Stainless Steel Water Bottle

[Rocket Jones]

Yesterday in WalMart I picked up a 650ml stainless steel water bottle on clearance for $2.00. For that price, I could test to see just how watertight it was, with the possibility of using it as a foot warmer in the cold months. If it leaked, I thought maybe a wrap or two of almost-weightless teflon tape could solve the problem. The tag stated "for cold liquids only", but I assume that's for the nitwits who would burn their fingers on the bottle walls which heat up instantly when filled with hot water.

Brought it home, filled it with near-boiling water. Screwed the cap on and placed it on a paper towel in the dish drain with the mouth tilted down.

No leaks. :banana

I found them in two places in the store, near the water bottles in sporting goods and in the clearance aisle. These are not-quite wide mouth (but wider than usual - mid-mouth? :-? ) and come in various colors including regular silver. No branding on them at all. The cap has a plastic gasket, a finger hole and a smaller hole with a split ring and mini-carabiner attached. The regular price was $5.00, marked down to $3, marked down again to $2.00. Check for a good fit on the cap, I rejected a few I tried because the cap didn't "feel right" when screwed on.

[Tinker]

Sounds like you got quite a deal. If you heat water in the bottle by a fire make sure you give it a few minutes for the threads to cool before you screw the top on. Most of the seals are natural rubber and may melt if you put them on when the bottle is hot. You can check for the quality of the stainless with a magnet. If it sticks, the stainless is lower than food grade quality. My Kleen Kanteen cost a pretty penny and claims to be a high grade (14-something) but it's also made in China, so I just cross my fingers every time I drink from it.

[Grinder]

I watched couple of gals (trouble and grandpa) in the hundred mile wilderness use one of these bottles to heat water in the fire. I thought it was genius, but have forgotten what they used to handle the hot container. Seems like pliers or sommat, but pliers seem heavy to carry.
Any one know/remember how to do it efficiently?

my one liter bottle weighs 4 oz, lots heavier than my three year old gator aid bottle at 1 oz, but maybe worth the weight as a light weight pot

[Tinker]

I watched couple of gals (trouble and grandpa) in the hundred mile wilderness use one of these bottles to heat water in the fire. I thought it was genius, but have forgotten what they used to handle the hot container. Seems like pliers or sommat, but pliers seem heavy to carry.

Any one know how to do it?

Don't fill them all the way and wrap a bandanna around the neck to lift them. Don't put them directly on the fire (rake a few coals away and put the bottle in them) and you should not have to worry about a bandanna fire ;).

[Rain Man]

My Kleen Kanteen cost a pretty penny and claims to be a high grade (14-something) but it's also made in China, so I just cross my fingers every time I drink from it.

I picked up a Kleen Kanteen last week at Mast General Store in Greenville, SC. It was on a big sale and I had a gift card from there to burn. I'm pretty sure it said 18/8 for the stainless steel.

It also said "no hot liquids" AND "no freezing." The clerk said that was probably just for dummies who might burn themselves or fill it full and try to freeze it. Of course, that doesn't cover simply being out in freezing temps. The whole thing smacked of corporate "cover my ass" stupidity. They didn't say WHY the warning was there. Was it to prevent burns? Or, is there a lining that will melt away and poison you? Or, ... other?

I did fill it with boiling water and it definitely would burn my fingers if I tried to pick it up without wrapping it in a t-shirt first.

I got it for the very purpose of setting it in or next to campfires to heat up water to put in my sleeping bag. I plan to try it out this month and next on two local over-night trips.

Rain:sunMan

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[Tinker]

It's hard to describe the feeling of security you get when you know you have a bottle that can handle hot water that you can use in your bag for those "extra chilly" nights.
I had one such night in Oct. of last year in Pa. when they had a fire ban, so I just toughed it out. Could've used that little extra.

[Rocket Jones]

To pick up a hot bottle (or pot, or whatever), I carry a little strip of silicone oven pad. One inch wide and three inches long, it's just enough to pinch between thumb and finger and protect from the heat.

Good tip about the lip melting the cap threads, I hadn't thought of that.

[Tipi Walter]

I used two Kleen Kanteens on my last backpacking trip and while nifty and interesting and different with a good lid, they are JUST TOO HEAVY!

[Rocket Jones]

I used two Kleen Kanteens on my last backpacking trip and while nifty and interesting and different with a good lid, they are JUST TOO HEAVY!

Walter, I never thought I'd see you use "too heavy" in a sentence. ;)

[Wise Old Owl]

ooooh....That's called a Walter Conundrum.

[Tipi Walter]

Walter, I never thought I'd see you use "too heavy" in a sentence. ;)

All the years of humping excessive weight like an 8 lb pack and an 8 lb tent and four or five books and too much fuel gets me in a funk whereby I pick on the poor little Kleens.

[10-K]

I used two Kleen Kanteens on my last backpacking trip and while nifty and interesting and different with a good lid, they are JUST TOO HEAVY!

Coming from a guy who carries a hoop of cheese. :)


(you're my winter hiking hero btw...)

[Tipi Walter]

Coming from a guy who carries a hoop of cheese. :)


It was goat cheese but it was only HALF A HOOP!

[Rocket Jones]

You can check for the quality of the stainless with a magnet. If it sticks, the stainless is lower than food grade quality.

I checked with a magnet this morning. No sticky.

[Wise Old Owl]

One wonders if you put boiling hot water into a sealed container and the cap on too tight, when it cools the cap might become to hard to get off.

[Rocket Jones]

One wonders if you put boiling hot water into a sealed container and the cap on too tight, when it cools the cap might become to hard to get off.

I had the opposite concern, that the expansion of the metal flask would allow leakage around the threads. Hence the test.

In the scenario you describe (which wasn't the case in my test), just slightly reheating the flask would expand the metal enough to loosen the cap. Even pouring a little hot water around the lip would do the job.

[Rain Man]

I checked with a magnet this morning. No sticky.

Magnet stuck to my new Klean Kanteen just fine. Hmmmm.

Rain Man

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[Tinker]

Magnet stuck to my new Klean Kanteen just fine. Hmmmm.

Rain Man

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Hmmmmmmm indeed. I just REchecked mine with a stronger magnet - very slightly magnetic. Btw, I think the metal's supposed to be 18/8 stainless, after being questioned about the 14 something number I'd posted. I'll have to check on the magnetic properties of 18/8 to make sure the bottle's really the right stuff.
Reminds me of my old MSR Sierra cookset - supposed to be all stainless - the top only was slightly magnetic and pitted (slowly) after 8 years or so.

[Rocket Jones]

I read something (note: read does not always mean understand ;)) that said food grade means there's more nickel in the alloy, which means less magnetic. FWIW.

[LoneRidgeRunner]

Walter, I never thought I'd see you use "too heavy" in a sentence. ;)

I was surprised to see that too...But Tipi and I think a lot alike. I'm willing to carry a little extra weight (as does Tipi) while hiking if it makes me more comfortable in camp. I do most of my hiking in Winter with short daylight hours and therefore spend more time in camp than walking so it just makes sense to me to go for the comfort where I spend the most time.

[Gipsy]

I'm very attached to my stainless steel 40oz nalgene wide-mouth bottle. They are kind of hard to find and double the price of the plastic ones (about $22), but so well worth it. They dont split when frozen and they don't shrink or melt when you pour boiling water in them. I drilled a tiny hole on each side of the ring below the threads and put 2 tiny eyelet rings in the holes (from a fishing lure). I took #6 wire and made a "U" with which to make a removable pot handle so I can also boil water in it. (I got the pot handle idea from a youtube video).

I have to admit that I was a bit appalled to see a titanium 24oz drinking bottle for $65.

[Rain Man]

One wonders if you put boiling hot water into a sealed container and the cap on too tight, when it cools the cap might become to hard to get off.

WOO, it's air that expands and contracts. Liquid water hardly at all. So, just don't leave any air in it. You can experiment with a plastic bottle, to see what I mean.

Rain:sunMan

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[Zeno Marx]

Slickdeals has $.99 notices every once in a while on wide-mouth stainless bottles. The last time one popped up, I missed getting a handful by maybe an hour.