Bottles or a bladder for drinking water?

[ppine]

Modern technology allows for all sorts of thing to be detected in the environment at parts per billion  (PPB).  Few things are harmful at those kinds of levels of contamination.  In fact our ability to detect constituents greatly exceeds are ability to control them.

Some people only eat organic food ,drink  distilled water, make their own house cleaners, etc .There is no end to the lengths that some will go to protect their health.

If BPAs are approved for use in drinking water bottles and canned food liners by the FDA,  I am not going to worry about them that much a few days a month.  It is a personal decision.

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

8 hours ago, ppine said:

Now I have taken the plunge and bought a U:LA pack with design features to make water bottles available on the pack straps and the two side pockets without taking off the pack.

Enjoy the new pack ppine - I've had a lot of success with the Circuit. Never got around to using the front water bottle holders though!

On bottles: I used to use the heavier Nalgene Tritan style and then switched to Gatorade and the old Aquafina water bottles, but after breaking a few of the lighter re-used bottles in the field, and since they really don't do well with hot water I now take the middle ground and go with the HDPE Nalgene Bottle (No BPA) that's lighter than the Tritan but still handles hot water well, no suspect chemicals to worry about that I'm aware of, is really durable, and light enough for me at 3.8 ounces...plus I'm usually only taking one.

[HappyHour]

5 hours ago, ppine said:

Modern technology allows for all sorts of thing to be detected in the environment at parts per billion  (PPB).  Few things are harmful at those kinds of levels of contamination.  In fact our ability to detect constituents greatly exceeds are ability to control them.

This is true as far as it goes, but it doesn't go far enough.

 BPA may be present only at PPB levels in water, but like most fat-soluble chemicals, it will tend to accumulate in plant and animal tissues, and get progressively concentrated as it moves up the food chain.  At those higher levels, it is much more likely to have a significant biological effect (and not a good one).

Also consider that BPA is not the only estrogenic mimic out there in the environment.  Each of them alone may be below the threshold of concern, but combined they may have additive or even multiplicative effects.

And finally, the places where they make and use these chemicals are prone to releasing them at very high levels, creating a significant local impact on waterways.

Of course, given the status of funding for environmental toxicology, it is entirely possible that whatever plasticizer BPA has been replaced with is even worse...

Don't get me wrong, I use plenty of plastic products.  But I try my best to use plastic in durable goods, not disposables. Those stupid water bottles that everyone in Boulder carries around (despite the fact that we have phenomenally good tap water here) are an absolute abomination, right up there with ATVs, and should be banned immediately.

[ppine]

I bought another Platypus bottle yesterday. I am taking your advice and bringing some aluminum bottles also.