BPA-free Water Bottles - recommendations?

[channlluv]

Hi, all,

I have a gear question for you. I'm shopping for a BPA-free water bottle. Can anyone recommend one? I like the insulated style of the Polar bottles available on TE, but they don't say they're BPA-free.

I usually take at least two water bottles with me to work every day and on rides. I sometimes fill them with just-brewed green tea, which, of course, is warm, and I'm afraid it's causing my current plastic water bottles to leach dangerous toxins. I'll need two for my daughter, too.

Thanks for any recommendations.

Roxy

[Ana]

I stick with Stainless Steel and have a Kleen Kanteen in the 27 oz. It fits in my water bottle cage (a bit loose but all right) but it is sort of difficult to drink out of, even with the sports top. I ordered a new sports top (2.0) from REI and hopefully that will remedy the problem :)

Many other manufacturers make stainless bottles too. I've been eying the Camelbak Stainless bottle. I've also seen the Nathan Stainless bottles but do not know how well they work.

[channlluv]

So stainless steel over aluminum? Are they very heavy? Not that I'm all that concerned about extra ounces, to be honest.

Thank you for these recommendations. I've got a $40 certificate for REI. I'll have to go check them out when we get back to Cali.

Roxy

[Tri Girl]

The new insulated Camelbak bottles are BPA free. From their site: CamelBak is proud to offer all of its bottles in BPA-free materials
http://www.camelbak.com/sports-recreation/bottles/podium-chilljacket.aspx

Polar does make BPA free bottles. Don't know that the ones on TE are, but you could always call someone to ask. http://www.fuelforadventure.com/polar-bottle.html

I drink from a stainless one at home, but use the plastic insulated ones on rides (mostly because I can freeze a little water in the bottom and they stay cold much longer in this 100 degree heat).

[Owlie]

I have a steel water bottle, which I love, but it doesn't fit into the bottle cages. :( For what it's worth, my Polar bottle has a sticker saying it's BPA-free.

[Ana]

I know a lot of plastics are "BPA-free" now but I remain wary of them so I choose stainless whenever possible :) Chalk it up to personal preference (like so many other things :p)

[Biciclista]

i have a stainless bottle too. it's not particularly heavy, no. what weighs the most is the water, and it's the same for plastic or steel. And i needed a carbon fiber bottle cage because it was the only kind that fits. how's that for a steel bike :D:D:D

[Resi]

Wondering, if stainless steel water bottles are better thank BPA free plastic water bottles (like Camelpak ...)? Is there any scientific reports out there?

Thanks
Resi

[KnottedYet]

I was all ready to jump on the stainless-steel bottle bandwagon, until I kept finding over and over that they were lined with plastic anyway. I bought a cute little unlined Surly one made in China that said "stainless steel"... it made things smell funny and magnets didn't stick to it. (so, obviously not steel)

Into the recycling bin and off to the smelters. I'm guessing it was actually aluminum or pot metal.

SOMA Crystal bottles are my favorite. They are polypropylene, so not even in the same plastic family as the BPA plastics or the smelly flexible plastics. http://somafab.com/bottle.html They don't grow funny cooties, either. They've lasted longer than any of my other bottles and survived neglect and abuse.

[channlluv]

I'm also shopping for a stainless steel egg poacher. We had one when I was a kid, but these days, they're all non-stick coated. My dad warned me off aluminum cookware, too, and deodorants with aluminum in them, and any kind of acidic food, this as he was munching fresh figs and peaches from the local farmer's market. At least he lives what he preaches, even though he's dying of cancer. His words, not mine, lest you think me insensitive.

Is anything safe anymore?

Meanwhile, my mom is loving the new steam-in-the-plastic-bag vegetables. And she reheats stuff in that plastic Gladware. And her frozen spinach isn't even organic.

Oy.

Roxy - currently spending the summer in Florida with various family and friends, and no, the 'rents are not together.

[Blueberry]

Knot - I have a Kleen Kanteen that came from LLBean. No lining, no funny taste once washed. Might be worth a shot?

Haven't tried the soma fab bottles yet. They look really cool:)

Like others have said, I'm a bit wary of plastic. But, my bottle doesn't have a sport top, so I don't ride with it. You might inspire me to look for more bottles that are steel, though. What I really want is a little stainless steel lunch kit (like a tiffin set), but I haven't been able to find any that are 1) reasonably priced, 2) I'm sure they're stainless and 3) won't leak;)

[sarahspins]

I use Klean Kanteen's almost exclusively for the kids (I even have a photo of one of ours up on KK's website - their web designer used it for a banner) and we probably have 10 of the samller 12oz bottles, and my 8yo has an 18oz. I have a couple of the larger 27ozfor myself, but I prefer Camelbak's... I have some of the regular BPA free plastic bottles, and a SS insulated one (just got that).

I want to try to new wide mouth KK's :)

[Running Mommy]

FWIW camelbak took FOREVER to get their podium bottles to market when they first introduced them. My rep told me it was because they are very picky about the formulation used to make them, and they kept sending the samples back for tweaks. So I would feel very comfortable using them.
I also LOVE the tops. I run with a bottle cradled in my arm and love that I no longer have water or sports drink dripping down my arm as I run.

[sarahspins]

I bought a cute little unlined Surly one made in China that said "stainless steel"... it made things smell funny and magnets didn't stick to it. (so, obviously not steel)

Not all stainless alloys will stick to magnets.. my fridge is SS and magnets won't stick.

[MartianDestiny]

I think the whole BPA thing is vastly over dramatized. (If you actually go through the research materials on how much heat and chemicals they have to put into these bottles and for how long to get them to leach anything registrable (and still well below standards) it's amazing the bottles even hold up to it at all.)

I'm betting it's a matter of time before someone finds something wrong with the new miracle stainless and aluminum bottles and we are on to the next fad. After all, they have to be leaching trace amounts of at least their host metal into water and you can get metal poisoning. Imagine what they might do if you left them boiling bleach for 3 days straight and then drank out of them...

(yes, I'm refusing to throw away my perfectly good, BPA contaminated, Nalgenes).

[OakLeaf]

If you want something for hot liquids, why not a glass lined Thermos bottle?

For cool/room temperature water, I feel reasonably safe with my Camelbak Better Bottle (copolyester). As safe as with stainless, which can leach chromium. Anyway, I love the Camelbak tops, with the leak-proof, upright, folding valves and the little finger hook you can use to carry them with, hang them from the hook in airport restrooms, etc.

[sundial]

I've wondered what happens to the rider if one accidentally drops the steel bottle from the cage and their bike runs over it. :eek:

[KnottedYet]

I would guess running over a steel bottle would be similar to the many times I've run over my plastic bottles: bottle skitters away from leading edge of wheel, zips across road, ends up in muddy ditch.... and I go scurrying after it!

When I took a skills class one of the things we did was try running over bottles. It was great fun, and never ONCE was I able to make my bike actually go OVER a bottle, they always skittered away. (just like my own bottles in the wild)

Someone willing to risk the finish on their steel bottle and tell us how they do being run over?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Kleen Kanteens, all the way! :p
http://harmonias.com/bikes/Luna_2.jpg
http://harmonias.com/bikes/B_Ramb_4.jpg

[Kris]

I really like my Camelback bottle with the "sippy cup" top. If it falls over in the car or wherever, doesn't spill.