Unpleasant taste from my water bottle

  • Hey Guest, Early bird pricing on the Summer Moot (29th July - 10th August) available until April 6th, we'd love you to come. PLEASE CLICK HERE to early bird price and get more information.

Tiley

Life Member
Oct 19, 2006
2,364
374
60
Gloucestershire
I recently bought a couple of Osprey 1 litre water bottles. They are, as far as I can judge, the genuine article. I have used them a few times now and have noticed a singularly unpleasant rubber-type flavour to the water stored in them. Does anyone have any useful suggestions on how I can get rid of this vile, unwanted taste?


Many thanks in advance.


Richard
 

Tonyuk

Settler
Nov 30, 2011
933
81
Scotland
Pop a puri tab in with some hot water from the tap, leave for a few hours and rinse out. You can never really get rid of the "plastic" smell or taste but this helps.

Tonyuk
 
Apr 8, 2009
1,165
144
Ashdown Forest
Sodium bicarbonate works as well, or sometimes lemon juice. To be honest, I've never noticed anything other than a very mild plastic taste on mine. Mines are mostly 20-30 years old though judging by the dates on them!
 

Tiley

Life Member
Oct 19, 2006
2,364
374
60
Gloucestershire
Brilliant! Thank you, gentlemen. I will give them both a bicarb and lemon juice purge and see if it relieves, if not cures the situation.
 

oldtimer

Full Member
Sep 27, 2005
3,183
1,801
82
Oxfordshire and Pyrenees-Orientales, France
My wife and I both have the same range of bottles: a Sigg each and a Platypus backup each. I clean them all from time to time with bicarb and lemon juice. She still reports residual tastes in her pair of bottles, I never get any in mine. I guess some people have a more sensitive palate than others. She won't use a Swedish folding racing cup because it makes her tea taste plastic: I use one all the time when travelling and happily drink all sorts of things out of it.

Since putting brandy in the pilots flask I bought on the BCuk group buy, all water drunk from it since has a faint taste of Cognac. This I regard as a plus and have no intention of cleaning it!
 

MikeLA

Full Member
May 17, 2011
1,955
319
Northumberland
I have been using these for work and always store the open. I know the smell it occasionally happens if bottles are closed in storage. I use the milton for baby bottles
 

Tiley

Life Member
Oct 19, 2006
2,364
374
60
Gloucestershire
I have done the bicarb and lemon juice routine and both bottles are now being stored with their lids off. I will try one of them out over the weekend and see if the vulcanised taste has diminished; I really hope it has!

Thanks, again, for the suggestions.

Richard
 

lou1661

Full Member
Jul 18, 2004
2,177
194
Hampshire
If not, try the denture cleaning tablets, they are pretty good. Also for what it's worth, mine tend to have water in them 24-7.
Louis
 

mutineer

Full Member
Apr 30, 2013
80
0
Hampshire
You will find military bottles will go minging much quicker. Clean and sterilise frequently.
Or, get a Nalgene bottle. It is less likely to go minging because of the way its made and its easier to clean because of the wide mouth letting you get a bottle brush in.
Kitmonster sell a military style kidney bottle made by Nalgene. Its identical to the US canteen but made with Nalgene stuff so its less likely to ming. But its pricey.
 

Tiley

Life Member
Oct 19, 2006
2,364
374
60
Gloucestershire
You will find military bottles will go minging much quicker. Clean and sterilise frequently.
Or, get a Nalgene bottle. It is less likely to go minging because of the way its made and its easier to clean because of the wide mouth letting you get a bottle brush in.
Kitmonster sell a military style kidney bottle made by Nalgene. Its identical to the US canteen but made with Nalgene stuff so its less likely to ming. But its pricey.

Do you know if it'll fit into a Crusader cup easily? The reason why I went for the Osprey is because they do just that. The previous Osprey one I had didn't taint the water with this unpleasant, vulcanised-rubbery taste. I can't quite understand why the new 2015-dated version does.
 

lou1661

Full Member
Jul 18, 2004
2,177
194
Hampshire
I can't quite understand why the new 2015-dated version does.

It has not had litres of water in it for the last 10 years, thats why there is a taste. ;-)

Ps. just explained this thread to my wife, seems my bottles still make water taste odd. there goes my expert palate.
 
Last edited:

Herbalist1

Settler
Jun 24, 2011
585
1
North Yorks
If not, try the denture cleaning tablets, they are pretty good. Also for what it's worth, mine tend to have water in them 24-7.
Louis
I'd second that - I use denture cleaning tablets on my bottles with very good results. For what it's worth they also do a great job of remove Port residue from a decanter. Gets it sparkling clean and no brushing needed.
 

mutineer

Full Member
Apr 30, 2013
80
0
Hampshire
Short answer is no. It will fit the us issue metal mug. If I were you I would stick with the cleaning routine and see how you get on. There's always orange powder to take away the taste!
OR- keep buying sets of mugs and bottles until you are satisfied!!!!!
I have settled with the surplus Dutch army bottle and mug. It is a slightly smaller combo than the others and fits better into a lot of slimmer pouches.
Sorry for opening the can of worms!
 

BCUK Shop

We have a a number of knives, T-Shirts and other items for sale.

SHOP HERE