Last piece of my puzzle: A lighter weight metal water bottle. Ideas?

…

I'm thinking a double walled vacuum insulated bottle wouldn't be my first choice for boiling water on a stove.

Are there methods for stripping the lining from the aluminum bottles? Combination of heat and chemicals perhaps?

Thanks, Roger. Let me modify/expand that list a little.

1. metal container
2. no lining
3. safe for open flame
4. Titanium would be great if a screaming deal was found
5. ~18-27 fluid oz.
6. must weigh 5 oz or less

Nathan,

That's a good thought about stripping the lining out of an alum bottle. However, if there was a chemical strong enough to do that, I wouldn't want to be any where near it. :)

I think that this is a worthy quest but I'm doubtful that you'll find something that meets all of your requirements. I just looked at the Vargo water bottles and the Bot; all of them are ~4.7oz and pretty spendy at $60+.

It seems that you'll have to compromise on weight or cost. In this case I hope someone will prove me wrong as that will be a win for ULers everywhere.

Unlined aluminum is fine for plain water – I used to use and GI canteen that was unlined aluminum. But if you put anything acidic into it it will taste pretty bad.

I've seen some cheapo stainless steel bottles that seemed lighter than the Kleen Kanteens. But the threads/seal on the caps did not fill me with confidence.

This may work for you :

it is part of the Swiss Volcano Stove (often found on E Bay and the like..)
5 oz, 1 liter, unlined

BTW, DO NOT use double wall containers (pots/flasks, anything) on a flame !!!

ALSO DO NOT leave the cork in when boiling (you can "rest it" on top but don't push it in).

You can get a Vargo BOT in Stainless for $40. I did not see a weight on the site.

That's pretty cool Franco! I just saw one on Ebay for $36.

You can get a Vargo BOT in Stainless for $40. I did not see a weight on the site.

"•Stainless Steel BOT – 8.4 ounces (238 grams)"

Are there methods for stripping the lining from the aluminum bottles? Combination of heat and chemicals perhaps?

The plastic lining is typically very thin. It's only purpose is to prevent the aluminum from reacting with food. If aluminum does react with food it typically imparts no taste. However when aluminum reacts it does corrode and the bottle may eventually leak.

You might try scrubbing the interior with sand paper to remove the lining. Or you could try to burn it off by getting the heating an empty bottle to above 300C. You could then fill the bottle with water and then send the bottle and water out to be tested.

The only way to reduce the weight of a stainless bottle is to use thinner metel.

An easy way to find this kind of stuff (once you know what you are looking for..) is to use Google Images.
So go to Google Images and type in "Swiss Volcano Stove" and you will find lodas of leads including this one :
http://www.vtarmynavy.com/swiss-volcano-bottlestove.htm

(I have that bottle…)

I did not follow that link, however it could have been a hint that you find this particular item at times in ex Army/disposal stores.

“The product you have attempted to access either does not exist or has been discontinued”

Unfortunately it looks like it’s an old link that they haven’t removed yet but I’ll keep looking.

This guy had an interesting time with his:

So I am totally interested in this, but I totally live out of my klean kanteen and the fact that it's so much of a tool and not just portable water keeps it with me. I've looked hard at the Vargo bottles, but could never justify the money to myself, especially since I love my kanteen. So, I don't know how you use yours, but if it's something for everyday use at all the aluminum bottles seem to get really beaten up. My kanteen takes a beating and the weight just doesn't seem like a factor since that's my bottle. I use a wide mouth bottle, which could be a factor.

I love that bottle with a cork. I might try and steal the idea.

"just portable water"

Is there any water that is not portable?

–B.G.–

Very nice job on the link Ian :)

Thanks for the replies, everyone. That Swiss Volcano bottle looks good. I like the idea of the Vargo BOT even better. I was searching for something like that a couple yrs ago but gave up. With the Ti version, I could leave my Klean Kanteen and Ti cook pot at home and save a nice percentage of weight from my load. Very cool! I just can't justify the amount of money it costs though:(.

….unless someone has one they are willing to part with. ;) (hint, hint)

del

It is a noble quest. The best alternative I found was a H2Go wide mouth 40oz stainless bottle that looks like a Nalgene and a has a similar removeable lid. Not terribly light at 6.7oz and hard to find.

A one liter Sigg bottle is 5.2oz, so there isn't much to be saved, regardless of the interior coating.

Other alternatives: use a light aluminum or Ti mug that will fit your water bottle pocket and use a platypus bladder or recycled water bottle inside that. The hard anodized aluminum Olicamp Space Saver mugs are 3.4oz and about $14 on eBay. There are many Ti mugs that can be carried the same way.

It would be cool if someone made a "Ti Nalgene."

That Vargo BOT looks like a Ti Nalgene to me…

Zoomed right by that. It could be bit simpler, but I agree, Franco.

I found a container in my cupboard the same size at the Vargo BOT…and placed it in the water bottle pouch on my pack. Something popped out about the BOT right away: The sharpish bottom. There looks to be little curve down there which I don't care for when cleaning or going for the last bit of food. More importantly though, the lack of a larger radius concentrates a wear point on the pack's material. If it were not for that, I'd seriously consider splurging. The basic concept is there….perhaps just not optimized.

The search continues……

I've got a couple water bottles from the American Red Cross. Single wall, thin steel, 3.8 ounces. I wouldn't use it over a stove. The red color is too pretty :) It is approx. 28 oz. capacity. Inside is shiny metal. No lining that I can tell.

Stamped on the bottom: Made in China, Leed's, ASI36688. Sticker says: ITEM 1621-84RD PO 131596. I got it off the Red Cross website. It was a kind of blood donor gift, after donating several times.
Kelly

Thanks, Kelly! I googled it and came up with the following: http://www.leedsworld.com/products/item/?item=1621-84#.Ur-S1LQZuRM

Unfortunately, it has a liner. Darn it! Thanks though. That was nice of you.