Great nalgene bottle. It took me a minute to figure out how to open the drinking spout. You need to lightly press the the sides and pull up; you can''t open it by lifting from the front.
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!
I''ve included pictures of my 5+ year old-hard use bottles next to one of my Son''s bright shinny new ones so you can see how they hold up. I''ve bought mine for function and not to look pretty, but if you want yours to stay looking new, hand wash and don''t clean the outside with harsh chemicals like I did. In short, take care of it! As you can see, the outside shows the wear, but way less than I would expect for the abuse I''ve put them through! 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!
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Bottle it self is nice (typical Nalgene) but the lid design stinks. Leaks all over the place if you don''t keep it up right. Would be 5 stars if the thing didn''t leak.Read Best Reviews of Blackhawk HydraStorm Nalgene Bottle 67NB32GY Here
Brought this with me on some training done in summer, very nice to keep track of just how much you''re drinking, lid holds up very well even when attatched with a caribiner or other type of clip. dropped it a few times from 10+ feet and Top did not break at all! Very good bottle, will be buying more!Want Blackhawk HydraStorm Nalgene Bottle 67NB32GY Discount?
Nice bottle and spout works perfect, but it''s major error is that it leaks a lot when it is turned upside down?? So that makes it pointless for hiking or planning to store water because if it tips over you loose your water!! Maybe good for a kitchen cup maybe? Results Very disappointing! I also could not find anyone to contact to tell them it leaks.Save 8% off
