Ditch the plastic water bottle?

[Adam P]

I have the typical smart water bottle system tied with a sawyer filter and dirty water bladder for filtration. I love the filter system. However trying to find a better/sustainable option for the water bottle to replace the plastic smart water bottle. Same size, shape, and weight that can connect to my current setup.

 

Any gear recommendations?

[Paul Wagner]

Reusing something that would get tossed in the trash seems pretty sustainable to me…

[Dustin V]

I’ve been using the CNOC Vessica for a few trips. It’s about the same size and has 28mm threads. Beyond not being disposable, it has some advantages/disadvantages. It’s semi-collapsible which means less burping when filtering, but it’s floppier when drinking. I leave it in my shoulder pocket and squeeze to drink.

[Dan]

I can often use the same plastic water bottle for an entire season, if not longer. I’m not sure that anything else you replace the bottle with will be guaranteed to be more sustainable.

[Jerry Adams]

same here, I re-use many times

then I put in the recycle bin, and then they presumably put in the landfill, but at least it won’t go into the ocean : )

[Brad W]

I went down this road. Best reusable water vessels in terms of durability, performance, cost and safety from leaching chemicals were Nalgene HDPE bottles. Issues are size-they are bulky.  Cnoc bags are ok for holding dirty water just before filtering but PU material imparts a chemical taste and who knows what else when the water sits for any length of time.

I ended up back at smart style water bottles-used until they can’t be used anymore-which is longer than any of my hiking shoes.

[SIMULACRA]

I agree with the use of Smart water bottles. My last one went 3 seasons and was still usably fine. Only replaced because they start to get a fine patina of dirt color after a while. Somehow that is mentally dissatisfying while drinking directly from the cold pure alpine head waters :)

[AK Granola]

I thought we just had this discussion. I also use a Smartwater bottle for a season or much more. I used my last one so long, and did such a poor job of keeping it clean, that there was mold growing in it before I discarded it. Probably shouldn’t keep it that long.

[Adam P]

Appreciate the feedback. Brad and Dustin thank you for the specific brand recommendations. I agree the Nalgene is bulky and I saw the CNOC Vessica one but like how the smart bottle is rigid. Makes it easier to pull in and out of the pack. I have a shoulder strap as well so I might try it out if I can’t find a better option. It’s hard to find a perfect replacement for the smart water bottle. Trying to avoid reusing cheap plastic.

[Fredrick B]

Parallel experiment fail. Attempting to use a Starbucks cup for instant coffee on a 7 day backpacking trip. Within a few days, a disintegrated husk of its former self. Should have known better.

[Nicholas P]

I like the Vessica bottles for use in my vest strap pockets because they are much more comfortable against your chest than Smart water bottles and bounce less. Also as long as they are full of water and/or air they remain rigid enough that removal and insertion into pockets is not a problem , actually I find it can be easier to remove them because they are grippier. Drinking from them seems weird at first but you get used to it.They do  impart a taste when new that eventually fades away,  I wonder if it is some kind of off gassing or residue from the manufacturing process , I am hoping that it is not a chemical that continues to leach out of the material long term. Anyway I did not drink out of mine when new , I washed them with soap and stored water in them for weeks periodically replacing it with fresh water until The taste subsided at which point I gave them another shot. At first if I left water in them for a long period they would impart A taste , so I tried not to do that and also went back to smart water bottles for most occasions.
It takes awhile but eventually the taste goes away completely and now I use them regularly. Still I wonder how safe they really are especially if you were to use them over that initial long “break in” period that I experienced.

Okay sorry for the TLDR and possible thread drift above. I will just add that In my experience Smart water bottles do seem to hold up a very long time and their sustainability is something that is probably more dependent on the practices of the user .However I assume something like the Vessica will last considerably longer . Another Question is what bottle is going to be safer for long term usage , what chemicals are these materials leaching and and how does the age and conditions they are used under effect the rate at which they leach?

[Jerry Adams]

” what chemicals are these materials leaching and and how does the age and conditions they are used under effect the rate at which they leach?”

https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-contaminants/the-plastic-chemicals-hiding-in-your-food-a7358224781/

“Bisphenols and phthalates in our food are concerning for several reasons.

To start, growing research shows that they are endocrine disruptors, which means that they can interfere with the production and regulation of estrogen and other hormones. Even minor disruptions in hormone levels can contribute to an increased risk of several health problems, including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, birth defects, premature birth, neurodevelopmental disorders, and infertility.

Those problems typically develop slowly, sometimes over decades,…”

“…All that makes it difficult to trace any particular bad health outcome—say, a heart attack or breast cancer—to the chemicals. And it makes it hard for regulators to set a limit for what is considered safe for any food…”

“…For example, one of the most well-studied phthalates is called DEHP. Studies have linked it to insulin resistance, high blood pressure, reproductive issues, early menopause, and other concerns at levels well below the limits set by American and European regulators…”

some other article I read said that other chemicals than BPA and phalates are also of concern, these are just the ones that are popular to talk about.

Glass and stainless steel are better

I use plastic bottles when hiking because they’re lighter and the risk is probably low.  Especially if I don’t put hot liquid in it.

I think that taste in your Vessica bottle is the plasticizer leaching out, what makes the plastic soft.  I think the PET bottles like smart water are better.

[AK Granola]

“Even minor disruptions in hormone levels can …”

Yeah try going through menopause, bub. Want some hormone level disruption?! Plastic bottles are the least of my worries.

[Jerry Adams]

yeah, there are so many things to worry about, it’s hard to know which are critical

 

[Brad W]

I will take natural hormone level adjustments over chemically induced any day of the week.

@Fredrick B-what did you boil your water in for the instant coffee? Why not drink out of that?

[Fredrick B]

I set out to keep the jetboil cup just for boiling water @Brad W. It was just the plan for that trip.

[Fredrick B]

Which I abandoned of course. :)

[Terran Terran]

I’m  buying the bottle when I buy Smart Water. I’m not buying water. I’m not really recycling as I don’t need the water. It takes a lot of energy to transport water that I don’t need.

ACETALDEHYDE

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1081/MA-120016044#

 

 

[Brad W]

@Fredrick B got it. I usually drink out of my boil mug. When I want to do pour over I bring my 1.9oz Toaks 550ml mug also. Paper coffee cups have polyethylene and paraffin in the interior coating that are hormone disruptors-I try to avoid using them when possible.

[Terran Terran]

We should find a healthier lifestyle.

https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2024/02/ewg-finds-little-known-toxic-chemical-four-out-five-people-tested

[David Thomas]

People buy water in bottles?!?

That’s what recycling bins are for – to scavenge useful containers, use them repeatedly, eventually returning them there when you seek a newer one.  Step off the plane in Europe, find an Evian bottle, use it all month, toss it when you leave.  Likewise for a season of backpacking.

I have a small fleet of 8-ounce water bottles (obtained for free on flights) for around town use or to toss in my shorts pocket on shorter day hikes.  I also keep them, filled, in the car to avoid having to buy a beverage on a road trip or to drink with drive-through food.

[AK Granola]

People, including many of the readers of PBL, pee in bottles. As well as ingredients for meth, and lord knows what else. You bet I buy my first one new.

[David Thomas]

While caving, all water bottles are bidirectional, so I got over that a long time ago.  HYOH, DFYOWB (drink from your own water bottle).

[Terran Terran]

You need good aim.

[Josh J]

From what I know tpu is considered safe and doesn’t leach but like any plastic or new things that are constantly being developed only time will tell….. How many things in the past were thought were safe are now known as dangerous and harmful?

My only problem with the vesica or any soft water bottle is you basically need 2 hands to drink from it unless you put a straw into it.

[Author]

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