The sport top has a valve that allows air in while you drink. It works well but they make a strange chirping bird noise when the air passes into the bottle...so there is no stealth drinking from these in the library.

I don't know any cyclist that put boiling hot liquids in their bottles, hot yes but not boiling! And no boiling water in a Polar bottle does not have anywhere near the same effect that microwaved plastic wrap has. Microwaved plastic wrap literally melts onto the food so you can't even see the wrap! A bottle would never do this unless you put a blow torch to it and melted it to a liquid state...but then again a AL bottle could also be melted to a liquid state. So that's just more false fear being spewed out.

I know tourist that use Polar Bottles and never had an issue; as far as ultralight touring I don't know anyone who does that. When I think of ultralight I think credit card touring like I've done on several occasions; but heavier touring like what I want to do here in the near future, I won't be using double duty on my water bottles.

You can in fact place Polar bottles in the dishwasher. I do it all the time.

Richard

As I do as well. One of my Polar bottles is about 10 years old, the dishwasher hasn't seemed to effect it yet other then the blue mouth valve is now a pale blue, and the print is also a bit faded.

I found out the local MEC carries some aluminium 1L water bottles for a great price. I'm planning on getting one and seeing how it works, and will probably get a few for my tour if I like it! I'd love to get some of those Klean Kanteen bottles, but my tour date is approaching really quickly, and I will be cutting it close to get anything shipped so soon!

I did a search on the internet for the stainless steel bottles mentioned, ordered one and it arrived two days later. You can't drink out of metal bottles with a click valve but on a tour you can always stop to drink.

Wow!

That isn't the experience I usually have when ordering things over the net, I guess I am biased. Where'd you order yours from? (I don't mind stopping to get a drink.)

do you guys actually "Taste" the plastic in regular bottles or just smell it? I smell it.. but I dont think i've tasted it.

I can only taste it if I use plain luke warm water, and if that water sits in the bottle for more then roughly 12 hours, which never happens while riding anyways.