How do you prevent your drinking water from freezing?

Old lady H wrote:

Dallin, what do you like for a bottle for these? I don't like plastic, generally, but if that's the best choice? I'm headed to Bozeman ice fest mid December, and want to be able to function if it decides to go single digits. I'll pack a thermos for something hot, but will also want water.

It was his own fault, he forgot a quart bottle in the car for a few hours, but my son had a beefy metal one burst in really frigid temps. But, he also is still using another metal one that is sorta bent over. Got backed into, lol!

Best, Helen

Hunersdorf are the best cold weather water bottles. 40 Below sells them, as does Amazon. Compared to Nalgene the bigger threads don't freeze as easily and the cap is easier to grip with big gloves.

Your options: Nalgene with minimal surface area, and an insulating jacket - fill the bottle with water, salt, sugar and everclear , make sure you always store it upside down, buried or in your sleeping bag and it’s still probably going to freeze. Or buy a hydro flask/ thermos and be done with it.

Thanks for everyone's responses to my question I've found them really useful!

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Thank you!

Nalgene in an OR insulated sleeve, then in my sleeping bag, has worked for me as cold as -34C.  Don't forget that your pee bottle can also freeze, so a separate sleeve for that.  During the day, one Nalgene filled with boiling water in a sleeve and one thermos with tea and honey.

Corey Day wrote: Camelback hoses and mouthpieces freeze even with those insulated liners i dont know why people try to use camelbacks in the winter. For Nalegens, these OR Bottle Parkas are great  . If not using a liner of sorts, storing a wide mouth nalgene bottle upside down, the small mouth ones freeze more easily, is key.

camelback hoses are trash, totally

upside down bottle is interesting though

200 deg F water in a Naglene bottle parka will last about 6 hours in ~10F, outside the pack while moving, until ice just begins to form. If you are moving and the water is sloshing you can still drink it until its gone. Upside down extends the cap freeze time. Placing the bottle inside your pack and wrapped in as much as possible (socks, hats, belay parka) will generally keep the water liquid all day long until you would normally reach a stove or indoors. Or if you have space in your jacket. Anything you add to the water helps it to not freeze. Personally, I mix instant coffee, brownie mix and sugar/maple syrup and getting some of that hot goodness in freezing weather always lifts my spirits. Plus caffeine and calories while hydrating. Win-win as long you pooped before you started climbing.

While looking for new solutions to keeping liquid water, my priorities are weight and volume mixed tightly with confidence in the system. Plastic bottles and bottle parkas/soft insulation can't fail. We can't afford to have water system failures in these situations. Hence why the bladder hoses are frowned upon. Let us all know what you come up with!

Blow it back up the tube.