I was wondering what the advantages of Nalgene bottles are over a regular water bottle, or an old fashioned canteen for that matter. I've never used one, but I have seen them around for a while. They've always been featured in REI and LLBean, but now I'm even seeing them in places like LAPoliceGear's "Deployment Gear" section. Is there functionality to them, or is this fashion/popularity?

Becuase they beat most of thier compition flat. Boil them, and they hold up. They are still solid after having thier contents frozen, and they don't shatter until super, super cold (and your lips won't freeze to it). I have one that took a 35-40 foot bounce down the side of a small cliff.

What can't it do? It can't take going into a fire like metal bottle can, but other than that....

True Nalgene bottles come in various compositions. The ones I like the best are the 'smoke gray' color....they are capable of holding boiling water. In a survival situation that is obviously a good thing. After you've boiled it, you could pour it directly into the bottle without having to wait for it to cool. That would give you a type of 'heat pack' that you could use for some type of warming (ie. sleeping bag....) as well as allow you to continue to boiling water right away. (Assuming you only have the one container to boil in) Some water filters also fit onto some Nalgene bottles directly so you don't risk spilling water. One word of caution though when putting boiling water into it...I had to sterilize one one day so I could mix some baby formula. I had a moment of stupidity hit me when I capped the bottle and shook it to "really get it clean" and then opened it. I had it tilted with the opening down to allow it to drain into the sink.....not thinking about the pressure build up. Scalding water sprayed onto my chest and abdomen. Fortunately no one else (wife and kids near me) got hurt by my moment of stupidity.

They also clean easily.....dishwasher.

Campmor also sells a stainless steel cup that nests on the bottom (like the canteen cup does with the canteen). Saves space and has something to boil water in.

They're wide mouth, so you can easily store stuff other than water in them. I use one for my larger survival kit in my backpack (in addition to my pocket PSK). With that Nalgene survival kit I know things inside are waterproof, it will float, and I have a container to store water in (after dumping out the contents).

They're wide mouth, so you can put ice in them with your drink.

If you happen to have a MSR MiniWorks water filter, it will screw right to the top of a Nalgene bottle for easy filling.

They have volume markings on the side, so they can function as measuring cups. You can see through them, so you easily know how much water you have left

They don't leak. They last forever. Pretty much indestructable.

The lid is attached so you don't lose it. The attachment is heavy duty, so you can tie a cord to it and then strap it into your canoe.

Most things try to accomidate them. Many backpacks advertise "Side pockets fit Nalgene bottles", etc.

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Downsides - they're wide mouth, so if you try to drink water from them too fast while bouncing around, you'll end up getting a bath. Inserts are available to make fast gulping-on-the-go less messy. They're too wide to fit in standard bicycle bottle holders.

No ... I don't sell Nalgene bottles, I just use them!
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Wow, guess I came to the right place for that question. I had no idea they were that versatile, especially holding boiling water. Thanks.

By smoke grey I'm guessing you mean Lexan. Yeah that stuff is extremely tough. They do make both wide and narrow mouth versions. I've always preferred the wide. Never wanted to drink while running. I've never understood the popularity of hydration packs either. I don't mind stopping a few times an hour to drink from a bottle.

That all said, I have a 1 liter Lexan bottle (rectangular wide mouth) and it's great, but I usually just use bottled-water bottles. They're less tough but they weigh less and I just recycle them when they get beat up.

My new Odyssey mini-van has 15 cup holders. 2 of them are in the door, and are just the right size for a 1 liter Nalgene bottle.

Here's a link to Nalgene home page showing various bottles including their new OTG (On The Go) Nalgene bottle.

http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/

My son works in the lab of a big hospital and he brought me two 32oz bottles that contained Reagent Grade Water. The quality is unbelieveable and they THROW THEM AWAY. If you know anyone in a hospital lab, ask them to save you a few. They are white with a plastic top of great quality. You couldn't buy one this good commercially. They may be Nalgene for all I know. They are super quality and super strong. I'm sure they must also have other bottles of varying sizes which are equally good. Be sure that the contents are safe for reusing for drinking water.

Nor did I, until I got one. Wouldn't be without now. Hydration bladder included, or at minimum hydration bladder compatible, is a requirement for any pack I purchase from now on. This coming from a person who used to say "Why would I waste my money on such a thing when I've already got perfectly good water bottles?" For long hikes that may exceed my hydration bladder capacity I take full Nalgene bottles as a backup.

I have two kinds, polypropylene (PP) and polycarbonate (PC/Lexan). The PC ones are wonderful -- strong and clear -- and don't impart a stale taste to the water like the PP ones. However don't try to remove the price tag from a PC one with an organic solvent like GunkOff or paint thinner -- it will dissolve the plastic. PP seems to be OK with solvents.

SnowPeak makes titanium 2-piece (around $30) and 3-piece (around $50) cook sets that fit a Nalgene bottle. This includes a pot, a lid, and for the 3-piece, a cup. I plan to get that (or the cheaper stainless steel one from Campmor) soon. There have been a couple threads about carrying a container suitable for boiling water, and that would beat an improvised aluminum foil container any day.

That would go in my knapsack for day-hikes. I have been giving some thought to being prepared for a day hike that turns into an unexpected over-nighter. Perhaps a subject for another thread...

Lots more info is at http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/technical/

Steve