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  1. #1
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    Default Wide or narrow mouth bottles and why?

    Just pondering on the trail water requirements and I'm deciding which would be best. I'm aware that one could fit bigger things, i.e. ice cubes in the wide mouth but I'm not sure of any other difference...
    “If there’s one thing the AT teaches, it is low-level ecstasy—something we could all do with more of in our lives.”

  2. #2
    Hiker bigcranky's Avatar
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    I like the wider mouth Gatorade bottles. Using a Sawyer Squeeze it's easier to get the water in the bottle. Using an aqua mira tablet, ditto. Easier to drink from, for me anyway. They cost a buck at the grocery store and come filled with free Gatorade.
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    Most SteriPen models require wider opening. SteriPen has one model that will fit narrow-mouth bottles but I think its batteries cannot be replaced (though I may be wrong on this.)

  4. #4
    Virginia Tortoise
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    If you are talking about Nalgene bottles I have some of each. They both have advantages and disadvantages.

  5. #5
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    I use a wide-mouth Nalgene, with a cap that offers a narrow opening. Gives me the best of both worlds

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hummy585 View Post
    Just pondering on the trail water requirements and I'm deciding which would be best. I'm aware that one could fit bigger things, i.e. ice cubes in the wide mouth but I'm not sure of any other difference...
    Arent too many ice cubes on the trail

    I use plain ol water bottles. Easy to replace, find anywhere, and light.

    Gatorade/powerade bottles are more durable, thats the main advantage I see. But they are heavier than a plain dasani 1L water bottle .

    I havent had a dasani bottle fail yet. I have had hole in the ultralight crinkly eco water bottles. Im cautious not to accidentally drop a water bottle off a cliff or something.
    Last edited by MuddyWaters; 12-05-2015 at 22:28.

  7. #7
    Registered User Lyle's Avatar
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    ...........
    Last edited by Lyle; 12-06-2015 at 00:00.

  8. #8
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    In freezing conditions it is better with a wide mouth bottle. A narrow mouth bottle will plug up more easily. If you also store the wide mouth bottle upside down (preferably inside the sleeping bag or down jacket in your pack), you will always get to the water that has not yet turned into ice.

  9. #9
    GSMNP 900 Miler
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    I like the wide mouth to make it easier to pour in drink mixes.

  10. #10
    Registered User Wise Old Owl's Avatar
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    uh my vote is Go hike,,,, worry about this.....much later
    Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

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  11. #11

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    Wide mouth bottles are easier to fill and much easier to clean. Think "sweetened drink left in bottle accidentally and gunk growing" scenario.

  12. #12
    Registered User Siestita's Avatar
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    Like Big Cranky (#2), I find that the one liter Gator Aid bottles meet my needs well. I carry two of them with me on almost every backpacking trip that I make. Overnight I re-hydrate fruit, such as dried apricots, to eat with cereal the next morning. That would not work with a narrow mouth bottle.

  13. #13
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    Wide mouth bottles make the best drink (and pee) bottles, IMHO. Just don't get hem mixed-up.

  14. #14
    Registered User mountainman's Avatar
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    if you want the lightest bottle possible, then your looking at the narrow top. they are harder to fill. I carry the bottom half of a very thin water bootle to scope up water. this bottle will mash down to almost nothing.
    If you use the Sawyer as I do then you should get a SmartScource bottle . The Sawyer screws right on it.

  15. #15
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    Another vote for Gatorade. For winter you can use bubble mailing envelopes as bottle jackets to prevent (or greatly delay) freezing.

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    Wide mouth. Easy to fill. Easy to drink from.

    Another thing to consider is where/how they will be stored. If stored in pockets, any wide mouthed bottle will suffice. If strapped to front of pack, a wide mouth bottle with deep grooves is desirable. I use these. After many iterations, I found these to be the most functional given my preferences.

    gold_peak_tea.jpgPeak Bottle.jpg
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    Last edited by BirdBrain; 12-06-2015 at 10:12.
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    I find narrower mouth bottles easier to drink out of while walking. Wider mouth bottles are easier to fill . . . especially for winter hikes (the only time I use a nalgene bottle) where I keep a wide-mouth bottle inside my jacket and fill it with snow as I drink the water letting my body heat melt the snow while I ski, snowshoe, or whatever. It keeps me from having to carry as much water and/or otherwise having to stop and melt snow for drinking during the day. It can also keep me from overheating during vigorous activity.
    I'm not lost. I'm exploring.

  18. #18
    Garlic
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    Easy answer for me. You have to pay money for wider mouth bottles. Narrow mouth plastic bottles are free for the picking up at every road crossing. Better than free--you're taking something out of the trash stream.

    That said, I do own one Nalgene for winter trips.
    "Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning

  19. #19
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    I use bottles instead of a tube and like to walk along while snacking/ drinking - I noticed a lot more spillage with wider mouth bottles

  20. #20
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    Hiking out west in scarce water country, I wanted capacity, so I went with 4 1.5L bottles. Not that I ever had them all full, but I did have the capacity. These were bottles from the grocery, with the narrow tops. I found that amazon has drinking tubes with replacement caps for these bottles for about $13.

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