Touring water bottles?
 

Based on this thread, I have decided I would like to get some nice aluminium bottles for carrying water while touring. They seem like they would be more durable, and not contain any by products that are kind of worrying with plastic bottles. I was wondering what you guys use, and if you could give me any advice as to stores that carry the aluminium bottles in Canada (Ottawa to be percise.)

Cheers!

I don't know of one located in Ottawa but Brauns online located in Kitchener has them:

http://www.brauns.com/gc/gc_catalog....20Systems&Z9=0

Hmm. Those are neat. I don't need the extra insulation however..

I have decided I would like to get some nice aluminium bottles for carrying water while touring. They seem like they would be more durable, and not contain any by products that are kind of worrying with plastic bottles.

Have you considered stainless steel bottles? The advantage is that they can also hold juices and other slightly acidic drinks and won't react as aluminum would. Available on ebay and they ship to Canada:)

I have an aluminium bottle from Radical, no insulation. It's impossible to drink from that thing and it tasted funny. I've used it once and now sits on the "equipment to give" shelf. I've heard good things a about Sigg bottles. Nalgene makes water bottles. You could simply get a big Topeak cage and use 1.5L bottles sold anywhere.

I've been using Sigg waterbottles for several years and I like them a great deal. I've bought all of mine via these two ebay stores; http://stores.ebay.com/Edward-James-...QQftidZ2QQtZkm and this one http://stores.ebay.com/swissbottle_W...Q3amesstQQtZkm I've become hooked on Sigg products so I have a bunch of the stuff. Both of the ebay sellers are top notch, I've had wonderful service from both. To date I've used the Sigg bottle cages with the bottles, but I may go back to using chrome cages simply for asthetics.

Velo Orange also sells stainless bottles. http://www.velo-orange.com/ststwabo.html I would likely buy these if I did not already own the Sigg bottles.

I pulled this site off of the Sigg website for a Canada seller. http://www.curbside.on.ca/fla/

check out
http://www.ultimatedirection.com/ (bottle with camelback style nipple)

I'd recommend the Nalgene bottles, sold by outfitters like Eastern Mountain Sports or REI. They are, however, "plastic" but they're incredibly strong. I've used them for both touring and backpacking, and have had them for years. I've even inadvertently dropped them, filled of water, on to rocks and they didn't break.

David in PA

We've been using these for our tour down the west coast. We both drink green tea all day and are able to make it right in the bottle.

Click here for a link directly Klean Kanteen

http://www.vwvagabonds.com/Bike/imag...eanKanteen.JPG

I've had trouble with my Sigg bottles. They started to leak and the outside coating started peeling off! To me this is actually a health concern, cause if there is a leak then the inside coating is no longer intact! And aluminum, they say, is linked to Alzheimer's...

Another problem was with the lid. I never really liked it: on one bottle the top from which you sip was too tough to open, on the other it wouldn't stay open so one had to hold it with teeth as one was trying to drink.

So I am sticking with plastic for now. Yes, I know, it's probably linked to Alzheimer's and the like too. :D

AL is great especially to look at but your drinks will get extremily hot quickly. Polar Bottles even though plastic at least keeps the temps somewhat even for up to couple of hours depending on outside temp and ice used if any of course.

Okay, that's all good. Before I left I bought heavy 1litre plastic bottles that happened to fit on the bike. I'm still using them and they hold about a third more water than the ones you normally buy. Between 3 bottles that's almost another litre.

I really like the look, durability and healthiness of a stainless steel water bottle vs. plastic water bottles. I ride most often in temperatures between 75F and 95F (think Deep South!) Is stainless steel practical for my climate? How long can I expect a drink to stay drinkably cool.
"drinkably"- made up adverb?:)

Actually, 'they' don't. :rolleyes: http://www.alz.org/AboutAD/Myths.asp

If a primary concern is the leeching of chemical stuff into the water then you might consider the water bottles from Soma that are made of some polycarbonate that doesn't leech.

www.somafab.com

I have one, they don't squeeze as easily as normal bottles but are theoretically healthier and relatively cheap.

I've been using Al bottles for a while, then one afternoon my bottle cage just broke during a bumpy descent. I didn't like the noise the bottle made when it hit the ground, and I didn't like the look of it after the shock. There was a guy (quite silly, by the way) who was drafting me far too close behind me given our speed. He was very lucky to avoid my hard Al bottle.

After this, my intuition told me that a soft plastic bottle was probably less likely to cause its cage break, and that it might also cause less damage to others if it happened - or if I unintentionally misplaced it in the cage (which already happened to me).

Maybe I should be concerned about chemicals seeping into my beverage, but I'm more bothered by this awful plastic taste. When touring, I don't run on energy drinks as they are too bulky to carry, but I hide the plastic taste behind a touch of light lemon sirup.

What would actually be nice is a simple PET bottle that would fit in the cage.

"I've had trouble with my Sigg bottles. They started to leak and the outside coating started peeling off!"

I've not had any of these problems to date. After some time the nice shiny exterior gets scuffed up a bit. I've also picked up a couple of small dents. One tip - if you live in a northnern climate, don't leave them in the garage over the winter in a with water inside as it will expand and rip open the bottle. Ouch!

The liquids do warm up quicker in metal bottles but it has never been something that bothers me. Eventually plastic bottles will get to the same temperature.

Neat! Those are amazing, thanks for the information. Looks like I'll have to look around a little and see if I can find some of those.

There are so many great, healthy products out there, just a matter of finding them. (Locally)

REI carries the Klean Kanteen too! Or you can buy them on eBay from Sierra Rope Product...I have had great success with them. The cost of shipping is generally about the same as local sales tax.

This was a very good thread. Thanks guys.

First off this plastic leaking stuff has gone too far; does it cause cancer? only in test rats that were given a 1000x's concentration of it that we never get! Now there is some problems with using plastic wrap over food and cooking in a microwave oven and the plastic melting onto the food, but that will not happen with what we're doing.

Second point; I use to live in the Mojave Desert area of California and I can tell you that unless you use the Polar bottle your drinks will be very hot, and ingesting hot liquid when your already hot raises your core body temperture which will lead to physical meltdown, you need to reduce your core body heat. The Polar bottle (so far the best insulated bottle on the market), will keep a cold drink cold in 100 degree heat for about 30 minutes and for about 10 minutes in a non-insulated bottle. To keep drinks colder longer I would first make up a pitcher of 75% strength Gatorade and refrigerate it; next I would put a Polar bottle 2/3rds full in the freezer and let both sit overnight. Just before the ride I would take another Polar bottle and fill it with ice and pour the now cold Gatorade into it, then take a 3rd bottle and fill it with 1/2 ice and fill with Gatorade.

Now when riding I would drink from the 1/2 iced one first, then the full ice one next the frozen one last. These 3 bottles would last about 2 1/4 hours (drinking 1 24oz bottle per 45 minutes). On longer rides I would ADD a Camelback Rogue that holds 70ozs which I also filled full of ice then cold Gatorade (this will also help keep your back a bit cooler).

If you noted I used 75% strength Gatorade, after the ice melted down the dilution factor would be about 30 to 50% strength which is just right.

This example I gave you is demostrating 100 degree heat, you live between 75 and 95 which makes it important to have insulated bottles. Even in 75 degree heat non-insulated bottles will only be cool for about 30 minutes and less in AL bottles. AL is a great temperture absorber, thats why it's used in cooking pans because it heats up very quickly, this same effect will happen with a AL bottle. Even if you fill a AL bottle with ice on a 85 degree day your looking at about 30 minutes before the liquid is at the very least warm.

The same is also true if you live in a cold climate, noninsulate bottles could freeze your liquid in less then an hour; and again AL would react faster.

True...to a point. But...

1. Cycle tourists often take in every bit of liquid for their entire tour from waterbottles.

2. Many of us use our bottles to drink tea or other hot liquids. Boiling liquids poured into plastic bottles increases the level of bad stuff that gets into the water much like the microwaved plastic wrap.

3. Stainless bottles do not absorb flavors like plastic bottles do.

4. For ultralight tourists a stainless bottle can be used to boil water right over a flame.

Oh awlright! I know you are speaking wisdom here. Makes sense. But the stainless steel bottles are just SO cool looking. Also, what's the best way to really get the polar bottles clean? I doubt they would survive the dishwasher. Every week I soak mine in a little baking soda and hot water to rid it of odors, but it just doesn't seem very sanitary.
Does anyone make an insulated but lightweight SS bottle?

Sigg water bottles are very widely used in Europe, the dents , scratches and war wound are signs of 'proper' use. The more battered the Sigg the greater respect for the drinker. !

As long as you get the water bottles (and not the almost identical fuel bottles) then you wont get the aliuminium taint and no sigg bottle should ever leak unless the washer at the top is missing (easily replaceable in any good mountain store or by an elastic band)

wait, how do you drink from those things? I just squeeze all or suck all the water out of my bottle.