Carrying Olive Oil

"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."

I was getting ready to write this exact post. Back when I did the JMT I was under the gram weenie spell of maximize caloric density by adding fat to the diet. this is absolutely the right approach for a thru hike but not for a short duration hike the JMT. If you are doing this for any reason other than taste then you are far better off taking the equivalent weight of carbs and using your body fat instead of dietary fat.

But if you must, I have used either the packets or an 8 oz. water bottles successfully.

I carry oil in Rum Runner flasks (similar to Smuggle Your Booze). They come in various sizes. My 8 oz. size weighs ~0.4 oz. See http://www.rumrunnerflasks.com/flasks.aspx .

I have a small food-grade nalgene-type bottle for short trips, and a lightweight flask for longer trips. I like the flask because its shape contours well to the inside wall of a bear canister. Never had a leak, though always in a zip baggie just in case.

One issue with leaks may be the same as with other liquids we carry in sealed containers (alky fuel comes to mind) — ascending and descending altitudes varies the pressure on the sealed container and can act as a pump to force the liquid out. Occasionally giving the cap a half-twist open and then reclosing can equalize the pressure and help alleviate this problem.

Following this thread because, well, I like olive oil and would think it a sacrifice to leave at home. Nothing more satisfying than angel hair pasta, olive oil and some fresh Parmesan shavings. I also think it helps with poop consistency.

Boobie Bag (4 oz) and Rum Runner Flasks (8 oz and up) look like great suggestions to try, with nalgene narrow mouth bottles as fallback.

I use a few ounces of olive oil a day, I wouldn't go on a trip without it, lightest calories you can carry after all, tastes good for breakfast and dinner, sometimes I use it for lunch too but that's a bit more awkward, it cured that craving for fats I would always get after a week, now I don't get them anymore, since I'm eating high quality fats daily.

You can use nalgene bottles, which are as noted, with good seals, a bit heavy, but probably worth it for some who worry about such spills. Also some water bottles, smart water I think for example, have good tops, with an inner lip, though not as big as Nalgene inners. Look at a regular pop bottle top and a good one like I think smartwater or comparable and you'll see the difference right away.

You can see this by looking inside the cap and looking for a lip inside the cap that would fit the inside of the bottle mouth.

However, with that said, it's true that an olive oil spill is messy, so I don't carry it in my pack, I carry it outside, in a side pocket, along with my fuel alcohol.

I also keep a plastic bag wrapped around the olive oil bottle with a twist tie, it's not rocket science to keep stuff out of your pack, that works well.

Depending on trip length I'll use a 4, 8, or 16 oz bottle, 2+ oz a day more or less.

I've been using some 8oz/16oz ones I got from TAP plastics but it doesn't really matter much, olive oil is dense and not too hard to keep in a bottle. If it's outside, it's also easy to let the pressure out or in if you are ascending more than 5k feet, though I didn't notice any issues last time I was at 5k feet from sea level in terms of leakage or pressure buildup.

I'd never use pouches of olive oil, that seems as silly to me as using pouches of alcohol for fuel, or food, or whatever, per meal, plus olive oil is a fresh thing that goes bad over time, a bad candidate for packaging like that.

But you do have to be careful, I have spilled it in my pack a long time ago too, don't remember how it happened, I just remember the food bag had olive oil in it somehow. I prefer having it outside the pack, easier to track it that way, and a spill really won't matter much in a worst case situation, outside pack pockets are perfect for stuff like this.

I use Nalgene Transparent Lexan Square Storage Bottles.

They are strong enough, don't leak, and don't affect the taste of the olive oil.
They're available in 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 oz sizes.

In a bear can, a small Platypus style bladder with a plain cap might save space. A Nalgene bottle will take up the same amount of room, empty or full. The Vapur Incognito flask might do the trick: http://www.rei.com/product/876211/vapur-incognito-flexible-flask

I eventually took a pic that ilustrates the concept. This belongs to a commercial olive oil bottle from the grocery store:

The small diameter output has a very thin lip to minimize drips. Its base sits in a shallow depression where dripping oil would fall. To the right of it a small hole can be seen through which dripping oil would fall back into the bottle.

The cap threads are on the outer perimeter. The output is soft plastic that collapses under the cap when threaded close:

Unfortunately, this one bottle is one litre glass, not suitable for BPL

I second the 4oz nalgene. Got it at REI. It's never leaked.

+ many on the square Nalgene

Thanks for all of the responses. After considerable thinking on the subject, I have come to the conclusion that soft bottles like a Platypus make sense for this application. My primary concern relates to altitude and I think a 95% full soft bottle addresses this concern effectively because it allows space for the oil/air to expand.

A soft bottle will not allow any expansion, you'd need a elastic one for that. It'd probably be easier to blow up than a hard sided one when going uphill. I guess it might behave better at collapsing when going downhill. Never heard of this being a problem in a hiking application anyway.
Bottles are never 95% full, it's always 100% if you count the air. Just open the cap briefly to let the pressures equalize.

As you go up in altitude, the air expands, but not the oil. Generally, the bottle doesn't expand but the air compresses and pressurizes. The bottle needs to seal better as it pressurizes. Better to leave right side up in case it leaks. Before you go up in altitude, squeeze some of the air out of the bottle. Same thing with water.

Red palm oil doesn't go rancid like olive oil while having more health benefits and good flavor. Good for the skin. Downfall, it's red. Instant tan.

.http://www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com/category/food-oils-natural-red-palm-oil.php

A soft bottle with a narrow opening…..Pumpkin Tree brand fruit snack squeeze thingys from WM hold 4oz and the container weighs about a quarter ounce, with a solid lid (cut away the bulk of it) that you can't ruin by over-tightening. Cheap soft container, bonus fruit snack….two of those instead of one large is the way i would go. Passes the firm squeeze test, i wouldnt stand on it but its pretty solid. I use for hot sauce, bronners and sometimes alcohol fuel, no leaks yet. Plus the colors and cartoons make it easy to remember which is which. Spongebob=Soap :) I use smaller packets but the Pumpkin Tree seem like the most solid caps. Capri sun makes a really nice 11.2oz bottle but the little cap can be twisted past tight and pop the threads.

Inaki,

I see your point about the expansion of air versus the expansion of oil but I disagree that a soft bottle/bladder doesn't allow for expansion. You *can* fill it less than 100%. Example:

Fill 95% with oil. Install cap but don't tighten all the way. Squeeze bottle until oil is near the cap. Tighten cap. Ascend altitude. Air expands a little and bottle gets a little bit larger. Doesn't that make sense?

Also, read what Jerry says above. I think he articulates it well. Thanks, Jerry.

How do you clean them? Considering the bottles have such small openings. Thank you.

How do you clean it? Thank you

Hi Alina: This thread is seven years old, so some of the participants may no longer be active. In any case, I get the sense that many people are using containers that are basically disposable.

Yeah. Tough to clean thoroughly.

You can buy olive oil in very small packets… forget, but I think they are 1/2 or 1oz… Google them… or search Amazon…

Yeah. Tough to clean thoroughly.

But honestly, how necessary is it to clean the bottle? I have had bottles of olive oil in my kitchen cabinet for at least a year without incident. I don’t bring olive oil any more, but when I did, I just put some in a small plastic bottle and I had no problem using the same bottle for at least one season, refilling it as necessary and never considered cleaning it.  TBH, I probably used it for multiple seasons.

I use small empty plastic liquor bottles (the shots for shorter trips and the 10 oz ones for longer) or platypus and don’t have any issues. Mind you my climate can make olive oil very thick. Sometimes needs to be warmed to pour.

Small amount, Nalgene HDPE leakproof containers-Litesmith has them. Wide mouth, up to 8oz. Over 8 clean used Coke or Diet Coke 20oz soda bottle-they are a bit stiffer than other sizes and have great robust lids.

For polyethylene bottles (like Nalgene), I put them in the dishwasher in a regular load of dishes and they can up quite well (if the neck is pointed down towards the jets).  The #1 Plastic, PET ones I toss and replace with repurposed water bottles.