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!
<img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

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

I bought one of the stainless cups from EMS that fits the Nalgene bottle. This goes in my backpack emergency kit (Nalgene bottle holds survival stuff) - for boiling water. This is not a multi-piece cook kit ... just the cup.

Go to http:/www.ems.com and search for "cup". It costs $7.50

My wife uses a hydration pack when she goes on long runs. My dog has figured this out, and will nudge the hydration pack while she's getting ready- basically saying, "Put it on! Let's go for a long run!"

Been using them camping for years. Get the wide mouth for versatility and use the Sipper for drinking.

For purifying, products such as Aquastar can be used

My brother picked up a gross of the PP narrow mouth bottles for 20 bucks at a yard sale! He sold them off to friends for a buck a piece! Made his money back and more.

I have never had an issue with the lexan bottles. They take a major beating. I have dropped mine off of many cliffs and it never breaks.

As to the Go Cup, I am not impressed. I have one and I would rather use a wide mouth bottle with a Sipper . The main thing I don't like is that the Go Cup does not seal. Now if you get a replacement cap and a sipper then it may work better. (Just thought of that and now I will try it <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> ) The thread is the same.

What's the consensus on the recent scare regarding chemicals leeching out of lexan?

I read this not too long ago on the Environmental News Network website (www.enn.com):

"Lexan may be chemically different from standard polycarbonate plastic and less subject to leaching, though they have no evidence for this. Leaching of bisphenol-A increases with the plastic's age and when subject to heat." [emphasis mine]

You may want to check out postings from these thread:

Polycarbonate Bottles

Pete

My conculusion was that I'm safe so long as I don't try to drink boiling water from my Lexan bottle. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I don't even using very hot water for cleaning my Lexan bottles, instead I wash them with warm soapy water and rinse them out. Then I sanitize them using water with just a "blip" of chlorine bleach. I transfer the bleach water from bottle to bottle giving each some time to sit.

Thanks for the thread, I was, however, concerned to read the following (Google search lexan leach):



Specifically, the room temp leaching of the BPA looks to be of interest. I find it difficult to accept the arguments from Nalgene, of course they will defend their product. I'd prefer an independent confirmation of safety or otherwise.

Andy

I have searched and quickly reviewed a number of the articles from that search and seriously question their research parameters. I would like to point out that for the past 15+ years, perhaps even 20+ years, most research facilities in the US, if not the world having been using polycarbonate water bottles and cages to water and house rodents for medical research. The population size and ongoing breeding (in the millions per year x 15-20 years) would have reveled a long time ago any adverse effect of BPAs leeched from polycarbonate on embryo development, mutagensis and carcinogesis.

I for one will continue, without hesitation to use water bottles, and any other product made from polycarbonate.

Just my 2 cents-

Pete

I don't know if there's a problem with coffee, but this morning, I realized that I forgot my insulated cup at the office yesterday. So, I pulled out my Eddie Bauer lexan bottle (same as Nalgene) and poured 32 oz of nice hazelnut & vanilla coffee into the bottle. The liquid wasn't boiling but it was very hot. Brought it to work and kept drinking on my way. I didn't put the lid on though, I was worried that it might leak or explode or something.

No bad taste, no nothing. I rinced it a minute ago and put fresh water in it... sounds like this might retire my insulated cup.

Snot. Dirty ears. Other comments.

Lexan flasks, including those made by Nalgene using the same formula they use for water bottles, are used for medical and enviromental lab work every day. If there was something leeching into the samples, you'd see it as a constant lab contaminant. And we don't see it.

I clean mine with dish soap and warm-hot water, but I put tea in them every winter. Never had anything I could taste or an ill effect. The one time I had an effect, it turned out to be a water source contaminant. As a result, any water from my parent's tap has to be boiled- again, never noticed anything.

I would be more concerned with the HDPE ones, actually.

I don't believe that the recent research demonstrating the leaching of BPA involved the kind of food-grade polycarbonate (Lexan) containers that we're talking about. The original scare started when a scientist noticed a higher rate of genetic abnormalities in her mice. She traced the cause back to BPA leaching from the polycarbonate mouse cages that had been cleaned with a strong detergent. These cages are a lower grade of polycarbonate and I'm assuming that the detergent was much stronger that any household detergent.

Besides bottles, I've also been using Lexan "silverware" now and then. That stuff gets exposed to reactive substances (like chili sauce) even while in use. Hmm. <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Could you elaborate on what made you change your mind?

The initial reason I bought a hydration pack was because it was cheap! A special sale at REI Outlet.com got me a BCA MicroFlash hydration pack for $17.95 I think it was. I was looking for a small pack but not really the hydration part. So I bought this thing with the intention of removing the bladder.

I tried a hike with the bladder in place, before my planned removal, and found I was sipping water nearly constantly. Every few minutes. Much more than when I'd have to pull out a H2O bottle from inside a pack. I'd walk up a hill, breath a little harder and dry out the mouth, and found I really liked a quick sip to wet things down again. In the past I'd have said to myself, "Just had a drink - don't need another one this soon." Since you don't stop or even slow down to drink with a hydration bladder, you don't fell the urge to deny yourself and keep moving. I think I just prefer the near continuous drip feed of a hydration bladder setup over the binge/deny scenerio I used to follow.

I never understood hydration packs until I moved to Arizona. They are not a replacment for my Nalgene bottles (two of which I have are 15 years old) but usefull just the same. One benefit of Nalgene bottles is that you can put just about anything in them without them staining or holding the taste.

I am also fond of my hydration pack.
Before using it, I would stop, drop the backpack, get the bottle out of the pack, drink a mouthful or two, wait a bit, drink some more, put the bottle back inside the pack, put the pack on my back and start walking again..... hen I would have to walk faster to regroup with my hike buddy, who didn't stop to drink ....
Now, I just nibble on the hydration pack's mouth piece from time to time, each time I feel like it, while walking.
it sure no longer breaks the rythm of my walk.
And I'm better hydrated.

In addition to the hydration pack (about 1.5 liter), I also have in the rucksack a 1.5liter plastic bottle of mineral water and and a sturdy 1 liter aluminium canteen. Should I fall, the plastic bottle may break, but the alu canteen should resist. That's my emergency water reserve, the one I do normally not drink during the day hike.

No Nalgene bottle up to now...

I still have to stop sometimes.... to empty my bladder ! <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Is there heat transfer between your body and the hydration pack? I would think your body would heat up having that much contact with the bladder, and/or the water would warm up faster from body temperature.

Most are housed in an insulated carrier.

No heat transfer from the body in any of my setups. However, the first few sips from the hose after a time are warm due to the sun heating up the water exposed in the hose. Once past those initial two sips, my water is plenty cool for me, even after a long hike in the heat. I don't pack ice in the bladder, but you certainly could. Most bladders have a wide mouth (Nalgene bottle threads, usually).

You can even get insulated tubing covers for the exposed tubing. They also make an insulated cover for the bladder itself just in case you are expecting to go into a VERY hot environment...it'll keep it cooler longer.

>> the first few sips from the hose after a time are warm due to the sun heating up the water exposed in the hose <<

I put the insulated hose on mine shortly after buying it and would not go back to uninsulated. I also prefer the cover on the bite valve that comes with the hose conversion - I never have a mucky or dirty bite valve.

It's worth the $16 to me; ymmv. The bite valve cover is available seperately for less money.

I like the 100oz (3 liter) Camelback system so much that I purchased the bladder/insulated cover kit to stow in whichever of my backpacks I'm carrying when my day pack (Camelback Rim Runner) is not big enough for the outing. Then I added the insulated hose kit to THAT as well...

I still carry at least one polycarbonate Nalgene bottle or a US Canteen, but the first time I used my hydration pack, I was CONVERTED. 'Nuff said.

I'll have to play with mine some more. It is insulated. The tubing comes from the pack body down the inside of an insulated packstrap (never going outside), and then the tubing has an additional insulating sleeve around it to boot. It's made to be insulated from freezing, but insulation is insulation. I do not have that inner insulating sleeve slid all the way down to the bite valve, and maybe it's that last 5 or so inches of exposed tubing that's warming up on me. I'll try sliding that down. Alternately, I could pull the hose up so that only the bite valve sticks out of the packstrap, but then I might look funny turning my head to the side and sucking water from my armpit area! A little bit of tubing hanging out makes sipping more practical.

My other pack has an uninsulated setup where the tubing comes out near the packstrap attachment, and then follows the strap on the outside. I haven't noticed that setup getting any warmer than my other setup. It's only the first two sips, so the minor amount of warming is not a critical issue.

I put mine on with cold weather in mind... so the first place I went with it was the SW desert areas of the US in early July... I can tell quite a difference in first-sip water difference between mine and my wife's identical setup without the insulated hose (she does not like the cover on the hose for reasons of her own). You are correct that it is not as cool as the water in the reservoir. OTOH, I prefer my water to NOT be icy cold in those conditions - hits the palate and stomach hard on me if it's icy cold. Mostly personal preference, I suppose.

Winter treking made me a belt and suspenders man, so after slaking my thirst in sub-freezing temps, I blow the water out of the tube and back into the reservoir. If the warmer temp water in the hose ever bothered anyone, I suppose that could be done in hot weather as well. I try to NOT blow any air into the reservoir itself, as one of the features I like about a bladder is it makes zero <slosh> noise as long as there is no air in the bladder. Much quieter than a 1/2 empty water bottle. After a little practice, it's pretty easy to gauge how much breath to expel to push the water back without blowing a bubble.

The no-slosh is so great that any auxiliary water bottles I carry are either full or emptied into the bladder. I like things fairly quiet when I'm wandering in the woods.

Tom

Now THERE's an idea! So long as it can be controlled so that you don't blow so much as to fill your bladder with slobbery 'ol mouth germs (not to mention sloshy air bubbles). I'll surely try this.

On your other point, if it's so cold that water is freezing in my hydration bladder ... well, you won't find ME out hiking! I'm getting too old for that. More likely you'll find me curled up with a cup of tea in front of some episode of Lost on the TV. Yes, I know it's not an accurate survival show (Sayid washing his hair in the group water supply? Yeuch!) But still a fun show to watch anyway.

Now why didn't I think of that. I've been freezing my tube & mouthpiece and doing without water since starting to xcountry ski with my hydra pack. Gonna try that the minute I get home !!!