Your Options in Hiking Water Bottles

Plastic water bottles used on a hiking trail were the only choice when I began hiking several decades ago. (true story)

Most of us ancient backpackers used empty soda bottles over and over again until they either fell apart or started tasting funny (NOT recommended hiking best practices!!).

When shopping for lightweight plastic water bottles these days, you have options beyond bottles.

Strong points of metal bottles for hiking

Inert, so won't react with your electrolytes or lemonade to produce a weird, possibly hazardous, taste.

Nearly indestructible, so dropping them down a rocky chute won't be the end of them. 

Come in a dazzling array of color choices, and have interchangeable lids for water delivery: flip up straws, twist off lids, twist or pop open lids, and more.

You can't accidentally slice them open on a sharp rock.

They don't disintegrate from UV ray exposure (sunlight) or extreme temperatures after several uses, as with plastic bottles.

Drawbacks of metal hiking water bottles

A bit heavier in your backpack compared with plastic. When weight is your top consideration, go with plastic.

They can be dented when dropped. 

On cold winter days, it's a bit unpleasant to bring an ice-cold metal water bottle up to the lips.

The duct tape I wind around each bottle (part of my "be prepared" ten essentials strategy) sometimes gets tightly stuck to the metal, especially if it has gone through temperature extremes.