Why Nalgene?

Nalgene bottles are polycarbonate -- more durable and safer over the long term(soft plastic is said to release toxins when they are heated/washed repeatedly). As long as you're not reusing the PE water bottle too many times, it really doesn't matter.

Some folks go so far as to build little survival kits into a widemouth Nalgene. It's a good waterproof place to store small items.
 
Recycled bottled water bottles are a staple of ultralight hikers. Nalgenes are tough, but they weigh 6oz each-- that is a ton in the ultralight world. I use Platypus bladders myself-- one big one as the hydration system in my main pack and another empty 1 liter folded in my PSK with some Micropur tabs taped to it.

I've made Nalgene-based PSK's for family members so I know what they have for backup. They work well with the Olicamp cups made to fit the Nalgene. You can hand them the kit and have a little lecture on staying put, signalling, water treatment, etc. You can get an amazing amount of stuff in one.
 
DaleW said:
Recycled bottled water bottles are a staple of ultralight hikers. Nalgenes are tough, but they weigh 6oz each-- that is a ton in the ultralight world. I use Platypus bladders myself-- one big one as the hydration system in my main pack and another empty 1 liter folded in my PSK with some Micropur tabs taped to it.

I've made Nalgene-based PSK's for family members so I know what they have for backup. They work well with the Olicamp cups made to fit the Nalgene. You can hand them the kit and have a little lecture on staying put, signalling, water treatment, etc. You can get an amazing amount of stuff in one.
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that's a great idea. If it wouldn't be so expensive though. I mean it's not that expensive but for a gift that people will only like oK, you'd still want to give something else.
 
I use Nalgene, Klean Kanteen, or the patern 58 British militery canteen. Recently I bought a Camaelbak 1L bottle. Many water purifiers fit directly onto the threads of Nalgene, Camelbak and others. Nalgene bottles are tough and with the wide opening a bottle brush fits inside easily. The Vargo 700mL titanium cup fits on the Nalgene and the Snoopeak 600 mL Ti cup fits the Camelbak.

Like most pieces of gear use it if you you like it. Otherwise there are plenty of choices.
 
Nalgene is a brand name and they make various items of various plastics ! www.nalgene.com . The water bottles are typically made of polycarbonate which is a good tough plastic that doesn't impart flavors because chemicals are not leached out of the plastic.
 
Made the mistake of leaving my Nalgene bottle in the freezer overnight. By the afternoon, it was back to its normal shape. My dogs have chewed on it, it has fallen some pretty good heights, and still keeps on trucking.
 
They are tough, and the wide mouth makes it easy to fill and to clean in the field.
 
pinetree said:
What's the story with Nalgene bottles? I just carry bottled water. What am I missing?
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They are tough and reuseable storage containers for wet and dry goods. The HDPE (high-density polyethylene) bottle have been around for years, the PC (polycarbonate, or hard clear or colored plastic) have been around for a while, but not as long as the whitish HDPE bottles.

never.to.sharp said:
Nalgene bottles are polycarbonate -- more durable and safer over the long term(soft plastic is said to release toxins when they are heated/washed repeatedly). As long as you're not reusing the PE water bottle too many times, it really doesn't matter.
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Actually, I read the polycarbonate bottles (also referred to as Lexan, or #7) are the ones that release the toxins when heated. And that applies to when the bottle is actually heated or hot. My understanding is once the bottle cools to ambient temp, the yummy toxins are safely locked back into the PC. There aren't any toxin issues with the HDPE bottles, to my knowledge.


I have both types and use both types on a daily basis. Before learning about the toxin release issue, I would brew and steep tea in the bottles each day. Now I brew and steep the tea in a metal or glass container and tranfer it to the bottles after it has cooled to ambient air temperature, or has cooled in overnight in the fridge.

Each day I put my bottles in the freezer long enough for the tea to partially freeze. This way I can enjoy iced tea throughout the day. I have been doing this routine for almost 1.5 years now. In that time, I have trashed 4 PC bottles, 3 of which were Nalgene brand. All of the HDPE bottles have held up perfectly fine. Mind you, for at least half of that time, the bottles were going from containing boiling liquid to freezing partially solid in a matter of hours. Perhaps the temp extremes stressed the harder, more brittle PC material. Since I have changed the routine to exposing the bottle to only freezing temps, I have found the PC bottles to be lasting longer. However, I noticed yesterday that I have a few cracks in my now oldest PC bottle in my rotation. The cracks are visible in the bottle, but usually exist for quite a while before allowing a complete failure of the bottle.

I currently have 6 bottles in my rotation; 3 PC and 3 HDPE. At one time, I had all PC bottles. As the PC bottles fail, I am replacing them with the HDPE models. I also only use the Nalgene brand, and believe they have the best product in both PC and HDPE bottles. Beware of knock-off PC bottles. Yes, they look the same, but tend to have thinner walls and are nowhere as durable as the Nalgene brand. I will state that I know nothing about the Camelbak brand bottles.

Let it be known that I do not intend to come across as a super-duper water bottle expert-ninja-guru. I use the bottles every day, and sometimes I read things about the materials used in the bottles, and that's it. I am not poo-pooing the use of PC bottles, as i still use them, but just differently now than I have before, and only as a precaution (holy run-on sentence, Batman!). According to the American Plastics Council (or whatever it is), we may not need to take precautions with the PC bottles, and all the worry may just be the result of bad press. Time will tell. We've all got to die of something, right?
 
I always just used plain old water bottles, as they're inexpensive, ubiquitous, disposable, and come filled with water when you buy them. I've just assumed they're a fashion statement, as I see no real advantage, and never gave them much thought until I heard some hikers speak specifically about Nalgene bottles.
 
2dogs said:
.... The Vargo 700mL titanium cup fits on the Nalgene and the Snoopeak 600 mL Ti cup fits the Camelbak.
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I didn't know that about the Camelbak/Snowpeak 600. I was considereing buying a Snowpeak 700 to fit a Nalgene, but I really don't need the extra volume-- the 600 is just right for boiling up some water for a dehydrated meal. Thanks!
 
Nalgene tip: if you use a Nalgene bottle, get the replacment lid that has Brunton compass in it. If you check your bearings as often as you drink, you might not get lost :)
 
tknife said:
They are tough, and the wide mouth makes it easy to fill and to clean in the field.
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I agree with tknife. If you are doing chemical treatment or boiling with a cup, it is easier dealing with the wide-mouth Nalgene for refilling. Makes a good bed warmer too - fill with hot water and sleep with the bottle.

Also easy to carry - I put mine in a pouch with stainless steel cup. Or I carry two bottles if using a pack, that way I am treating one bottle while drinking the other - also good to have two in case one fails or gets lost. My Nalgene bottle also holds duct tape which has a few micro pur tabs and char cloth stored.

Overall it's more versatile for me.
 
pinetree said:
What's the story with Nalgene bottles? I just carry bottled water. What am I missing?
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You're missing that warm fuzzy feeling that you're as cool as the yuppie guppies you see with lands end or patagonia or (fill in the high end consumer crap marketed and sold to suckers every day) walking down the street looking like they're going out in the woods, but can't find the time. That's about all.
Oh and if you drop it off a cliff, it might not break. Unless of course it lands on the lid, which is probable since the lid isn't covered in the warranty. ;)
 
I don't think anybody has mentioned yet that the wide-mouth lid on the Nalgene 1L bottles has become an informal standard. Other manufacturers are making accessories that attach to these bottles. For instance, MSR filters attach directly to the bottles and several companies make filter/lid units that attach directly to the bottle.

-- FLIX
 
They are BOMBER! I dropped one off of Enchanted Rock in Texas. It dropped about 300 ft before bouncing off the rocks at the bottom, AND DIDN'T BREAK!

Been using them ever since.
 
Sorry to lower the tone but...

The wide mouthed ones are great for those moments when you wake up in the tent at 3am to a bursting bladder and the sound of heavy rain :D
 
"Why Nalgene?"

Mainly because their cheap, nearly indestructable and do not leave after taste, can't do much better. :D
 
I started using Nalgene bottles (way, way, way before they were yuppie cool) because I was tired of bottles that leaked in my pack. The Nalgene has a very good seal, and they're hard to kill. The wide mouth is pretty easy for cleaning and degunking - my major complaint with the bladder-type containers.

For ultralight hiking, especially summer, I've switched to an in-bottle filter, and sometimes the disposable bottles. I also carry disposable bottles into airports, to fill after getting through security. If I need to ditch it for any reason, the investment was minimal.

As for Patagonia, yeah it's on the high end of the spectrum. However, their gear tends to be well designed, well built, and sometimes actually made in a America. I think the company also has good corporate values - caring for the environment, employees, etc. I think those features are worth paying a bit more for up front, rather than getting something cheap from a country with poor labor and environmental practices. Ultimately, those things will cost more than a few extra bux for a T-shirt. (I'm not above a bargain, though. The patagonia stuff I have was bought on sale! :D)
 
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