I have just bought some new kitchen scales, and have weighed all my gear (my old scales were only accurate to about fifty grammes)
So in a bid to cut pack weight, I am wondering which bottles any of you OMers use.
I have always used Laken bottles, as they are strong and totally leak proof. Another option could be fizzy drinks bottles, they would not leak, but can be fiddly to drink from one handed, and can split or crack after prolonged use. As another option I looked up Sigg bottles, only to find they are heavier than my Laken bottles.
As a further revelation, I also discovered that my old plastic plate is 15 grammes lighter than the Orikaso plate (including carry pouch) I replaced it with!
So any suggestions welcome.

Carbonated drinks bottles are the best!

They come in a variety of capacities and you can soon build up a collection and replace them as necessary. I've used them for years and never had one burst or leak. They are lighter than commercially available water bottles. Use a marker pen or sticky tape to indicate capacities on the side of the bottle.

If you drill a hole in the bottle top and insert a length of plastic tube you have a home made hydration system for under a pound.

Best of all - they are free! I have never understood why walkers buy heavy and expensive Nalgene bottles.

Still water bottles in winter, whatever is lying around, hydration system in summer.

I agree wholeheartedly with Hugh. I've been using a couple of Sainsbury's Lemonade bottles since last year and although they weren't free (I don't drink fizzy pop) they were only 37p each.

Fill them with warm water, stick a spoonful of Bicarbonate of Soda in them and leave for a couple of days to remove the smell of the lemonade.

They've had a good bashing but show no signs of leaking. Plus they're nicer to drink from at minus fifteen than the metal Sigg bottles!

I seem to remember they saved me about 130 grams against the Sigg bottles they replaced. Cheapest (non-free) weight saving I've made so far!

If you want to buy something then the Platypus flexible bottles are very light (e.g. about 25g for a litre) and strong, plus of course they fold flat to save space when they're not full.


Edit: they're flexible in other ways too - bottle for walking, bottle for camping use, or fit the available drinking tube and use it as a bladder system when you fancy....

I think everyone is bang on the money regarding free plastic bottles. Way to go!

It's crazy to invest hundreds in fancy, new lightweight gear and disregard the easiest and cheapest weight saving of all.

In regard of specific bottles, I'm not sure it matters too much. I've had success with a couple of 1 litre Volvic water bottles with the 'sport top' thingy. I've never had one break.

Chuck out your Nalgenes/Siggs!

I've been using Lucozade Sport and other bottles for years; there's a box of them under my sink. And, since the original bottles didn't come with 'sport caps', I have a collection of those acquired from around the world (New York, Rangitoto, Auckland, etc.). The first few water bottles I used were excellent ones I got a mate to bring back from NZ (as another mate was also using them).

The smaller bottles also make good meths bottles for short trips.

Of course, there are all sorts of other containers that can be recycled...

Thanks for all your replies, to be honest I used to always use 1 litre fizzy bottles in the past, and I never had one break on me either. I think I will replace my 1 and 1.5 litre Lakens with fizies, and just keep one remaining .5 litre, as my "side pocket" bottle, as it is easier to drink from one handed (due to the fact that it can't collapse, and has an easy grip top).
Looking back to when I used to use fizzy bottles, I remember the advantage of being able to partially collapse them once opened, so that my water didn't slosh around as I walked.
I think I needed to hear that you folks do o.k. with them too. I had managed with them for ten years without a problem, but was wondering if it was just luck.

I like to see any of you 'recyclers' drinking from your bottles while mountain biking or running down a hillside. Oops, I've dropped my lid, I'll catch up...

I use a combination of High5, SIS, Sigg and most recently the very clever Ultimate Direction bottles.
Incidentaly, the bottles you buy are designed to an industry standard size to fit bottle pockets, cages and bungee points.
Fizzy juice ones aren't.

Also: Hi Red Yeti! How is your alcohol stove quest going (sorry to thread creep here). I am using my latest mini pepsi stove (Lidl energy can size)on day walks, to try it out. It has a good flame and weighs only 6 grammes. The pot I use with it is an old camping gaz globetrotter one, that weighs in at 75 grammes (looks like the MSR titan kettle)

It's all well and good using "free" plastic coke/lucozade etc bottles in the knowledge that they've lasted "years without a problem".
The thing is, the first time they do split or crack will probably be half an hour into an eight hour walk on the hottest, driest day of the year knowing my luck!

Play safe - go for Nalgene, after all, you'll probably only have to buy once.

Thanks Glyn, but I am trying to reduce weight. It was on the hottest day last year, that i was carrying 500 grammes of nalgene bottle weight, compared to 50/60 grammes of fizzy type. Although you are totally correct about the durability of nalgene (my oldest being over ten years old), I have to admit, that when I was younger, I took a very nasty fall in the Brecons, and my fizzy bottles survived perfectly. I will give you the details (as years later it's funny now. While doing D of E, One of my friends (knowing I have a fear of snakes) threw a short length of rope at me and shouted "snake", in an over the top effort to avoid it hitting me, I flew head first off the ridge and rolled about 200 foot down the side. I know it's not scientific, and proves nothing, but it must have looked funny!

Ray, did you weight the Nalgene bottle full or empty?
I've just weighed the following:
Nalgene 500ml wide mouth loop-top - 72g
Nalgene 1L wide mouth loop-top - 114g

Great story about the snake btw :D

I just read a short story by Frederick Forsyth called 'There are No Snakes in Ireland'.
But not really relevant right now.

Sorry to double post, but also have to admit that the rope "snake" my friend threw at me was a totally unconvincing bit of ROYAL BLUE nylon rope I.E. not even a convincing colour (for the Brecons) or diameter

Indeed, not scary at all.

Glyn, Have Emailed you. my 1.5 litre bottles are 168 grammes empty

good one ptc, if only the rope had been that life like. Would I ever fall for it again. All I can say is "how longs a piece of string!"

Glyn:

'It's all well and good using "free" plastic coke/lucozade etc bottles in the knowledge that they've lasted "years without a problem".
The thing is, the first time they do split or crack will probably be half an hour into an eight hour walk on the hottest, driest day of the year knowing my luck!

Play safe - go for Nalgene, after all, you'll probably only have to buy once.'

Is this not a specious argument? None of us have ever had problems with drinks' bottles. On the other hand, I have lost a bottle. It could just as easily been a Nalgene.

For daily use I carry two 500ml old fizzy water bottles.

(The bottles I paid for, years ago, always seemed to leak. The freebies never have.)

When camping I also carry an Ortlieb 2 litre water bag, which I fill up when I make camp to see me through dinner and breakfast.