Backpacking with Ultralite Nalgene Bottles

Ultralite Nalgene Bottles are 40% lighter weight than Transparent Nalgene Bottles which makes them a lot more attractive to use for backpacking. In the one-liter size, a wide-mouth Ultralite Nalgene, such as the one above, weighs 3.75 oz, while a transparent wide-mouth bottle weighs 6.25 oz. That 2.5 oz difference adds up if you carry two or three bottles at a time. The Ultralite Nalgene bottles are made with high-density polyethylene, while the transparent ones are made with much heavier polycarbonate plastic, which explains the weight difference.

While many backpackers and hikers carry 1L Smartwater bottles (1.4 oz) or other PET bottles instead of Nalgenes because they’re lighter weight and compatible with popular water filters, there’s still an argument to be made for carrying these white Ultralite Nalgene Bottles instead. While they do weigh more, they are far superior in terms of functional capabilities, including:

  • Much better durability over the long term (they last for years)
  • You can put boiling hot water in them for drinks
  • You can put boiling hot water in them to warm a sleeping bag/quilt
  • The caps are attached to the bottles and can’t be lost
  • The volume measurements printed on the sides are helpful when rehydrating dinners
  • The wide mouth is better to scoop water out of ponds and lakes than a narrow-necked bottle
  • Wide mouth bottles don’t freeze as quickly as narrow-necked ones in freezing weather
  • Wide-mouth bottles are easy to carry upside down in winter to prevent freezing around the cap
  • 1L Nalgene bottles are much harder to tip over in camp
  • 1L Nalgene bottles are compatible with all backpack bottle pockets. Smartwater bottles aren’t.

You can read the complete write up on backpacking with Ultralite Nalgene bottles written by Philip Werner.

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Medya Mansyone soti nan Seksyon Hiker
Seksyon Hiker

Philip Werner se yon otè plen tan deyò ak sakado ki abite nan New England. Sit entènèt li SectionHiker.com klase kòm # 1 Hiking ak Sackpacking Blog sou entènèt la pa AdventureJunkies.com nan 2018, 2019, 2020, ak 2021.

Non an nan sit sa a, Seksyon Hiker, refere a Long Trail la ki mwen seksyon monte nan 2008 ak Trail la Applachian ke mwen toujou ap travay nan. Pou dat, mwen te konplete 1400 kilomèt nan AT a ak espwa pou konplete tout seksyon yo ant Georgia ak Maine yon jou. Mwen te tou monte ruth-monte defi tGO a (Kòt-kòt atravè Scotland) de fwa e mwen kounye a seksyon monte tras kapèt la, tou nan Scotland.

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