Getting water in a 1L Platypus

[David Lewis]

So there was a time when I travelled with Nalgene bottles… very easy to fill. I mostly use a 3L big zip now… also very easy to fill… but relatively heavy (the weight is in the zip… so a 1L big zip is almost as heavy). I remember one trip a while back when I went with just 1L Platy canteens (for weight savings)… and I took one on my last trip too (along with the big zip) but found it hard to fill from a stream. Any tips? I choose water that’s moving at moderate speed (not too fast or too slow). Will it fill better if I collapse it before dunking? Usually I always take my big zip so it’s not an issue… but I want to try the next trip with just two 1L canteens.

[Mark]

I find that they fill more easily if I blow them up first. I try to keep them open with light pressure from each hand to prevent the sides from collapsing. Submersion in shallow streams can be very frustrating. It’s kind of tricky sometimes. As with most bottles, it’s much easier if you can have the bottle and/or the water flow as vertical as possible. You can also try to modify the water source somehow, maybe by making a cantilevered leaf trough, or a small dam with rocks to make a small waterfall. Other than that, just some patience.

I’d also recommend trying the Platy 1.8L. With its opening mounted on the corner, you can squeeze it into nooks and awkward places more easily, and have more available liquid volume when the bottle is bent. The 1.8L with a squirt top is just a bit over 1oz.
-Mark

[David Lewis]

Thanks Mark! I swear I used the 1L’s on this trip last fall and didn’t have a problem… but last month I was on a trip with one (as well as my big zip) and couldn’t get it to fill. Then again… since I had the big zip, I didn’t try that hard. I remember that I actually puffed it up (with air) to try and get it more “open” thinking that would help… but it occurs to me now that maybe that’s why I had a problem… and maybe the opposite (collapsed) would create a suction effect. I don’t know.

One idea I just had actually was using your windscreen to create a funnel! That might work well.

Anyway, thanks for the tips!

[Glenn Roberts]

You could use your pot to dip the water, then pour it into the Platy. Of course, this depends on how you pack – your pot may not be convenient to get at.

Could you carry a ziploc bag to fill, then pour into the bottle? (Just a theoretical suggestion.)

Since I use a Katadyn mini-filter, with a Platy-link attachment, I don’t have any direct experience with your problem. However, I got tired of kneeling by the creek, so I got a collapsible coated-nylon bowl. I fill it in the stream (it molds wonderfully into shallow spaces, etc.), then carry it to a convenient, comfortable log or rock to filter. I’ve also used a ziploc with some success to gather water, but the idea broke down when I tried to stand it up: it flopped over and spilled.

But I digress. If you’ve got anything that’s handy, light, and can pour, you may have a solution.

[David Lewis]

OMG Glen… my pot… why didn’t I think of that?! That’s genius. Not only is it easy to fill… but if there are floaties, it would also make it easy to screen with cheesecloth or whatever. Since my pot gets heated when cooking, and I could also treat the water in the pot before transfering it to the platy… I probably would not have to worry about the pot being potentially contaminated… and my platy never touches untreated water! Thanks so much :)

Actually… only issue with what I just described would be that my pot only holds 24 fl.oz… so if I treat all the water in the pot it would take a while to fill the bottle… I could just treat it in the bottle as usual. The drinking spout doesn’t hit the untreated water… and you just give the threads a rinse with the treated water once it’s ready. Jezz… to be honest… some of the places I hike are so pristine that I used to just drink right from the stream… but you never know… something could have died upstream… so I don’t do that anymore.

I just designed a Heineken stove with everything stowing inside the pot… so what I may do is just put all the bits inside the pot (windscreen, spork, matches etc.) in a ziploc bag so they are all contained and easy to remove in one fell swoop (and without losing anything). I may also carry the can stove in an outside pocket of my pack… making it easy to get at for getting water or maybe even for the odd cooked lunch. That’s one cool benefit of the can stove… being able to carry it in an outside pocket.

This also gives me another idea… making the steam vent in my pot lid bigger so I could use it like a spout. Maybe a 1/4″ hole. I have a heavy elastic the holds the lid on for stowing… that plus some hand pressure would probably make it pour well enough. Or I could just pour right from the can. Whatever.

[Patti Binder]

The bottom 5 inches of an old 1 liter platy (had busted near the shoulder), wgt=8gm. Useful for other things, too, like washing out dirty socks or bandana, or catching rainwater from the shelter roof.

[David Bonn]

I use the cut-off bottom of an old platy bottle as a bowl and a small yogurt cup as a, well, cup. Either of those would work fine for dipping.

Depending on the water source, you can also use the hydration tube as a siphon. This has worked for me a few times.

[David Lewis]

I thought of the tube idea… but wasn’t sure if it would work.

I love the cut off platypus idea… perfect for washing up and laundering too on longer trips! Great idea. Thx. guys.

[Duane Hall]

It’s sort of funny. I did all of the ziplock bag stuff in my endless search to shave off the last few grams, and I was quite pleased with myself for a while. Then I went back to a Nalgene style bottle – just so much more convenient around camp.

These days, after dropping so much weight on the big ticket items, I find fighting for that last ounce or two a little silly. For me, that is. I’m certainly not judging anyone else’s packing style.

[David Lewis]

I agree Duane. I’m to the point now of counting how many band aids are in my first aid kit. It gets pretty silly really. Then again… it’s that mind set that gets us all below 10 pounds base… but sometimes you gotta step back a bit :) But ya… Nalgene’s are convenient.

[Carol Crooker]

Being a gram weenie and bandaid counter, I use the package of the last energy bar I ate to fill the Platy. If there is enough water, skimming the Platy fast over the surface (with mouth and part of the bottle slightly underwater of course) about 5 or 6 times will fill it. And, if the water is deep enough, you can blow up the Platy, put it underwater upside down, then invert it.

[Sunny Waller]

Duh…I never thought of using the pot either..that should be easy to do with my beercan stove..now if I can just get that handle made :)

[John Davis]

My 1.5 litre SIGG bottle is hard to fill from shallow streams or from peaty drips so I collect water in my pot/mess tin/mug first. This lets me check it for twigs/stonefly larvae etc before adding it to my reserve.

[David Lewis]

I used my 24 oz Heineken can-pot on a trip last weekend and it work like a charm… as you might imagine. One thing I did in anticipation of using my pot as a water pail was to put all the bits I store inside the pot (windscreen, esbit stand, lighter) into a ziploc… to make them easy to remove and harder to lose during my frequent water stops. I also stored my Pristine kit (aka Aqua Mira) in the pot… for convenience. I didn’t zip the ziploc BTW… I cut the top of the bag off and the pressure from the rolled up windscreen made is a nice easy to remove cylinder. And since a can-pot has a small diameter… it fit very nicey in an outside pocket of my Mariposa… again making it very convenient for my frequent water stops. I absolutely love this setup. No more 3L big zip for me.

As a side note… I use a 1L soft bottle by a company called “Source Liquitainer” this time. I lost one of my 1L Platys in a gear shuffle from a last trip (the person who has it lives half way across the province). I went to the MEC to replace it but they don’t sell Platypus anymore, and the other local gear shop was sold out. So I tried this blue colored “Source” bottle… and I LOVED IT! Exactly the same weight as the platypus but it’s gussetted (sp?) at the bottom AND the top… so when it’s full it has a very nice compact tubular shape. Also, the spout can bend 90 degrees which is kinda cool. And the spout opens with a twist instead of a pull… which I found much easier to operate. Pull would probably be better if you had gloves on… since you could just use your teeth top open it… but for mild conditions… I loved the twist top. I’m actually going to buy another one and use 2 1L source bottles on my next trip and leave the Platypus at home.

[doug rawlings]

i will never surrender my 3 litre big zip with the bite valve tube….it’s a part of me, and i’ve gotten very used to:

a/ drinking as i hike

b/ not having to refill as often

[Phil Barton]

I like the idea suggested about using my pot to dip water. On the last few outings, I’ve used a 1 oz. silnylon bucket from Dancing Light Gear to pour into my 1L Nalgene Canteen with a coffee filter over the lid. The filter catches the floaters & big chunks — critical for any surface water in OK & AR. Then I pour from the widemouth Nalgene to the 1L or 2L Platypus where I treat with Aqua Mira.
The bucket is OK and has several uses. I’ll have to move my pot to an outside pocket but it would be much easier to scoop and pour.

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