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View Full Version : Gatorade v. Nalgene



naturejunkie
02-14-2008, 11:03
I'm sure this has been asked before, but does anyone know what the precise weight savings is by switching from Nalgenes to Gatorade bottles? Thanks!

Freeleo
02-14-2008, 11:07
are you talking the solid bottles from nalgene

you might think about these

http://www.handsomebear.com/340703.html

naturejunkie
02-14-2008, 11:13
are you talking the solid bottles from nalgene

you might think about these

http://www.handsomebear.com/340703.html

Huh, I have never seen those before. Interesting. My main concern is cutting weight, do you know how much they weigh?

ScottP
02-14-2008, 11:17
platypus water bags are lighter than nalgenes, and they don't have that huge, silly top.

jersey joe
02-14-2008, 11:19
I'd go with the gatorade bottle personally. Only costs $1, comes filled with gatorade, is very light and is virtually disposable.

Red Hat
02-14-2008, 11:29
People either love Platys or hate em. I got tired of not knowing how much water I had left (since my platy was in my pack),as well as tube and bite valve problems. Just used the gatorade bottles and switched em out when I needed to. Sorry, not sure of weight saved over Nalgenes.

sarbar
02-14-2008, 11:35
If I remember right...
Nalgene: 7 ounces
Snapple or Gatorade bottles: 1 ounce.

hobojoe
02-14-2008, 11:41
People either love Platys or hate em. I got tired of not knowing how much water I had left (since my platy was in my pack),as well as tube and bite valve problems. Just used the gatorade bottles and switched em out when I needed to. Sorry, not sure of weight saved over Nalgenes.
Read this first. http://www.radicalcongruency.com/20050405-are-nalgene-bottles-unsafe-1
Don't know how reliable it is and it certainly won't stop me from using my nalgene. but I definatley wouldn't use the gatorade bottles for a long time. Buy new ones regularlt.

Alligator
02-14-2008, 11:41
I have a weight of 6.2oz for a narrow-mouth 1 liter Nalgene and 4.5oz for a wide-mouth colored 1l Nalgene.

88BlueGT
02-14-2008, 11:45
I cannot comment on the weight savings but I know that my 32oz Narrow Top Nalgene comes in around 5.8oz's. Now, I am having the same thoughts about cutting weight. The only thing is, Nalgenes are heavier but they are also super strong and very reliable. Is it worth the extra 2oz's? I know Gatorade bottles are strong but I dont think they are as strong as a Nalgene.

oops56
02-14-2008, 12:08
Here's what i think about lite weight geting each piece lite just weigh the whole pack go from there then see what can be left behind or saw ever thing off drill holes. I bet most off you get big heavy cars.

Bearpaw
02-14-2008, 12:12
In the Summer, I prefer the Platypus. In winter, when I have to worry about water freezing and a bottle that can stand up to boiling water, wide-mouthed nalgenes are the hands-down winner for me. I've experienced gatorade bottles and other thinner plastic types buckle under boiling heat.


I cannot comment on the weight savings but I know that my 32oz Narrow Top Nalgene comes in around 5.8oz's. Now, I am having the same thoughts about cutting weight. The only thing is, Nalgenes are heavier but they are also super strong and very reliable. Is it worth the extra 2oz's? I know Gatorade bottles are strong but I dont think they are as strong as a Nalgene.

hobojoe
02-14-2008, 12:16
Apparently, when the plastic in gatorade bottles turns white it is disintegrating, probably not good for you.

Footslogger
02-14-2008, 12:20
I'm sure this has been asked before, but does anyone know what the precise weight savings is by switching from Nalgenes to Gatorade bottles? Thanks!

======================================

Depends in part on the size Gatorade bottle you are talking about. I carry a 20oz Gatorade bottle strapped to my shoulder with shock cord and it is lighter than the 16oz Nalgene I have at home.

Never personally weighed a liter/quart sized Gatorade bottle but my guess is that it would be lighter than the liter Nalgene.

'Slogger

hopefulhiker
02-14-2008, 12:31
I carried a platypus and a wide mouth gator.. I liked buying the gatoraid bottle because you get to drink th gator aid...

Tinker
02-14-2008, 12:56
THAT HUGE SILLY TOP
is what screws directly onto my water filter, eliminating the need for a third hand, fumbling, and (a little) extra weight. Plus it's easier to pour drink mixes into.
I've used Nalgenes for years. First the Poly translucent bottles, then the Lexan (until the big Lexan scare), now the "Unbottles". I've had an Unbottle (liter or quart) since my Georgia section hike in March 06. I use it on every hike, and it's holding up very well.
I have a Platypus also, though I use it less, and it's holding up fine, too.

Tinker
02-14-2008, 12:58
I guess I should add that I use a plastic drink bottle on my shoulder strap and the Nalgene inside my pack for back up/extra water. I buy whatever drink bottle fits best under the bungee cord on my shoulder strap.

Deadeye
02-14-2008, 13:01
My experience is about equal to what's been stated so far: about 6-7 ounces for a 1-liter nalgene bottle, about 1 ounce for a gatorade bottle or other in-store water bottle. Personally, I use a filter bottle and a gatorade bottle, and drink water and diluted gatorade during the day. I also bring along a pair of 2-liter platys for camp water or for dry stretches. Weighs an ounce each, and takes up no space when empty.

baxter
02-14-2008, 13:03
My 1Q Gatorade bottle weighs 1.8oz
My 1L Nalgene PolyCarb widemouth bottle weighs 5.35oz
My 1L Smartwater bottle weighs 1.5 oz

I drive a light-weight, 2 door ford focus hatchback

Mags
02-14-2008, 13:24
I'm cheap. I'm simple.

I go with the Gatorade bottles for all my hikes.

sarbar
02-14-2008, 14:23
Ok, I got home and weighed my bottles....my GSI 1 quart Lexan bottles are 7 ounces.

As for durability, I have used Snapple bottles quite often with no issues when dropping loaded. But....I still do trust Lexan for dropping in boulder fields, etc.

I love coming to scary stream crossings and noticing how many Nalgene bottles are on the far side, washed up :D Go to deep and Pop! out goes the bottle. Gotten some nice matching ones to my bottles. :D

Rainman
02-14-2008, 14:29
1 liter Aquafina/Pepsi/Mountain Dew bottles weigh 1.5 ounces.

My 1 liter nalgenes weigh just under 8 ounces. That's 6.5 ounces more.

I used to carry 2 nalgenes = 1 pound empty. Now a carry a hydration bladder for walking and two empty Pepsi bottles for camp = 3 ounces

Alligator
02-14-2008, 14:45
1 liter Aquafina/Pepsi/Mountain Dew bottles weigh 1.5 ounces.

My 1 liter nalgenes weigh just under 8 ounces. That's 6.5 ounces more.

I used to carry 2 nalgenes = 1 pound empty. Now a carry a hydration bladder for walking and two empty Pepsi bottles for camp = 3 ouncesYour math might be a little off. 2 empty Pepsi bottles weigh 3 oz. Your hydration system likely weighs about 3-4+ oz, including the hose and mouth piece.

kytrailman
02-14-2008, 15:16
I am with Bear. When it is cold, you can't beat the nalgenes for the abililty to use with boiling water. I personally am not a weight weenie and won't notice the few extra ounces. Who needs all of their brain cells anyways--right?? Summer is vitamin water bottles and platys.

Terry7
02-14-2008, 17:44
I use platy because I can squeeze the air out. I get tired of hearing the water sloshing around in the bottles and when a platy is empty you roll it up to the size of a candy bar.

Littlest Hobo
02-14-2008, 18:01
The mouth of my 1 litre nalgene is the perfect size to fit my MSR coffee filter, which I then use to filter out any "floaties" at a given water source. I then use the nalgene to fill up my hydration bladder (my Atmos 50 backpack kinda forces me to use a bladder).

Is it the lightest solution? No. It is more convenient? Absolutely. I guess I'm just saying that sometimes it's not always good to focus on the absolute lightest solution...

hammock engineer
02-14-2008, 18:27
If it helps I got over 1000 miles on my gatoraid bottle last year before it sprang a leak. Probibly could have made it farther if I packed it different.

I saw boiling water put in them. I just don't trust them enough to sleep with. Other people I hike with do.

Also don't put boiling water in the softer white nalgenes. They don't melt but become soft and give my water a funny tast.

Peaks
02-14-2008, 18:32
If my weights are correct:

1 liter HDPE Nalgene: 3.8 ounces
1 liter Lexan Nalgene: 6.4 ounces

1 quart Rubbermade bottle: 2.9 ounces

1 liter gatorade, as posted above: 1.8 ounces, but no way as durable.

Alligator
02-14-2008, 18:33
The mouth of my 1 litre nalgene is the perfect size to fit my MSR coffee filter, which I then use to filter out any "floaties" at a given water source. I then use the nalgene to fill up my hydration bladder (my Atmos 50 backpack kinda forces me to use a bladder).

Is it the lightest solution? No. It is more convenient? Absolutely. I guess I'm just saying that sometimes it's not always good to focus on the absolute lightest solution...I use a soft-bodied nalgene and a tea strainer to do what you've said. They weigh about the same as a 1L but the capacity is higher (96 oz).

Cabin Fever
02-14-2008, 19:12
As for the hubbub about Bisphenol A, my company, Eastman Chemical, has come out with a bisphenol free plastic called Tritan. We have started making Camelbak's plastic and Gerber is calling too!

GGS2
02-14-2008, 19:15
As for the hubbub about Bisphenol A, my company, Eastman Chemical, has come out with a bisphenol free plastic called Tritan. We have started making Camelbak's plastic and Gerber is calling too!

What's it made of?

Bob S
02-14-2008, 19:32
What's it made of?
Plastic:D

GGS2
02-14-2008, 19:38
Plastic:D

:clap:clap No, really!! :D

Dogwood
02-14-2008, 19:55
Hey, TwoBy does your company manufacture any thing that could replace a Nalgene style and sized trail bottle manufactured with Tritan?

Bob S
02-14-2008, 20:00
:clap:clap No, really!! :D



It just seemed like too good to pass up that statement, Me Bad! :)

oso loco
02-14-2008, 20:58
If my weights are correct:

1 liter HDPE Nalgene: 3.8 ounces
1 liter Lexan Nalgene: 6.4 ounces

1 quart Rubbermade bottle: 2.9 ounces

1 liter gatorade, as posted above: 1.8 ounces, but no way as durable.


How durable do you need them to be? We've used the same Gatorade bottles to hike the CDT, the GDT, part of the GET, a lot of dayhikes and short backpacking trips and around the house. Pretty much 2 solid years of everyday use.

We don't do the hot water routine - never found it necessary.

Bob S
02-14-2008, 22:46
To test it’s durability, fill it with water and toss it in the air and let it land on blacktop. See how it holds up. I did this with several plastic bottles, A Pepsi bottle holds up great. So did the Listerine bottle I used for Alcohol.

Cabin Fever
02-14-2008, 23:15
My company doesn't make the bottles, we make the material. The Tritan plastic is a copolyester and that is about as much as I can say (not James Bond as much as I can say, but I am not knowledgeable enough in that field as much as I can say).

It was unveiled last fall so there are not a lot of takers right now.

Survivor Dave
02-14-2008, 23:24
Yes, the 1 liter widemouth Nalgene weighs 6 3/8 oz. The Gatorade liter is about an ounce or so.

I tried making coffee in the Gatorade bottle, even after it cooled a minute or so, and over time it melted in spots. Lexan does not have that issue. In professional kitchens they call it Lexan.

Gatorade good-Pee bottle
Nalgene good-Hot coffee

Don't gettem' mixed up:jump:jump

Maybe use the 16 oz.(14 oz. marked on bottle) with the widemouth if you want it for something hot. It weighs about half the liter Nalgene.

Too much time..............:eek:

Would someone please............take me to Springer already! :banana

Thanks Footslogger!

SD

River Runner
02-15-2008, 00:46
Agree with Bearpaw that the Nalgene (Lexan) would be far superior for winter use.

I haven't found it necessary for 3-season. I primarily use a 2 L Platypus with a Platy sport for back up and hanging from my hammock ridgeline for nightime sips of water. Lately I've taken to using a recycled drink bottle (forget the brand, but similar to Gatoraide) for sports drink mixes & breakfast use (hot cocoa, cappuchino, etc.). It seems to hold up fine to hot water so far.

Catnip
02-15-2008, 07:07
Just another data point: My 32 oz Gatorade bottle (label and cap ring removed) is 1.7 oz on a scale that says it's accurate to 0.1 oz.

Full of water, it's 35.7 oz, so I guess it holds around 3 ounces more than the label volume. (Might be useful info to someone.)

Rainman
02-15-2008, 12:04
Your math might be a little off. 2 empty Pepsi bottles weigh 3 oz. Your hydration system likely weighs about 3-4+ oz, including the hose and mouth piece.

Ya. I wasn't counting the weight of the bladder. Just the bottles I replaced.

ofthearth
02-15-2008, 12:28
green nalgene black cap 180 grams 6 1/4 oz
milky nalgene blue cap 108 grams 3 3/4 oz
gator aid orange cap (damp) 50 grams 1 3/4 oz
(no lable, cap ring removed)

88BlueGT
02-15-2008, 13:28
My 32oz Nalgene filled to where the neck starts to rise on a narrow mouth (about 38oz) with water came out a 2lb 11.7oz..... just a little FYI.

oso loco
02-16-2008, 00:23
To test it’s durability, fill it with water and toss it in the air and let it land on blacktop. See how it holds up. I did this with several plastic bottles, A Pepsi bottle holds up great. So did the Listerine bottle I used for Alcohol.

So - do you do a lot of hiking on blacktop? :)

If you wanta test durability, go hike a couple/four thousand miles with them. Dropping them on blacktop just tests impact resistance - not long term durability.

Mmm - yeah - I don't carry a pee bottle either. It's extra weight that I don't need. :D

Bob S
02-16-2008, 00:51
So - do you do a lot of hiking on blacktop? :)

If you wanta test durability, go hike a couple/four thousand miles with them. Dropping them on blacktop just tests impact resistance - not long term durability.

Mmm - yeah - I don't carry a pee bottle either. It's extra weight that I don't need. :D


Do I hike on blacktop? No not normally. But if I test a fuel or water bottle and it breaks when it lands on the blacktop or concrete I can make an educated guess that it won’t last the thousands of miles you talk about if it gets dropped on some rocks while hiking. But if it does, then I use it as I do with the bottles I carry.


I guess the next question is do you carry a bottle that you have no idea if it will survive a good fall?

Programbo
02-17-2008, 18:52
People either love Platys or hate em. I got tired of not knowing how much water I had left (since my platy was in my pack),as well as tube and bite valve problems.

Yeah that`s what I want..To be walking down the trail sucking liquid thru a tube like some sort of Borg drone :p

tlw08
02-17-2008, 23:29
I use a 16oz HDPE bottle for hot drinks. Don't need that hard plastic bleeding its poisons into me! I rotate in a new 32oz gatorade bottle once a week or every two weeks for water.

88BlueGT
02-18-2008, 04:00
I wonder why everyone has different weight measurements for their 1L Nalgene bottles. Inaccurate scales? Some people say their Nalgenes have been 8oz some say 4, some 5. I'm not 100% correct but when I weighed mine it came in at 5.8oz's.

BTW, does anyone know the weight difference between wide mouth and narrow mouth?

Bearpaw
02-18-2008, 11:56
Yeah that`s what I want..To be walking down the trail sucking liquid thru a tube like some sort of Borg drone :p

Try it just once Programbo. You WILL be assimilated. Resistance is futile......;)

oso loco
02-19-2008, 00:24
Do I hike on blacktop? No not normally. But if I test a fuel or water bottle and it breaks when it lands on the blacktop or concrete I can make an educated guess that it won’t last the thousands of miles you talk about if it gets dropped on some rocks while hiking. But if it does, then I use it as I do with the bottles I carry.


I guess the next question is do you carry a bottle that you have no idea if it will survive a good fall?

LOL!!! I use bottles that HAVE survived more than four thousand miles - Gatorade bottles. Never had one break. But in the past (a LONG time ago), I HAVE had a Nalgene break. :D

88BlueGT
02-19-2008, 02:02
And how the hell did you manage to break a Nalgene bottle?

take-a-knee
02-19-2008, 08:26
And how the hell did you manage to break a Nalgene bottle?

The old white ones will eventually get brittle and break, probably from UV exposure. I've never seen a lexan bottle break, but I'm sure someone has managed to do so.

Rainman
02-19-2008, 14:29
The old white ones will eventually get brittle and break, probably from UV exposure. I've never seen a lexan bottle break, but I'm sure someone has managed to do so.

I have one I got from the GMC when I bought a bunch of stuff for my LT hike in '05. It has a crack in it. Amazingly, it still holds water!

oso loco
02-20-2008, 01:18
And how the hell did you manage to break a Nalgene bottle?

You had to ask ..........:D

As I recall, I dropped it on the rocks in PA. That was, like, 1990 or 91. So yeah - it was one of the "older" ones.

Disclaimer - I don't work for Gatorade - or even have stock in the company. :)

Kirby
02-21-2008, 09:16
I use Gatorade bottles, that way if I loose it, I'm not angry.

I also use a camelback bladder for water.

Kirby

jersey joe
02-21-2008, 10:06
I use Gatorade bottles, that way if I loose it, I'm not angry.
Kirby

Sounds like a good reason to me Kirby.

tlw08
02-21-2008, 13:57
Sounds like a good reason to me Kirby.

I've lost gatorade bottles and have been upset. :(

You grow an emotional attachement to anything you use that frequently, I think.

Mags
02-21-2008, 14:28
I never buy Nalgene's anymore.

I find them on the trail, or get it as schwag (trailwork, promotions, etc.)

I did use a nalgene to carry a bunch of scrambled egg mix on a recent hut trip, though.

jaiden
02-21-2008, 23:33
I have a 16oz nalgene I'm fond of, which I carry in addition to a platy bladder, especially when I want a hot drink. Another nice thing about it is that I can fill it with boiling water, slip it inside a sock (then another, turned around) and it stays warm for hours. It dries the sock and keeps me toasty. I don't have nearly the miles most of the folks here do, but understand that it's not an all-or-nothing proposition. I feel that I get all the advantages of a nalgene with only a 2-3 oz penalty.