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Is there a Better Wide Mouth Nalgene Soft Side Water Bottle??
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Home › Forums › Gear Forums › Gear (General) › Is there a Better Wide Mouth Nalgene Soft Side Water Bottle??
- This topic has 20 replies, 15 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 2 months ago by KRS.
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Feb 9, 2016 at 2:31 pm #3381093
I am using a wide mouth Nalgene Canteen as part of a hydration system with the Blue Desert Hydration Tube for drinking on the go, using a Sawyer Mini Water Filter at the drinking end of the hydration tube. I like the wide mouth bottle so I can quickly “dip and go” into a water source along the trail vs. dealing with a narrow opening water bottle, like the Platypus, that is slow to fill up or requires a separate scoop to fill up.
What I don’t like about the Nalgene Canteen is that I have had a number of them fail and leak over time.
Frankly, the plastic that they use sucks and is nothing like the quality of the Platypus bottles I have used in the past.
Anyone have an alternative to the Nalgene that is a wide mouth soft side bottle that is more durable?
The only durable solution that I can think of is Lighter Weight Wide Mouth Nalgene Bottle at 3.8 oz.
Classic issue…durability vs. weight.
Anyway, any possible solutions or suggestions are appreciated.
Tony
Feb 9, 2016 at 2:55 pm #3381098I use the lighter weight Nalgene bottles. I know people poo-poo them, but they really are quite nice.
I could never find a similar solution either, so if anyone else could chime in, I’d also be appreciative. The closest I can think of is a wider mouthed sports drink bottle.
Feb 9, 2016 at 2:59 pm #3381099There isn’t much out there in the widemouthed category, but a newer product might interest you (1L for 3.1 oz): http://hydrapak.com/shop/water-bottles/stash-1l
The “lighter” nalgene is a good choice for durability, but the weight is not great. On a day hike, I don’t care, but for the CT last summer, I used one Powerade bottle, and one soda bottle. Since I use a Steripen, I cut down an old Platy that did triple duty as (1) a scoop; (2) in-camp stand-up water container; and (3) a protective case when rolled around my Steripen and held with a rubber band.
For me, the “semi-widemouth” on the Powerade bottle is wide enough to get water and add powdered drink mix. YMMV.
Feb 9, 2016 at 7:06 pm #3381141Ultimate Direction has this bottle, which looks promising except for one thing: it’s only 1/2 liter. I wish they made a larger one.
Feb 9, 2016 at 7:27 pm #3381148I also use the classic nalgene. I use it with my Steripen and love the durability as well as the simplicity of one container. The 32 ounce Gatorade bottle is nice too but won’t fit my pen. If I need to carry more I’ll take a nalgene 48 oz bag or a Gatorade bottle.
Feb 9, 2016 at 9:31 pm #3381172“The 32 ounce Gatorade bottle is nice too but won’t fit my pen.”
My Steripen fits in my 32oz Gatorade bottle… not well, but far enought to work…
billy
Feb 9, 2016 at 9:39 pm #3381173This is not soft sided like you are asking for but there are titanium water bottles and the “bot” from vargo. 22 oz and 1L volume and from 3.9 to 4.7 oz weight. If you can cook in the bot and leave your pot at home you might have a weight saving dual use strategy with great durability?
Feb 9, 2016 at 9:43 pm #3381175I should clarify, I have a Steripen adventurer. I know you can modify the cap but I’m pretty happy with the nalgene.
Feb 9, 2016 at 10:57 pm #3381184It ain’t super light but what I use is an MSR Dromlite 4 liter. Same opening size as a Nalgene wide mouth (and same threads, caps can be swapped). holds more also, Mine has held up well and has been frozen a quite a few times. definitely more durable than a Cantene.
Feb 10, 2016 at 10:37 am #3381245I know it’s not as hip as butchering an expensive platy, but I use my pan/mug to scoop water into small mouth bottles.
Feb 10, 2016 at 11:46 am #3381253I use a gusseted bottom plastic bag as my scoop mine came from a bag like this
Cut the ziplock off and it will stand up by itself when full.
Feb 10, 2016 at 4:28 pm #3381302Take one of the thinner water bottles that are kind of crinkly sounding when empty. Cut the bottom off at an angle to make a scoop shape. Then use a tornado tube to attach your platy soft side to the scoop.
Tornado tube:
Feb 10, 2016 at 4:58 pm #3381306.
Feb 10, 2016 at 5:00 pm #3381307Tony if you like sucking on a tube why not get a reservoir that is easy to fill? Like these
Feb 10, 2016 at 10:24 pm #3381360This Nalgene weighs 3.5oz. It it semiflexible/squeezeable
REI has themFeb 10, 2016 at 10:36 pm #3381366That’s the classic Nalgene mentioned above Abraham.
Feb 11, 2016 at 12:44 pm #3381486Actually, I was thinking of the Nalgene ATB:
It is much softer and squeezeable than the old classic white opaque plastic Nalgene. Someone on the web says it weighs 4oz, but that appears to include the bulky flip-top drinking lid. The bottle itself appears pretty light weight and would work with the OP’s Blue Desert system.
Feb 11, 2016 at 1:44 pm #3381510I have never used one but it has a wider mouth than a Platypus but narrower than a Nalgene
Feb 11, 2016 at 3:41 pm #3381530AnonymousInactiveHave you thought about silicone bottles? Besides being very durable and flexible, they are the least leaching of the petrol based polymers–even better than polyethylene and polypropylene as far as i’ve found in my research.
They are excellent for putting very hot water in. They take a little getting used to because they are so flexible.
Feb 16, 2016 at 7:47 pm #3382454Abraham….yes, that is the alternative that I came up with.
3.5 oz vs. 2.1 oz for the canteen, but cheaper and much more durable.
I appreciate everyone taking the time to offer their suggestions.
Curiously, I recently bought the collapsable Stash water bottles for urban trips.
Works great…the top is smaller than the nalgene, but the weight is similar to the one that Abraham found.
The reason why I don’t want to scoop is to save time….the person I hike with moves fast….we both do.
Pulling out my pot or a scoop just takes time and being able to just dip and go is what I am looking at….efficiency vs. weight.
Guess this is a case of adding a little bit of weight for durability and time savings.
Again….thank you all for your collective wisdom.
Going to try out the Nalgene bottle.
Tony
Feb 20, 2016 at 4:25 pm #3383381Have you thought about the Platypus Big Zip? It has a zip-lic closure on the bottom that is super easy to fill and seals tight with no leaks, has a hydration tube and bit valve too.
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