Platypus plusBottle

Summary

A water bottle that stores flat or rolled up, takes up virtually no space, is durable, and weighs just .8 oz. What's not to love!?

I decided to take the plunge and pick up a few of these for weight savings, and to replace the less than stellar bags that come with the Sawyer Squeeze water filter. These bottles stand upright when full or partially filled with as little as a few oz, and when empty can be stored flat, rolled, or folded to take up very little space in the pack.

While not as durable as a hard sided Nalgene, they are plenty durable for what they are—A water bottle. Unless you plan on using as a cutting board or to break open a pinata, I doubt this water bottle with fail while performing its intended duties. I have tested droping a full bottle from 6 ft and they seem to take it like it was nothing. I have full confidence that these bottles will give me years of faithful service.

I have elected to carry three of these. 1 for my water filter bag, and 2 to use as water bottles. This will save me nearly a pound and a quarter in weight when compared to the nalgene bottles I am leaving behind.

Construction:

Made of a soft, pliable plastic, but is thick and strong enough to tolerate the abuse of being in pack. You can squeeze it, crush it, drop it, toss it, and this flexible Platypus plusBottle keeps on kicking.

You can get a push/pull cap, or a standard closure cap. A hydration cap/hose hydration system is also available. I prefer the push/pull style, this is a more secure p/p design that your average gas station gatoraide bottle etc. It closes firmly and snaps closed and takes a steady amount of pressure to open. I would be very surprised if one of these caps opened while in a pack(unless your hiking buddy is playing a prank on you). I would recommend buying the push/pull cap, and if you want a regular closure cap then just use a standard soda/water bottle cap(these bottles use the standard thread pattern).

The push/pull spout provides a very good flow, and a very slight squeeze of the bag will give you as much water as you can handle.

1 Liter capacity with graduated markings every .25L/8.5oz. More graduated markings would be my preference, but it is what it is.

Over stuff your backpack and having trouble fitting a regular water bottle in your side pockets? You can make these bottles take on many different shapes and sizes by squeezing, rolling, folding, or simply laying them flat. This versatility can make packing them much easier than a hard sided container.

Use:

Well besides the obvious use of a water bottle, this bottle can be used as a make shift camp shower, or even a make shift heating pad. The company does state that you can put boiling water in it. So using it as a heater in the sleeping bag etc is also possible.

The one major downside is that it can be hard to fill in some water sources because of its narrow opening. This can be circumvented by using a cup to pour water in etc, however you can usually blow a little air into the bottle to open it up some to ease in filling.

No need to carry alot of water between water sources? Then roll these bad boys up and stick em in your pack and be glad they only weight .8oz each vice 6.5oz nalgenes.

Conclusion:

For the backpacker that wants to shed some serious weight by leaving those heavy Nalgene bottles at home, this is an excellent option. I have been very pleased with my Playpus plusBottles and give a 4.5 star rating vice 5 stars because of the lack of more graduated markings, and the rare occasion where it can be more difficult to fill than a wide mouth bottle.

I am sensitive to plastic -- I absolutely hate putting a plastic bottle in my mouth. Thus I usually travel with a glass bottle. It is heavy, cumbersome and easily broken.

I am not an outdoors-person, I simply use this excellent bottle since it is light-weight and really has NO taste.

I love it and am seeking to buy a wholesale lot to use as giveaways for our upcoming national conference. I am the founder of The Annie Appleseed Project - natural therapies, lifestyle issues, complementary and alternative cancer therapies from the patient perspective.