Bottles in our range are quite similar and differ only in minor details. However, we thoroughly test them on humans (i.e., on ourselves) so that we can share our own experience with using them.
And to spice things up, we decided to take our entire home arsenal of bottles on a month-long trip to Ireland and test them all at once. So, joining us on the expedition to the evergreen country were a Mizu thermos, a Salewa Runner bottle, our favorite Nalgene On The Fly (in two color variants), and a Nalgene Wide Mouth. We were also accompanied by classic PET bottles, in which we bought drinking water. Each option has its pros and cons, but let's go through them one by one.
Mizu – Hot coffee all day long
The first to undergo a real stress test was the Mizu thermos. We had a long drive ahead of us across Germany to the port in Calais, so a caffeine supply for the road was a necessity.
We filled the thermos with boiling coffee around six in the morning. However, the coffee was still at a drinkable temperature the next morning, i.e., about 26 hours after brewing! Yes, you read that right – the coffee stayed hot all day in the bottle.
It is true that we were traveling by car, so the ambient temperature was around 20 °C. On the other hand, we also left the cap open so the drink would cool down at least a little. For the next batch of coffee, we therefore put it into the thermos already at a temperature suitable for drinking.
And what is its secret? The Mizu thermos has a longer thread on the neck so that heat does not escape. Opening it is therefore a bit more time-consuming, but it insulates better and holds the temperature.
Salewa – More heads, more complications
The bottle from Salewa has been at our home for quite a long time, and we are not very fond of its cap system. Thanks to interchangeable lids, the bottle can be opened in various ways. But for us, it is always most practical to open the whole bottle by unscrewing the lid, and that is a bit bizarre with so many options.
The central mechanism of the lid releases differently than the thread itself, and the sealing rubber often falls out of the cap. A clever feature, however, is the built-in handle for easy carrying.
We have no doubts about the quality of the material, but for the reasons mentioned above, we have demoted this bottle to a dog water supply.
Nalgene – Thickness (doesn't) matter
From the workshop of the iconic manufacturer Nalgene, three bottles traveled with us. For us, the most practical and popular is probably the On The Fly with a clever locking cap. We have the bottle in red and blue, and both are great. The advantage of these bottles is the metal lock, which ensures that your drink will not leak. However, if you forget to click the lock, you cannot rely on the seal 100%.
On The Fly is also the ideal bottle for the side pockets of backpacks. It is relatively narrow, so it doesn't unnecessarily stretch the pocket elastics, but at the same time, it has a decent volume of 0.7 liters, which is more than enough for a shorter trip.
The second representative of Nalgene bottles in our team is the Wide Mouth 1 l in a beautiful three-color combination. The bottle has a simple screw cap with a wide neck.
A big advantage of these bottles is the material used, Eastman Tritan™, which is BPA-free. Moreover, it does not absorb odors, and you can even pour hot water into it without fear of damage. We took advantage of this many times when we were boiling tea for the road in front of the tent and didn't want to wait for it to cool down.
And what is the absolute best thing about these Nalgene bottles? That they have interchangeable lids, so you just need to swap the top and you have a drinking spout even on the Wide Mouth bottle. A minor disadvantage with wider bottles is that they may not fit into the pockets of some backpacks. On the other hand, by placing the bottle in the center of the main compartment, you avoid one-sided loading. And your spine will thank you for that.
PET bottles are a thing of the past
Now comes the most fundamental question: Why should I buy a bottle when I can drink from a classic PET bottle? You certainly can, but it is not exactly healthy – for us or for the planet. (Did you know that one PET bottle takes up to 100 years to decompose?)
Unfortunately, we could not avoid buying drinking water in plastic containers, but in the end, we chose a slightly more feasible solution. We always bought a five-liter canister and poured the water into our own bottles.
In Ireland, they are quite behind with plastic waste sorting. Moreover, a PET bottle is difficult to clean, cannot handle hot drinks, and likes to retain odors. In the end, we chose the lesser of two evils, and after returning home, we don't want to see PET bottles ever again.
And the winner is...
So what is the final verdict? We found the Nalgene On The Fly bottle to be the most effective, winning our hearts with its comfortable cap and practical size. Right behind it is the Nalgene Wide Mouth, which you can lend the top from the OTF, and it will reward you with extra volume. In third place is the Mizu thermos, which holds heat excellently, but handling the lid is not as quick. Conversely, the Salewa Runner failed quite a bit for us, mainly due to the impractical closing system.
Tip: Also check out our comparison of the most commonly used bottle materials.
Do you also have experience with any of the tested bottles? We would love to read about it in the comments. :-)
