How do you keep nalgenes from freezing?

“FYOA is coming up, so I'm lookin' for a way to keep the water bottle from turining into a 44 oz. slushie. On past hikes, I've just dealt with it. I know about OR cozys, or whatever. Also, I'm takin' a thermos on FYAO, so that should help me keep hydrated with warm fluids. On my last trip I put the bottle in a sock or two, but that did very little to keep the water from freezing inside my nalgene bottle. So I kind-a wonder what yoose guys do, and what kind-a success you've had with your particular technique. ' hopin' I can learn somethin' here from you and maybe get a way to haul maybe cooler water with out havin' to heat the water in the morning. What'cha think?”

“don't let them get cold





sorry, had to”

“Stick the Nalgene bottle in your sleeping bag at night.....during the day tie a piece of parachute cord around your waist and hang the bottle from it INSIDE your pants (1/2ltr size). Besides keeping the water from freezing, it'll be a sure-fire girl magnet..........
last edited: 1/18/06 2:41:27 PM”

“maybe you could duck tape one of those foot/hand warmers around it...it might make your water too warm though...i don't know, that's just me talkin”

“http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?memberId=12500226&productId=39167306

These water bottle parkas are still available from Campmor and CHEAP!

http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=31958275&memberId=12500226

I like the .5 liter size.
I think they will keep from freezing better than a 1 liter since there is almost the same amount of insulation with half the water volume.
The .5 liter is also an easier size to sleep with.....a must.
last edited: 1/18/06 2:45:38 PM”

“Not an expert here, but you could keep it in your bag at night, also most down jackets have inner pockets that you could keep a Nalgene in while hanging out. Nalgene cozys work with some hand warmers thrown in. Some people sware by burying the Nalgene in the snow, and that acts like an insulator. One observation I have made is Nalgene water freezes much faster than water in a pladypus. I don't know why, but it does? Hope this helps.....”

“Just bring vodka instead.”

“Or stay out of Northern New England”

“If there's snow, I keep my water in an icebox I dig out of the snow. On the trip last weekend in Yosemite, I dug down inside my tent vestibules (which I always do in the snow anyway), then dug horizontally into the snow from inside that sunken vestibule. Blocked the opening with my pack. Voila! 4 liters of liquid water in platy bags in the morning, even with 5-degree temps overnight!”

“mix it with alcohol....one part water, fifty parts alcohol. Well, what lyra said........”

“Yes, that will keep you hydrated much better! ;-)
last edited: 1/18/06 2:56:58 PM”

“I would go with lyra's suggestion. Noone will ever know....its clear.”

“One observation I have made is Nalgene water freezes much faster than water in a pladypus. I don't know why, but it does? Hope this helps.....”
BackSlacker
3:46:36 PM
1/18/06
ignore this user

The larger volume of water will take longer to freeze.”

“put one in the base of the bottle carrier, and keep the bottle in your tent or pack...”

“Go to Wal-mart and buy a cheap car dash sun shade, the kind that fold up like an accordion and are made of a silvery bubble-wrap like insulating material. Cut it up and with a little bit of duct tape you can make lots of Nalgene insulating cozies - cheap! Also, this material makes a great ziploc cozy and light-weight sit pad. With one shade you can make a whole lot of handy items :)”

“"The larger volume of water will take longer to freeze.”
lumberzac
2:56:35 PM
1/18/06


Maybe my theory is ass-backwards.”

“Agreed LZ, but even a 1 liter plady doesn't freeze as fast....”

“yeah, that helps. I need to start putting the thing in the sleeping bag, and I'd already thought of the handwarmers for the boots, so why not use'em around the bottle. Good ideas, so far. Change the handwarmers through out the day when I need to.

thriftyhiker- ' time for a good cartman expletive ;)”

“Knit them sweaters.”

“Drinking water from a bottle is for day hikers”

““Agreed LZ, but even a 1 liter plady doesn't freeze as fast....”
BackSlacker
3:59:36 PM
1/18/06
ignore this user

Then I don't know. I don't use my plady in winter, because if it does freeze, the plastic is more likely to fail.


precision, last year we had a large pot full of water over the fire that we kept our nalgenes in. That doesn't help while hiking though.”

“Take away its credit card....No wait that's a chargin' Rino. I always get those two mixed up!”

“Having spent many, many nights in sub-freezing weather, I personally would NEVER put liquid in my sleeping bag. What (leak) is uncomfortable in spring/summer becomes life threatening in winter.

Only takes one time.

I'd heat up the nalgene liquid and/or wrap it in some non-essential clothing (insulation)& a plastic garbage bag (help protect against leaks)with a chem heat pack. Never liked the sm mitten/boot heat pks, but some folks do. I ALWAYS bring 4x6" chem heat pack(s) in sub-zero weather.”

“matt, the nipples always come off my bags. So, I use the water bottles.”

“How do you keep nalgenes from freezing?

Wear whity tighties! (sorry, just kidding!)”

“lumberzac, not unless you're hauling a really big sled, maybe with that huge camp stove on it too.”

“Don't let them freeze to begin with. I keep one filled with boiling water and others with it in either an insulated bag I made or wrapped in spare clothing in my pack if I don't have that bag. I also use some homemade, insulated bottle pouches. It takes a little planning, but your water should not freeze.
last edited: 1/18/06 3:12:11 PM”

“make a bottle insulator with blue foam works great. Store upside down so ice forms away from the mouth.

start with hot water and drink it warm all day.”

“Fire! he he he Fire! Fire!”

“I've almost always done the store-upside down thing with the socks covering it, but it didn't seem to work too well for me. Definately costs less though - than an OR bottle parka.”

“put a pebble in the bottle..........”

“precision, I've always found I really need to bury it deep in a bunch of clothes to let it not freeze. I mean as big a pile as you can get together.
On the trail, get one insulator, use it for the bottle you're drinking from, put the other ones, in your pack as close to your back as you can get them.”

“great book

Wilderness Skiing & Winter Camping
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0070652538/qid=1137619915/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i2_xgl14/002-3469858-8600812?n=507846&s=books&v=glance”

“ah, Chris Townsend posts regularly at the UK-based oudoorsmagic forum. Nice guy to chat to.
www.outdoorsmagic.co.uk”

“I do what BowlderMan does... bury it in snow. Snow is an excellent insulator.”

“I think it's when the platy is close to your back that it is slower to freeze.

I think there are a finite set of strategies:

1) Keep the water close to a heat source, body heat being the most convenient (e.g. inside your jacket, in your backpack very close to your back and in your sleeping bag at night), but others are possible (e.g. a chemical heat pack).
2) Start the water off warm or hot.
3) Insulate.
4) Alter the freezing point (e.g. with some salt containing electrolyte mix).

Combining these options helps.

Also, keep the nalgene upside down so if some of it does freeze up you still have access to the unfrozen water.”

“Exactly how are we defining "freezing"? A layer of ice on top? Frozen solid? Slush? Are we talking about water carried while hiking or water stored through the night for use the next morning?

Has anyone really had a nalgene freeze solid while hiking?
last edited: 1/18/06 4:04:26 PM”

“I assumed he meant overnight since he said "blah blah blah... in the morning."”

“Has anyone really had a nalgene freeze solid while hiking?
last edited: 1/18/06 5:04:26 PM”
Nonconformist
5:01:50 PM
1/18/06
ignore this user

I did at FYAO IV when it got down to -26*F. I had my water bottle in a sock, but put it on the outside of my pack for easy access. It was frozen solid by the time I made it back to the trailhead a few hours later.”

“now that's kind of cold, lumberzac

What I mean, mostly, is hard slushie - to the point where you're sipping like heck for that tad of water at the top, and maybe you even feel tortured for a good gulp of water.”

“I've seen a certain TT'ers water bottle freeze solid after he failed to insulate it. Took me ages to thaw the beeyatch out.”

“it is a freakin nightmare to thaw it once it gets frozen solid.

(That TT'er wasn't me btw)”

“i like slushies”

“possible approaches:

1.) use up most of your water before nightfall - wait til morning to get any replacement water - I once tried to keep 3 L of water in my bag to keep it from freezing - all it did was keep me freezing all night (but the water didn't freeze)

2.) keep what little water remains in a pocket of some clothing you are wearing and will be in the bag with you - some people sew a big pocket on the chest of their undershirt for just this purpose - some men have been known to use a bro for this purpose - myself I keep the overnight water in the pocket of my down jacket which I wear to sleep in

3.) bury the water upside down in the snow - snow is a very good insulator and what ice does form in the bottle will be on the bottom when you dig it our - I have not done this myself but it makes a lot of sense”

“can you not just add whiskey to the Frozen water?”

“Ah, the thawing....

If you think your bottle or bag might freeze, be sure to not fill it all the way up. That way you can melt some snow (being careful not to scorch it), heat up the water, and pour it in the frozen bottle or bag to thaw it out. If you fill the bottle, there won't be any room to add the hot water....”

“lol. Now yer talkin.”

“Hey Y2, how did you end up thawing your---er, I mean your friend's nalgene?



Hmmm....I think I might try some experiments this weekend since winter is supposed to return....see what works and what doesn't.”

“Good idea! expirimentation is ALWAYS GOOD!”