Why no Clear Plastic Water bottles?

[BOD]

One thing has puzzled me for years. Why is it almost impossible to find clear untinted plastic drinking bottles? All sorts of colours abound but not clear. I am talking about the Nalgene style bottles not recycled mineral water bottles!

To me the ideal drinking bottle is clear plastic bottle containing 1.5 litres basically straight sided with a wide mouth and attached screw top lid.

This makes it easy to fill especially from small streams and puddles and the clear plastic enables you to make a quick and accurate clarity check not always possible with quick flowing water or water that has been steeped in tannin. Recently I collected tannin colored water in a yellow bottle! It had great clarity while in the stream and when I let it trickle out of my palm and in the yellow bottle but was very much tea brown when in a clear container.

Clear plastic also helps you with gauging the right colour for potassium permanganate crystal purification. If you are in hot climates a clear bottle will also allow quick and easy solar purification.

I have heard it said that iodine purification will be impaired if exposed to UV light. This may be so but all you have to do is pop the bottle with the purifying water into a rucksack or a pouch for 30 minutes while the iodine is working its magic.

I understand why military bottles are opaque plastic but what prevents civilian stuff from being clear. Is there some reason besides fashion?

Could the kit gurus help?

 

[scanker]

Sorry, no idea, but why are military bottles opaque then?

 

[akabu]

Practical, any source of light reflected or direct can give away your position which would bring in incoming fire.
Platypus makes clear water carriers as does Nalgene
http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/s...egoryId=6692&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=252

 

[scanker]

D'oh! Of course. Cheers.

 

[wingstoo]

It also reduces bacterial and fungal growth and the green algae stuff that you get in clear bottles left in the sun...


LS

 

[addyb]

Bod,

The military bottles are made from HDPE - high density polyethelene - which is extremely durable, durable to the point of stupid. Lexan Nalgene bottles are also tough, but they can shatter when they start getting old and the plastic starts to break down. HDPE bottles are slightly flexible and much longer lasting provided that you:

a) Don't use anything but water in them. Juice, iced tea, etc... will make them smell horribly. (Baking soda helps with the smell to a degree)

b) Don't put hot water in them. They'll go soft and might even melt.

I have both types, and I prefer the military canteens. The wide mouth bottles are nice for climbing because you can easily put snow in them, something you can't easily do with a narrow mouth.

Cheers,

Adam

 

[fred gordon]

I've always understood it was to reduce the growth of algae and bacteria as Ludlowsurvivor says. I once had a bad case of the 'runs' after drinking water from a clear bottle hung on the outside of my pack. You only do it once!

 

[bambodoggy]

Practical, any source of light reflected or direct can give away your position which would bring in incoming fire.

That's a joke right? ? ?

 

[RGRBOX]

I have to agree with what already said above concerning clear bottles, and the sun.. one of the main reasons that military bottles have the shap they do is because of comfort, and profile. The US, and UK water bottles are shaped to give a lower profile, and not stick out so much as a Nalgene bottle does.. I still use my 20 year old US Issue Canteens, that I was given back in 87/88.. when I'm out with the family, I tend to use the nalgenes.. I prefer the large mouths on them, which not only make great dry storage containers, but a larger mouth on a bottle makes you drink more each time.. have you ever been to the states, and seen the coke bottles over there.. the more you drink, the more to buy..

 

[wingstoo]

That's a joke right? ? ?

Bam, it depends which end of the r*le you are on I guess...

 

[Martyn]

Sorry, no idea, but why are military bottles opaque then?

Possibly several reasons, but one possibility is iodine breaks down in UV light, so any iodine based puritabs would be less effective if the bottle allowed exposure of it's contents to the sun.

On an aside, any medication - liquids or tablets - you get from the chemists, that comes in a brown glass bottle, is UV sensitive. UV light reacts with many chemicals to change the properties of the chemical.

 

[Skippy]

I thought that the algae problem was the only one with using clear plastic containers, until i started home brewing, I found that when making cider it is generally recommended that clear plastic bottles are not used, i am still trying to find out why, (other than the algae)

 

[Millbilly]

The black nato water bottles are Ninjitsu waterbottles that can kill you within seconds at a range in excess of 500 yards, completely silently.


Honest

 

[BOD]

So its just UV and the potential for the growth of algae that's the reason? Does anyone know the UV effect on sodium hypoclorite (same as chlorine?)

It still seems strange that clear bottles are not that easily available (most bottles in the link provided were opaque white plastic ) and that manufacturers are 'protecting' us since many people are not that likely to resort to chemical purification anyway. I'd still like a clear bottle anyway and always keep them in the rucksack and clean

I'm sorry I even mentioned military bottles as part of the thread has turned into a "bottles at 20 paces" duel

 

[anthonyyy]

Does anyone know the UV effect on sodium hypoclorite (same as chlorine?)

UV light would degrade that too.

 

[wingstoo]

Hi Folks,


I have found a site that sells screw top bottles that I think would be ideal for water containers...not collapsable but in a wide variety of sizes...Well, why not take a look at the items I have linked to and some of the others that are available...then let me know...

LS

http://www.altecweb.com/home.asp?cat=Subcategory40060b

 

[Mantic]

In theory, a clear container of water could magnify the suns rays and ignite nearby combustibles.

 

[beamdune]

Possibly several reasons, but one possibility is iodine breaks down in UV light, so any iodine based puritabs would be less effective if the bottle allowed exposure of it's contents to the sun.

On an aside, any medication - liquids or tablets - you get from the chemists, that comes in a brown glass bottle, is UV sensitive. UV light reacts with many chemicals to change the properties of the chemical.

I've notice that nalgene do a pretty dark coloured lexan bottle (green). Would a tinted bottle like this block uv enough to allow iodine to do its stuff or do you need a completely opaque bottle like the 58 pattern canteen?

 

[Martyn]

I've notice that nalgene do a pretty dark coloured lexan bottle (green). Would a tinted bottle like this block uv enough to allow iodine to do its stuff or do you need a completely opaque bottle like the 58 pattern canteen?

It doesnt need to be completely opaque, just UV opaque - think brown glass medicine bottles.

 

[mark a.]

IIRC, glass does a fairly good job of absorbing UV anyway. There are coatings that increase UV absorption to prevent it getting through to the delicate liquids inside. No idea whether such bottles exist, though.

So perhaps for general use, and not for long-term storage, clear bottles are fine.

The ultralight backpackers tend to use normal water bottles (e.g. Evian etc) as they're very light and actually fairly leak-proof. You probably don't always need super-strong Army-issue bomb-proof ones if you're not doing anything too strenuous.