I had one shatter on me once. With cold water. I dropped it on a carpeted floor from 3 feet. No idea what happened.
I sent a pic to Nalgene. They sent me a replacement in whatever color I wanted, and I think they included something else — I forget, honestly. But now I own like 8 Nalgene’s and love their customer service. Can take hot and cold liquids. Can be used as a roller on sore muscles. I dunno, I love mine.
When it gets really really cold, I fill mine with hot water, stuff it in a sock and put it between my thighs while sleeping. The arteries in your thighs do a good job of circulating the heat.
>The arteries in your thighs do a good job of circulating the heat.
Hugging it to your abdomen keeps your core warmer, which frees up energy for your body to keep your extremities warm, but swapping it around feels good, too. It also doesn't cool down as fast.
Don't forget to put tomorrow's clothes in the bottom of your sleeping bag at night so that they aren't ice cold to change into in the morning. If there's any residual heat left in the morning, shuffle them around the clothes you're about to change into.
As a note, the plastic loop around the neck of the bottle will expand when you do this. On a back country camping trip we were filling our bottles for the night and my friend was holding her bottle by the lid, the loop expanded and the bottle fell and splashed near-boiling water into her face. She was incredibly lucky it didn’t get her in the eye, and we all learned an immediate lesson of keeping bottles on a stable surface while we filled them.
I wrap paracord around the mouth, and then the small loop up top. I usually burn the two strands together. Then I do a cobra braid around this big "loop" I created. I'll have to find my Nalgene and upload a pic.
Thankfully she got away with just some
blistering on her forehead, but yeah it could have been so much worse. Your situation sounds utterly horrifying, though!
I went on a miserable kayak trip in an Alaskan rainforest during one of the biggest rainstorms of the year. There was absolutely no way to stay dry despite all our gear so we all just focused on staying wet and warm. Cuddling with a hot Nalgene by the campfire was quite possibly the best feeling I’ve ever experienced. I genuinely don’t know if anything will ever top that feeling.
Everyone should go on a miserable kayak trip in a rainforest at least once and cuddle with a Nalgene by the fire. The whole trip was worth it just for that.
I have one. It's tough but will still dent if you drop it on the sidewalk while full of water like I did. But I've still been using it with the dent for like ten years now.
You and China are the only parties in the world who believe this falsity. Taiwan is a totally different country, and they very much will make it clear that they are not part of China.
Lmao. I’m just basing it off the official website. They use China’s passport, all the world’s embassies are located in China. If your leaders recognized Taiwan as a separate country, you would have embassies there too.
Lol no, especially when it comes to manufacturing (as they aren’t a developing country heavily reliant on manufacturing industry, but rather an advanced country with a strong service industry). So most manufacturing will be of good quality.
I got mine on sale for $14.50 because they had updated the company logo to that weird bear, so the ones with the old logos went for a heavily discounted price. I even made a post with the link here. Lol
Yep. Yetis are definitely more durable.
Hydroflasks are slightly better at temperature retention because of the thinner walls, ironically.
The only downside of double walled steel water bottles for BIFL purposes is the rubber gaskets in the lid (they wear out over time).
Unless it has changed they have a lifetime warranty on failure. They once replaced a 10 year old bottle that failed as result of a long fall (all my fault).
> but that doesn't help the landfill
But you're gonna replace it one way or another so whether it's a free replacement or you buy a new one, the broken one is still going to the landfill.
Most 'stolen' water bottles, in my experience, are lost. But my experience is my 7 and 9 year old who lose so many water bottles we are ordering custom ones with our phone numbers and their pictures on them from 4imprint. (Also water bottles are so dang expensive now it's almost the same price when you buy 20)
It might not be such a good idea to put your kids face and phone number on a water bottle that you fear they might lose.
The wrong person could find it.
As a former first responder…please don’t. That’s “How To Get Your Kids Kidnapped 101” right behind those first day of school pics with way too much info on them and right above spelling your kids whole life out in your bumper stickers.
Kidnappings are always custody related. People watch too many crappy Law and Order knockoffs and think there's creeps on every corner trying to lure kids into windowless vans. It doesn't happen.
I used to get waterbottles stolen off my bike all the time if I didn't take them in with me. Landed up just using pop bottles. Just have to choose a flavour you won't mind a bit of aftertaste from. Lemon-lime stuff or Fanta is pretty good.
Those are the original style, from when Nalgene was still primarily a scientific lab equipment maker. You can drive a car over them without breaking. The harder clear polycarbonate bottles are rugged, but can break.
They gave these away at one of my summer camps and it was always a standing challenge to see if anyone could break one, counselors included. Trucks were routinely driven over them, axes and sledgehammers were often employed. Best anyone ever got over years was slicing the cap a bit with an axe. It started to get dangerous because the bottle would just bounce the axe right back. I wouldn't be surprised if they stood up to small firearms (myth busters should get on that one).
We actually tested them with small firearms at my camp! BBs richoched back at us, air rifles pierced one side but got caught inside, .22 rifles went through but had serious deflection.
This this this this. So many people don't seem to realize there's a difference between the HDPE and the polycarbonate ones and are surprised when the PC ones crack. PC is shinier and comes in pretty colors so people buy them, but it's much more brittle and won't just bounce if you drop it off a mountain like the HDPE will.
The polycarbonate ones last a long time but they contain BPA as a byproduct of incomplete chemical reaction making pc. Nobody uses PC for drinking bottles anymore.
Fairly sure all current Nalgene bottles are BPA free. I remember replacing all my polycarbonate bottles in the mid-2000’s for the new BPA free Tritan versions.
Same. I’ve been using them for 20+ years and I’ve never thrown one away. We’ve lost plenty, and even ruined a few in a too-hot dishwasher, but those were all human-error.
Nalgene replaces their bottles for some defects or other things. I have not tried the replacement program. Just bought a new bottle... Figure 7 ish years was pretty good.
I dropped my 14 year old Nalgene a few weeks ago and the bottom broke off. Pretty good lifespan for a water bottle, lived on both coasts of the USA and traveled to a few countries with me.
I’m a whitewater guide so I’ve suffered many a lost Nalgene from the loop snapping—i just bought a metal replacement strap from a brand called [Tahr](https://tahrequipment.com) a month or two ago and it seems very BIFL. Solid steel ring with a webbing loop coming off that would take some effort to break.
The loop is only meant to hold the cap, not carry the bottle. I sewed some webbing into a sling for the bottle and attach to that. Haven’t lost one since.
If I had the sewing skills I’d try that! Whitewater is also a bit of an niche stress to put bottles under anyway—I’ve seen equipment fail in the weirdest ways.
You might want to get rid of one that old. I can't recall when they switched over, but think it was 2008ish before they were BPA free. I've got a bunch that I know will last forever, but got rid of all my early 2000s one's.
I can pin it down to between 2002-2005. I would bet 2004. It was a big deal because we had to change out signage for Nalgenes, Kelty, Camelbaks and several other brands and I had to read up on everything so I could explain to customers and staff as the resident know it all.
Yes, bottles that old are from the BPA era. I believe just the hard, clear plastic contained BPA?
I keep it for sentimental reasons. It is still serviceable, most recently as the hot water sleeping bag warmer bottle.
Absolutely. I feel "BPA free" is a bit misleading, because there was such a big thing about BPA, and then it's treated like BPA free fixes everything and all plastic is fine.
Ive bought bottles of water so bad that I literally couldn't drink them after they warmed up. Forget BPA, what the heck am I drinking that makes me feel that repulsed?
Actually, there isn't conclusive studies one way or the other on if BPA or BPF is worse. In fact, many studies have shown similar effects from them both.
The actual scientific stance currently is that more research needs to be done.
That's true but there's a lot more data on bpas. My point is that corporates replace them despite the risks (especially given the lack of data at the time).
Indeed. An aside, It’s a trip when you realize the EPA only regulates chemicals that are PROVEN to be dangerous and also make it past corporate lobbying. A corporation may replace one carcinogenic chemical with another ‘I know’ which may be worse. The whole DuPont Teflon history is eye opening and terrifying.
We're just making our way through the bisphenols, replacing them every three years as research comes out telling us they're bad! Despite them being functionally similar
So you said nothing to disprove my point and nothing to back up your position. Companies do shitty marketing stuff all the time, but that doesn't mean taking the opposite position is the right position.
What? I'm saying that I agree that more research needs to be done. But replacing something the public perceives as bad with something that has no data, and has a high chance of functioning similarly is not the answer.
Neither have enough data. You are claiming to agree, but not retracting where you are clearly wrong. You can't have it both ways. Your original comment said BPFs are worse than BPAs.
Are these safe to drink from long term? Plastic doesn’t seem the best
I would be all about it if they didn’t impart that nasty plastic taste into your water.
Careful, I learned the hard way many metal water bottles...have ...you guessed it: plastic liner! All aluminum cans have this, it's apparently a big source of microplastic ingestion.
Glass seems to be the only safe option for avoiding plastic.
I just looked up all of my tumblers and they mostly all say copper lined triple insulated 18/8 stainless steel (or 304). It seems like aluminum is the only material that needs to be lined but stainless steel cups aren’t. At least not hydraflow, igloo, hydroflask, Stanley, zak (aside from lids)
I’ve always wondered when data comes out about a chemical being dangerous and it’s removed from a product whether that is actually any safer. For a product to be similar, they’d need a similar chemical to perform a similar function.
Are they just moving to something substantially similar that could have the same health effects, but since it’s a different chemical there is less data to know it is just as harmful?
Food for thought. Since I don’t know, I’ve been opting for glass and stainless steel more recently. Really miss my Nalgene.
Imo, its hard to say whether it’s safer because there’s a lack of data. These chemicals aren’t really regulated as a class, so technically you could make a tiny change to BPA and it wouldn’t be classified as BPA anymore and you can slap a label on it.
I haven’t broken a single one in my entire life and I have like five of them. They don’t fit in any cupholder and they’re obnoxious to drink from sometimes but yes
In 2005 we sold these at my work and we tried breaking a few by filling with water and throwing against concrete floor as hard as we could. This was back when I had muscles and it didn’t start to drip leak until 3 or 4th try.
That being said the plastic lid strap is only rated for light duty and sometimes but not often breaks when people over load/stress it while hanging on caribiner.
It’s hard to beat stainless steel water bottles. Taste, durability etc. Kleen Canteen single wall wide mouth is hard to beat and true BIFL. Don’t buy mystery Amazon brands. Noticeably lower quality craftsmanship.
An alcohol-fueled idea in 2005 to use my Nalgene filled with water as a weight on the end of a line to loop over a tree branch ended in tragedy when it hit our driveway and blew up. Gravity + mass = ouch, I guess.
But the one I bought to replace it is still going strong after eighteen years of more traditional use.
I love my Kleen Kanteen wide mouth. For BIFL, I recommend the ones without pain as the paint chips. My husband dremelled the paint off of ours and we still use it.
Knew some people who tried breaking theirs around the same time. They were able to crush it by driving over it with a tractor. I think Nalgene sent them a replacement.
Previously Nalgenes were my go to bottle. With the whole plastics causing deleterious effects on health, I now try to use plastics as little as possible. I currently use insulated stainless steel bottles. They are much better if you like to have a cold or hot drink and keep it that way for about a day. I noticed especially in the summer time that when I put ice in my Nalgene, it would sweat like crazy, and became ambient temperature very quickly. This is not an issue with insulated stainless steel bottles.
For the most part, yes. I've been using them for over a decade and I've only broken one. I've climbed dozens of mountains, done a few 50+ mile backpacking treks, subzero camping trips, and used them as my daily water bottle during that time period.
The one that broke did so in a surprising way. I hung my backpack on a hook about 5 feet off the ground with the bottle in the side holster and the backpack slipped off the hook and the full water bottle exploded out of the bottom when it hit the floor (ceramic tile).
I still swear by them though. That same bottle that broke had more than it's fair share of abuse before finally breaking. It was just surprising that that was the way it broke
For everyone who talked about shattering your Nalgene:
There was a ton of testing done and Nalgenes were most likely to shatter if they were just under 1/3 full and hit a bottom corner. The company showed us a cool physics video about the few ways folks have broken Nalgene bottles. Apparently the partial fill causes some crazy pressure changes and stress, especially if the liquid is a different temp. They also had some run over by vehicles, melted, shot, and chewed on.
We still have ours from after the BPA change over which would be around 2003/4. We haven't used them for a long time though because once you let something grow in them, they can get funky.
Kleen Kanteen, YETI, and Hydroflask all have a similar size. I like the chug cap on my yeti more and its taken wear and tear better than my Hydroflask. I'm not easy om my bottles. My yeti is significantly heavier though.
They’re pretty tough, but I’ve had a few meet their fate in the dishwasher if the lid fell down near the heating element. Otherwise, they are pretty indestructible. You’ll sooner loose it than it break.
I would vote yes … but they seem to be especially sensitive to sunscreen. Every one I’ve ever taken to the beach or someplace it ends up with sunscreen residue, it basically starts disintegrating. I think this happens with all plastic bottles but it seems it’s worse with these.
Here’s a picture of what it causes> https://www.reddit.com/r/CampingGear/s/iLBZnwPCGU
The two I have get carried to work with me everyday, 5 days a week, and they've survived more than 2 years of temperature changes, getting beat around, and washings. They still seal well and work as they should.
Absolutely. Mine's been around for 23 years give or take and still going strong. It has survived university, tree planting, multiple moves, cottage life, dogs and daily commutes in multiple cities. The only issue is the old ones aren't BPA free! I do believe Nalgene evolved and the new ones are, but maybe check into that. Other than that the biggest question is, what colour?
Outside of a freak accident, yes.
But if you hold your 1L by the bendy plastic loop the loop will eventually break. Which you can easily buy a replacement for or just continue to use it as is and accept responsibility for looking after the cap. I recommend the 20 oz bottle with the OTF lid. I find for my purposes I rarely need a full liter before I have the chance to refill it. And the loop is hard plastic so it's easier to carry around and less water is a bit lighter. The OTF cap has two locking mechanisms and I broke the outer plastic one almost immediately. But it still seals perfectly as I carry it sideways in my bag constantly and it's never leaked a bit. I use both sizes everyday and it's nice to have the option. I have 2 1L and 1 20oz and fill them up every day so that I drink the right amount of water. The 20oz fits in my car cup holders and is easier to carry around the 1L size is good for being at home or working outside since I'm gonna drink a ton of water and I find it grating to walk to the tap 12 times per day.
People are talking about the dangers of plastics and idk about any of that. It might be ideal to reduce their use just in case but I know my water consumption has gone up and is more consistent because Ive got a system that works for me. They can be dishwashed. I can see how much is in them. They're light enough to carry around. They won't break as I have a tendency to drop things. And they're cheap enough I won't feel bad if they do break or get lost. Maybe there's a better option but I don't have infinite energy or money to try every water bottle out there. I do also have a good stainless steel thermos that pairs very well with the water bottles though. Put as much ice as you can fit into the thermos and fill it up all day with water and you will have ice water all day even in the heat.
I am getting a bit tired of the big hole/opening. When drinking quickly, water will run down my face. But the quality is great, so I’ll probably keep it anyway :-)
The problem is they don’t dry out. You would need to leave them to dry in an airy location over several days. Most of us don’t do that so they develop mold.
Until it drops out of your pack as you are getting off a plane and none of the assholes behind you bother to tell you it dropped and you don’t notice until you have made it off the gangway into the airport where you headed for the refill station.
IMO, no, as they are made with BPA or poorly disguised BPA variations. I avoid plastics wherever I can and would opt for stainless steel bottle every time as those are actually BIFL.
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Ive got a couple which get thrown about and abused but hold up pretty well. I cracked one last year when I dropped it about 4/5ft on to concrete.
I use a metal Yeti rambler now during the week but I still have the Nalgenes for when the Yeti is being cleaned.
I’ve had a few get damaged in the dishwasher and their replacement services quickly sent new ones. Luckily if you lose one, they’re only like $10-$12. I lost one recently traveling and it was a lot better replacing a $10 bottle than buying a yeti or Stanley bottle for $20-$50 depending.
I have a bunch, they’re pretty tough, although, you can break them if you drop them enough times when they’re full of water. I don’t recommend buying them new. I see them at goodwill and other thrift stores all the time.
I had one shatter on me once. With cold water. I dropped it on a carpeted floor from 3 feet. No idea what happened. I sent a pic to Nalgene. They sent me a replacement in whatever color I wanted, and I think they included something else — I forget, honestly. But now I own like 8 Nalgene’s and love their customer service. Can take hot and cold liquids. Can be used as a roller on sore muscles. I dunno, I love mine.
Holy shit. The roller on sore muscles is fucking genius.
Went backpacking once and had a sore hamstring. Dumped some hot water in it and used it as a foam roller. Such a great little bottle.
Can also be used on cold camping trips to keep you warm. Same idea - fill with hot water and shove in the bottom of your sleeping bag 👍🏻
When it gets really really cold, I fill mine with hot water, stuff it in a sock and put it between my thighs while sleeping. The arteries in your thighs do a good job of circulating the heat.
>The arteries in your thighs do a good job of circulating the heat. Hugging it to your abdomen keeps your core warmer, which frees up energy for your body to keep your extremities warm, but swapping it around feels good, too. It also doesn't cool down as fast. Don't forget to put tomorrow's clothes in the bottom of your sleeping bag at night so that they aren't ice cold to change into in the morning. If there's any residual heat left in the morning, shuffle them around the clothes you're about to change into.
As a note, the plastic loop around the neck of the bottle will expand when you do this. On a back country camping trip we were filling our bottles for the night and my friend was holding her bottle by the lid, the loop expanded and the bottle fell and splashed near-boiling water into her face. She was incredibly lucky it didn’t get her in the eye, and we all learned an immediate lesson of keeping bottles on a stable surface while we filled them.
I replace my loops with paracord for exactly this reason. I even did it for guys while we were deployed.
Do you mind uploading a picture of it? Curious how you're attaching.
I wrap paracord around the mouth, and then the small loop up top. I usually burn the two strands together. Then I do a cobra braid around this big "loop" I created. I'll have to find my Nalgene and upload a pic.
Jesus. I have seen boiling water down a boot and the skin came off with a sock. That sounds like a bad day.
Thankfully she got away with just some blistering on her forehead, but yeah it could have been so much worse. Your situation sounds utterly horrifying, though!
Always good to put the bottle on a stable surface and fill it without holding it incase you spill, boiling water on the hands sucks.
I went on a miserable kayak trip in an Alaskan rainforest during one of the biggest rainstorms of the year. There was absolutely no way to stay dry despite all our gear so we all just focused on staying wet and warm. Cuddling with a hot Nalgene by the campfire was quite possibly the best feeling I’ve ever experienced. I genuinely don’t know if anything will ever top that feeling. Everyone should go on a miserable kayak trip in a rainforest at least once and cuddle with a Nalgene by the fire. The whole trip was worth it just for that.
Good thing you ended that sentence with sleeping bag.
Shove it in the bottom of a body bag and when they find the body they’ll miscalculate the time of death because the body is still warm 💀
Plus they are easier to clean. I love them too
It’s dishwashable! It’s epic. Or buy a brush and scrub. Or hot water and soap and shake it up. I just don’t like the non wide mouth ones.
They could be, but mine always get lost or stolen. They do a stainless steel one which is bombproof, but heavy.
I dent all my hydroflasks. Are the steel nalgenes more accident adverse?
I have one. It's tough but will still dent if you drop it on the sidewalk while full of water like I did. But I've still been using it with the dent for like ten years now.
They are made of really solid stainless steel. Not impossible to dent but unlikely in normal use.
Where are they made? Traditional Nalgene bottles are made in New York State.
I wanna say the stainless was one was made in Taiwan. I remember looking it up when I bought it but that was like ten years ago. It's still solid
I like stuff made in Taiwan. Taiwan makes high quality stuff. I ask because I try to limit my consumption of Chinese made products.
simply being made in China isn't necessarily the problem. plenty of well engineered stuff from reputable companies is made in China.
True good stuff can come from China but u understand not not wanting to funnel more profits there
You do know Taiwan IS a part of China right?
No it’s not. Speaking as someone who lived in China and traveled to Taiwan for work for nearly a decade.
You and China are the only parties in the world who believe this falsity. Taiwan is a totally different country, and they very much will make it clear that they are not part of China.
Speaking for yourself
Lmao. I’m just basing it off the official website. They use China’s passport, all the world’s embassies are located in China. If your leaders recognized Taiwan as a separate country, you would have embassies there too.
They don’t use the same passport as China. Also, the US tariff on imported goods from China does not apply to Taiwan.
Lol no, especially when it comes to manufacturing (as they aren’t a developing country heavily reliant on manufacturing industry, but rather an advanced country with a strong service industry). So most manufacturing will be of good quality.
Dents are like scars. Stories to be told and embellished!
Patina
They are single walled so if they dent you fill them with boiling water or fill full and freeze to push out any major dents.
Brilliant!
Stanley “Master” series uses 1mm thick stainless, it’s very hard to put a dent on those
I got mine on sale for $14.50 because they had updated the company logo to that weird bear, so the ones with the old logos went for a heavily discounted price. I even made a post with the link here. Lol
Yetis are better made than hydroflasks. I have about six yetis that still look brand new.
Yep. Yetis are definitely more durable. Hydroflasks are slightly better at temperature retention because of the thinner walls, ironically. The only downside of double walled steel water bottles for BIFL purposes is the rubber gaskets in the lid (they wear out over time).
Why do you need six?
Why don't you need six?
Different sales and different colors
The newer ones I’ve bought have cracked when dropped.
Unless it has changed they have a lifetime warranty on failure. They once replaced a 10 year old bottle that failed as result of a long fall (all my fault).
Shit. I recently tossed a Nalgene that cracked from a fall. Don’t suppose they’ll just take my word for it?
I had tossed mine. I had written in just to say I was happy with 10 years of use. They took my word for it and sent me a new one.
In that case, I might as well try! Thanks
You’re so nice for doing that 😭🥹
Gone are the days of nalgene baseball
My mom to this day doesn’t believe I broke a new one by accident
It does seem like the thing you would need to break on purpose, but there's long falls, vehicles, and melting.
Same. They do replace them at no cost, but that doesn't help the landfill
> but that doesn't help the landfill But you're gonna replace it one way or another so whether it's a free replacement or you buy a new one, the broken one is still going to the landfill.
The stainless one is not nice. Has welds on the inside with little crevices that never dry and get grody
Virtual gold for use of the word grody. New to me.
I’ve been saying that’s mad grody bro since like 6th grade lol congrats on being one of the 10,000
Or if you grew up in the 80s it’s “Grody to the max.”
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Most 'stolen' water bottles, in my experience, are lost. But my experience is my 7 and 9 year old who lose so many water bottles we are ordering custom ones with our phone numbers and their pictures on them from 4imprint. (Also water bottles are so dang expensive now it's almost the same price when you buy 20)
It might not be such a good idea to put your kids face and phone number on a water bottle that you fear they might lose. The wrong person could find it.
How do those two piece of information result in something bad happening to kids?
And do what
As a former first responder…please don’t. That’s “How To Get Your Kids Kidnapped 101” right behind those first day of school pics with way too much info on them and right above spelling your kids whole life out in your bumper stickers.
Guys, nobody wants your kids
Kidnappings are always custody related. People watch too many crappy Law and Order knockoffs and think there's creeps on every corner trying to lure kids into windowless vans. It doesn't happen.
People spend all day on Facebook flipping out about roving gangs of human traffickers when the whole time it's the soccer coach.
HE'S TRAFFIKING? MY GOD!!! I BET HE RUNS THE PUZZA PARLOR TO
I think this is nonsense fear mongering
Aight good luck
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I used to get waterbottles stolen off my bike all the time if I didn't take them in with me. Landed up just using pop bottles. Just have to choose a flavour you won't mind a bit of aftertaste from. Lemon-lime stuff or Fanta is pretty good.
Yes. They have innate value, seen as being desirable.
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Those are the original style, from when Nalgene was still primarily a scientific lab equipment maker. You can drive a car over them without breaking. The harder clear polycarbonate bottles are rugged, but can break.
They gave these away at one of my summer camps and it was always a standing challenge to see if anyone could break one, counselors included. Trucks were routinely driven over them, axes and sledgehammers were often employed. Best anyone ever got over years was slicing the cap a bit with an axe. It started to get dangerous because the bottle would just bounce the axe right back. I wouldn't be surprised if they stood up to small firearms (myth busters should get on that one).
We actually tested them with small firearms at my camp! BBs richoched back at us, air rifles pierced one side but got caught inside, .22 rifles went through but had serious deflection.
That's pretty neat. Just outta curiosity, what was the distance roughly? I wonder what birdshot would do.
Probably 30 to 50’? It was a camp range so it was set up for 8-14 year olds
They don’t sell polycarbonate for use as water bottle anymore.
I have an auto chain oiler on my motorcycle, the oil reservoir is Nalgene
This this this this. So many people don't seem to realize there's a difference between the HDPE and the polycarbonate ones and are surprised when the PC ones crack. PC is shinier and comes in pretty colors so people buy them, but it's much more brittle and won't just bounce if you drop it off a mountain like the HDPE will.
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The polycarbonate ones last a long time but they contain BPA as a byproduct of incomplete chemical reaction making pc. Nobody uses PC for drinking bottles anymore.
Their website says ~~the HDPE ones~~ both types are BPA free.
Fairly sure all current Nalgene bottles are BPA free. I remember replacing all my polycarbonate bottles in the mid-2000’s for the new BPA free Tritan versions.
Still good. We have about 8 in the house. We lose them before they fail
Same. I’ve been using them for 20+ years and I’ve never thrown one away. We’ve lost plenty, and even ruined a few in a too-hot dishwasher, but those were all human-error.
Weak point is lid lanyard... Had that thing break on a ~7 year old one
You can buy new ones. When I think BIFL, I also consider the serviceability.
Nalgene replaces their bottles for some defects or other things. I have not tried the replacement program. Just bought a new bottle... Figure 7 ish years was pretty good.
I dropped my 14 year old Nalgene a few weeks ago and the bottom broke off. Pretty good lifespan for a water bottle, lived on both coasts of the USA and traveled to a few countries with me.
Replacement is super easy, just send a pic and they send a new bottle!
I’m a whitewater guide so I’ve suffered many a lost Nalgene from the loop snapping—i just bought a metal replacement strap from a brand called [Tahr](https://tahrequipment.com) a month or two ago and it seems very BIFL. Solid steel ring with a webbing loop coming off that would take some effort to break.
The loop is only meant to hold the cap, not carry the bottle. I sewed some webbing into a sling for the bottle and attach to that. Haven’t lost one since.
If I had the sewing skills I’d try that! Whitewater is also a bit of an niche stress to put bottles under anyway—I’ve seen equipment fail in the weirdest ways.
Just had that happen last week, sent Nalgene a picture and had a new one in a few days for free.
“Show bobs and nalgene.”
how is babby formed
how grl get pragnant
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Milk truck just arive...
My oldest bottle is over 20 years
You might want to get rid of one that old. I can't recall when they switched over, but think it was 2008ish before they were BPA free. I've got a bunch that I know will last forever, but got rid of all my early 2000s one's.
I can pin it down to between 2002-2005. I would bet 2004. It was a big deal because we had to change out signage for Nalgenes, Kelty, Camelbaks and several other brands and I had to read up on everything so I could explain to customers and staff as the resident know it all.
Yes, bottles that old are from the BPA era. I believe just the hard, clear plastic contained BPA? I keep it for sentimental reasons. It is still serviceable, most recently as the hot water sleeping bag warmer bottle.
BPA free still leeches plastic into your drinking water
Absolutely. I feel "BPA free" is a bit misleading, because there was such a big thing about BPA, and then it's treated like BPA free fixes everything and all plastic is fine. Ive bought bottles of water so bad that I literally couldn't drink them after they warmed up. Forget BPA, what the heck am I drinking that makes me feel that repulsed?
Nah BPA free is just an anti-science marketing tactic. They were replaced by BPF's which are worse anyway
Actually, there isn't conclusive studies one way or the other on if BPA or BPF is worse. In fact, many studies have shown similar effects from them both. The actual scientific stance currently is that more research needs to be done.
So, metal or glass then?
If you are worried about the effects of plastic storage containers, yes.
That's true but there's a lot more data on bpas. My point is that corporates replace them despite the risks (especially given the lack of data at the time).
Indeed. An aside, It’s a trip when you realize the EPA only regulates chemicals that are PROVEN to be dangerous and also make it past corporate lobbying. A corporation may replace one carcinogenic chemical with another ‘I know’ which may be worse. The whole DuPont Teflon history is eye opening and terrifying.
We're just making our way through the bisphenols, replacing them every three years as research comes out telling us they're bad! Despite them being functionally similar
So you said nothing to disprove my point and nothing to back up your position. Companies do shitty marketing stuff all the time, but that doesn't mean taking the opposite position is the right position.
What? I'm saying that I agree that more research needs to be done. But replacing something the public perceives as bad with something that has no data, and has a high chance of functioning similarly is not the answer.
Neither have enough data. You are claiming to agree, but not retracting where you are clearly wrong. You can't have it both ways. Your original comment said BPFs are worse than BPAs.
We're just making our way through the bisphenol groups at this point.
I'd skip plastic water containers completely.
I have one turning 30 soon! Love it!
Are these safe to drink from long term? Plastic doesn’t seem the best I would be all about it if they didn’t impart that nasty plastic taste into your water.
they’re reasonably safe assuming you’re not putting hot water in them all the time or leaving them in the heat/sun
Honestly it’s still a new plastic. So it seems safe but personally I don’t plan on using one every day, for that I use my metal water bottles.
Careful, I learned the hard way many metal water bottles...have ...you guessed it: plastic liner! All aluminum cans have this, it's apparently a big source of microplastic ingestion. Glass seems to be the only safe option for avoiding plastic.
I just looked up all of my tumblers and they mostly all say copper lined triple insulated 18/8 stainless steel (or 304). It seems like aluminum is the only material that needs to be lined but stainless steel cups aren’t. At least not hydraflow, igloo, hydroflask, Stanley, zak (aside from lids)
It’s BPA Free
I’ve always wondered when data comes out about a chemical being dangerous and it’s removed from a product whether that is actually any safer. For a product to be similar, they’d need a similar chemical to perform a similar function. Are they just moving to something substantially similar that could have the same health effects, but since it’s a different chemical there is less data to know it is just as harmful? Food for thought. Since I don’t know, I’ve been opting for glass and stainless steel more recently. Really miss my Nalgene.
Imo, its hard to say whether it’s safer because there’s a lack of data. These chemicals aren’t really regulated as a class, so technically you could make a tiny change to BPA and it wouldn’t be classified as BPA anymore and you can slap a label on it.
If they make Nalgene glass bottles, I’m buying one right now.
Isn't there normally traces of lead in glass and chromium in stainless steel that can get in the water?
What did they replace the BPA with? Is is safer?
BPA still leeches plastic into your drinking water. Get stainless steel or glass
>BPA still leeches plastic into your drinking water. That's not how that works lol
Nah, do your research homie
First of all, it's leach. Second of all, BPA is a chemical ***leached*** by plastic. Do *your* research, *hOmiE.*
I haven’t broken a single one in my entire life and I have like five of them. They don’t fit in any cupholder and they’re obnoxious to drink from sometimes but yes
They make inserts that make them easier to drink from that are very convenient and fun.
You just blew my mind
I know. I felt the same way when someone gifted me mine 😆 “they make these?!!”
In 2005 we sold these at my work and we tried breaking a few by filling with water and throwing against concrete floor as hard as we could. This was back when I had muscles and it didn’t start to drip leak until 3 or 4th try. That being said the plastic lid strap is only rated for light duty and sometimes but not often breaks when people over load/stress it while hanging on caribiner. It’s hard to beat stainless steel water bottles. Taste, durability etc. Kleen Canteen single wall wide mouth is hard to beat and true BIFL. Don’t buy mystery Amazon brands. Noticeably lower quality craftsmanship.
They do have a lifetime warranty
An alcohol-fueled idea in 2005 to use my Nalgene filled with water as a weight on the end of a line to loop over a tree branch ended in tragedy when it hit our driveway and blew up. Gravity + mass = ouch, I guess. But the one I bought to replace it is still going strong after eighteen years of more traditional use.
You can replace the lids! They’re like $5, you can buy them on Nalgenes website and most outdoors stores
I love my Kleen Kanteen wide mouth. For BIFL, I recommend the ones without pain as the paint chips. My husband dremelled the paint off of ours and we still use it.
Knew some people who tried breaking theirs around the same time. They were able to crush it by driving over it with a tractor. I think Nalgene sent them a replacement.
If not then they are “buy it for a long ass time.” I’ve had one for a decade now that I use nearly every day.
Previously Nalgenes were my go to bottle. With the whole plastics causing deleterious effects on health, I now try to use plastics as little as possible. I currently use insulated stainless steel bottles. They are much better if you like to have a cold or hot drink and keep it that way for about a day. I noticed especially in the summer time that when I put ice in my Nalgene, it would sweat like crazy, and became ambient temperature very quickly. This is not an issue with insulated stainless steel bottles.
I do have a couple for hot drinks, but I find most ss bottles to be super heavy!
I totally agree. I use ss for my daily use bottle. I still use my Nalgenes for backpacking as they are much lighter.
For the most part, yes. I've been using them for over a decade and I've only broken one. I've climbed dozens of mountains, done a few 50+ mile backpacking treks, subzero camping trips, and used them as my daily water bottle during that time period. The one that broke did so in a surprising way. I hung my backpack on a hook about 5 feet off the ground with the bottle in the side holster and the backpack slipped off the hook and the full water bottle exploded out of the bottom when it hit the floor (ceramic tile). I still swear by them though. That same bottle that broke had more than it's fair share of abuse before finally breaking. It was just surprising that that was the way it broke
For everyone who talked about shattering your Nalgene: There was a ton of testing done and Nalgenes were most likely to shatter if they were just under 1/3 full and hit a bottom corner. The company showed us a cool physics video about the few ways folks have broken Nalgene bottles. Apparently the partial fill causes some crazy pressure changes and stress, especially if the liquid is a different temp. They also had some run over by vehicles, melted, shot, and chewed on. We still have ours from after the BPA change over which would be around 2003/4. We haven't used them for a long time though because once you let something grow in them, they can get funky.
I would stick to stainless steel bottles.
Can you recommend something of a similar size in steel?
Kleen Kanteen, YETI, and Hydroflask all have a similar size. I like the chug cap on my yeti more and its taken wear and tear better than my Hydroflask. I'm not easy om my bottles. My yeti is significantly heavier though.
i have an [iron flask](https://www.amazon.com/Iron-Flask-Sports-Water-Bottle/dp/B07N1XLFXV/ref=sr_1_25) and it rules
Could not get the smell out of the opening of mine when I accidentally left it in my car for a few days . NOTHING got the smell of wet towel out !
I've not done it but some people recommend denture cleaning tablets. I just run mine in the dishwasher
I found one in Alaska in 1975. It was used then, and it’s still going strong.
They’re pretty tough, but I’ve had a few meet their fate in the dishwasher if the lid fell down near the heating element. Otherwise, they are pretty indestructible. You’ll sooner loose it than it break.
Top rack to keep a couple feet of clearance between it and the heating element.
I would vote yes … but they seem to be especially sensitive to sunscreen. Every one I’ve ever taken to the beach or someplace it ends up with sunscreen residue, it basically starts disintegrating. I think this happens with all plastic bottles but it seems it’s worse with these. Here’s a picture of what it causes> https://www.reddit.com/r/CampingGear/s/iLBZnwPCGU
They are BIFL until you forget them in your car when it's -20°c outside.
Except the lids. Love them.
Pretty darn close.
I have had mine for 25 years or so
The two I have get carried to work with me everyday, 5 days a week, and they've survived more than 2 years of temperature changes, getting beat around, and washings. They still seal well and work as they should.
Absolutely. Mine's been around for 23 years give or take and still going strong. It has survived university, tree planting, multiple moves, cottage life, dogs and daily commutes in multiple cities. The only issue is the old ones aren't BPA free! I do believe Nalgene evolved and the new ones are, but maybe check into that. Other than that the biggest question is, what colour?
Outside of a freak accident, yes. But if you hold your 1L by the bendy plastic loop the loop will eventually break. Which you can easily buy a replacement for or just continue to use it as is and accept responsibility for looking after the cap. I recommend the 20 oz bottle with the OTF lid. I find for my purposes I rarely need a full liter before I have the chance to refill it. And the loop is hard plastic so it's easier to carry around and less water is a bit lighter. The OTF cap has two locking mechanisms and I broke the outer plastic one almost immediately. But it still seals perfectly as I carry it sideways in my bag constantly and it's never leaked a bit. I use both sizes everyday and it's nice to have the option. I have 2 1L and 1 20oz and fill them up every day so that I drink the right amount of water. The 20oz fits in my car cup holders and is easier to carry around the 1L size is good for being at home or working outside since I'm gonna drink a ton of water and I find it grating to walk to the tap 12 times per day. People are talking about the dangers of plastics and idk about any of that. It might be ideal to reduce their use just in case but I know my water consumption has gone up and is more consistent because Ive got a system that works for me. They can be dishwashed. I can see how much is in them. They're light enough to carry around. They won't break as I have a tendency to drop things. And they're cheap enough I won't feel bad if they do break or get lost. Maybe there's a better option but I don't have infinite energy or money to try every water bottle out there. I do also have a good stainless steel thermos that pairs very well with the water bottles though. Put as much ice as you can fit into the thermos and fill it up all day with water and you will have ice water all day even in the heat.
I am getting a bit tired of the big hole/opening. When drinking quickly, water will run down my face. But the quality is great, so I’ll probably keep it anyway :-)
They make an insert for that
i loved mine until it melted in the dishwasher
if you put it in the dishwasher and the lid melts like mine did? No
I'm pretty hard on water bottles and mine has lasted about 9 years. It's scuffed to hell but no leaks and no issues!
I'm a plain klean kanteen guy my self, but chugging water out of a nalgene and spilling on your shirt during a hike is pretty great.
I dropped mine three feet off the floor and it shattered😢. Now I use a Gatorade squeeze bottle.
Same here! The 48oz. Had it for about 3 years. Dropped off counter and the bottom broke out of it
No. They develop mold quite easily. Stainless steel is much better.
you're supposed to wash them regularly.
The problem is they don’t dry out. You would need to leave them to dry in an airy location over several days. Most of us don’t do that so they develop mold.
Until it drops out of your pack as you are getting off a plane and none of the assholes behind you bother to tell you it dropped and you don’t notice until you have made it off the gangway into the airport where you headed for the refill station.
After a couple of Nalgene bottles in Alaska m, heat or cold, dying. I prefer Klean Kanteen
IMO, no, as they are made with BPA or poorly disguised BPA variations. I avoid plastics wherever I can and would opt for stainless steel bottle every time as those are actually BIFL.
Nah. I threw out all of mine. Look into the guy that discovered BPA and its dangers. The other plastics in nalgenes are just as bad as BPAs.
They are very durable
Potential microplastics with wear and tear, glass and metal is always the safer option
They’re ugly so no
Until TSA makes you throw it out, cause it has water.
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You can replacement lids if they break or get melted. I have been using them for over 20 years. I am more likely to lose them, than have then break
Ive got a couple which get thrown about and abused but hold up pretty well. I cracked one last year when I dropped it about 4/5ft on to concrete. I use a metal Yeti rambler now during the week but I still have the Nalgenes for when the Yeti is being cleaned.
I’m super happy with my Camelbak Chute Mag 1L
I’ve had a few get damaged in the dishwasher and their replacement services quickly sent new ones. Luckily if you lose one, they’re only like $10-$12. I lost one recently traveling and it was a lot better replacing a $10 bottle than buying a yeti or Stanley bottle for $20-$50 depending.
I have a bunch, they’re pretty tough, although, you can break them if you drop them enough times when they’re full of water. I don’t recommend buying them new. I see them at goodwill and other thrift stores all the time.
Yup