has anyone nerded out on insulated water bottles lately?

I'm looking to pick up an insulated water bottle for winter ice cragging days. Before I just grab a hydroflask as an easy option I thought it worth asking whether anyone has tried to optimize among the available options lately.

For all I know the various offerings are very similar, but I wonder if anyone has seen some that are better for, what, durability, functionality, weight, or whatever else? 

I have a friend who uses a Stanley thermos and loves it. It keeps his drinks hot for a full 24 hours. 

Buy a nalgene and an Outdoor Research or Forty Below bottle cover for it. I think OR is better.

Seems there should be a lighter weight option than a Hydroflask/Kleen/Stanley

A Poland Springs 0.5 L water bottle with two foam beer coozies over it. Cut a circular hole in the base of one of the coozies for the cap to stick out. Not as efficient as OR bottle parka or Hydroflask, but a fraction of the weight.

https://www.rei.com/product/127064/gsi-outdoors-ultralight-water-bottle-24-fl-oz

I have the 500ml and 750ml versions of GSI's vacuum-sealed bottles. ~ 225g and 315g, respectively. I was a bit worried they'd come open in my pack, since they have a flip-top lid rather than a screw-on. But that hasn't happened yet, after a year of use. Overall very satisfied with insulation and ease of use. Significantly lighter than the other vacuum-sealed bottles mentioned above.

-Scott

I like thermoses, but I also will often just put a regular water bottle or soft flask in the interior pocket of my belay jacket. Keeps it warm in the pack and while wearing it.

I feel a weight to volume plot coming on... lord please give me the strength to resist doing it.

mike again wrote: I feel a weight to volume plot coming on...

Water balloon for the win.

Well, since the OP specifically asked for nerdy analysis and ideas:

1 Liter Nalgene in an Outdoor Research bottle cozy, full
1300g

240g Jetboil Sol Titanium
193g full fuel canister (100g of fuel)
725g GSI 0.5L vacuum bottle, full
11g Small bic lighter
1,169g

The latter option gives you ~4L of melted snow, depending on conditions and whether you want your water boiling or just lukewarm. Obviously requires time to melt snow, but I can usually multi-task a round of melting and boiling while belaying up the follower. No better welcome to a belay than a cup of hot miso soup (:

-Scott

I went through this same question last year. Settled on the  Hydroflask. Put boiling water in it. Put it in your pack. Two hours later too hot to drink. Now I top it off with tap water to be able to drink it in a reasonable time. Heavy, sure, but I can’t imagine wanting something more thermally efficient. Secure top. Even the lid with a flip lid for drinking is remarkably  tight. Found what I was looking for. 

Scott Bennett wrote:No better welcome to a belay than a cup of hot miso soup (:

Great! Now I want miso soup!  :( 

Scott Bennett wrote: Well, since the OP specifically asked for nerdy analysis and ideas:

1 Liter Nalgene in an Outdoor Research bottle cozy, full
1300g

240g Jetboil Sol Titanium
193g full fuel canister (100g of fuel)
725g GSI 0.5L vacuum bottle, full
11g Small bic lighter
1,169g

The latter option gives you ~4L of melted snow, depending on conditions and whether you want your water boiling or just lukewarm. Obviously requires time to melt snow, but I can usually multi-task a round of melting and boiling while belaying up the follower. No better welcome to a belay than a cup of hot miso soup (:

-Scott

Yes to the jetboil idea for long routes - if well organized this is great. Mmm soup. 

your answer also implies GSI is a good option... 

Yeti

Nalgene sells a neoprene cozy that works well if you already are on the nalgene bandwagon.  Something like $10.  I used one for my tea for years, and another as a snack bag on the back of my harness for day snacks (keeps bars from melting too fast).

The 20 oz thermos brand flask is what I’ve got my eye on.(lost my last one)   I’d stay away from anything with flip tops or the UL flasks. If you want a thermos that lasts simple is better.  Anything that can break will.  Twist off and a cup for the top is my perfect thermos.  

Jet boil..  sure but let’s be honest are you really gonna want to whip that puppy out?  Probably not for cragging  

Tiger Corporation bottles are good

I use the MicroLite GSI thermoses & they're great.  I found they don't hold heat quite as long as the heavier, Stanley-type options, but they're sooo much lighter, so it's well worth it.  By "holding heat" I mean your first few sips from the GSI will not torch your tongue.  By the end of a long day, the GSi is still pretty warm, but not next-to-boiling like other, heavier brands.  Hope that helps.

Interestingly, I just ran an experiment for my Heat Transfer class around this. The double walled vacuum bottles are pretty amazing though heavy. This will give you a sense of some of them comparatively. The OR bottle parka had a 1 liter Nalgene in it. Ran the experiment at room temp.

 

If weight isn't that much of an issue (you said cragging, right?) I love my hydroflask 2 liter bottle. I drink way more when it's warm, and put soup or fresh lemon ginger tea. I find cragging with a jetboil is nice and all, but I prefer to spend my time climbing than futzing with a stove and melting snow. 

hot water into a platypus 1L pouch and bubble wrap taped around it. that will both be super light and will fold down to take up no volume by the end of the day.