Blackhawk HydraStorm Nalgene Bottle

I''ve been using these bottles for well over 5 years and they go everywhere with me; work, commute, hiking, mowing the lawn, camping, etc. On work days, this bottle is with me from 6:30 am till 6:00 pm, at work or in the truck for the commute.

I originally bought 2 of these for work because I''m a mechanic who works in a hot shop in south Louisiana and therefore I drink at least a gallon of water a day. I bought them from Blackhawk because I know from previous purchases that they don''t sell junk, they are geared towards the Military/tactical market and therefore intended to hold up to punishment.

They are great for me because I can operate the cap with one greasy hand; index finger through the hole and thumb flips the lid. If my electrolytes get low, the large opening with the top off gives plenty of room to quickly add some Gatorade powder at work or CamelBak elixir tabs when hiking. And for people who like ice, the large opening gives plenty of room to add full size ice cubes.

I have ABUSED these bottles, dropped many times, cleaned grease from the outside with brake cleaner, gone through extreme heat, extreme cold, been in the mud, dirt, sand, grime & rocks. Once it took a ride on top of my wife''s car and consequently went sliding down the street. The water stayed in the bottle and aside from the expected scratches, no other damage occurred.

This bottle has sat in my truck all day hundreds of times over the weekend, so if your worried how it holds up to heat, imagine how hot the inside of a truck gets in the sun, during the summer,and in south Louisiana! For cold, it once froze SOLID at a Cub Scout campout with my Son for his polar bear patch! (The recorded temp that night was 17 degrees). So through extreme heat and cold, no cracking or warpage, seals just as good, screw on cap just as good as new and flip lid (the thinner plastic on this bottle) fits exactly the same!

Usually, I wash it every 3 days in the dishwasher set on air-dry. The flip lid comes off easy to break the bottle down into 3 pieces for washing. And you might think the plastic hinges for the flip lid would break off after so much use , but after 5+ years, they are still just as strong. Also, being a Nalgene bottle, if you put fluids other than water, you don''t need to worry about the bottle retaining the taste, just wash (or even a good rinse) and your good to go.

The top seal isn''t perfect and may leak a little if inverted or laying on its side ,but it''s never been a problem for me since its always sitting up in a holster, cup holder, or sitting on my tool box. However, the rubber seal is just as good after 5+ years through hot, cold and many washings.

Oh, and back to holsters, I have 2. One is a Nalgene holster I use for simple hiking or backpacking. The second is a Maxpedition mini rollypoly folding dump pouch that I use when I want to carry a second bottle on hikes. I''ve been wanting to get another for harder core hikes and I''m looking at the "Blackhawk S.T.R.I.K.E. Utility Pouch" which is designed to work with this bottle. Although the other holsters haven''t been a problem, the S.T.R.I.K.E. is more secure with the over flap and also has MOLLE loops so I can secure it to my pack better.

So why am I buying 2 more bottles since my old bottles are still going strong? Only because I bought a smaller sized backpack (Maxpedition Pygmy Falcon-II) for my Son who is going to Boy Scout camp this summer. He will be taking merit badge classes and won''t need the excess weight from his big hydration bladder full of water. Also, the bottles will be easier for him to see exactly how much water he has, easier to refill and maintain a full supply, and at bedtime he can have 1 by his bed at easy reach like he does at home. Oh, and these bottles fit the side pockets of the Maxpedition Pygmy Falcon-II PERFECTLY!

These have held up so well that the only way I see the need of me buying another for myself is if they make a purple one with LSU printed on it. I would definitely recommend these to anyone, especially for someone who is as hard on gear as I am!

Good spout design where you are not spilling water everywhere rather than on the old large nalgene bottle tops.

It keeps it shut and when you drink, no spilling of water or mess.

Worth the cost over the old style nalgene large lip bottles.

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I love this bottle. I have put just about every drinkable fluid in it, without any residual taste. This container is durable and can''t be broken. This container is far better, in my opinion, than the wide mouth container that spills when drinking on the go. I like this container so much, that this in my second one, after I lost my first bottle. I have backpacked, worked out, and traveled the globe with this container and couldn''t be happier with it! I would note that the cap is different that pictured, and the "sage green" may indicate the cap not the bottle itself, unlike my last bottle that was as pictured with an all black cap.

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I''ve owned 3 different Nalgene bottles over the last 10 years. Still own all 3. Had this one for month now and it is my favorite because the mouth part is smaller than the traditional bottles thus making it easier to drink from. No spills. Love the color as well almost an olivedrab type finish.

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Overall, I enjoy the bottle for its size and ease--you fill it once and don''t fill it again for quite a while because it''s so large. You aren''t going back to refill it constantly due to its large size. Also, because this provides me with a lot of water constantly next to me, I am much more tempted to drink more water as it''s right there and I don''t have to get up and fill up any cups repeatedly (how lazy, right?).

This, however, can also be its downside. Because it''s so wide in size, it does not fit into my backpack to carry around during school like my Camelback did. I am always afraid it is going to fall out because it fits into the pocket but it does not go all the way down. Other than the tiny mesh pockets on the side of the backpack, there is nowhere I could put it. I just feel like 32oz. of water could spill out on me at any moment due to its wide size making it not fit anywhere securely.

I was expecting the cap to be somehow different on this bottle. I don''t know what I was expecting, but I was a bit surprised at the cap. (To me it was not obvious from the pictures how the cap would perform as I''ve never owned a Nalgene bottle.) The cap feels much more cheaply made compared to the rest of the bottle. It''s thin plastic and can be squished on the sides to open the bottle. This means that if you hit the cap on the side or squish it on the sides, the bottle may open. Basically, it does not offer a very secure lock. I filled this up completely with water and closed it and turned it upside down and shook it. The water did not break free, but if I tapped the cap on the side to move it, it opens up and spills out. I feel like I constantly have to be making sure I am aware it is there and thinking about it so it does not pop open and unleash a waterfall on me and my things. I''ve never had it open and leak on me but I am definitely sure it could happen because of the design of the cap.

Overall, I wish the bottle was less wide and longer lengthwise so it would fit into my backpack but this is a personal preference. I wish the cap was a bit more secure as this much water is quite heavy to carry around and the danger of this spilling due to a weak sealing cap is quite frightening!