Teach me about water bottles

[SimonM]

I have a couple of 58patt bottles which see regular use...never had a problem with taste, but then I'm old school...only water goes in water bottles.

I also have a SS Guyot, again used regularly as it fits my MaxP man bag.

As for bladders style, I use those when backpacking / walking. The best tip I have ever been given was to dry them out after use and store them in the freezer as it kills all the bugs.

With all my water bottles, I always upend then on the kitchen drainer for a day or so after use, to ensure they are dry, and store them with the lids off.

Simon

 

[ged]

... Avoid the Nalgene Cantene if you go for a soft bottle, I had one split after just a week of abuse. ...

How much abuse do you usually have to give things before they break?

... Sigg ... no real improvement over a cheapo placky pop bottle.
If you want to test them against each other, give them a kick around a tarmac yard and see which costs more to replace. Takes a good boot to break a pop bottle.

+1 to all that. I rarely use anything but two-litre PET bottles from Tesco's sparkling water. I have dozens and dozens of them. 17 pence including the water, so the containers are virtually free. They'll last for years even if you abuse them like my two friends here seem to like to. If you think one needs cleaning you can just turn it into a funnel and a bailer.

I also have a Sigg fuel bottle (full of panel wipe for my Optimus Svea 123R) and its fine.

I like the aluminium bottles for fuels, but use stainless or plastic for meths, not ally.

For non-alcohol fuels you also need the correct stopper and washer. The stoppers used in drinks bottles swell badly in most fuels, which wrecks the threads.

 

[mousey]

I find storing bottles either full, or empty - but without the top on - works best for reducing odours and tastes, NEVER empty with the lid tight as the last time you washed it there will always be a little [dirty] water left [unless you turn it upside down and left it for a day or so].

If you fill it and put the top on tight the remaining water from when you last washed it [this will be a very small amount - but can still smell] will be diluted to the point of non-existence.

If you leave it open then it can breathe and air so getting rid of smells, but the lid can go wandering and if the bottle is left for any length of time dust etc will collect in it.

Bottles I leave in the shed or car I leave full, bottles put in kitchen cupboards are empty with the lid off.

The only bottles I've used are plastic [from standard shop bought drinks - usually 2l water or ca] or aluminium sigg type bottles. I do try to [fairly] regularly change my bottles [maybe a year or so] as I've herd micro cracks in them can create places for bacteria to breed??..

Wow that was a longer post than I'd originally intended...

 

[oldtimer]

Stainless steel bottle with no lining for me, doubles as a water boiling vessel if need be

This seems good advice to me. I wish this thread had been started before we replaced our platypus bottles with Siggs. We've used platypus bottles for years mainly because of the points Toddy makes. I didn't know until after buying them, that the Sigg coating precludes using them to boil water. My wife complained about the platy taste problem for years even after cleaning, but she is a bit slack about storing it with the cap open. as someone has already pointed out, this is essential to avoid contamination. The Sigg cap just asks to get lost, lacking a retaining device. I bought a Sigg bottle retainer which was absolutely useless and replaced it with a couple of cable ties. I have quite a collection of obsolete water bottles lacking caps and can't believe the price Platypus and Sigg charge for replacements.

I still carry a couple of platys in the pack for camp use or if I'm going to a dry area. One platy with a sports top is reserved for wine as the air can be squeezed out
to keep the wine fresh. I found out on a recent trip how important it is to close the platy cap properly when I rested my head on my pack and got Cotes de Rousillon all down the outside of my neck. (Inside is best!)

 

[troutman]

I find sigg bottles far too heavy when full and they are a pain the *$"£ to clean! This year I've been using a Nalgene trail bottle (1 litre). Think I paid around £7.40ish for it. Have to say best I've had so far- no leaks or plastic smells (like other berghaus bottles I've had) plus its UV proof so you don't get that plastic "taste" if you leave it in the sun

 

[rg598]

These days I use a 1L Nalgene wide mouth bottle. I like the idea of metal bottles, but they are just too heavy. It's not as bad when you are holding them in your hand, but once in the pack, you can really feel the difference. I've also never had the need to boil water in my water bottle, so I went with the Nalgene. I used to use a US Army surplus bottle before that.

 

[FGYT]

Use 2 ltr coke bottles they are cheap / free by product will roll up to pack when empty and not a problem to replace regularly

and some of the sip tops of smaller bottles will fit

 

[warthog1981]

one of these:

http://www.heinnie.com/product.asp?P_ID=6263

As light as Nalgene ones and easy to keep clean.

I keep one of the 0.7l ones in the car - it fits the drinks holder. Hasn't been washed in months just topped up when low. No taint at all.

+1 from me I have both the sizes use them everyday never wash them lol keep fresh for ages

cheers Russ

 

[andybysea]

Are you leaving the lid on when youve finished using them without drying out first? i store all mine with lids off (sigg,one green bottle,58 patt,US bottle, camelbak,had some 20yrs never had a smell in any)

 

[JohnC]

bought a 1000ml one from GoOutdoors, "Everyday" Nalgene bpafree, no problems with smell or taste.

 

[demographic]

Was in TK Max recently and there was some fairly decent looking stainless steel bottles with the Marmite logo on them going cheap. Seemed OK but I never bought one.

 

[scoops_uk]

Milton, Puriclean or using some Puritabs will do a good job of cleaning most water containers.

Scoops

 

[Paul_B]

Sigg bottles full of water don't significantly weigh more than similar capacity soft bottles. Afterall 1 litre of water weighs 1kg but sigg bottle is 100g, liquitainer 28g. Not really significant.
The,more knocks a sigg gets the more character it gains. Each dent has a story.
I tend to use bladders or a cheap plastic cycling drinks bottle in an easy to reach on the move sack pocket. My favourite brand is source. It stays clean and taste/odour free for longer than any other brand ime. Platypus has always split ime, camelback untitled and other wide screwtop opening versions cross thread too easily causing them to leak. The msr dromedary is quite heavy and not gd neither imho.
My advice is any source branded or made bladder/flexi-bottle or sigg brand. Neogene bottles are too wide imho but also gd. Get the sipit thing if using wide mouth version.
Avoid non-source made bladders. Source make them for innov8 and many other makes. If you see a blue, flexi-bottle/bladder it is most likely to be made by source. I've stumbled and put my while weight on a full source bladder once it never leaked.I've had platypus bladders burst at the seams in my sack. Hardly comparable in performance considering the pressure of a size 9 boot on a bladder with 83kg falling heavily on it is likely to be a lot higher than one stuffed into a hydration pocket of a rucksack!!

 

[Everything Mac]

I must admit that I am a bit lax with storing my bottle with the lid off. I use it every day especially when I am offshore (like today)


I like the sound of the stainless bottles but I have absolutely no need to boil my water in my bottle. This is more a edc bottle.

Ive used. Cheap plastic water bottles but after two - thee weeks offshore these stink more than my current moutain warehouse bottle IMO.
a clean one for a trip out would be fine I am sure.

Cheers guys
andy

 

[dozzer]

for me it has to be a nalgene or stainless "one green bottle" i prefer the nalgene though

 

[Peteo]

I have absolutely no need to boil my water in my bottle.

Perfect way to kill any bacteria in the bottle though

 

[swright81076]

Was in TK Max recently and there was some fairly decent looking stainless steel bottles with the Marmite logo on them going cheap. Seemed OK but I never bought one.

I too was in the Leeds tk maxx a few days ago, they had some highly decorated sigg bottles for £7

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[Jared]

I'll echo the steel crowd. Yes Toddy, they are a bit heavier, but I think I'm willing to take that. I have one Guyot and one Kleen Kanteen. The Guyot is tighter (I sometimes get some minor leakage from the KK, never from the Guyot), but for boiling the KK has a great advantage: the lid is not attached. Also, the KK can be bought, while the Guyot appears to be a semi-mythical remain of a golden age, now long past. Or maybe it, like the Phoenix and a number of mythical Gods, will rise again?

And I'll also echo the wide mouth club: easier to clean, easier to e.g fill with snow (pour half full of hot water, also easier with a wide mouth, and add snow until it is either too cold to melt the snow or full of water), and easier to fill.

First Ascent (the UK distributors of Nalgene gear) have a retail price list for the Guyot... and its a staggering £32.99.

 

[demographic]

I too was in the Leeds tk maxx a few days ago, they had some highly decorated sigg bottles for £7

Yup the one in Carlisle also had some cracking Mr Happy (Mr men) stainless bottles cheap.

Zero bling factor (better that way for me) and seemed good quality. I got sick of paying Sigg prices for aluminium water bottles some time ago when my dead spendy Sigg water bottle got dented and the coating on the inside failed. Then it started to fir up and go manky. For me the placky pop bottles are better and even more likely to last after a go in the freezer.

No complaints about the fuel bottle that holds panel wipe but for meths I just use a placky meths bottle that I got from a chemist yonks ago. Yes I have lots of stoves, I'm kind of Ob Com that way.

 

[Lister]

Nalgenes, just not the one you've ****** in overnight......

Camelbak user myself and never had a problem. might have to get a 58 bottle, athough the Drinksafe Explorer one on the homepage has got me interested, anyone used them?