Nalgene bottle useres: HDPE vs. Polycarbonate

H

hikeeba

Joined
Jul 20, 2006
Messages
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Hello all. I am a long-time Nalgene wide-mouth 32 oz. bottle user. I have always used the white HDPE bottles. About 4 years ago, I began adding the PC (polycarbonate) to my bottle rotation. Over the last year or so, I have been using two bottles each day. As I have been on a tea kick, each bottle goes through a cycle from handling boiling water to going into the freezer as to partially (not completely) freeze the contents so iced tea can be enjoyed all morning or all afternoon. I usually hand wash and reused the bottles 3 times, before sending them into the dishwasher and rotating 2 different bottles in the mix.

I noticed a while ago that 2 of the 4 PC bottle have cracks in them, ranging from about .5" to close to 2" in length. The cracks are closer to the top/shoulder are of the bottle, but they haven't exteded to the opening. Also, I have continued to use these bottles, and so far they do not leak - at all. I find this interesting. I have had no problems with the HDPE bottles.

Some questions:

- Any other Nalgene bottle fans out there? If so, what do you prefer, HDPE or PC?

- Has anyone else had cracking issues with their PC Nalgene bottles?

I really like my Nalgene products, and in no way do I intend this thread to 'bash' Nalgene in anyway. I have grown to believe in Nalgene products, and will continue to use their stuff. I feel that due to the temperature extremes my bottles see each day, my bottles are used pretty hard, eventhough they are not physically thrown around. I have tried a no-name 32 oz bottle that looked like it was made from polycarbonate, but after a month of intermittent use, the bottle cracked clean through about 1/3 the way around the neck. Yes, it was a bargain brand, but because of that experience, I am hesitatnt to try 'PC' bottle from other brands.

Thoughts, comments.
 
i believe that's a problem with polycarbonate, not nalgene in general
are the bottles turning yellow?
polycarbonate degrades on exposure to sunlight
 
The bottles are not turning yellow. The bottles are differently colored; one is blue and the other is a purplish-blue. They do not appear to be discolored at all. Also, they aren't exposed to much sunlight. If we take a bottle camping or hiking, it is sually stowed in a pack. It may be left on a picnic table for an hour or two if we are hanging around camp, but that's it. For my use here at work, the bottles travel back and forth in a bag or pack of some sorts, and then remain confined inside a building with me.
 
I know a guy who was one of the first technicians hired by GE to make their Lexan [polycarbonate] -they mixed it in a 55 gal drum using a canoe paddle in the beginning !!! There are some different types of PC ,for example some especially designed for UV exposure .The patent has run out for GE so many companies make it ,good and bad ! I couldn't tell you if it's a PC problem or just the formulation.
 
Polycarbonate is my preferred solution for Nalgene. I never had one crack but, a few have taken hard falls and gotten scuffed.

I gave one to a friend that cracked like you mentioned. The only think I could identify was the dishwasher as a like source of the problem. I gave him another one and the problem didn't repeat even though he did they same things with it. It was a different color which shouldn't matter.
 
i prefer the HDPE ones cause they are cheaper and recyclable.
 
Yeah, my guess is its the dishwasher. I found out the hard way that polycarb + dishwasher = bad news. One of the bottles I had completely fell apart at the seam after going through the dishwasher.
 
My poly bottles have always seemed to better with hot liquids. I had an HDPE version that deformed when I put boiling water into it.
 
I don't know exactly, I bought my first Nalgene bottle for about 5 bucks from Gander Mountain. It's clear, 32 oz.
 
I put some bleach in my bottles after they are emptied and leave it there for a few hours or the next day, whenever I get around to it, then rinse them out. They never get an aftertaste that way and I've had no problems with cracking.

Plastic really picks up the taste of soap, even if I wash them in the dishwasher so I only rarely use it, just occasionally to swish it around, then rinse, then bleach. I also store them with the caps off.
 
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