Title says it all. Can you boil water in the aluminum water bottles(the ones that look like MSR fuel bottles)? Will they stand the heat? Seems like an easy backup for water purification if all else fails.

I don't see why not. Why wouldn't you think so? Aluminum has a much higher melting point than the boiling point of water. Just make sure you take the cap off first.

Isn't the Kelly Kettle made of aluminium?

In any event, you can boil water in a paper cup as long as the water is deep enough to cover the area being heated and you don't use an open flame, so I doubt that you would have a problem with AL.

Just make sure it isn't a double wall. If it is and you try to boil water, bad things will hapen. Of the boom variety.

Leo

I figured you could. It seems obvious (too obvious), but I have never heard anyone mention it. Seems like at least one of your bottles should be aluminum for just such use in a pinch.

Many a GI in WW II boild water or melted a block of ice that his canteen had becoome with no ill effects. In fact one of the advantages of a metal canteen is you cn heat it on a fire. After all it is a metal pot just with a very narow opening.

Duckear

I believe it's possible, but I would have to ask the question, how would you handle it. The base is relatively narrow compared to a kettle and there is no handle. So sitting one on a camp stove maybe doable, put taking it off, definitely calls for those work gloves everyone's being talking about. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Sigg coats the inside of their bottles that are intended for acidic liquids (other than water) and other drinks. You would want to make sure that the liner could take the heat and remain food grade. I believe the bottles meant for wine are coated with a ceramic compound that might just take the heat. It would be worth looking into.

I use a pliers-based multi-tool as a pauir of tongs for handling hot objects.

I would just lean it up against a rock next to my campfire. I am not wanting to do this routinely, only as a back-up if all else fails. I would move it away from the fire with a multitool or a bandana as a pot holder.

If I am going to hike with two nalgene bottles, why not replace one with an aluminum one and gain an additional method of purification at the cost of only an ounce or three?