Carrying Olive Oil

[Matthew / BPL]

I'm hiking the JMT this summer. I'd like to carry a olive oil to add to my dinners. It seems like most people repackage oil in Nalgene bottles but I'm thinking Smartwater bottles would work well. Has anyone used these for carrying olive oil before? This will be in a bear canister (of course) in case that matters.

[Jonathan Chin]

I haven't used Smartwater bottles for olive oil, as I prefer these little plastic bottles I picked up from the $1 cosmetics section at Target. Strong & light. Passed the hard squeeze test and have had no leaks with several weeks of trail use. The biggest one holds 8oz, the smaller ones hold 2.4oz each. I like how short, squat, and packable the largest bottle is. I used to keep it in a pot to prevent it from getting squished & leaking, but now I don't even bother.

[R Banks]

I did the pct this last year and used these packets http://www.amazon.com/Marconi-Organic-Extra-Virgin-Olive/dp/B003MZFL1I

Many of my friends tried to repackage olive oil and even double bagged the little bottle but they always seemed to leak everywhere!!

I would put one or two packets in my dinners and simply add them when necessary.

[Valerie E]

This should probably be re-positioned as a thread in the Food section, but…

Most folks on the JMT used the individual olive oil packets from Minimus.biz. Personally, I would not use cosmetics bottles (or anything that wasn't "food grade"). I also think the chances of a leaky Smartwater bottle are very high.

For me, it's not worth the potential mess on a thru-hike. I'd go with the individual packets, wherever you buy them.

[Roger Caffin]

The point about the Nalge botttles is that they are lab-grade bottles and have an engineered seal which is guarranteed to not leak. Other bottles are more likely to be made to a price (and an artist's drawing).

Cheers

[Matthew / BPL]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I like those olive oil packets for overnight trips but on the JMT I'm planning on eating an ounce or more of oil a day. That's a lot of packaging and a lot of oily empty packets to pack out.

I debated whether this goes in food or gear… It involves food but I was asking about gear. Perhaps I made the wrong choice. My apologies if so.

[Andy E]

I like the small squeezable bottles. Nalgene or whatever.. the key is to get a flip top lid so that there is no unscrewing needed, and no leaking.

[Charlie W]

I'm having same problem. Individual packages seem excessive and inconvenient for 8 oz of oil (21 pkgs).

I did some "home testing" using an 8 oz Ice Mountain water bottle. It did not do too well. Oil lubricates the threading so well that you easily over-screw it; then it is leaky.

[Jerry Adams]

I've used Marconi packets from packitgourmet

The packets weigh maybe 0.05 ounces, so the weight is insignificant. If you put 4 or 8 ounces in a plastic bottle, it'll probably weigh the same. And I always have an empty plastic bag created when I ate the contents that I can put empty packets in.

But, now I dry my own cooked pinto beans. After they're dried I add some olive oil. I carry the dried beans in a thin plastic bag. The inside of the bag has a bit of residue when emptied, but the packet or bottle would also have some residue.

Only problem is then the dried beans/olive oil can go rancid, but I just leave in freezer until I need it. Then, it's out of the freezer maybe a week so won't go bad. If you were mailing a package you pick up in a couple months it might go bad? Probably a sealed packet would last longer?

[Jesse Anderson]

What about a small soda bottle. You'd have to buy a pack of them but I know around here they sell 6/8 packs of a small size soda bottle, 12 oz. The seal on a soda bottle is about as good as it gets. You might also find a 16 oz bottle if you look around and want a bigger size bottle.

[David Thomas]

I like name-brand water bottles in a case of 12 or 24 or 30. They are a little more for the water inside (1.5-2 cents/ounce versus 1 cent/ounce) than the really cheap, no-name or house-brand water bottle with the cheap little lid and the crinkly, thin sides. I've seen some 8- and 12-ounce options at Walmart both in the disposable-bottled water section as well in the mixers / soda section. For instance, for $2.98, here are 6 pretty solid little 8.5-ounce bottles, complete with tonic water:

Mix yourself about 18 gin&tonics, and you'll plenty of empty bottles for olive oil.

Or save the $3 and go dumpster diving at the recycling center. All the name-brand soda bottles (Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, 7-UP, A&W) have solid lids on sturdy bottles. You could collect an assortment of colors to distinguish olive oil (green bottle?) from fuel (red bottle?), from pee bottle (yellow? brown?) from water bottles (clear). Grab an extra lid or two in case one tumbles off the mountain.

[jimmer ultralight]

I use a brand new, conspicuously marked, 4 oz Flip Top Fuel bottle. It does not leak and the nozzle allows precise, drip free dispensing of oil.

Word is, Rachael Ray uses one when she backpacks..

But her bottle is ORANGE…:)

[Franco Darioli]

I have had this 4oz Nalgene for at least 10 years.
It does not leak.

[Andy F]

I use a tiny 1.5 oz (trial size) Scope mouthwash bottle because it has a great seal and is very durable.

[Andy E]

yeah, the fuel bottle! i think vargo has some on amazon.

[John Klinepeter]

I have been using the no-name 8 oz. water bottles for years with no leakage problems. This one does have a satisfyingly solid screw cap attachment. Put it into a zippy bag if you want extra peace of mind.

[Matthew Stenger]

I carried olive oil in the plastic bottles it comes in the entire length of the AT and never had problems with leaking.

Unless you are concerned about a slight difference in grams, just use the bottle it comes in.

Edit: In the rare case I could only find glass, I would repackage it into the plastic olive oil bottle I had bought and used in the last resupply.

[Jonathan Chin]

I tried carrying the oil in the bottle it came in and ended up with an awful mess (Bertoli brand, IIRC). Whatever you go with, stress test it well before you hit the trail!

[Window walker]

I've had success with a few different options. Nalgene is definitely bomb proof but heavier. I once bought an assortment pack of no name dropper bottles and have used 4 and 6 ounce versions without issues. I have used energy shot bottles that don't leak and hold 2 oz. One more thing is the baby food foil packets (think smaller cap container) without leaks, although the small opening makes it difficult to refill without a funnel. I have also heard people using actual capri sun containers with a screw on top.

[Brian Lewis]

My approach some time back was to stop carrying it, and I haven't missed it. Can be messy, can go 'bad', somewhat of a hassle for resupply in general, and I've seen situations where someone got olive oil all over their gear (hard to completely clean it off various things). Trail life is easier without it.

I realize this isn't what the OP was asking (!) and I don't mean to be "that guy", but just to expand the discussion a little I think it's worth while thinking through why you want to carry it: for calories, or taste, or both.

For the length of the JMT, I wouldn't think that calories would be a big issue unless you're starting your hike pretty lean. Taste I won't argue with, but for me personally, I don't start craving the fats and oils for perhaps a month or so on trail.

In similar vein, I used to do a protein shake every morning, and decided that there too I prefer to keep my life simple, and again, I don't miss it.

I don't mean to suggest that this approach is of universal use or appeal (!), just perhaps something to consider.

[David Chenault]

Never had the little 2 and 4 oz nalgenes leak oil. Everything else I've tried has failed eventually.

[Inaki Diaz de Etura]

It shouldn't be difficult to find a container that doesn't leak. I'm afraid most of the reported cases of leaking might be what I described in this thread about oil sliding around the output, then spreading all over the place. You don't need a huge amount to make a mess.

A container that doesn't leak and extremely careful pouring and cleaning will work. Better than that, a container with an outlet that is a smaller diameter than the cap+thread and has a way down back into the container for the oil that inevitably slides off after pouring.

[David Thomas]

>"Better than that, a container with an outlet that is a smaller diameter than the cap+thread and has a way down back into the container for the oil that inevitably slides off after pouring."

Right – like that little plastic insert inside of olive-oil and soy-sauce bottles. Which does really help with the drips. Maybe one of those, scavenged from a store-bought glass bottle, would jam tightly into a plastic soda bottle neck.

[Andy E]

I have used the top cap of the MSR dromedary cap on a scavenged plastic bottle. Worked really well and you never need to fuss with oil in the threads after you initially seal it up.

It's the little cap on the left in this picture.

[James Volk]

I like the 4oz Boobie Bags…
http://smuggleyourbooze.com/buy.php

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