Platypus Plus Bottle or Nalgene wide mouth canteen

I'm looking into getting new water bottles and was looking at the two of these. The platypus is lighter .8 oz compared to the 2 oz nalgene. I like the nalgene for the wide mouth but some of the reviews say its not as durable. I like the platy for the hook you can clip a carabiner to. Anyone use either of these and have opinions one way or another?

I've used both, and never had any problems with either. If you're using a water filter, that may drive your decision as much as anything: if the filter has a screw-on bottle connection (MSR Miniworks, for example), you'll want the bottle that mates to it. Another thing that may make your decision for you is how well it fits into the pack pocket where you carry it.

I'm currently using the Platypus, and find that, in shallow streams, it doesn't fill as conveniently as the Cantene' wider mouth - but it's not a huge deal, since I can always dip water with my cup and fill it that way, if I have to. (I'm using a 2L as the "dirty" water reservoir for my Sawyer Squeeze filter, and filtering into a 1L Platypus because, like you, I like the little handle.)

All a water bottle really has to do is hold water and not leak; for that I really like a recycled Gatorade bottle. Neither the Nalgenes I use or the Platypi (Platypuses?) give me any trouble.

I do have the MSR Miniworks but I am thinking of trying the Aquamira tablets and leaving the filter at home. Although that is a consideration for the nalgene. I also like the wide mouth for filling it in streams. I have a dromedary bag I will use at camp so filling it once I get to camp won't be a problem. The Platypus just looks like it will fit better in a pack than the Nalgene.

On backpacks I use Platypus bottles, because they take no space when empty and they fit with my gravity water filter system. On dayhikes I use a couple of wide-mouth Nalgenes, because I'm not filtering and these fit well in the side pockets of my day pack.

The main reason why I don't use Gatorade (or similar) bottles is that the smell and taste of the Gatorade (or other flavored drink) tends to stay in the bottle long afterward and because I don't like the smell or taste, I never buy or drink the stuff anyway.

Ii have a Nalgene canteen and a number of Platypus, mostly older ones (I've been using them til they die, have not had one die yet).

Haven't noticed a difference in durability. I have a filter that works with either (attachments) and don't fuss myself overmuch. The 96 oz Nalgene canteen makes a great around-camp container since it stands up on its own.

Thanks everyone, I haven't ordered any yet but it looks like either one will be a good choice! I need the weather to warm up so I can get out and hike and quit sitting here on the computer spending money on new gear!

If you're using it to substitute for the fragile bags on the Sawyer Squeeze filter, the threads of the newer Platys (the ones with the curved sides and fancy colors) are not quite compatible and will leak (threatening contamination of the clean water side). The new ones aren't compatible with the standard soda bottle cap, either.

I switched to Evernew water bottles a couple of years ago because their tops are connected to the bottle. With Platys I always had to take a couple of extra caps because I'd usually lose at least one. Evernew bottles are compatible with the Sawyer Squeeze. They are currently hard to find, because of this and because Evernew was affected by the Japanese tsunami, so I'm glad I got mine before then.

I like to take a wider-mouth drink bottle (not Gatorade but similar--"Power Aid" bottles don't have the residual smell) for my drinking water while hiking because it's a lot easier to pour drink mix into it and it's easier to get it in and out of the mesh side pockets on my pack. I use my cooking pot for dipping when needed. However, except for that one bottle I prefer the kind that fold up, such as Platy or Evernew.

I use a Nalgene for weekend and day hikes. Anything longer and I'll bring a 2L Platypus and a Gatorade bottle along.

The Platypi do roll up smaller, but I find the wide mouth Nalgene cantenes [sic] dry out a whole lot faster. I don't like narrow mouthed bottles and bladders for that reason.

The free standing nature the Nalgenes is pretty handy too although I think some of the bigger Platypi stand on their own.

HJ

I bought 2 of the platy's this weekend, one for me one for my son. Filled it up just to test it, stands on its own, feels good to hold, clip is sturdy. I like it although it does seem like it will take longer to dry out. I think I will buy two of the nalgenes also then I won't have to worry about which to take!

I like my Platy's. I have a couple of 2 liter bags and 1 liter bags. When I clean them out, I essentially do the same thing I do with the Nalgene wide mouths; dry them out with a thin towel, then take a long thin piece of paper towel folded to about 1 inch wide and stuff it in the container down near the bottom with the top end sticking out of the container. Lightly snug up the cap and this allows moisture to wick out. Where I live, I never have any moisture problems storing containers this way.

Chris

I've used Platypus bottles since they first came out, with no regrets. My only failure was when I fell against an ocotillo plant (big stickery cactus) and poked a hole in the bag. REI replaced it! Nalgenes take up too much space, don't roll up, and are heavy in comparison.
But now....I'm using a combination of Platty's and those thin bottled water bottles right off the super market shelf (that come with water...like Ozarka). The cap thread sizes are the same as Platty's. They are even lighter than Platty's, and can be rolled up when empty. I'm waiting to see how many "fill/roll" cycles they can handle without a crack developing. So far, I've not failed one.

I have been told by various people that re-using plastic bottles, such as gatorade bottles, is bad for your health because they leak chemicals. I will re-use them once then throw away.

From a quick google search this was what I found on re-using plastic bottles.

Even Plastic Water and Soda Bottles Should Not Be Reused
Health advocates also recommend not reusing bottles made from plastic #1 (polyethylene terephthalate, also known as PET or PETE), including most disposable water, soda and juice bottles. According to The Green Guide, such bottles may be safe for one-time use, but re-use should be avoided because studies indicate they may leach DEHP—another probable human carcinogen—when they are in less-than-perfect condition.

Leaching is a function of time and the chemicals that are in the bottle. If you bought a gatorade bottle, and dumped out the gatorade, and then used it for a year only putting water in it, then you would get less leaching than if you drank the bottle off the shelf, once.

I get a bit leery when I hear generalities like "health advocates recommend", etc. It would be a lot better to give some references to studies. There are a lot of urban legends wafting around out there, and it would be nice to present some decent data on which to base decisions.

Frankly, I doubt that I ingest enough water from these "nasty Gatorade bottles" in terms of my total fluid intake to really make much of a difference.

Also, presumably there is a finite amount of nastiness within these bottles. After some finite amount of leaching, presumably all or most of the nasties will be leached away. Any data on this?

LOL....I started hiking in the 1960's Boyscouts and the only "water bottles" we had were aluminum canteens. No telling what was in those things after they had a few seasons to "season". They never tasted "right". Plastic canteens happened about the time of Viet Nam and became popular. From there, poly-carbonate, HDPE, polypropylene, PVC, etc. popped into use for food storage. Water is pretty inert and I've survived this long with no ill effects. I figure polycarbonate Gator Aid bottles, being heat formed, are about as safe as current technology can make. Compared to the old aluminum canteens, they are wonderful!

The BPA scare was based on the polycarbonate Nalgene bottles. Gatorade bottles are PET, or polyester. Of course, the original thought of your post still stands true.

Not sure how sciency you want to get, so I apologize if this is going too far

Antimony trioxide is the usual catalyst in the polycondensation reaction producing PET.66, 67 Estimates show that it is used in ~90% of plants producing synthetic packaging materials. Consequently, the most commercially available PET packaging contains 190–300 mg Sb/kg.68, 69 In comparison, the average level of antimony in the Earth’s crust is 0.5 mg/kg, and in pristine subterranean waters it is 2 ng/l.70

Research examining the possibility of antimony being leached from packaging material is being carried out independently in many centers around the world: Greece,68 Germany, Canada,70, 71 Turkey,72 Hungary,73 Cyprus,74 United States,75 and Japan.76 One may infer from these results that the concentration of antimony in water stored in PET bottles is up to 30 times greater than that in water stored in glass or polypropylene bottles.71

The effectiveness of antimony leaching depends on many factors, but the major one is temperature.77 This process takes place faster even when the temperature has been raised to only ~50–60 °C.73, 75 The surface area to volume ratio of the bottle is also important: waters in bottles of smaller volume (0.25–0.5 l) have a higher level of antimony than those in 2.5 l and larger containers.73, 75 In the case of waters of the same brand, higher Sb levels were found in carbonated than in still waters.73, 74 The color of the bottle is also important:75 in the case of hard PET, the highest Sb levels were found in colorless, pale blue, and pale green bottles.56

Even though the antimony concentrations in most types of bottled water do not exceed permitted levels of this element (drinking waters: WHO (20 μg/l), EPA (6 μg/l), ECC (5 μg/l); bottled waters: IBWA and FDA (6 μg/l)), they can nonetheless have a negative effect on human health, given the element’s carcinogenicity and the fact that up to 40% of the adult daily requirement for Sb may be supplied by drinking water.73

Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology

Very long article with a lot of information that doesn't really apply to this discussion, but there does seem to be indications that PET can leach chemicals into water which aren't exactly good for us. Heat and stressing of the material will both increase the impact so using and reusing a PET bottle on the trail will be worse than just consuming the original contents.

Again, sorry if that is too much science, but I believe in at least looking into what the "experts" have to say before making my own mind up.

You had me until you said, "Antimony trioxide is the usual catalyst in the polycondensation reaction producing PET.66, 67"

I didn't see anything about stressing the material in the article you linked to. Maybe I just missed it. However, I don't stress my gatorade bottle, so that isn't an issue. What I did find in the article is what really causes leaching, and that is temperature. Since time is also a factor, then if I were to use this article to form a best practice, then it would be to buy the bottle of gatorade, dump out it's contents, and then use the bottle with cool water. The most exposure you will get would be in the first consumption of the product. That is because the bottle sits on the shelf, sits in a hot truck and sits in the hot factory, for a lot longer than the cold mountain water will sit in the bottle in my pack.

Thank you very much; this is indeed useful= better too much information than too little!

Bingo! This is true for a lot of things (not all things), that solubility increases with increasing temp.

I find the gatorade bottles (and soda bottles) leach for a while longer than just the first load of liquid stored in them. I run them through 2 cycles of hot water/hot days in the car before I use them for drinking. Even then, on hot days I can still smell it and taste it a little until the bottle gets more heavily used. And, except when sick, I use these bottles a lot (5 to 6 day a week).

On a side note; there is a difference between a concentration below the detection limit and a "0 mg/L" concentration. There are compounds you can smell and taste before it will kick out as a measurable and quantifiable amount via chemical analysis. Interesting article though.

LoneStranger, you got my vote for the coolest avatar!! Great picture!

I have used the 3 Liter Nalgene Canteen that rolls up since 2010 and have not had issues( leaks or cracking) the labeling is fading but that it.
Works great Aquamira tablets in it. Also work with MSR & Hiker series water filters.


Mike