I have used Sigs, which area a step up, but the opening is too small to fit ice in easily, which I have come to consider a must have. I've found them the right size to fit in larger cup holders, and resistant to picking up tastes and funky smells.
I tried a Nalgene-style sports bottle, but had it spurt water down me on more than a few occasions. No good. It was fairly convenient to drink from, though.
I've eyed the Guyot Designs stainless bottle, recommended by Dave Cantebury of Wilderness Outfitters fame, but decided that it would have much the same ease-of-drinking problems as a standard Nalgene.
So, I decided upon the new Camelbak Better Bottle in stainless steel. It's pretty much perfect.
- Wide mouth opening, easy to put ice into
- Bite valve is heavenly to drink from, and compatible with other Camelbak accessories--you could put a full length drinking tube on this if you wanted
- The stainless steel looks good and is smell resistant. It also means that the bottle can be used to boil water, cook in, or make char-cloth if needed
- Very sturdy build
- Fits in cup holders
- So far, the bottle has proved to be completely leak-proof. There's a small gasket in the top of the bottle that keeps pressures under control--no spraying water
- Accessories readily available from Camelbak
I have a few minor nit-picks; the clear bite valve looks like it may pick up colors fairly easily, but these should come out in the dishwasher. The .75 liter capacity isn't ideal, however, it does make the bottle a nice handy size. The $24 price tag is a bit high for a water bottle, but the build and features make this genuinely worth it.
I definitely recommend the Camelbak Better Bottle in stainless--and it looks like Amazon has it for a few dollars less than retail. If you're looking for water bottle Zen, this is it.
CamelBak 0.75- Liter Stainless Steel Better Bottle
