the video was that she was carrying a powder coated stainless steel, wide mouth water bottle. As a water bottle it is a very nice item but when she mentioned it was SS instead of alumimum my ears perked. Durability wise it would do well and could double as a emergency boiling pot.
It also has a double screw on top. The wide mouth unscrews so that one can access the container and make it easy to clean but then it also has a snaller screw-top that makes it easier to use for drinking.

New and made by Primus - I'm not sure if it is available on this side of the pond yet, perhaps just Europe? At 185 gr for a 1-litre container, it isn't ultra light either but then again you can substitute the aluminum version to save 36 gr. It is similar in weight to the traditional Nalgene plastic bottles but since it is metal, it can be used to heat water too.
http://www.primus.eu/templates/pages/ProductSheet.aspx?ItemId=93988

I have and use the SS bottles from Guyot Designs, Sigg or Wiggy's. Since the thread on the Guyot bottles is the Nalgene design you can find lots of types of tops to use. I like the SS bottles much better than my old Nalgene or the aluminum ones.


Respectfully,

Jerry

I don't know about the Primus bottle, but I've got a few stainless Nalgene/Guyot and Kleen Kanteen bottles. They're nice in that you can boil water in them and they do a pretty good job of keeping water cool in the summer time.

On the downside, they aren't too good in the winter unless you keep them insulated in something and they sometimes dent when dropped (which, so far, has only been an aesthetic issue.)

The biggest issue, for me, with stainless bottles is the weight. My 18 ounce Kleen Kanteen weighs 6.4 ounces empty; which is about the same weight as an empty 32 ounce Nalgene. You start getting into larger bottles and they get pretty darn heavy in relation to how much water they carry (they also get more easily dented the larger and heavier they get).


You could carry a 32 ounce classic Nalgene and stainless cup combo and it would weigh less than a stainless 32 ounce bottle, while offering similar functionality. (Probably better functionality, as you can boil water or make food while still drinking from the bottle). Something to think about.

Personally, for hiking/camping I carry a 3L Camelbak and a 16 ounce Nalgene with titanium cup (the latter being a backup/emergency reserve....the new Camelbaks are better than the old ones, but I always worry about them leaking or bursting). The only stainless bottle I use anymore is my 18 ounce Kleen Kanteen, and that I just use as an everyday/around-the-house bottle.

IMO a 1 liter Gatorade bottle (2 ounces) nested in a 700ml SnowPeak pot (3.5 ounces) offers more functionality and lighter weight for the volume than any SS bottle. A separate cup/pot makes gathering water much easier.

I personally use a 3-litre platy and gatorade bottle for water carrying. (And I've actually used 4 litres of water at times when hiking in hot weather.) Clean water in the platy and flavoured/powdered/gatorade in the gatorade bottle because powdered drinks are messy. I haven't used my Nalgene bottle in ages - mostly because of the bulk and greater difficulty to hold in my hand.

For those who do prefer a wide mouth hard bottle, I think it is a viable alternative, especially with the double lid. SS being more duarable than aluminum. I don't think I would use a wide mouth bottle as a substitute for a proper cooking pot on a regular basis but it would be a useable alternate when you don't have one.

I have an 1 litre Kleen Kanteen as well but I've never used it in the field, it used to be my at-home water bottle until I switched to using 2 litre milk jugs.

That is precisely my rig, as well. It works quite well, whether backpacking or touring on the bike. I am sure it would do fine in a bug out situation