Which aluminium water bottles do folk use for hiking ?

[forgotmyoldpassword]

I've used a alu Sigg bottles for a while and they're great for SAR use where I l need a really robust piece of kit which (hopefully) can survive a landrover door being closed on it.  Mine now has enough dents and scratches to call it 'seasoned' and I quite like it that way - however today I'm not sure it's the best you can get.  I'm aware plastic water bottles start breaking apart with heavy use and you end up getting microflakes of plastic in your drinking water so I end up rotating them every few months.


Nalgene HDPE bottles are imo better, has a nice measure down the side so you can see how much water you're pouring in to things/got left at a glance, decent in the cold and a wide mouth is useful for filling.


Only real benefits I'd say an alu bottle is would be extreme durability and you can heat it directly.  Oh and some of the Sigg bottles look quite cool.

[Peak]

The Sawyer and Smart water bottle combination works really well, used by many UK & US backpackers now.

[GoneWest]

...Only real benefits I'd say an alu bottle is would be extreme durability and you can heat it directly...

That's why I carry a 1/2 litre aluminium bottle (bought from Poundland) - together with a Sawyer Mini and other "survival" bits and pieces - on any walk except my strolls up and down the local hill, which unfortunately characterise my walking rather too much, at the moment!

[Lee R]

We just re-use plastic bottles. Walking/gym/work...... I do have a hydration bladder though which I will use on 'longer' walks.

[shortwalker]

I carry a water bottle/vacuum flask. Great especially at this time of year as I can make myself a coffee before I go and still have a hot drink 4 hours later. I find it a lot easier than a conventional flask as  I can just have a "slerp" 

[Dyffryn Ardudwy]

If Ed Stafford chose to use a Camelbak water bottle, for his epic adventure up the Amazon river, then that's a big enough endorsement for buying one.

I own a Sigg mini flask, which is very high quality, but i am not a convert to aluminium water bottles, so cannot suggest you buy one, but their extremely popular.


Best place to buy one, if you must have a Sigg or equivalent aluminium, is TK Max.


They had a vast selection of Sigg bottles a few weeks ago, in all the designs you could ever want, and none of them cost more than £12.

[archaeoroutes]

I don't like drinking from metal bottles. Don't like the taste, the feeling, or freezing to them/burning my lip.


I've also had a lot of scares when people drink from the wrong colour. I was brought up on "silver=meths, red=petrol, blue=drinking water" for Sigg type bottles. It avoided the risk of flare ups from wrong fuel and contaminated water.

[Peak]

I am a regular visitor to TK Maxx and have never seen a genuine Sigg bottle for sale, must try harder.

[jimbob]

I am a regular visitor to TK Maxx and have never seen a genuine Sigg bottle for sale, must try harder.

Yep they do, probably the colour maybe stopped you looking too much. https://www.tkmaxx.com/uk/en/made-to-do-good/reusables/pink-water-bottle-1l/p/85539584

[Stube]

I have some poundshop aluminium bottles but only use them on the rare occasions when I go winter camping and may need a hot water bottle. 
I routinely use a Travel Tap (plastic bottle with built in activated carbon filter) and a stainless steel flask for a hot drink. 
Overnight camping I supplement these with a wine box bladder for additional water - easier to control the flow into a pot than a Platypus type collapesable bottle.

[Peak]

Jinbob, thanks for that, I would not have noticed that, good price for a Sigg though.

[Birdman]

I don't use an aluminium bottle. For me, nothing works better than a Smartwater bottle. It's almost unbreakable and nothing is lighter. And they are free (because garbage).