Why Nalgene?

[Tim the Slugman]

I have used a plastic u.s. army canteen for years with no problems. I keep one in the jeep & have had it freeze & not bust & the water always taste good. I have used bottled water that has been in the sun & it had a funny taste! the GI canteens are cheap I gave $1.99 for mine I have a black & a green one.

 

[Alberto Salas]

I just get a Camelbak bottle, and found it excellent .

Seems the same plastic than the Nalgene, but with a great leakproof mouth, so you can drink without opening the whole thing.

Worth the consideration :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:


BETO
====================
Sorry for my english

 

[Salamander42]

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

Not just the lid, but the whole bottle. You can get a kit to turn any wide mouth bottle into a french press coffee maker.

 

[ironraven]

Actually, I read the polycarbonate bottles (also referred to as Lexan, or #7) are the ones that release the toxins when heated.

*sighs* Not this again....

Yes, they can leak an estrogen analog, under very, very specific temperatures (like above 212*F, with the use of a high pressure autoclave or a pressure cooker) or when exposed to very strong detergents (almost drano strength caustics) or certain acids (sufficient that it would be a chemical burn if you got it on you). This whole issue came up because someone was doing some research in a lab and noticed his boy mice never hit puberty. Uproar, ranting, raving, and paranoia ensues. What was happening is that the lab tech that was cleaning the water bottles was throwing them into a high pressure, high temperature autoclave and with the help of an industrial strength detergent (much more than was needed, btw- they should have read the label) was getting the bottle really super clean in a big hurry. Basically, the combination of high temperature and chemical reactions were softening the polycarb and the compound in question was leaching out, in much the same way it does when they soften PVC to the point it is usable as a teething ring (which is no longer legal).

In a nutshell:
-Don't take your PC bottle over the boiling point of water at one atmosphere.
-Don't use lye or other strong caustics to clean your PC bottle.
-Don't use strong acids to clean your PC bottle.
-Don't use abrasives to clean your PC bottle.

That means, no battery acid, no draino, no high pressure steam, no steel wool. But water around 200*F, with dish soap or denture tablets, and a sponge, no risk. If there was, it wouldn't be used for labware, the reason Nalgene got thier rep in the first place is they were the first people to come up with a plastic vial for various medical tests that would be as chemically inert as borosilicate glass. Basically, if you wouldn't put it on/in you, don't put it in/on your water bottle- duh!

Sorry, I've just been hearing this bit of trivia for years. It's like panicking over oxygen di-hydride; yes, that stuff will kill you, easily, and it destroys rocks and metal, but it's only water.

The problems I've found with the HDPE bottles is that they aren't as squash proof (I might have killed one once by sitting on it), and they do take odors and tastes in much the same way a hydration bladder will.

 

[DaleW]

.... (I'm not above a bargain, though. The patagonia stuff I have was bought on sale! )

Hehehe-- the stuff I have was bought in thrift stores! I have a bunch of Nalgene bottles-- all gleaned from garage sales and thrift stores. It amazes me what people will drop $10 on and sell for 50 cents.

 

[hikeeba]

Ironraven, thank you for the futher clarification.

 

[Thomas Linton]

The typical dishwasher detergent will dissolve gold off of dishes. Many dishwashers can be set to heat the tap water to just under boiling. Thats close enough to the actual conditions cited in the literature (from several universities) to create some risk of BPA leaching from Type 7 bottles.

Published, peer-reviewed testing (published in Environmental Health Prospectives, not some New Age blog) found that old PC leaches PBA into distilled water at neutral pH and at room temperature when the water was left in for a week.

Nalgene says it's all nonsense - and stopped the manufacture of baby bottles from Type 7.

Chinese immitations are now flooding into the market. Are they as stable when exposed to hot water and detergents at "real" Nalgene 7?

So good advice would be to, at least, take it easy on using heat/strong detergents in Type 7 bottles if you are planning to have kids in the future.

Beyond all that, what recommends Type 7? Cool colors? It's lesser resistance to impact? (I work with Scouts, and they break many Type 7 bottles by their little trick of dropping their packs to the ground when tired . It never seems to happen with the "milk jug" Nalgene products - even when hit so hard that the neck deforms and pops the lids off.)

 

[Tohatchi NM]

Hehehe-- the stuff I have was bought in thrift stores! I have a bunch of Nalgene bottles-- all gleaned from garage sales and thrift stores. It amazes me what people will drop $10 on and sell for 50 cents.

Yep - $5 thrift store sweater will do just as well as the $150 merino wool that's coming back into vogue. And Polartec was supposed to relegate wool to the annals of history.

I use polycarbonate because the water tastes better than coming out of the white polypropylene bottles. I'm on the fence about the BPA issue - Nalgene's website doesn't say that it's bottles don't leach BPA, or what the levels of BPA leaching are. They do say that polycarbonate is approved for food use, and studies have not linked polycarbonate with health issues (citing specific favorable studies). They do say that the BPA is incorporated into the polymer, and some leaching is possible though levels would be low. The bundle of information looks a little suspect, but I'm sure as a PR person I wouldn't be posting anything that was too technical or confusing. It also looks like they're hiding behind the FDA OK, more than doing their own research. At this point, I'm more worried about foodstuffs sitting in bottles for months and months on a warehouse shelf than I am about reuseable water bottles, but it's an issue worth paying attention to. (YMMV)

 

[JR42]

I've got a couple Nalgene bottles that I use fairly frequently. They're much, much better than any Rubbermaid or bike water bottle I've ever had- very little taste is imparted to the water with the HDPE Nalgene. I handwash them with a sponge and mild dishwashing detergent, and don't drink water that's been sitting for more than 24 hours, and so far I'm not singing soprano.

I definitely prefer them to bottled water for a host of reasons. They're much more durable and much stronger than the flimsy commercial bottles (Aquafina is OK, but still nowhere near as tough). They're REUSABLE- if you consider life-cycle costs, refilling a bottle out of the tap for a year saves a crap-ton of plastic (made from OIL). Bottled water is a trendy scam. If your tap water tastes bad or you have issues with flourination, you'd still save money by buying a PUR or Brita pitcher and changing the filter often.

 

[ironraven]

Thats close enough to the actual conditions cited in the literature (from several universities) to create some risk of BPA leaching from Type 7 bottles.

I find the "dissolve gold" statement a little interesting, simply becuase gold is pretty much non-reactive, but it is soft- I'd suspect mechanical erosion and not chemical corrosion. And there are independent studies done that had the exact opposite effect, supporting Nalgene, which makes me wonder if they have contamination or are doing something like scouring their PC (also possibly a erosion issue). I'd question how close the bottles in those tests were to the heat element- Nalgene specifically states that their bottles are not to be washed in the top tray of the washer, which is where the heat element is most of the time. Testing a product in a manner inconsistent with the manufacturer's directions for cleaning sorta invalidates the test. That's like testing a car under water and concluding it's defective becuase it doesn't start. Majority of the studies support the manufacturer's conclusions, independent, hired by the manufacturer, or hired by people who think that Nalgene is the devil.

I do agree with not using PC for infants and toddlers (or almost any plastic, for that matter) on the grounds that a 7 or 20 pound animal has much less mass than a 160 pound adult animal of the same species, and I will accept there may be wisdom in limiting thier use by prepubescent teens pending further testing, but for adults the risks are minimal. Might there be BPA in the water? Possibly, unlikely, but possibly, and if you have old, early 80's era PVC it might be the source as well. But at levels well below those which a human adult would have any deleterious effects. Also, please reread what I said: "sponge". As in hand washing, at least around here- maybe you've seen a mechanical dishwasher with a sponge, but I haven't. Dishwashers have a habit of leaving detergents behind, and those aren't very good for you. I'd be more worried about that than I would BPA. As I've said other places, I've been drinking out of these for well over a decade, usually around a gallon a day, and if there is any BPA in me, no one has noticed any effects.

I'd also like to see what your scouts are packing- I watch a scout mom run over a Nalgene with a Pathfinder once and it didn't break.

 

[siguy]

whenever i walk into the sporting goods store, i check out the nalgenes, and have come very close to picking one up on more than once occasion.

they are heavier, more expensive, and are far less disposable than normal water bottles.

i like to use the 32 OZ gatorade bottles, because they only cost a fraction of what the nalgenes cost, come filled with sweet nectar for free, and are very light. also, the mouth is wider on these and they accept icecubes/powder flavors more readily than normal water bottles.

also, if i lose it, drop it, run it over with a car, or leave it somewhere by accident, it is no big deal.

the bottles are also very tough. i have quite thourougly abused one just to see what it could take and short of stabbing it with pointy things, i could not break it or cause a leak. i don't doubt that nalgenes are good, but i just don't need the extra amount of awesomeness and a nametag.

 

[Thomas Linton]

. . .Nalgene specifically states that their bottles are not to be washed in the top tray of the washer, which is where the heat element is most of the time. Testing a product in a manner inconsistent with the manufacturer's directions for cleaning sorta invalidates the test.

And consumers can be predicted to not always follow directions.

Majority of the studies support the manufacturer's conclusions, independent, hired by the manufacturer, or hired by people who think that Nalgene is the devil.

I can only rely on what I get in Google searches. Everyone can make up their own mind.

Also, please reread what I said: "pponge". As in hand washing, at least around here- maybe you've seen a mechanical dishwasher with a sponge, but I haven't.

And I was not responding directly, point by point, to your comments. I noticed that you wrote what you wrote. I just was adding my $.02. Hand-washing seems a good idea.

As I've said other places, I've been drinking out of these for well over a decade, usually around a gallon a day, and if there is any BPA in me, no one has noticed any effects.

I have noted that many with you experience start to use words like "pponge"

I'd also like to see what your scouts are packing- I watch a scout mom run over a Nalgene with a Pathfinder once and it didn't break.

The whole range, from branded Nalgene to ???? from the local Dollar Store. Also understand that we tent camp year 'round. They hold up better now than in January when it's 15F. One incident I recall clearly was in July.
Did I check for scratches that acted as stress risers? No. I just note that the old style doesn't break. One kid recycles used Type 1 "sports drink" bottles, and they hold up fine. I have read nothing bad about Type 1.

 

[ironraven]

*blows rasberry at thomas* I fixed the typo. That's the problem with proofreading your own material. And yes it is something for someone to come to their own conclusions on, it's just a situation where the preponderance of evidence leans heavily one way.

When I asked what they were packing, I was thinking in terms of weight. I was trying to picture a Scout carrying the equivalent of even a small car in their pack. Admitedly, the Pathfinder wasn't on blacktop, but a packed clay parking lot doesn't have much give to it. If I ever need physical abuse testers, mind if I borrow your kids? Sounds like they'd be as efficient and probably cheaper than sending a prototype to friends in the military with a note that says "break me".

 

[Guyon]

I have tried these three styles of the Nalgenes. All solid. All seemingly indestructible.

I have other brand names, but I keep coming back to the Nalgenes.

 

[Myakka]

They are tough, and the wide mouth makes it easy to fill and to clean in the field.

Like Tknife said, plus you can pour boiling water into the bottle and it wont mess up the bottle. I prefer Nalgene to my USGI canteen, and my NATO 58 bottle.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Hog Feet]

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

Remind me never to drink out of your canteen!!!:barf:

 

[ilbruche]

The best feature of the nalgene is the square threads on the lid. This keeps it from leaking.

I usually fix the stupid floppy plastic strap that holds it on by cutting it in half, put a hole in each end and attach the lid with cordage. This keeps the lid from hitting you in the face.

I've had one break when it fell out of my hand onto the side walk. Although the bottle was probably 8 years old at least. Sometimes when climbing I jettison my pack if I have to scramble down a chimney or something. You can't trust a bladder of any type in that situation. I always carry a nalgene as a backup.

The wide mouths are easy to clean. I have a GSI coffe maker that screws onto the top of a nalgene, awesome. I use the cheaper plastic (HDPE) bottles as a pee bottle when winter camping. I also keep a nalgene full of hot jello in my sleeping bag for warmth as well. What is hot jello? Add 1 package jello to nalgene, fill with hot water, drink. I prefer raspberry, it is great when it is cold as hell outside.

 

[JustinM]

I've used both a Nalgene and a GI Canteen. Both are great and have their place in my pack.

I prefer the Canteen, though simply because I've used it longer.

 

[TAH]

For backpacking, I carry a 32 oz. Wide Mouth Nalgene bottle in a GSI stainless cup in a Nalgene Bottle Carrier. Makes a nice compact set. Cup can double as a small cooking pot.

http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/store/detail.aspx?ID=1060

http://www.gsioutdoors.com/detail.aspx?c=6&sc2=2&p=68214&lu=/list.aspx?c=6&sc2=2&p=3&&

 

[ashtxsniper]

Just like everything else here I saw this thread and had to go get a few 32oz bottles. I can say I am impressed with them.