Ultralight Hard Bottle?

[Max Dilthey]

Anyone have a suggestion for an ultralight hard-sided bottle? I put a hole in a platypus during my bike crash, so I want to at least look into hard alternatives that aren't nalgene bottles.

And, sorry, don't hate me, but I'm not reusing anything like a gatorade bottle. Those plastics break down over time.

[Dale Wambaugh]

The Nalgene white HDPE bottles are a couple ounces lighter than the transparent ones and no BPA.

Are you concerned with physical or chemical breakdown? My first thought was the drinking water that comes in a PETE bottle that will fit the cages on your bike.

[Max Dilthey]

Dale,

Both.

[Mark Andrews]

Max…On the bike? Specialized Purist bottles all the way…preferably with watergate cap.

-Mark in St. Louis

[Delmar O’Donnell]

I take it that the semi-rigid bottles that are sold to fit your bicycle water bottle cage are not what you're looking for?

[michael levi]

I use BPA free water bottles found at my health food store, my .6 liter is around 1.5 ounces.

[Steven McAllister]

From what I find, soda and Gatorade bottles break down over time when exposed to UV, like in a bike bottle holder.

If you can keep the sun off them, they work great and last for many years.

I have some 1 liter seltzer bottles that I've been backpacking with for many years and still look like new.

[Miguel Arboleda]

Try the ultralight aluminum bottles from Sigg. Avoids all the problems.

http://www.mysigg.com/category/classic

[Sean Passanisi]

Is it possible to use the Sigg aluminum bottles with a SteriPen?

[Sam Farrington]

Max,

Re: "And, sorry, don't hate me, but I'm not reusing anything like a gatorade bottle. Those plastics break down over time."

Hate to tell ya, but Nalgene bottles also break down over time. Several have left me in a pickle with only one bottle when my other cracked open. So I carry a foldup softy as backup. In some places, like Colorado's Cochetopa, it's only safe to carry a good supply of water.

Mueller makes a nice liter bottle that is half way between soft and hard. The brand found in Walmart, Mainstays, also makes a 26 oz hard bottle that comes with different shading, and has grips molded into the side. The cap sticks a little, though.

I still like the Planters peanut bottles the best. They come in both 26 and 32 oz, and have convex sides for easier holding. And they are the lightest I've seen. Not for those allergic to nuts, however.

The reason for the slightly soft-sided bottles like the Mueller and the Nalgene soft-sided version of its hard sided liter bottle, is not just that they are an oz or so liter than the hardsided versions; but also, because they can be squeezed to use to backflush a Sawyer mini. If not for that, I would use the Planter's, because although I cannot eat nuts for other reasons, there is no allergic reaction and the Planter's are the lightest and easy to grasp.

All the above mentioned are widemouths.

Slurp!

[David Thomas]

>"soda and Gatorade bottles break down over time when exposed to UV"

Paint them. White paint for the summer, black paint if you ride in the winter. Any opaque latex paint, like house paint, will block 99+% of the UV.

Doesn't solve the phobia about plastics being all un-natural and landfill-filling, and marine-life-choking. So unlike shipping bauxite ore around the globe to electro-win the alumina to aluminum in 970C molten cryolite.

I looked at the link for Sigg aluminum bottles. Wow, $22 to $29! Here's an aluminum bottle that is even lighter, wider-mouth, available at your local supermarket, Walmart or convenience store and at least $20 cheaper:

I score them from the recycling center and have used them in SUL cook sets.

If they seem a little TOO light, and you bring duct tape, leuko tape, etc with you; let the tape live on the outside of the bottle – it will stiffen it a little.

[Dale Wambaugh]

Sigg bottles have a coating inside, so you still have some plastic/chemicals in the system. The newer khaki color coating is BPA free.

My favorite bike bottle is the CamelBak 22oz Performance bottle. Why? Because it has a straw, so you don't need to tip it when drinking and obscuring your view. I use one in the car for the same reason.

The spout doesn't swing on this model; the top twists if you want to seal it, which isn't needed in a bike cage.
The plastic is polypropylene based.

[Rick M]

del

[Max Dilthey]

Kind of a funny thread. Some good info but not exactly what I'm looking for.

The regular bike bottles are ok, I guess, but I'm looking for a hard bottle for backpacking that is "ultralight." I cycle alot, but these are more for backpacking.

That means no frills like a straw (the best cap would be similar to a Platy, just a simple narrow-neck screw-on) and the body should be firm, but not overbuilt and heavy like a Nalgene. Something that can survive being dropped a bunch where a Platy might get a tear.

I'd be surprised if it doesn't exist.

Some of the suggestions in here seem about as close as offering a Kelty when someone asks for an UL pack. It's a good pack, but not what I'm looking for (my fault- should have been more specific).

As for durability, nothing lasts forever, but the hard bottles I spent $10 on last years and a plastic bottle from the supermarket lasts days to weeks. The plastic also leaches faster in a cheap bottle, which is unhealthy.

So… if anyone knows of a simple, minimalist, lightweight hard-sided bottle that'd be awesome! If it doesn't exist, oh well..

[John S.]

Doesn't exist. You or anybody else won't live long enough to be worried about leaching of soda bottles.

[scree ride]

The Fiji water bottles are high grade PET with no BPA. Their square shape adds rigidity to the bottle. The large ones, 1.5 liter 55gr, can add some rigidity to your pack as well. I usually get a new one every summer, usually because i forgot the old one somewhere. They come prefilled and you don't have to wash them out or anything.
They have a pretty pink flower on the front with palm trees on a blue background showing from the back.. I like to swirl the water and pretend like I'm on an island.

[M B]

"From what I find, soda and Gatorade bottles break down over time when exposed to UV, like in a bike bottle holder."

Yeah, but they are so cheap (or free if you are in to dumpster diving at sports parks, schools, etc, that you can replace so frequently that it is not an issue.

[Max Dilthey]

I disagree. I look at it the same way I look at counting ounces in backpacking.

If I cut the handle off my toothbrush, I'm not really doing anything. 500 baby steps, however, have a big impact.

I try and eat organic food, I avoid living in areas with smog, I know where my water comes from, and I avoid plastic bottles. I choose products without chemicals when I buy toothpaste and deoderant.

I'm not a blind hippie. GMO's have no confirmed cases of anyone getting sick, so I could care less if the DNA of my tomatoes were messed with. But chemicals, I can avoid.

So I try to, if I can.

[Duncan M]

Have you considered polypropylene cycling water bottles. I've never used one, but could be worth checking out at $5.

[Kevin Schneringer]

I love the Fiji bottles. They are Tuffer than the rest.

[Eugene Smith]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005EVORX6/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?qid=1385347703&sr=8-9&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

http://m.containerstore.com/mt/www.containerstore.com/shop/?productId=10030821

Your criteria for a "hard sided" bottle is stringent, the only reason I'm posting a link to a possible solution is so this thread can come to some resolution.

A 24oz cycling bottle works great on the bike and in the pack for backpacking trips. I've been interchanging the same bottles on the bike, for trail running and racing, and backpacking trips for the last 6 years or so without a single one failing. How are you going through bottles every few weeks? Whatever incremental savings or gains you think you'll get in your quest for an alternative solution aren't worth it IMO.

Good luck.

[Max Dilthey]

Alright, don't get grouchy, Eugene.

I said I went through cheap bottles (like Smartwater bottles) every few weeks. Dents turn into creases, creases turn into holes. A cycling bottle lasts much longer, but it's heavy enough to be a Nalgene as far as capacity to weight goes.

I could just use a generic cycling bottle and waste a few ounces and satisfy your need for silence… or I could come to the ultralight backpacking forums looking for an ultralight solution.

You're not obliged to comment and just because you can't see the use in a hard-sided bottle doesn't invalidate my question. If you don't have anything to offer, simply ignore the thread. There's a lot more off-topic stuff floating around, so I have little sympathy that a thread specific to ultralight gear isn't coming to a resolution as quickly as you want it to.

This thread is useful. People who do ultra-running use hard bottles on the shoulder straps of their packs. Knowing one great ultralight solution is a nice way to shave ounces. I assumed someone happened upon an UL solution, and a few people have some great info so far.

That being said, neither of your suggestions appear even remotely ultralight, and appear to have more features than a cycling bottle. I think you just googled the word "bottle" to try and remind me that I should stop asking questions you don't like.

Fiji looks good, I will likely opt for testing those out.

[Steve G]

Sounds like you are looking for "hard-sided" due to puncture resistance in future bike crashes? If so, why not just change the placement so your water isn't ejected or abraded.

If a lightweight stiff bottle (that hasn't been mentioned) existed I imagine it would be quite popular and would be widely used.

For the very slight weight penalty the purist/podium bottles are bombproof.

[Max Dilthey]

Alright, I don't want to go on trial for asking for a bottle. This is a little ridiculous.

NO, I'm not looking for a bottle for bicycle crashes.

I mentioned seeing a Platypus break as an example of a potential risk in arid environments that could be avoided with a hard-sided bottle. After popping a platy, I decided I wanted to look into how much of a weight penalty a hard-sided bottle is. I know that basic cycling bottles exist, but they have a cap the size of a Nalgene bottle and a shape designed for bottle cages that uses more plastic than a regular cylinder or rectangle. In short, they're NOT minimalist.

The Fiji bottle is a good example of a volume-maximizing shape with a minimalist cap. The Fiji is what I am looking for, assuming it is a bit more durable than a Poland Spring or Smartwater bottle over a few weeks.

Maybe you don't care about a few extra ounces. Fine! Have at it! Use a cycling bottle! If you don't have a suggestion, simply resist the urge to post telling me you don't think it's a valid question!

Also, someone posting one correct answer doesn't mean the thread is over. It's not a big deal to wait and see if anyone else has an additional suggestion.

BOTTOM LINE: If you don't have a bottle suggestion, you don't need to post.

You guys are acting like ultralight queries are banned here… we've had 4-page discussions on toothbrushes…

[Michael Ray]

I think the larger issue is that you have mutually exclusive criteria. You want hard sided and non-plastic.. But the suggestions are too heavy. Ok, light and plastic… But the suggestions aren't hard sided. Grr. Hard sided and light, but the suggestions are plastic. Or the top is too big. Or it won't last an infinity number of years. You need to pick which two criteria are most important and accept some penalty in the third. You're young and smart enough to know how google works, which means you're having no better luck in finding a solution to your very stringent criteria. So cut people some slack.

Sounds like you need to gather some smart people and launch a kickstarter campaign for the perfect water container.

I use a sawyer squeeze and accept that the pouches will eventually fail. They're cheap enough to replace as needed and light enough to carry an emergency spare rolled up inside my pack.

Google "law of diminishing returns", "all the things in the world that will kill me", and "how to have reasonable expectations for the world around me".

That last little bit was intentional snark ;)

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