CamelBak has responded to consumer demand with a bottle that's contains no BPA! Click here to read the faq all about the new materials. Way to go, CamelBak!

Excellent!

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Kelly
"The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time." ~ James Taylor

I actually have convinced myself that the headaches I've been getting at work were due to drinking out of my Nalgene....so, being the diligent and health-conscious consumer I am, I've decided to purchase a new "indestructable" water bottle to replace the Nalgene that has gone from the sea to the mountains to the deserts with me (and under a train, but that was without me).

So, the materials that the non-BPA bottles seem to be made with are Tritan (ie, Camelback) and stainless steel (Sigg, Klean Kanteen). I think I'm leaning towards Klean Kanteen b/c it's got a wider mouth than the Siggs (although Sigg does have some sweet grafix) and at the very least, I'm pretty sure the stainless steel doesn't leach, whereas the last thing I need is to be told in 10 years that Tritan leaches some chemical other than BPA.

Oh, and FWIW, I think Nalgene also does have some water bottles made of Tritan, too. Maybe someone could commission me to do product testing of water bottles....

Anyone have any experience with Klean Kanteen?


ETA: Oooh, I take it back, Sigg water bottles are aluminum, not stainless. Rumor on the streets is that aluminum has an epoxy on them, but who knows.

Not ALL of the older water bottles are bad. Here is a list of which #'s to avoid and which are still considerred safe to drink from. The number appears on the bottom of the bottle and is ussually surrounded by the "recycling" symbol.

http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/101/plastic

Excellent link, Nevebelle!

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Kelly
"Wrinkles will only go where the smiles have been." ~ Jimmy Buffett

awesome! I was just going to buy a sigg bottle this weekend, but now I'll have to look into this!

I've been using the Sigg bottles for my kids and thus, they get washed lots. Even though we wash them by hand the lining was starting to strip off in little pieces. So, I had to toss them.

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Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take
But by the number of moments that take your breath away~

oh ewwwww! I'd never heard of that happening! thanks for the warning!

The Sigg bottles are incredibly hard to get right now too. They are on backorder, very popular. I have been hearing good things about the Camelback bottles though. You can get them with a flip-top straw as well. Alot of people like that option for tennis, running, and similiar sports. It can be purchased either way and you can also buy the flipper as a seperate item too. But, be sure that the bottle you buy has the BPA free sticker or that the number on the bottom matches one that does though, if you go this route, Camelback still makes and is still shipping non-BPA free bottles as well. And keep in mind not all Nalgene and other older bottles are bad, some ARE okay, like the older non-clear ones for example are made with a good material.

I found a bunch of Siggs -- variety of sizes and designs -- at EMS last night. EMS was also the only place I found that had Klean Kanteens (2 in stock -- I snagged one, they were both the 800 ml container). But I agree, all of these have been tough to find, and this hole in the wall EMS was the 3rd outdoors store I'd been to this week on my quest. Camelback non-BPA have been plentiful. In the stainless steel category, I also found Bilt water bottles at EMS, in 850ml containers. Have not heard much about them, but they were significantly cheaper than the Klean Kanteen.

Test driving the Klean Kanteen this weekend.

What is BPA?

In a nutshell, this is what I understand of BPA.

It is a chemical that is released from "nalgene" (hard plastic drinking bottles) when they are heated up. Side effects can be cancer, breast enlargement in men & growing problems in children. The key here is heated up. So, like if you pour boiling water into the nalgenes when camping to make dinner, or you heat up the smaller bottle for children's milk and then there is some controversy re: washing them in the dishwasher or by hand.

For me, it is the infamouse: Greed in the name of Green. So, do I get rid of my 8 nalgene bottles, throw them away into a landfill and buy new ones? No. The new ones are bpa free and that is great.

Here are some links for more opnions...I apologize ahead for the second gear-addicts link...we have a tendency to get off topic there, but there are some interesting views:

http://thegoat.backcountry.com/index.php?s=bpa

http://www.gear-addicts.com/viewtopi...2567&hilit=bpa

http://www.gear-addicts.com/viewtopi...2547&hilit=bpa

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I'm not a native, but I got here as fast as I could

this sums up my questions about it, skinurse -- I'm still using the BPA'd bottles, and I'm not sure what to do about it. I decided to stick with my old ones for the time being, but to trade up once I lose my current bottles (which is SURE to happen!)

So, I tested out the 27oz (800ml) Klean Kanteen this weekend on a short airline flight and then on a day hike up a 4000'er in NH. Biggest downside is that the cannister is longer and skinnier than the quart/liter-sized Nalgene, which wouldn't seem to be an impediment. But it is if you're filling up the bottle in a smaller sink or airport water fountain. That, combined with the volume of the bottle being smaller than a Nalgene means that you're bringing a smaller amount of fluids up the hill = not good. So, I think the Klean Kanteen is going to be reserved for office use.

From trailspace.com

What’s the Deal with BPA?
Due to health concerns about infertility and cancer, Canada’s Mountain Equipment Co-Op (MEC) pulled most products containing bisphenol-A (BPA) in December. Vancouver yoga retailer Lululemon Athletica followed suit. Patagonia pulled polycarbonate products from its retail stores back in 2005.

Bisphenol-A (BPA), found in polycarbonate plastics (#7/other, sometimes called Lexan), is an endocrine disruptor that has been shown to affect reproduction and brain development in animal studies. it can leach into foods and liquids and mimics estrogen when absorbed by the human body.

Think new polycarbonate bottles are okay? A recent study by University of Cincinnati scientists showed that liquid temperature, not a container’s age, has the most impact on how much BPA is released. When the same new and used polycarbonate drinking bottles were exposed to boiling hot water, BPA was released 55 times more rapidly than before exposure to hot water. (Toxicology Letters)

Phthalates are used as plastic softeners or solvents. They are believed to cause damage to the reproductive system and increase the risks of allergies, asthma, and cancer. They’re banned from toys and childcare items in Europe.

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I'm not a native, but I got here as fast as I could

I think the Cuisinart food processor bowl is made from Lexan.

Here's an interesting update to the whole BPA issue.

__________________
Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take
But by the number of moments that take your breath away~