User Review: MSR Alpine Bottle (1L)

A couple of quick pros/cons for you skimmers and then some meat:

Pros:

• MSR Quality and Customer Service
• Durable Design - Both lid and bottle
• Two openings
• Comfortable Leash/Tether

Cons:

• Price (see more below)
• Smaller opening not glove-compatible

I am a bit of a water bottle junkie and have had incredibly positive experiences with MSR gear and customer service in the past.  So, when I saw the Alpine Bottle (1L) on the local sporting goods shelf, it was quickly grabbed.

I own several stainless steel bottles, but the feel of the Alpine bottle impressed me.  I certainly am not worried about it getting crushed and have serious doubts about the size of dents I will put it in over time.  Of course, these will happen, but I wager to a much lesser extent than with a Kleen Kanteen.

The dual-opening lid is well-designed and executed.  The large opening functions like any other bottle of similar design.  And, it is thread-compatible to any Nalgene/etc accessory (CapCap, Gription, etc).  The smaller opening opens with a simple quarter-turn.  It is difficult to do with gloves on, but it is pretty smooth and easy with bare fingers.  The main bottle has a red plastic ring around the top where the threads are.  Not only does this look cool, but it keeps the lips from freezing to cold steel.  There is still a small metal lip at the very top, but it should be avoidable.

I paid $26 for the 1L bottle.  The .75L bottle was $21.  Clearly much more expensive than the BPA-free alternatives.  If you want a cheap and durable bottle, the $8 plastic variety is going to serve you much better.  However, when stacked against other high-end stainless bottles, such as WaterBox, the price is lower and, I feel, the features are better.

In my opinion, MSR hit a home-run with this one.  A couple of small gripes, but the overall design is worth a serious look... especially if you are a water bottle junkie.