Platypus Platy 2-Liter Ultralight Collapsible Backpacking Water Bottle

We carry at least two of these on every backpacking trip, sometimes even three on longer trips. We hike in groups of three or four, and most every one has one in their pack. The uses for these are MANY, here are a few:- As a large "Dirty" reservoir for our Sawyer Squeeze or Sawyer Mini filters when we want filtered water "on the go". These thread directly onto the Sawyer filter threads, and fit perfectly. Having a 2 liter source for the dirty water means less dipping and transfer operations - and these are much more durable and user-friendly than the bottles Sawyer sells.- As a "Clean" reservoir for filtered water / storage when using our gravity filter in camp. We don't hang our clean water reservoir, we only hang the dirty, and use something like this to catch the clean water. Sometimes we fill two of these when we are setting up camp to have water for cooking , washing up, etc. What makes this a decent storage reservoir is that you can put a push/pull cap on it and be able to have controlled and measured pouring...- As a reserve reservoir for extra water when we might be away from water for a couple of days - when we know we may be away from water for a day or so, we fill our 3L bladders first, then fill this as a reserve in our pack. Note these are not as thick as a bladder, so store / carry in your pack with care, and keep it protected.I have been using one of these bottles for two years now, over multiple trips, and it is still in serviceable / working condition. Thus the durability of these bottles is not bad, and they last if you care them.If I had to think of any "Cons" for these bottles, or what I don't like about them:- It takes forever for them to dry after cleaning....the small opening and large volume means you have to find a nice place to store them for 2-3 days as they dry. I live in AZ, which is very dry, I can only imagine how long it would take to dry in a humid climate! I only clean these when we get home, I don't ever attempt drying them out on the trail.- The caps are not attached, and can get lost. This is one of the big reasons I started using the Evernew soft bottles - the Evernew bottles have the cap attached to the bottle!!- You have to carry a separate rubber band or shock cord to roll them up. Again, the Evernew bottle has a pigtail attached to facilitate rolling them up, where the Playtpus does not.Note that I recently have been alternating these bottles with the Evernew soft bottles - those are a decent alternative to these, and are priced in the same ballpark. I purchased these Platypus bottles for $9.99, and the Evernew 2L for the same amount.A couple of tips and tricks:- I carry two caps for these - one closure cap, and a push / pull cap. I do this for multiple reasons, the first one being in case I lose a cap. The Platy caps are not attached to the bottle like the Evernew, and could get lost. The second reason is that if I am storing the reservoir as a backup water source in my pack, I don't want the tall push / pull cap protruding and screw on the closure cap. On the flip side, if I am using it for water storage in camp, I use the push / pull cap for easy dispensing.- I got some 1/16th inch shock cord and made a permanent pigtail attached to the bottle so you can easily rollup up the bottle for compact storage. This is copying what the Evernew bottle did with theirs, and idea which I really liked. In fact, I have other Platy soft bottles, and retrofitted this pigtail on those too!! If you are wondering what I mean, see the picture. The Platy is on the left with the added pigtail, and the Evernew is on the right with the stock pigtail.Thanks for reading.

I bought this product for hiking Arizona and Utah in late July. It served as backup water for my family to supplement their reservoir backpacks. It had appropriate volume for longer hikes. This alone could serve 1-2 people for a 5-10 mile hike in that heat. As I mentioned, this was my backup water supply. I purchased because I thought his would be easier to transport versus rigid bottles. It was great for traveling, especially burying it in your luggage. It folds down quite small when not in use. Over 9 days of hiking, there was no noticeable taste to the water. I filled each morning, typically in the hotel gym water bottle filling machine. Durability was great for the trip. I used it hard with no failures. I assume it wouldn’t last as long as a rigid bottle, but the price makes it disposable if you do manage to damage it.

Whenever I ride my motorcycle I bring water. This water bottle is perfect. You don’t want to go down on a bike with a hard metal water bottle in your backpack. With this product, I can make it super thin when partially filled by squeezing the water throughout the bottle’s entire surface area, and then capping. The vacuum keeps it super slim. Surprisingly, the bladder stands on its own when full. It compresses wafer thin when empty—like a piece of thin cardboard, but very flexible. Extremely light weight.I haven’t experienced any leaks whatsoever, but will report if I do. In any event, I always wrap-up hydration bladders with Wise Owl dry bags for safety. But again, no leaks so far. I am pretty gentle with it and only store it upright in my pack.The only 2 downsides are:1) They are hard to air out2) It’s hard to take a gulp without trickle down your chin. You need to drink carefully so it doesn’t gush outI can live with these small annoyances. Highly recommend this product. All hydration gear I’ve purchased from this company in the past is top notch.

Platy bottles are the best! We have horrible tasting water at work and our management does not allow for bottled water delivery. Something that it continues to air pollution with the size and weight of the delivery trucks…I only like to drink water and I’m pretty picky about how my water tastes. I have a good filtration system at home so I use two of these bottles to transport water from home to work everyday. They hold up well being used every workday. Eventually they begin to wear out and that was the case for this replacement one. It finally developed at leak at the bottom seam. But, for using it for about 400 days (two years of workdays), it has held up better than I expected. These are definitely worth the price. I also get a great workout carrying the water to work each day.I have not used these for backpacking but occasionally take them to the zoo or amusement park and they work great.