I've put thought into this. I don't like the aftertaste in water bottles compared to Nalgenes. Also, they're flimsy. If one should happen to fall, there's a far greater chance that the water bottle will burst or fail than the Nalgene. Also, gosh forbid your filter fails you, you can still pasteurize water in the Nalgene by heat and still purify your water. Weight-wise? A Nalgene weighs 5.6oz more than a Smart Water bottle. If 5oz (X2) is going to be a deal breaker for me on a trek, I shouldn't be out on a trek. In the end, I'll have to go with the Nalgene. There's a lot less that can go wrong and Smart Water bottles cost $2 every time you buy one and they do wear out.
All good points. However, I've had smart water bottles last about two years before replacing due them being just so beat up from all the times I've dropped them. I've had Nalgene bottles crack from being dropped at just the wrong angle on a rock. Good point regarding the water filter situation, I've never had a water filter fail me but if someone doesn't take good care of them that can happen. In the summer I'll take four bottles of water, so four times 5.6oz puts me at about a pound of weight and although I'm no ultra-lighter, that's a pound of weight I can do without. :) Thanks for the thoughtful comments. It's these kind of conversations that help all of us enjoy our times outdoors. :)
Yes, this has come up a few times as I've used both the nalgene and smart water bottles depending on where I'm going. But you are spot on as far as the nalgene bottle being harder to drink from. So I started taking a bendable straw and putting it in the bottle so that it pops out when you open it. It doesn't make it easier to drink from while actively walking, buy it does keeps you from taking an unexpected bath. Good video!
Hyoh, but Nalgene is superior to me and for my requirements. Never had issues drinking from one. I have a camelback for drinking on the go. Nalgene bottles are much more durable with many people using them for years and even decades. I highly doubt anyone is using their smart water bottles for even close to the same amount of time which adds up in cost over the years (much more than the price of a single Nalgene) and brings up the issue of single use plastics piling up in landfills. As you said, BPA free which means healthier over a period of time. Super convenient measurements on the side for camp cooking. If its empty you can throw a headlamp in it and get cool lighting or shadows assuming you have a cool tinted one like the REI nalgenes. The only advantage a smart water bottle has is weight savings for UL'ers and using inline filters like the sawyer. But if water wars are started the Nalgene is like a bazooka of water to the face and wins every time over the puny smart water bottle. But if efficiency and weight savings are paramount I can see it being the other way around for Ultralight backpackers.
I have 4 nalgene bottles, 2 dating back to about 1985. That's 36+ years of wear and tear and drops, bounces, and a few 'rolling down the steep hill' episodes...and they're still in action. I can drink out of them easily. I'll stop when I need to drink...not a big deal and as the OP says, very eco friendly. Weight is the only consideration and keeping plastic out of the landfill is worth a few ounces to me.
There are narrow mouth nalgene bottles that you can drink of while walking, if im not mistaking they fit sawyer filters and they do have trail bottles which are made of a lighter material but still bpa free
