Quality water bottles -- need suggestions
 

My wife and I have been using Zefal Arctica, insulated, BPA-free (Made in France) 750 ml bottles and are ready to move up to higher quality gear. We have 5 of them, and the main problems are that (1) their insulation does not hold, and (2) the caps crack and leak. So that's a fail.

Granted we are in Arizona -- today we rode 30 miles, starting at 77 degrees, ending at 116 degrees. We are not expecting the impossible, but with the bottles full of ice, water added in the cracks, the water is basically warm in an hour or so. So we'd like something with better insulation than the plastic and foam. Ideally would like vacuum insulated, metal bottles, clad in rubber so they don't rattle, sized to still fit in a standard bottle cage. If possible not made in China, but that may not be entirely avoidable. Any suggestion are appreciated -- thank you

The tradition of BF is for the first response to completely not answer the question at all, but go off on a different tangent. ;)

With that said, when I was a kid and my family went on long hikes, some folks would wrap their canteen in a canvas bag, and soak the bag. The evaporation was supposed to keep the contents of the canteen cool. Don't know if that would be a partial solution or not.

I use POLAR and CAMELBAK bottles.

Freeze them for 48 Hours before using.
Wrap one or Two in a hand towel and the Ice will LAST over 8 Hours in side a pannier.

Bargin Pricing. I fine them at Goodwill for 99 Cents just about every visit.

Today at 2 PM we hit 99*F. Felt like 118*F

^^^This. Freeze the entire bottle and it will surely last for a 30 mile ride.:thumb:

Other HOT Riding Tips.
Pour Ice Water on the back of your Neck
Entering a Convince Store look for an open Beer Cooler.
Place the Top Side of your hands on the Ice or Cold Cans.
This cools your blood as you leave them there.
We do have some Walk in Beer Coolers.... SO NICE.

Yeah, as Gresp15C said, here at BF you often get what you don't ask for. So here is my 2¢

I don't use insulated bottles at all. My reason is that the insulation takes up space I rather have in fluid. To a lesser part it adds weight and bulk that I'd rather not carry on long rides.

I am not particular about the temperature of the drink that comes out of them even when I ride in 100°F temps or better. I'd think really cold water would make me get stomach cramps when cycling hard. And I've always believed that cold water takes longer to get absorbed by your body. Since I put most of my carbs in my bottles, I don't want to hinder that process.

I use nothing but Camelbak bottles and have never had a problem with them. Some have to be over 10 years old by now.

I have one from Aldi and a Camelbak. Both work fine. Fill & freeze is the ticket

Ok this must win the "Comment of the Day" prize! :roflmao:

I have just put my bottles in the freezer, will see how that works tomorrow. My dream continues to be that I find a 750ml (24oz) vacuum insulated bottle with a nipple/fast cap, that fits in the hold. Will post here if I find something interesting. Thermos has a promising product but it's out of stock. Oh well, the quest continues.

Thank you ALL for the funny and meaningful answers.

Excellent point. I saw some 500-550 ml bottles online which are nonstarters. Even two 750ml bottles seem barely adequate in our very dry climate (on my ride today humidity was 5%, that leads to a lot of insensible losses).

No idea how good these are. https://www.travelkuppe.com/

These guys make a double walled stainless steel bottle and they also sell flip top drinking caps. The OD is maybe 1/8 under standard cages but that is a minor challenge to overcome. And, drinking 120F water is not pleasant. It probably would cool you more pouring it over sun arms and leggings than drinking it at that temp.

https://rticoutdoors.com/Water-Bottl...SAAEgJAlPD_BwE

By its very nature, I think vacuum insulation takes up too much volume to have a 750ml bottle that will fit in a cage. I've gotten used to drinking water that matches the ambient temperature, but I don't ride in 100 + degree heat because we just don't get that in these parts (so far). I'm fine with upper 90s, however. I do find that on a 60+ mile ride on a very hot day, I am going to need to make a convenience store stop for water.

Camelback Podium bottles are indestructible as far as I can tell.

When I lived in Scottsdale Arizona I just got used to drinking hot water on summer rides. I got my bottles at Landis on Scottsdale Road and Shea blvd. Their branded bottles are pretty good and large. I would usually fill one with ice cubes and water and the other with just water. I'd drink the water first and by the time I got to the ice cubed water, it was hot also.......

I don't like the insulated bottles either, for the reasons previously stated. I also found that I couldn't drink cold insulated water quickly enough to stay hydrated, hence another reason I stopped using insulated bottles.

I threw out a Polar water bottle last month because it had cracked. As it was 10 years old, I figure I got my money's worth out of it.

I also have a couple Camelbak insulated bottles. Loaded with ice and water, either works to keep water cooler than ambient for a couple hours -- by which time it's time to have drunk the two bottles on my bike, and I need a break, so stop at the nearest convenience store and refill on the ice and water. If I'm heading to places where there are no convenience stores, or riding in the heat of last year with soft drink dispensers cut off, I have to load up a hydration pack.

These are great bottles. I second this. I just don't think insulated bottles are worth it. They either don't work or they work but don't have enough space.

On hottish hikes and rides I give into wearing a Camelbak Hydration backpack so I can constantly sip cold water. I place the backpack in the freezer full of water for 2 hours prior to the hike or ride. I also add a 16 oz frozen electrolyte drink to the pack pouch to keep the water cold and within a couple of hours it melts to give me a cold electrolyte drink when I need it.

https://www.camelbak.com/recreation/...e/CB-2245.html

I also carry two 32 oz Camelbak Reign insulated bottles unfrozen and they stay cool for a couple of hours in 85F heat. I do not think you will have much luck keeping anything cool no matter the bottle type for long in 100F+ temps unless you freeze it. The Reign bottles fit both my 58 cm frames with both carbon and aluminum bottle cages.

Camelbak Podium Chill FTW! 25 oz. Freeze them and water stays cold for a good while, even it hot, humid weather.

I just ordered one from Amazon and will report back with the experience


That's exactly the point -- reducing the core temperature just does not happen with water that hot. Yesterday was an aberration, with temps of 116 by the time we were done; reason is that we started later than usual, and then we met some nice guys on the ride and stopped at one of the guys' house to drink some cold lemonade and have a look at his superb classic Italian bikes. So it was 10am by the time we were done. It was nonetheless worth it, as we made new friends. I think we both had mild heat shock; my wife was nauseous right away, and we were both more fatigued than usual the whole day. Today I rode alone, admittedly a much shorter ride, but was done by 6 am; temps were still in the 70s. It's probably ok to ride up to about 8:30 in the summer.

So my main interest is to see if we can keep the water cooler a little longer. Will start freezing plastic bottles and see where that takes us. Convenience stores and Starbucks are great to buy cold sparkly water, and that may be the best solution after all.


Haha I live not too far from that store and frequent them. Small world.

Do you freeze them with our without the water in them? I've heard recommendation is to fill halfway, lay bottle on it's side and then freeze. Then fill with water. I guess this way you don't start off waiting for enough ice to melt to get a drink :-)

I have an insulated Polar bottle I bought around 1986. The performance of the bottle is what I would expect from this type. It's not spectacular, but it does keep the contents cool about 1.5 hours into a ride with increasing temperatures on late-morning rides in desert conditions.

What truly is spectacular is their customer service. Twice, over the years, I have contacted them about a replacement stopper in the cap. I was willing to pay for a new stopper or cap/stopper assembly, and twice they sent a new stopper to me, free of charge. I e-mailed a picture of the bottle to them because the logo is almost completely worn away, but they were able to identify it and mailed the correct stopper to me. Needless to say, if this bottle ever cracks, or is otherwise unusable, I'll be buying a Polar as a replacement, simply because I want to be aligned with that company-culture.

Good luck. I guess when you look at one of these it's easier to understand problems that exist with getting anything over 20oz in double-wall insulated steel, as the size of this 20oz bottle is pretty darn big already.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...34d5e9ef5e.png

That's a good idea. I should have mentioned that I usually only fill and freeze one of my two, leaving a little vacant space at the top because water expands when it freezes.

I know. I rode more than 12 hours a day for over 7 days in 110-120F temperatures. It is a challenge stay hydrated and not overbaked but it can be done