Any bottle that has ice in it will split. Melting ice for drinking water is an exercise in frustration. Only way to do it is: Build a fire. place ice block on a stick next to fire. Position tin under block to catch water. I'm afraid that you will have to carry water in a thermosflask.

Bugger. <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

When most people say direct heat, they think fires, but there is another way if you have a car, but it needs to be a metal container with a really good stopper, and you need space under your hood.

Using wire or clamps, SECURELY attach your bottle of ice to something under the hood of your vehicle. (I can't stress a secure mount too strongly- having a metal water bottle full of ice loose is BAD.) If it is running, or even recently off, that will thaw your bottle.

Or if your radiator is hot and the engine is off, just wrap the bottle in a rag, and wedge it between the radiator and the hood. Make sure you wipe it down with something like ethynol (NOT DRY GAS; bur prep pads from the FAK are ok) to get any gunk off of it.

I carry my water in my bag, so it comes in with me, but what my brother does in winter is partially fill and then without the cap on freeze his bottles before they go in his truck box. Capped, of course. He's a furnace tech so he keeps water in metal bottles year round- 2 minutes with the blow torch on low, and he's got water to make coffee. :P

Thanks for the "heads up". I'll experiment with the aluminum bottle under the hood this winter. Even though it will still be frozen some percentage of the time, it would be nice to at least have a chance of having liquid water.

FWIW, I sacrificed one of the Nalgene bottles to the Norse God of Ice last night by filling it and sticking it in the freezer. Seems to be holding up ok, but there's still a small bit of water. If I keep the Nalgene bottles in the truck, they'll be in a plastic bag just in case...

I've been freezing bottles of water all summer (it's been too hot!) with no problems. All you have to remember is not to fill them to the top. I've got quite good at filling Evian bottles about 2/3 - 3/4s and freezing them solid - no leaks, no splits, no problem. The plastic has a bit of give in it. Then they thaw with ambient heat during the day. I'd think engine heat, or heat from a fire at a distance would be OK too.

Just remember, your milage may vary.

Also known as: If your mount loose, it's not my fault! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> In most modern vehciles, the tucked next tothe radiator while off trick is much safer.

<grin> Yeah, I know... It'd be a real drag to bash the hell out of the radiator. Thanks for the warning.

I think I've got a small fire-extinquisher metal quick-release bracket hiding in the garage somewhere that, with a little work, might do the trick.

Found this little nugget in a FAQ at ReusableBags.com

Well, that advice is good if the bottle is over-filled.

My solution (and I have done this with 2-liter bottles) is to fill about 2/3 full and place in the freezer with the lid off. After the ice expands, it should come close to the top. Then, you can add a little more and let that freeze. Finally, after everything is frozen, you can add the lid. Then, you should be able to do whatever you want to with the bottle.

But... if you cap a frozen bottle and let it thaw, there will be a slight vacuum on the bottle. The lid might be difficult to get off. And, if you open the bottle be sure to freeze it again before re-capping.

But you're talking about "plastic" bottles, right? I'm not sure what happens with thin aluminum when it's thermally stressed (and especially when it goes through many freeze/thaw cycles). The FAQ states that it's possible that a bottle could crack just from being in contact with ice, on the outside, the contents presumably still being a liquid.

This is probably something I just need to try. Kinda' hate to make scrap out of a $20 bottle, but heck, this is SCIENCE! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />