(Clockwise from top: Klean Kanteen, Oggi Lustre, Sigg Frames Blue, Bilt Fresco)
Yes, we know bisphenol-A (BPA) is suspected of being harmful to humans...we only regret that we had to ditch our Nalgenes. What most water bottle companies don't know is that our Nalgene was so much more than a bottle. It was a hot water compress, an ice pack — less BPA and more BFF. A best friend that you could back a truck over. Can anyone replace the Nalgene in our hearts and in our camping backpacks? We recently interviewed four possible candidates and put them through a litany of tests ranging from freezing, to dropping, to boiling water immersion, to eventually running over with a car. Here's how each fared. — Adrienne So
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Klean Kanteen 27-Ounce__
For style as well as substance, the Klean Kanteen gets top marks in our gear test. The sleek, shiny stainless steel bottle comes in a variety of colors, and the paint was barely scratched by our most rigorous drop tests. We were able to pour boiling hot water into its medium-sized mouth with nary a spill but sipping high quality H2O from it while hiking didn't splash water all over our face. It showed no cracks after freezing and survived being dropped from a two-story building with only a few dents. And it's the toughest we tested too: after repeatedly running it over with a VW Beetle failed to phase it, we ended up taping it to the tire to ensure its destruction. Mission: failed. The Kanteen only ended up becoming moderately crushed but still useable.
WIRED Beautiful design. Wide selection of colors. Overall sturdy construction. Easily found in most outdoor sports stores.
TIRED Medium-sized mouth means it's not the ideal hot water bottle. Cap sprayed when we rolled the car over it, but we'd rather pressure get relieved there than through the side.
$18, kleenkanteen.com
Sigg Frames Blue 20-Ounce
Does this popular, virtually ubiquitous bottle deserve the hype hikers, runners, and other outdoorsy types lavish on it? Yes, but the bottle is far from perfect. Pouring hot water into the narrow mouth meant risking third degree burns (there was more than ample splashback). And while Sigg assures us that their bottles are BPA-free, there was a suspicious hiss whenever we opened the bottle after pouring hot (or cold!) water in it. It crumpled so easily under our car wheel that we had to get out and check if it had actually been run over. But this bottle is still a rough rider: it survived being frozen to -12 degrees Fahrenheit without splitting, and endured the two-story drop without busting open any holes.
WIRED Hugely popular bottle means a huge array of colors, designs and bottle tops. Sturdy enough for most everyday challenges. Narrow mouth is easy to sip from while walking.
TIRED Emitts a strange hiss and contains a twangy aftertaste when boiling water cooled. Crumples like aluminum foil under a car wheel. Less sleek than the Klean Kanteen.
$22, mysigg.com
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Oh, Bilt. If you weren't so homely, you would be the bottle of choice; definitely the spiritual successor to the Nalgene. Your wide mouth nicely accommodates a camping water filter. And it's easy to pour hot water into you too — your cute rounded sides are a delight to cuddle with. And while you didn't split with freezing or being dropped from a two-story balcony, you even managed to match the Klean Kanteen in our stress test. After showing only a hint of damage after backing over it with the Bug, we eventually duct-taped you to the tire to adequately ding your facade up — but seriously, how often does that happen in everyday life? But, Bilt, listen: we just can't get over how ugly you are. Your colored plastic cap is just so...garish. Sorry, but we just need a water bottle that we're not embarrassed to use in public. Yes, this may sound shallow but it's us not you, okay?
WIRED
Incredibly sturdy. Wide mouth makes it the most useful of the group.
TIRED Oh God, it's horrible looking. Don't stare at it for too long. Seriously avert your eyes and don't let small children or the elderly have a glance at it.
$14, built.ca
Oggi Lustre 26-Ounce
Initially it was tough to track an Oggi bottle down. When we finally got our hands on one, we realized why these bottles are hard to find. Granted, the bottle is stunning, a deep purple, and it comes with a useful carabiner. But the narrow mouth was hard to pour hot water into. It was the only bottle in the group to split in the freezer (see pic). It also suffered significant damage from being dropped off the roof and crunched under the wheels of the car. (Clearly, that split didn't help.) Light, cheap, and flimsy, the only time we felt good about this bottle was when it was completely out of sight.
WIRED Gorgeous. Weighs next to nothing. Woot! It comes with matching colored carabiner.
TIRED Cracked like a ruined Wall Street Broker. More fragile than the emotional state of a Hot Topic employee.
(Top photo by Jon Snyder, bottle abuse photos by Adrienne So for Wired.com)
