(Official discussion) Best water canteens

Thomas GomezStaff - December 9, 2020

[See the full post at: Best water canteens]

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I wanted to get one of those Nalgene Stainless steel bottles, but they were not available. I ended up with the “Backpacker” version of the bottle. It holds 1L, but tapers at the bottom. This makes it so it fits nice in the car, but easily slips out if you bag pouch only covers about half the bottle. In the end I’m not a great fan of just because of that. I need to keep it in my bag otherwise it falls out all the time.

Was the only one I found which was 1L. I fear going 38oz will add too much weight.
I’ll probably get the Klean Kanteen 27oz for my girlfriend’s pack.

 

That would be frustrating and possibly dangerous to your survival to have that bottle slip out of your pack and get lost.

Is it double walled or single walled?

I can see it as being tippy if you are trying to boil water in it over a fire. For that case, I would prefer the standard base to give it more stability.

Thank you for sharing your review on this. These are things people need to think about and be aware of.

 

It’s single walled, but you are right that it might tip over if it’s in the fire and starting to boil. I really hadn’t thought about that possibility; another reason to replace it.

 

I can’t find anywhere where it says the thread size for the Vapur 1.5 L Wide-Mouth Anti-Bottle. Does it fit with the Sawyer Squeeze filter?

 

I’m going to say that it doesn’t have a standard opening or thread size. 

You are right, I can’t find it anywhere either, but would love to know that because it would be good to use with a Sawyer Squeeze. 

From the descriptions everywhere, it labels it as a Wide-Mouth bottle. I don’t think that they would label it as such unless they made it wider than a normal bottle opening. Also, I watched a YouTube video on it and it looks much larger than a standard water bottle.

 

Well bummer! Thank you so much for finding this out! Much appreciated!

 

Hi Leigh Ann, 

That particular model does not work directly with a Sawyer mini. Vapur does have a hose system, the Drinklink hydration tube system which can be configured to work with a Sawyer Mini as an inline filter. Some of our contender picks will work directly with a Sawyer. 

Hope this finds you well. 

 

Thank you so much for the feedback! This is a great site and everyone is so helpful! I just bought a sawyer squeeze, will that model work with the vapor system as well? I read on this site where people recommend having more than one water system so I wanna make sure I buy something that is compatible.

 

Thank you for the kind words! You could probably get the Drinklink and the Sawyer Inline adapter to work with The Vapur 1.5. For sheer simplicity the CNOC, HdraPak, and Platypus will work directly with your Sawyer.  

 

I was looking at the CNOC, then I came across the Vapur. Amazon had a pack of 2 for the same price as the CNOC. Link here. I was trying to save money where I could. I think I will just suck it up and get the CNOC. The reviews seem better anyway. I have heard that the Sawyer Inline was not as good as the Squeeze. If anyone can give me feedback on their inline, that would be greatly appreciated. I am new to prepping, and I am so thankful for this site and its community.

 

Leigh Ann, I bought the Hydroblu Versa water filter after reading The Prepared’s article about the best water filters. (https://theprepared.com/gear/reviews/portable-water-filters/) 

I’ve enjoyed it and it has done well for me. It is just like the Sawyer inline filter, but has a better flow rate, and to me feels like it is made a bit more durable than the Sawyer. (I have both)

 

That is the one I think I’ll go with, especially after reading that article, it a good price too I think. So does the hydroblu work well in your opinion?

 

It does work well, although I do want to improve the included bags. The bags it comes with are great, because they are free, but if I want to take my water filtration to the next level i’m thinking of getting one of these.

I have a friend that has one and he says that it is great. It’s a soft, durable, and quiet plastic. (the included bags don’t feel too durable, and are very noisy) And I also like that this bag has the ability to have the top end opened up for easy and fast filling, and it will be much easier to clean as well. 

 

Question: Hi – I’m moving into a van and although I’m adding a sink water filter I also want the ability to drink water from a stream, etc. when I need to. I did a lot of research and found the Grayl. I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on it or if anyone is familiar with it. (I was planning on getting it from REI) – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RT1SWL2

Thank you 🙂

 

That’s smart that you are looking at getting redundant water filtering options.

While we haven’t tested out the Grayl Geopress, we have tested the Grayl ultralight. Here is what we had to say about it from our Best portable water filters article:

Grayl Ultralight Filter Bottle. $60. 16 oz bottle. 150 L (40 gal) filter. 2.0 L/min. 10.9 oz. Virus and metal protection. Popular and well-reviewed, but we think it’s only desirable for stylish everyday carry. Carbon filter. Smaller bottle, partly due to a design that uses a unique “french press” motion instead of filtering as you suck water out. Innovative, but we have concerns about this design in an emergency context (including the very small lifespan) and reports of leaks and cross-contamination increase our suspicion.

So a Grayl water bottle should be good for the situation you are looking for, the occasional water filtration. But I would encourage you to take a look at that Best portable water filters article and look at a few of the other options. There are some cheaper options and ones that can treat many more gallons of water than the Grayl.

 

Very helpful, thank you! And thank you for pointing me toward that article 🙂 

 

Any reason why the guidance favors a metal canteen over the combination of plastic canteen + metal cup? It seems rather impractical to render your primary (sole?) drinking vessel and its contents temporarily unusable for drinking while you boil with it.

I guess an advantage of the metal canteen is that you can sanitize it by heating (boiling water in it), whereas you presumably need something chemical in nature—bleach, purifier tablets in water, alcohol swabs?—to sanitize plastic.

 

I don’t think there is anything wrong with the plastic canteen and metal cup combo. You can go to any military surplus store and get a canteen and kidney cup, and those things are durable!

If that works for you, then I’d say do that. But if you are going to minimalist and weight saving in a BOB or EDC then a single walled stainless steel bottle is probably what I would go with. But thinking about it, the added versatility of having the combo does seem appealing.

 

It may depend on what exactly your priorities are when you say minimalist—size, weight, number of objects / ease of keeping up with, etc. Looking at weight, a rigid plastic 32-oz Nalgene is listed as 6.25 oz, and the GSI cup linked in the article is 4.9 oz, so 11.25 oz total and in arguably negligible extra space beyond the Nalgene itself, since it nests.

The 27-oz Klean Kanteen undercuts that at 7.25 oz while trading away 5 fl. oz. water (and thus ~5 oz water weight, too, for better or worse!). Do they make a single-walled 32-ouncer? Nalgene lists its stainless 32-oz and 38-oz at identical weights (really?): 13.375 oz.

I’d say that makes the Nalgene + cup combo rather appealing for leaving in a BOB.

But yeah, for EDC, you’re not going to be nesting a cup with it if you’re actually using it daily, and the Klean Kanteen looks like—I’ve never owned one—it would fit some cupholders or an outside backpack pocket, while also blending better in a professional setting.

 

If you are using your single walled canteen to boil water in, just know that it will change it’s appearance. First off it will get a bunch of black fire soot on the outside, and the more heating and cooling cycles it goes through will change the color of the metal. Just don’t take your spouse’s nice EDC bottle out camping and expect to bring it back to them in the same condition.

After my camping trips, I take a green scotch brite pad, warm water, and dish soap and clean off all the soot. Over time it changed the color and is now a darker gray. I wanted to see if I could get it all the way clean and back to it’s original color so I used some fine steel wool and scrubbed until it was bright and shiny again. 

If you don’t have a wide mouth canteen and can’t get down into the bottom to clean it, invest in a bottle brush! You’ll thank me later.

 

I happened upon a tiny (literally) prep while shopping for (yet another) Klean Kanteen water bottle: The Klean Kanteen BABY bottle. Yep, you read that right.  A baby bottle.  

I recently had to go on an unexpected international trip and the “regular” 27 oz bottle just takes too much space in my bag. Plus I really want two separate bottles – one for coffee/tea, and one for just water.  I consulted with customer service and they have assured me that the 9 oz baby bottle works with the wide loop cap (not the “TK” one), so I’ve ordered several.  That way I can better distribute the water weight in my carryon bag and have my coffee/tea and drink it too!  I’ll just have to throw out the “baby” tops, since I have no use for them.  

Keep in mind that this is a single walled bottle – which is why I wanted it – so you should put a sock or some other cloth over it for hot drinks to prevent burning your hand. And of course you have to go through TSA with the bottles empty and refill on the other side (most airports now have refilling stations).  

I love that I’ll now have both a “big” bottle that I can use for carrying beverages or for cooking if needed (no cap, of course), and a small one.  When I travel I also tuck tea bags, sweetener, and a few packets of (gasp) instant coffee into my travel cup.  It’s amazing how many travel misadventures are more tolerable with a nice hot cup of caffeine.  

 

Thanks for sharing your find! I EDC a 14oz canteen and like the smaller size. I can refill it often in my daily life so I don’t need much bigger then this. 

Space is at a premium when flying, and it is important to stay hydrated. I also like your tip of slipping a sock over a hot bottle!

 

Hi Gideon, I’m Lucas and I’m a fan of water canteens too. I agree that space and weight are important factors when traveling, especially by air. However, I also think that water quality and safety are equally important. That’s why I use and prefer the ALFA1 Water Filter Canteen. This canteen has a water filter that can remove 99.99% of bacteria, protozoa, heavy metals, and other contaminants from any water source. The water filter cartridge is replaceable and can last up to 1000 liters of water.

It is also durable and has a ergonomic design that can fit comfortably in your hand or backpack. With the ALFA1 Water Filter Canteen, you don’t have to worry about finding a refilling station or buying bottled water. You can just fill it up from any tap, stream, or pond and drink with confidence. Plus, it’s eco-friendly and cost-effective.

I highly recommend the ALFA1 Water Filter Canteen to anyone who loves outdoor activities or travels frequently. It’s a game-changer for me and I’m sure you’ll love it too. If you’re interested, you can visit their official website and order yours today. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

 

Hi Gideon, I’m Lucas and I’m a fan of water canteens too. I agree that space and weight are important factors when traveling, especially by air. However, I also think that water quality and safety are equally important. That’s why I use and prefer the ALFA1 Water Filter Canteen. This canteen has a water filter that can remove 99.99% of bacteria, protozoa, heavy metals, and other contaminants from any water source. The water filter cartridge is replaceable and can last up to 1000 liters of water.

It is also durable and has a ergonomic design that can fit comfortably in your hand or backpack. With the ALFA1 Water Filter Canteen, you don’t have to worry about finding a refilling station or buying bottled water. You can just fill it up from any tap, stream, or pond and drink with confidence. Plus, it’s eco-friendly and cost-effective.

I highly recommend the ALFA1 Water Filter Canteen to anyone who loves outdoor activities or travels frequently. It’s a game-changer for me and I’m sure you’ll love it too. If you’re interested, you can visit their official website and order yours today. Trust me, you won’t regret it.