Klean Kanteen

[Couloir]

Anyone ever use one of these? I got one as a gift and it looks like it would be a worthwhile alternative to a Nalgene bottle. I guess for the purists it makes sense, but does it make sense for everyone else? I might buy the 40oz to carry in my tequila.

[rob]

My wife has one. They're heavier than nalgenes.

[cj001f]

mmmm smells like hippy poontang

[Baltoro]

Shameless Plug Warning!!

Check out the aluminum versions like Laken and Sigg. No real weight penalty to Nalgene. The Laken coating won't crack if you drop it which you will and the threads are external and thus easier to clean and your beverage never comes into contact with aluminum. They are a bit hippy though but the leaching plastic conversation is growing.

[crackers]

... They are a bit hippy though but the leaching plastic conversation is growing.

 

You mean the marketing? It's the biggest load of bull I've ever heard. If Al bottles were nonreactive, you'd probably find them in labs. But you don't. And personally, I'm not leaving Ph 9 solvents in a Nunc bottle for 20 years. Obviously, YMMV.

 

All my euro friends have Al bottles. They do lend a certain feeling of urbanity for drinking booze in the backcountry.

[Baltoro]

I agree it appears to be marketing. I am no means a scientist able to back up any of this information. Tha fact that you said AL and Ph and what not already gives you a great deal more scientific cred than I have so I'm not going to get into an arguement with you over this. I will try and clarify one thing as you do seem to know much more abot this than I. I believe it's the internal coating they are refering to as "non-reactive", not the aluminum itself. Maybe I'm wrong and that's reactive too?

[Couloir]

It's been awhile since my chemistry days, but aren't most chemicals stored in glass containers? I'm familiar with certain gases, chemicals, surfactants and various slurries used in semiconductor chip manufacturing and either 316L stainless (sometimes electropolished), hastelloy or Teflon (PFA, PTFE) is used to contain, transport and deliver them. I've never seen Nalgene used in any capacity outside of bottles used for recreational purposes.

[ClimbingPanther]

As with most things, it all depends. Nalgene is actually a very common brand name I became familiar with in the lab, before they became hip for urbanites. In the biological realm, since most chemicals & solutions are similar to bodily fluids and are relatively non-reactive, we use plastic a lot.

[cj001f]

Yes, Nalgene is a big maker of labware. It's quite popular. Nalgene is now owned by ThermoFisher (a huge scientific products company)

 

I still think cilogear should be the first Klean Kanteen compatible pack company.

[rob]

One day cilogear packs will be lighter than a klean kanteen.

[crackers]

90% of Nalgene-Nunc's business is labware. They also do a ton of custom fabrication, and their prices are extremely reasonable.

 

I did chemistry undergrad, and we didn't have much of it in our lab, but my sister worked in molecular biology, and had nalgene-nunc stuff all over her lab. All their testtubes, reagent bottles, blahblahblah, it was all N-N stuff. I gather that it's more common on the bio / life sciences side, but all I really know is that labware is the majority of their business.

 

Baltoro - I was just giving the hippies a hard time. I have no idea whether its a coating or the Al that's supposed to be nonreactive.

[Couloir]

It's true. You really do learn something everyday here at CC.com!

[Baltoro]

No worries.

[marylou]

I have one that I use in town instead of a nasty old Nalgene. Too heavy for the woods, but keeps water nice and cold around town.

[lizard_brain]

I do purchasing for various hospital labs around Seattle (that shall be nameless), and they use more Nalgene than glass because it's cheaper and doesn't break. They make all sorts of stuff - Nalgene test tubes, beakers, etc. The 1-Liter bottles were originally lab equipment before they became popular as urban drinking bottles.

[billbob]

I drink a bottle of over-priced water and then pour in the favorite adult beverage. Aluminum will quickly form an oxidation layer at the surface and remain relatively inert unless / until exposed to liquids below pH 4.5 (or above about 11). Recommend you avoid also any liquids containing salts (electrolytes)in Aluminum containers. Further recommend avoiding cookware not coated with an inert (Teflon) layer.

 

Health effects of aluminum

Aluminum is one of the most widely used metals and also one of the most frequently found compounds in the earth's crust. Due to these facts, aluminum is commonly known as an innocent compound. But still, when one is exposed to high concentrations, it can cause health problems. The water-soluble form of aluminum causes the harmful effects, these particles are called ions. They are usually found in a solution of aluminum in combination with other ions, for instance as aluminum chlorine.

 

The uptake of aluminum can take place through food, through breathing and by skin contact. Long lasting uptakes of significant concentrations of aluminum can lead to serious health effects, such as:

 

- Damage to the central nervous system

- Dementia

- Loss of memory

- Listlessness

- Severe trembling

 

Note that excessive alcohol intake will result in similar symptoms....