Looks interesting, although couldn't one just use a canteen cup as the US military has for quite some time? I know you can get titanium ones that will fit around a standard Nalgene bottle. It seems like the all steel water bottle would be heavy. Anyone know how much the Wiggy's one weighs? I wish they would post tech specs and the ability to click on the photo to get a larger photo.
From Wiggy's Sept/Oct 2003 newsletter:
A NEW PRODUCT
During a hunting trip in 1995 I managed to get myself lost. It was an interesting experience to say the least. I was hunting the Fossil Ridge Wilderness area north and east of Gunnison, CO. in early November. On the evening of the forth day out I strayed to far to the north east of where I was supposed to end up the day. So, I spent what turned out to be the first night out. During my search for my way home (back to base camp) I met two young men who said we could go back to their camp. That was all well and good, except they were as it turned out also lost.
At about two o’clock in the afternoon it started to snow, and when you are located at 12,000 feet the snowfall can get heavy very quickly and it did. In our travels we passed a number of streams and I started to consume as much water as I could. I did not have a canteen of any sort with me. The boys did and I encouraged them to drink as much as possible too, and to keep their canteens filled. When night came and it does in the mountains during November very early, we set up a camp in a thicket of spruce trees. I was very comfortable but they were freezing. Aside from not having food we didn’t have any more water, and filling their canteen with snow to melt was not an option. Their canteens were plastic, so we couldn’t put them in the fire to melt the snow.
The out come of this adventure was positive; they found my camp after meeting Rudy (my guide) and Rudy found me.
Now that I had the experience I decided what was needed was a single wall stainless steel water bottle. Something that could be put in a fire to melt snow. I started a search that lasted until this past summer. Imagine not even finding a Chinese factory that would make a product for me. However, I did find a company in California of all places that has made them for me. They are polished stainless steel inside and out with a stainless screw on lid. It is important that the inside be polished to make it safe and sterile. The lid is held to the canteen by a stainless steel chain. Best of all whether or not you are lost, if you need water and you have snow as a source, fill the canteen and place it in a fire.
There is a stainless steel cup and it all fits into our military style, and military tested insulated carrying case. See enclosure.
See also
http://wiggys.com/legacy/sept-oct03.cfm?UPDATE
From the Wiggy's website:
"...water bottles would freeze up but I was able to thaw them out directly on wood stoves."
Now that is something I hadn't thought about. In winter with stainless, you could set the whole frozen thing in the fire or on a stove. In really cold wx that could really be nice. Even a good thermos will eventually freeze solid. Being able to apply direct heat would be a big advantage.