With daily use how long will a Nalgene bottle last? As a plastic does it decay like the plastic in laptops?

What I mean is will it last 10 years? Or is it like my 5 year old laptop where the plastic is getting brittle?



-Nim

I still have every Nalgene bottle made of polycarbonate/Lexan that I ever bought. I have never had one of the bottles wear out. I have had to replace a cap or two, the strap that holds them to the bottle takes a lot of abuse if used to clip onto a pack or belt with a carabiner.

Now, I have melted one of the polyethelyne Nalgene's, (fire will do that), <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> and have cracked a couple cheap knock-offs (turns out a 200-foot drop will do that... <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />) The newer Lexan ones are pretty tough. Your mileage may vary.

In my experience, the poly (white) Nalgene bottles last +/- 5 years, depending on use & UV exposure. They develop a smell I find unpleasant, & then crack if flexed.

The Lexan bottles, on the other hand, seem to be a half-hitch shy of indestructible. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

David

Lexan is UV sesnative, but unless you are planning on using it as a bullet resistant item, it should outlast just about everything own. I have seen one of them break from a two story drop out of a window, and one that didn't like having an armoured vehicle run over it, but those two out of scores of of them I've seen is a pretty good durability level. I've owned a bunch of them, and while I've lost a few, I've never had one fail on me.

And I'm willing to bet most things break when a tank or APC or self propelled gun run over them. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Never was told what the offending vehicle was, but it would have been HEAVY.