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Reviews > Hydration Systems > Bottles > Platypus Hydration Platy Bottles > Owner Review by Sheila MorrisseyPLATYPUS PLATY BOTTLES
OWNER REVIEWDate: July 31, 2007 TESTER INFORMATION Name: Sheila Morrissey Age: 27 Gender: female Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.7 m) Weight: 150 lb (68 kg) Email address: geosheila(at)yahoo(dot)com City, State, Country: Goleta, California, USA BACKPACKING BACKGROUND I enjoy hiking and backpacking in the Sierra Nevada and Los Padres National Forest with friends and my dog, Patch. Patch and I each carry two Platy Bottles in our packs. Including consumables, my pack is usually around 25 lb (11 kg) and Patch's pack is around 5 lb (2.3 kg) for a weekend trip. PRODUCT INFORMATION Manufacturer: Cascade Designs, Inc. Year: 2005 Manufacturer’s Website: http://www.platypushydration.com Listed Volume: 1 L (34 oz) and 0.5 L (17 oz). Also available in "2+ L" (80 oz).
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION Platy Bottles are flexible plastic water bottles that can stand on their own when filled (due to their gusseted bases) or can be rolled when empty. Cascade Designs claims the bottles are tough enough to endure freezing and boiling. The bottles are skinnier around the middle, making them easier to hold onto while hiking. The 1 L (34 oz) Platy Bottle has lines marking the 0.25 L (8 oz), 0.5 L (17 oz) and 0.75 L (25 oz) measurements, in metric and English units. The 0.5 L (17 oz) Platy Bottle does not have measurement markings. The openings on both bottles are about 1 in (2.5 cm) in diameter and are made of hard plastic. The 1 L (34 oz) Platy Bottle has a standard screw-on bottle cap and the 0.5 L (17 oz) Platy Bottle has a screw-on sports bottle cap. FIELD USE CONDITIONS The two larger Platy Bottles in the above photo are mine and the two smaller ones belong to Patch. The size difference makes it easy for me to differentiate between the bottles since I refuse to share a dog's water bottles. Patch and I have both used our Platy Bottles on all of our backpacking trips and some day trips over the past two years. We have used them at altitudes from sea level to 11,000 ft (3,350 m) and in temperatures ranging from -5 F (-21 C) to 95 F (35 C). FIELD USE RESULTS I use Platy Bottles for backpacking because they are so lightweight. Though I rarely roll the empty bottles, I do find it convenient that the empty bottles can be squished into small spaces in my pack. The gusseted base of the Platy Bottles keeps them standing upright, which is helpful for keeping water contained during chemical water treatment and helps keep the bottle caps clean (I would think this is especially important for the sports bottle caps, but my dog doesn't really care about a little dirt). The slightly skinnier diameters around the middle of the bottles makes them easier to carry while hiking, but I prefer keeping my Platy Bottles in the side pockets of my backpack until I am ready for a break. One reason for this is that if I have to make a conscious effort to take out my water bottle, I will remember that my dog probably also needs a sip of water from one of his two bottles, which he carries on either side of his pack. Patch clearly enjoys drinking straight out of the Platy Bottle, but he also carries a cloth water bowl to catch the water that dribbles out of his mouth (about half of what I pour out) and that I later pour back into the bottle. I generally like drinking out of the small openings on my bottles and find that the sports bottle caps are great for Patch. He has a few small teeth marks on his bottle caps but since most of his teeth are smaller than a human baby's teeth, the marks haven't affected the functionality of the caps. I find the major drawback to the small openings is that they are incompatible with some water filters. I don't own a water filter, but have hiked with friends whose filters are best used with a large-mouthed bottle. We found the best solution is to carry one hard plastic large-mouthed bottle for filtering and to pour the filtered water into the Platy Bottles. Dipping the Platy Bottles just under the surface of a lake to collect water for chemical treatment also took a little bit of practice since the empty bottles collapse under water. I have had the Platy Bottles in temperatures as low as -5 F (-21 C) when the water was obviously frozen and the bottles never cracked. Of course, it took ages to get any amount of water or ice out through the small opening of the bottle. I did not try boiling the Platy Bottles. That was the trip I learned to put liquid water in my kettle before going to bed during freezing nights. Because the bottles are not as easy to clean as hard plastic bottles, I find that I just don't clean them as often as I should. After many uses, including several chemical treatment tablets and fruit punch mixes, my Platy Bottles seem to have turned a little yellow and have a slightly dirty stink about them. Patch doesn't drink fruit punch, but his Platy Bottles collect a lot of dirt and food particles from my pouring his backwash back into the bottles. I will wash them all with dish soap and should probably treat our bottles to a little bit of bleach again soon, which will somewhat restore their color. When I carry a water bottle for activities besides hiking, when the weight of the bottle is not an issue, I prefer carrying a hard plastic bottle. The Platy Bottles are also not compatible with the water bottle holder on my bike. PROS
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