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Reviews > Hydration Systems > Bottles > Klean Kanteen Vacuum Insulated Classic > Test Report by Duane LawrenceKLEAN KANTEEN VACUUM INSULATED CLASSIC Test Report by Duane Lawrence Initial Review November 11, 2015 Long Term Report March 25, 2016 Tester Information
I have been an avid outdoor enthusiast for the past 25 years. I enjoy a variety of outdoor activities including mountaineering, day hikes, multi-day backpacking trips, river and ocean kayaking, back country skiing, snowshoeing, mountain biking and rock climbing. I have climbed and hiked throughout British Columbia, the United States and when opportunity presents itself in Europe and India. I carry a wide variety of gear depending on the type and length of trip. I am a Search and Rescue team member in the Southern Rockies and am part of the swift water and rope rescue technical teams, and ground search team. Initial Review – November 11, 2015 Product Information
Product Overview The Klean Kanteen is vacuum insulated bottle made of 18/8 food grade stainless steel with a leak proof BPA free polypropylene cap and acrylic exterior finish. The manufacture lists the canteen as able to keep the liquids hot for up to 12 hours or iced for up to 24 hours. The canteen weighs in at 452 g (15.9 oz) with the cap, and can hold up to 946 ml (32 fl oz) of liquid. It is recommended that the bottle not be frozen. For this test I will be testing the loop cap although there are 5 additional caps that can be purchased individually and range in price from $5.95 to $14.95. The interior has an electro-polish finish that is reported to prevent the staining or transfer of food odors or flavors. Cleaning was taken into consideration as the interior has no corners allowing the bottle to be easily cleaned with soap and water or vinegar if needed. The Kanteen also boasts a large mouth opening in order to fit ice cubes easily into the bottle as well as a round edge for comfort. The Klean Kanteen has a lifetime warranty which is void if the bottle is frozen or exposed to a direct heat source like a stove.
Initial Impressions My first impression of the Klean Kanteen was that it was awfully heavy but a nice looking product. The bottle has what appears to be a wide mouth and a handy looking attachment point on the cap. For a water bottle that is designed for both keeping liquids cold or hot the canteen looks like a good product. Although I personally would prefer a lighter weight water bottle it looks like it will do the job and may be very handy. I am a little concerned that the manufacture explicitly states not to freeze the bottle as I do a lot of winter activities and have had many water bottles freeze because it really cold out. Usually I run into problems with the cap freezing to the bottle. I noticed that this part of the bottle does not appear to be double walled like the rest of the bottle but it is really hard to determine. Hopefully the insulated construction of the bottle will keep liquids from freezing otherwise the Klean Kanteen may only be usable for part of the year. I did test out the capacity and found that it does hold 946 ml (32 fl oz), but just barely. SummaryOverall the Klean Kanteen appears to be well-made and looks like a nice product. I am hopeful that it will live up to the manufactures claims of keeping liquids both hot and cold. I really wasn't sure about carrying around a bottle that weight close to half a kilo but, for winter at least, I think I am a full convert. I had the opportunity to use the Klean Kanteen Insulated bottle in quite a diverse set of testing conditions and am fairly confident in the bottle's capabilities. My first trip, although not backpacking, was a two week vacation in Belize. With temperatures in ranging from 23 C to 28 C (73 F - 82 FS) to and nice sunny days, I was able to check out how well the Kanteen was able to keep liquids cold. Over the course of the trip I loaded it up with just cold water and ice. Since I was diving it was left in the sun on a boat in open water for most of the day. To my pleasant surprise the water not only kept cold but there was still ice even after upwards of four hours in the sun. I was unable to confirm if the Kanteen would continue to keep the water cold for a full day as I ended up drinking it but my impression was that it would not have a problem. I did fill it up with ice and water over night and it had no problem keeping everything cold but it was in an air conditioned room so not a great test. That being said there was still ice in the bottle in the morning eight hours later. I
was also able to test the Kanteen in sub-zero temperatures. Over
the course of the test I brought the Klean Kanteen on a number of
backcountry
ski trips ranging from a single day in -20 C (-4 F) to three
nights in -10 C to -15 C (14 F - 5 F). I also had a number of
days of just below freezing temperatures.
What I found was that the Kanteen preformed incredibly well in
all
conditions. I filled it with cold water from the tap as well as
hot
water, and tea. It did not seem to matter what was in the bottle
nor at
what temperature the liquid was. It kept it cool, warm and hot
for long
periods of time without issue. It was a very pleasant surprise to
find
that my tea was still relatively hot, not just warm, after a full day
of skiing
in -15 C (5 F) temperatures. I have a number of thermoses and I
would say that
the Klean Kanteen outperformed a standard thermos with no problem.
One
other item that I liked about the Kanteen was that even in -20 C (-4 F)
the lid did
not freeze shut or ice form at the top of the bottle. Very
impressive.
Summary
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