Come on now, isn't one plastic water bottle just like all the rest? If this were true, wouldn't everyone be reusing the plastic bottles that you get free when you purchase bottled water? Of course they are different, and one of the best ones you can buy is the Lexan Wide-Mouth water bottle from Nalgene. Here's what makes it world class:

• Virtually indestructible. This bottle is made out of tough Lexan plastic, and it would take a lot of work to break one. Just think if you dropped your only water bottle while out on an adventure, and it broke. Where would you be then?
  
   
• Another advantage of Lexan plastic is that is adds little or no negative smell or taste to your water or other beverage. I have drunken out of some plastic bottles that radically changed the flavor of its contents, ruining the taste.
  
   
• And while we are still talking about Lexan, another advantage of it is its ability to stand up to cold and heat: from -135ºC (-211ºF) to 135ºC (275ºF). You can pour boiling water into the bottle and it won't be affected. Try that with some other plastic bottles, and they become a melted mess. The bottle is dishwasher safe.
  
   
• The wide mouth makes it easier to drink from, and to pour ingredients into, if you are mixing a flavored drink.
  
   
• The lid is attached to the bottle so it can be accidentally lost.
  
   
• Wide-mouth bottles are available in a variety of sizes, including 500 ml (16 ounce), 1-liter (32 ounce), 1.5-liters (48 ounce).
  
   
• The ever popular 1-liter (32 ounce) size bottle weighs only 4.5 ounces.

The Nalgene Lexan Wide-Mouth bottles are suitable to virtually any adventure where you need water. This includes hiking, backpacking, cycling, climbing, mountaineering, trekking, and adventure travel.

Using the Nalgene Lexan Wide-Mouth Bottle in the Real World

Generally speaking, I like to begin my outdoor adventures with at least two liters of water. I either carry water in a hydration pouch, or in two, one-liter Nalgene Wide-Mouth bottles. I usually use the hydration pouch for day trips, and carry it within a day pack. On overnight trips of one day or longer, I carry two Nalgene Wide-Mouth bottles, and carry them in the mesh pockets of my pack.

The reason I use a hydration pouch on day trips is that I find them more convenient to carry and use.

But on longer trips, I find it overall more convenient to use bottles, for a wide variety of reasons. First, they generally weigh less than many hydration pouches; second, they are tougher and survive more abuse when out for many days; and third, if I want to boil water for purification purposes, I can poor boiling water directly into the bottles, something I can't do with a hydration pouch.

While Nalgene Lexan bottles are tough, they can freeze and break if completely full. So if you are out in cold weather, you will want to ensure that the bottles are not completely full, so if they do freeze, they won't break. Also, you can carry them in an insulated bottle holder, or carry them in a pocket of your insulated jacket, to help prevent them from freezing.

Another, less common use for these bottles is as a pee-bottle, when you have to go and don't have any other options at the moment. This is especially true if you are mountaineering. Here, the wide-mouth comes in really handy. It goes without saying that such a bottle should be designated for its single use, and be well marked.

Recommendation

You can't go wrong with a Lexan Wide-Mouth bottle from Nalgene, no matter how you put it to use.

Product Notes

Lexan Wide-Mouth bottles are available in a wide variety of colors. The 1-liter (32 ounce) bottle retails for about $7.00-8.00, with colored bottles being slightly higher than grey bottles. Nalgene also offers Lexan bottles with narrow mouths, but I find these less useful.