When to replace a Platypus?

I would assume keep it until it leaks.

I replaced mine when it got that yellow tinge.

It also felt stiffer

I think there is an increased chance it will break

I have had other plastic bottles like milk bottles that turn yellow, get stiff, then break

It might also leech chemicals

Probably over cautious though, you should just continue using it : )

Use it until it fails…but you will have to decide what constitutes “failure” :)

I doubt that material poses any health risks at all.

What worried me was it failing in the field.  There are cases of water bags splitting open which makes them useless.

I try to replace things when they get weak but haven’t failed yet.

Keep it till you see the light and switch to bottles.  :-P

bottle of whiskey is good : )

I try to replace things when they get weak but haven’t failed yet.

For something like a water bladder, that seems reasonable to me. Whatever you have for back-up water carrying is likely to be more cumbersome to use.

My last Platypus 2 liter bag (really it’s actually about 2.5 liters) failed on the last day of a long trip when I placed it inside the tent on some gear and 2 hours later found wet gear underneath.  It had a little unnoticed seam hole.  Not nice to fool Uncle Fungus.

These are disposable items like any other kind of water bottle.  I base their life on time in the field—about one year for me.  Easily replaced until Platy in their wisdom discontinues something that actually works—like MSR did with the Simmerlite or North Face did with the Westwind.

I carry a 3 liter platypus, a 1 liter soda bottle to squeeze water out of, and a 1/2 liter bottle for treated water

If I camp a short distance from water source, I often don’t use the platypus at all

If my platypus failed, I’d camp a short distance from water.  Or I could camp further away and then in the morning hike to a water source where I’d make breakfast.  So I could manage.

If my 1 liter bottle failed, I’d use the platypus to squeeze out of, but the threads don’t quite match so it leaks a little, and that’s not quite enough water.  I’d probably only have one cup of tea rather than two…

If my 1/2 liter bottle failed, I’d drink directly out of the Squeeze.

A lot of back-up choices

I should probably just use my platypus until it fails : )

The 3 liter platypus weighs 2.1 ounces.

a 1 liter soda bottle weighs 1.3 ounces.

It saves a little weight to use the platypus rather than bottles.