Nalgene, still the best...

[paulj]

The amount of plastic in the water bottles that I use and eventually throw away is a small part of my total waste.

A 1qt Nalgene weighs 148g. A 25oz disposable 28 g.. A 2 qt juice bottle 76g. For equivalent capacity, disposables weigh about 1/4 of the 'permanent'.

I buy the juice whether I reuse the bottles or not. Ones that I don't use for ice or storage get tossed.

If I were using 1 or 2 disposable water bottles, at day at home, and tossing them it would be wasteful. But I can think of circumstances where they are not more wasteful than disposable cups or washable glasses - offices and conferences come to mind.

On a two week vacation trip, we are likely to use 2 or 3 of those disposable bottles per person for the whole trip - I don't consider that wasteful.

 

[paulj]

Isn’t part the point of going with Nalgenes or Aluminum bottles to cut down on all the waste of using the disposables?

I started buying Nalgene bottles (and aluminum Sigg bottles for fuel) long before water was commonly available in disposables (except glass bottles of that exotic French mineral water). Nalgene labware was just a durable, well sealing, alternative to plastic and metal boyscout canteens. And I've been experiementing with alternatives just as long.

 

[98dango]

Reading this has made me take note of tow things.

first
i am hick or person with sun burned neck
i just ate frozen pizza off the box it came in.
there has been more beer in my nalgene bottle than water

second
I am way not smart

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

I didn't know Nalgene made a narrow neck bottle. I would have bought one if I did.

My numerous and entirely negative observations about SIGG bottles:

They dent really easily, reducing the capacity.

Hmmm, nothing but very small dings so far...

The stopper isn't attached to the bottle. If you tie a cord around the neck of the bottle that's tight enough to keep it in place, it twists up when you screw in the stopper.

True

If the stopper is screwed in really tight it requires a lever to unscrew it.

True

The seal on the stopper falls off easily.

Really, mine is molded into the stopper....

The thread is on the inside of the neck so as the water starts to freeze small bits of ice get stuck in the thread and can easily give the impression that the stopper is tight against the seal when its not.

Didn't happen when my water inside froze overnight??

When the water in the bottle starts to freeze, the bottle splits down the side.

WOW, that would be amazing to see...

The only advantage that SIGG bottles used to have is they hide the color of water thats been treated with iodine but now Nalgene bottles come in iodine yellow and various other colors. They're also comparatively indestructible and much less likely to leak.

Just my two centimes, of course.

Cheers,
Graham

 

[Co-opski]

Ha this is funny to read because my sigg split last night from freezing. -20 F Doh!

I only got it because I liked the vintage look of the plain metal.

Back to the Nalgeens for me. BTW I like platypus water bags also; they roll up flat when empty.

 

[Co-opski]

Honestly I prefer the SIGG because of the narrower opening. Although, I don't like the standard cap .....

....and would like to get one of the military style caps like this:

This is the same one the poped in the truck from freezing.

 

[Overland Hadley]

I didn't know Nalgene made a narrow neck bottle. I would have bought one if I did.

They can be hard to find in stores, I usually need to order them off the internet.

 

[Overland Hadley]

My numerous and entirely negative observations about SIGG bottles:

They dent really easily, reducing the capacity.

The stopper isn't attached to the bottle. If you tie a cord around the neck of the bottle that's tight enough to keep it in place, it twists up when you screw in the stopper.

If the stopper is screwed in really tight it requires a lever to unscrew it.

The seal on the stopper falls off easily.

The thread is on the inside of the neck so as the water starts to freeze small bits of ice get stuck in the thread and can easily give the impression that the stopper is tight against the seal when its not.

When the water in the bottle starts to freeze, the bottle splits down the side.

The only advantage that SIGG bottles used to have is they hide the color of water thats been treated with iodine but now Nalgene bottles come in iodine yellow and various other colors. They're also comparatively indestructible and much less likely to leak.

Just my two centimes, of course.

Cheers,
Graham

Those are good observations, and they are some of the reasons I have never bought a SIGG.

Interesting about the freezing problem. There are times when my Nalgenes get frozen solid every day (even with a heavy insulated cover) and I have never had a problem with them, except for the fact that I can not longer get a drink of water.

 

[Overland Hadley]

While I still use several Nalgenes often I prefer to use 'disposable' ones. For example I get 25oz bottles of drinking water ($0.29 at Trader Joes), and refill them a number of times before tossing. The push/pull top is much easier to use single-handed when driving and even when hiking. They are also more flexible than bike water bottles, and hence easier to drink from. Also this size fits in cup holders in the car.

For spares when camping I take a number of 50oz bottles. It is easier to pack those than 3 gallon jugs.

Someone on this forum also turned me on to rectangular half gallon juice bottles. I freeze several and use them in the cooler, where they pack efficiently. When they thaw I have a bunch more bottles to use around camp (or toss if I have too many).

I used to do this once in a great while.

But then I learned that the plastic used in those bottles is made for one time use. The plastic starts breaking down if you use them multiple times, and then, in theory, you start to get bad plastic things in your water, and then in you. From what I have learned having the plastic byproducts in your body can cause some bad things.

 

[paulj]

What is meant by ' is made for one time use', other than the fact that they are as thin as possible to keep material and weight costs down?

There's no discussion of a breakdown of the material in the PETE article on Wiki. Recycled PETE can be turned into polyester fabrics (possibly the jacket you are wearing). Clear PETE is one of the easiest plastic to recycle. There's even a Wiki article on reusing PETE bottles for solar water disinfection SODIS http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_water_disinfection
That article cites studies into the leaching of material from the plastic - which found it to be minimal.

While the SODIS article focuses on its use in developing countries, it might be applicable to expedition use. Imagine a tray of SODIS bottles on your roofrack, producing safe drinking water was you drive!

Another question - why should refilling a bottle multiple times produce any more leaching or degradation than leaving the original water in the bottle for the same length of time?

 

[Cabrito]

Another question - why should refilling a bottle multiple times produce any more leaching or degradation than leaving the original water in the bottle for the same length of time?

I totally agree. I don't see a problem with refilling for a short time. From what I understand its reusing them for extended periods. I think the real problem with extended use is bacteria build up with the potential to make you sick. When I do reuse them I try to limit it to about a week.

-m

 

[paulj]

I think the real problem with extended use is bacteria build up with the potential to make you sick.

I wonder if this contamination is any worse or better in a narrow mouth (or pop top) than a wide mouth bottle.

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

They can be hard to find in stores, I usually need to order them off the internet.

I saw the narrows, very nice.

I also saw this and thought it was funny considering this thread.

Listed for the same price as I paid for my SIGG.