Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

We carry at least two of these on every backpacking trip, sometimes even three on longer trips. We hike in groups of three or four, and most every one has one in their pack. The uses for these are MANY, here are a few: - As a large "Dirty" reservoir for our Sawyer Squeeze or Sawyer Mini filters when we want filtered water "on the go". These thread directly onto the Sawyer filter threads, and fit perfectly. Having a 2 liter source for the dirty water means less dipping and transfer operations - and these are much more durable and user-friendly than the bottles Sawyer sells. - As a "Clean" reservoir for filtered water / storage when using our gravity filter in camp. We don't hang our clean water reservoir, we only hang the dirty, and use something like this to catch the clean water. Sometimes we fill two of these when we are setting up camp to have water for cooking , washing up, etc. What makes this a decent storage reservoir is that you can put a push/pull cap on it and be able to have controlled and measured pouring... - As a reserve reservoir for extra water when we might be away from water for a couple of days - when we know we may be away from water for a day or so, we fill our 3L bladders first, then fill this as a reserve in our pack. Note these are not as thick as a bladder, so store / carry in your pack with care, and keep it protected. I have been using one of these bottles for two years now, over multiple trips, and it is still in serviceable / working condition. Thus the durability of these bottles is not bad, and they last if you care them. If I had to think of any "Cons" for these bottles, or what I don't like about them: - It takes forever for them to dry after cleaning....the small opening and large volume means you have to find a nice place to store them for 2-3 days as they dry. I live in AZ, which is very dry, I can only imagine how long it would take to dry in a humid climate! I only clean these when we get home, I don't ever attempt drying them out on the trail. - The caps are not attached, and can get lost. This is one of the big reasons I started using the Evernew soft bottles - the Evernew bottles have the cap attached to the bottle!! - You have to carry a separate rubber band or shock cord to roll them up. Again, the Evernew bottle has a pigtail attached to facilitate rolling them up, where the Playtpus does not. Note that I recently have been alternating these bottles with the Evernew soft bottles - those are a decent alternative to these, and are priced in the same ballpark. I purchased these Platypus bottles for $9.99, and the Evernew 2L for the same amount. A couple of tips and tricks: - I carry two caps for these - one closure cap, and a push / pull cap. I do this for multiple reasons, the first one being in case I lose a cap. The Platy caps are not attached to the bottle like the Evernew, and could get lost. The second reason is that if I am storing the reservoir as a backup water source in my pack, I don't want the tall push / pull cap protruding and screw on the closure cap. On the flip side, if I am using it for water storage in camp, I use the push / pull cap for easy dispensing. - I got some 1/16th inch shock cord and made a permanent pigtail attached to the bottle so you can easily rollup up the bottle for compact storage. This is copying what the Evernew bottle did with theirs, and idea which I really liked. In fact, I have other Platy soft bottles, and retrofitted this pigtail on those too!! If you are wondering what I mean, see the picture. The Platy is on the left with the added pigtail, and the Evernew is on the right with the stock pigtail. Thanks for reading.