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Reviews > Hydration Systems > Bottles > Klean Kanteen Vacuum Insulated Classic > Test Report by Kathleen Waters

KLEAN KANTEEN VACUUM INSULATED CLASSIC
TEST SERIES BY KATHLEEN WATERS
LONG-TERM REPORT

INITIAL REPORT - October 23, 2015
LONG TERM REPORT - March 31, 2016

TESTER INFORMATION

NAME: Kathleen Waters
EMAIL: kathy at backpackgeartest dot com
AGE: 65
LOCATION: Canon City, Colorado, USA
GENDER: F
HEIGHT: 5' 4" (1.60 m)
WEIGHT: 125 lb (56.70 kg)

Living in Colorado and being self-employed, I have ample opportunities to backpack. There are over 700,000 acres/280,000 hectares of public land bordering my 71-acre/29-hectare "backyard" in addition to all the other gorgeous locations which abound in Colorado. Over the past 15 years, my husband John and I have also had the good fortune to hike/snowshoe glaciers, rain forests, mountains and deserts in exotic locations, including New Zealand, Iceland, Costa Rica, Slovenia and Death Valley. My hiking style is comfortable, aiming for lightweight. I use a tent (rainfly if needed). Current pack averages 25 lb (11 kg) excluding food and water.


INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Klean Kanteen
Year of Manufacture: 2015
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.kleankanteen.com
MSRP: US $39.95
Listed Weight: 14.9 oz (422.3 g) w/loop cap
Measured Weight: 17.5 oz (496 g)
Colors Available: Brushed Stainless, Blooming Iris, Beet Root, Quiet Storm, Winter Lake, Shale Black
Color Tested: Winter Lake

Other details:

Listed and Measured Capacity: 32 fl oz (946 ml) ***
Listed and Measured Size (w/loop cap): 10.8" H x 3.6" W (275.1 mm H x 91.4 mm W)
Listed and Measured Opening Diameter: 1.75" (44 mm)

BPA Free
Made with 100% 18/8 Stainless Steel
Lifetime Warranty
Made in China

*** Also available in a 64 fl oz (1893 ml) version
Classic Insulated Bottle
Photo © Klean Kanteen


INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The Klean Kanteen Vacuum Insulated Classic Bottle is a stainless steel bottle with a tapered neck. The bottle is made from high-quality, 18/8, food-grade stainless steel and is double-walled with no liner. I did a quick search and found that the "18/8" number stands for the percentages of chromium (18%) and nickel (8%) in the steel. According to the Klean Kanteen website FAQ, "Chromium increases the metal's hardness and nickel gives it strength". This combo also reportedly makes stainless steel very resistant to stain or rust. The surface of the bottle is smooth and has a nice quality feel.

The main body of the bottle is 11.5" (29 cm) in circumference and is 10.8" high by 3.6" wide (275.1 mm H x 91.4 mm W). It's "chunky" but not overly heavy for the size.

There is a 1.5" (3.8 cm) loop screw-top constructed from polypropylene (pp#5) which is a food-grade plastic material that is BPA-free. BPA (Bisphenol A) is a chemical used in the production of many plastics that causes genetic defects in animals in high doses. Other tops are available as options, such as a stainless steel one.

The top has a large loop which is big enough for my pointer-finger to slip through; however, I certainly won't be carrying a liquid-filled bottle with just my finger! Way too heavy for that. However, the loop hole works well with a carabineer for securing the bottle to my pack.

There is no smell to the bottle nor is there any taste to the bottle. I was able to remove and replace the loop top easily. I was not able to discern any blemishes or other defects of the bottle. The Klean Kanteen Insulated Classic Bottle appears to be of high quality.

READING THE INSTRUCTIONS

Before I received my Classic Insulated Bottle, I perused the Klean Kanteen FAQ page and found out that the Klean Kanteen can be filled with a wide variety of liquids including acidic beverages (apple and orange juice), milk (including breast milk and formula) and alcohol (beer, wine, etc.) without adverse effects on either the liquid or the bottle. Good to know!

As far as cleaning and caring for the Insulated Bottle, here's what the Klean Kanteen FAQ has to say:

1.) Klean Kanteen recommends handwashing the Classic Insulated Bottle.
2.) For daily cleaning, wash with warm, soapy water, rinse and let it dry in a dish rack with the mouth downward.
3.) For a more thorough cleaning, use warm, soapy water and a bottle brush.
4.) Also recommended is using an old-fashioned cleaner such as diluted vinegar or water and baking soda.
5.) The Classic Cap is dishwasher safe.

TRYING IT OUT

As soon as I received the Classic Insulated Bottle, I washed it out with warm, soapy water and filled it up with cold water to sip at my desk while at work. I make it a point to sip water throughout the day and having an insulated bottle makes running for ice to keep it cool a non-issue.

The mouth opening of the bottle is wide enough to fill up directly from my kitchen sink faucet and from my refrigerator water dispenser. I can even use the refrigerator door ice dispenser to add ice to the bottle without having an avalanche of ice cubes littering the floor.

Filled up with 32 fl oz (946 ml) of water, the bottle weighs in at just a shade under 3 lb (1.4 kg).

Since this is a larger bottle than my usual water bottle, I was concerned whether or not it would fit in the outside side pockets of my backpacks. I found there was no need to waste a minute of my time on that as the Classic Bottle fits albeit snugly, in all of my various day and larger packs.

I've had a week's worth of using the bottle on my desk at work. Now I can't wait to actually get out there on the trails and see how the Klean Kanteen Classic Insulated Bottle works under diverse conditions while I'm having fun!

SUMMARY

The Klean Kanteen Classic Insulated Bottle is my first "non-plastic" water bottle. While my husband uses his stainless steel thermos on a daily basis, I've no experience with one up until now. This bottle is way lighter than his clunky thermos, too! It's one sleek-looking water bottle!

Mostly, I'm thinking I'm really going to like the idea of "clean" stainless steel construction for sanitary purposes and to cut out lingering odors. And because it is a larger than normal water bottle I carry (1 L), the Klean Kanteen Classic Insulated Bottle is a generously-sized bottle for those outdoor ventures lasting more than a few hours.


LONG-TERM REPORT

LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

Various locations where I traveled with my Klean Kanteen Classic Insulated Bottle:
On the Trail in Lincoln NF
On the Trail in Lincoln National Forest
First trip was a one-week backpack/base camp in early October to New Mexico in the Lincoln National Forest and the White Sands National Monument. Most of the time it was either foggy, misty, drizzly or downright, rainy! I think we had only one day where it was hot and sunny. The lowest temperature we encountered was just about freezing and the highest was in the low 50's F (10 C).

I spent 10 days in the northern part of the Lower Michigan peninsula during a Thanksgiving Day trip in late November. There was lots of hiking in snow and rain. I don't think we saw the sun the entire time we were there. Temperatures hovered around the freezing mark with lots of wind to make it feel even colder. All of my snowshoeing and hiking was done on dirt, heavily pine-forested trails with a backpack never weighing more than 20 lb (9 kg).

At the end of January, I spent seven days in coastal Florida where they were having a "cold snap" and the temperatures were never higher than 70 F (21 C). There, too, the heavens seemed to weep constantly. Alas, though I had big plans, due to a death in my family, my hopes of some backcountry Floridian adventure were dashed and off I was to New Jersey.

I spent the next two weeks in New Jersey, pining for the outdoors and some sunshine while central Jersey experienced three storms, each dumping two-digit inches/centimeters' worth of the white stuff. Though I only had a couple of pairs of sandals from my aborted Floridian trip, I borrowed my sister's tennis shoes and I slogged through the slush on daily walks in my sister's neighborhood - it was the best I could do. There the temperature were frigid; 10 to 30 F (-12 to -1C).

Fortunately, between all the horrible weather elsewhere, most of my winter time in Colorado was bee-u-ti-ful! We had lots of sunshine, little precipitation and for the most part, the temperatures were above normal. Daily "highs" averaged between 50 and 75 F (10 - 24 C). In addition to my daily hikes in south central Colorado - Canon City, where I call home - I took the Klean Kanteen on several snowshoes in Rocky Mountain National Park and in the Wet Mountains.

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

As I indicated in my Initial Report, the Classic Insulated Bottle is easy to fill, easy to drink from, fits in my backpacks' water bottle pockets and is easy to clean. What else is there to say? Oh, how well does it work at keeping things hot and cold? Good? No? Not helpful? Okay, I'll elaborate.

Over the last 5 months, I have found the Classic Insulated to work exceptionally well in all weather temperatures at both keeping hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold. Even in the coldest temperatures I encountered, I was assured of having my hot cocoa or hot tea very hot to warm over a period of 5-7 hours. In normal room temperatures (65 F/18 C), I actually had hot tea still drinkable over 12 hours later, albeit, not warm enough for my liking, but still drinkable. This was particularly appreciated when I got stuck in the Tampa airport overnight on a weather delay and I needed to keep my nerves (and patience) in check with a couple of very expensive *$$'s Chai Tea Lattes.

The bottle keeps boiled water/tea so hot that initially, it's too hot to drink. The metal mouth opening gets to be scalding. I would love to see Klean Kanteen maybe "dip" the opening in a coating of some kind to deflect the heat from the metal.

As for cold liquid, while I haven't had the bottle in extreme heat, I have found that a bottle filled first with ice and then liquid stayed refreshing for up to 9 hours sitting in my backpack - I used my water bladder first and never got to the bottle.

No matter what the conditions, both hot and cold, the liquid in the bottle never was unsuitable for drinking or had a funny smell or taste.

I did wash the bottle after each use with regular dishwashing liquid, not in the dishwasher and let it air dry on a dish rack. And despite dropping the bottle more than a few times, the Classic Insulated bottle does not have a scratch or a ding on it as of yet.

SUMMARY

To sum up my impressions of the Klean Kanteen Vacuum Insulated Classic water bottle in one word; (quite) pleased! This is a useful, well-designed product that does what the advertising hype promises: it keeps me hydrated on the trail (and in my office) with appropriately hot or cold liquid refreshment as the case may require. The bottle is easy to fill, to carry, to drink from and to clean. I have no complaints and the only suggestions for improvement I can come up with, is maybe securing the top to the bottle in some way, so clumsy people (me) don't drop said top in a boulder field and spend the 20 minutes looking for said top! And a protective coating for the mouth opening.

That said, the Klean Kanteen has earned its place on my pantry gear closet shelf and I'm looking forward to keeping hydrated on the trails this summer.

Thank you Klean Kanteen and BackpackGearTest.org for the chance to do so with the Classic Insulated Bottle.

Kathleen (Kathy) Waters

This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1.5 Copyright 2016. All rights reserved.

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