Kleen Kanteen Water Bottle
Image and review courtesy of backpacker.com
Big Bottle
Safe. Strong. Big. That, in a nutshell, is why we love this bottle. While the BPA debate rages on, stainless steel bottles—which require no lining—have emerged as a no-brainer choice. (Go to backpacker.com/bpanews for a quick primer on BPA—and how to spot a bottle without it.) On the durability front, stainless trumps all other bottle materials; it’s impervious to dents, drops, freezes and thaws, and it never absorbs funky odors, tastes, or colors. But what testers prized most was this bottle’s 64-ounce size, which holds two liters of liquid in less space than two separate bottles.
On a 20-mile-a-day Long Trail thru-hike last fall, a Vermont tester said that the capacity meant less stopping to pump and less fiddling filters from bottle to bottle. The wide mouth makes cleaning, pouring drink mix, inserting ice cubes, and using a wand-style water purifier a breeze, and the opening is compatible with most water filters. Only downside: It’s more expensive than a pair of standard plastic quart bottles. $33; 12.6 oz.; kleankanteen.com
