Fluid Intake

[guajolote]

over-hydration is called hyponatremia.

here's a story abaout a runner in the boston marathon who died from it.

[hillbill]

I keep 1L Nalgene lexan bottles around for refilling. I love the wide mouth and the fact that they never ever leak if closed properly.

Those are the bottles that they sell in camping supply stores, right? Are they available anywhere else? And if not, why aren't they widely distributed and sold if they're the ne plus ultra of water bottles? Whenever I hear "Nalgene" I think, "obscure, overpriced, unecessary specialty camping supply item."

[Malawry]

Reasons why Nalgene bottles rock my world:

1. They're unbreakable. (Lexan!)

2. They don't leak if you screw the cap on tightly.

3. The loop keeps the cap on the bottle neck at all times, so you will never lose the cap.

4. They're dishwasher-safe and therefore easily cleaned.

5. Lexan does not leach into my drinking water noticeably. I can taste most plastic bottles. If I can't drink from Lexan I try to drink only from glass. (Actually I prefer glass, but the Nalgene bottles are portable.)

6. That loop holding the cap on is unbelievably sturdy. If I'm hiking I can attach the bottles to my daypack with a D-ring by that loop and it won't weaken.

7. All three of my bottles hold 1L of water, making it easy to track how much water I've consumed.

Here's what I dislike about Nalgene bottles:

1. They rarely fit into cupholders in cars.

2. Almost everybody around my age in this town seems to have them, including my roommate who has one that is identical to one of my 3 bottles. We can only tell them apart because the Nalgene logo on hers is more scratched-out than mine.

Yes, Nalgene bottles are sold at most outdoor supply stores. LL Bean and REI both carry them. (I usually buy them at REI.) You may be able to find them at some more mainstream "outdoorsy" stores like Eddie Bauer, I don't know...I don't buy them more often than I might visit my closest REI store. Are they overpriced? I found that regular plastic water bottles from the store and bicycle-type sports bottles were not nearly so sturdy and they made my water taste like plastic. I'm willing to spend $12 for a bottle that will last me years and that I can put through the dishwasher rather than pitching and buying a new bottle on a regular basis.

[Chad]

Our local Bed, Bath & Beyond has started carrying a small selection of Nalgene bottles. Didn't notice the price, sorry.

Chad

[hjshorter]

You just sold me on the Nalgene. One of the things I hate about bottled water is the plastic taste.

I drink a lot of fluids, usually 2-3 glasses of water or whatever during my meals, and water frequently during the day. Like Malawry, it helps my asthma and allergies. Whenever I have a headache, I drink a glass of water. Usually it will go away. If it doesn't go away then I go ahead and take tylenol.

One of the pluses to keeping well hydrated is that it reduces the risk of premature labor when you're pregnant. I learned that they hard way.

[hillbill]

Reasons why Nalgene bottles rock my world:

As per standard protocol, I googled nalgene because I was curious about the origins of the name. I didn't quite find an answer but this was interesting:

How it all started…

Back in 1949, a Rochester, New York chemist named Emanuel Goldberg developed the first plastic pipette holder. Along with three workers, he began the Nalge Company in a small building at 625 South Goodman Street.

For years Goldberg and his growing team developed the NALGENE line of state-of-the-art polyethylene laboratoryequipment: centrifuge bottles, filter units, storage tanks.

Obviously, it wasn't the kind of stuff you toss into your backpack for a weekend in the woods.

But there were rumors floating around ... stories about scientists taking the smaller, more convenient bottles out of the lab and using them on hikes and excursions.

By the 1970s this "unofficial" use for NALGENE bottles caughtthe eye of Marsh Hyman (President of the Nalge Company in Rochester, New York).

The Boy Scout connection…

Marsh had a son who was in the Boy Scouts. He and his fellow Scouts used NALGENE lab bottles on the trail. They were perfect as water bottles; for storing powdered drinks and pancake mix; and for carrying matches and shampoo and snacks and all sorts of camping supplies.

When he learned about these great new uses for his lab bottles, Marsh Hyman went to the Nalge Specialty Department with a mission:

"Spread the word to outdoorspeople all over! Tell them about this new line of high-quality camping equipment."

And that's how NALGENE Outdoor Products started.

[Malawry]

By the way, I once picked up some small plastic Nalgene brand vials for taking stuff like my shampoo and conditioner with me on weekend trips. They leaked. I can recommend the water bottles but buyer beware on their other products.

If I have to buy bottled water I often find myself selecting Evian because I think the plastic they use for bottling their water tastes better than most. I also like that their bottles are crushable for easy recycling. I'd still rather refill my Nalgene bottles with filtered tap water though.

[Alex]

I try to remember to increase my evening water intake if I'm drinking >1 glass of wine with dinner, as alcohol (and, to a lesser extent, caffeine) is a diuretic. If I forget, I wake up with a serious case of cotton mouth.

[Toliver]

I'm with fifi...I have a large mug at work to sip from throughout the day. At home, I've noticed if I have iced anything, it seems to satisfy me more than if the liquid is at room temperature. Go figure.

But never at a buffet! Liquids are the last thing I have at a buffet. I'm no idiot. And I bring a sweater/light jacket, too. I'm wise to their game.

[tryska]

I read somewhere that a runner got killed in marathon because he was over-hydrated.

Hyponatremia

basically if you drink too much water in too short a period of time, while exerting yourself, you throw your electrolytes totally out of wack and die.

[Stigand]

From the attached article:

"There are no clear cut guidelines, and recommendations need to be individualized for each triathlete. Some authorities recommend drinking less water to rebalance sodium and water intake. However, given the risk of dehydration and heat injury, this is not a practical recommendation. To reiterate, all of the hyponatremic athletes in the Hawaii Ironman were also dehydrated. Others recommend increasing salt intake, and this seems more prudent. By ingesting more sodium, hydration with water is balanced and dilution of blood sodium does not occur."

Doesn't this suggest that the problem in the case of the marathon runners/triathletes wasn't over-hydration, but failure to replace salt lost through sweating? I wouldn't be surprised if some sufferers of hyponatremia had used aspirin/paracetemol too - it's certainly something I've done before in races, without being aware of the risks (I certainly won't again - thanks for posting the link!).

[hillbill]

I keep 1L Nalgene lexan bottles around for refilling.

Okay now that I finally got it straight that Nalgene is a brand name and not a proprietary name for some plastic I see that Nalgene sells bottle made of various plastics and you're talking about the Lexan bottles.

I know of at least one other company that makes Lexan water bottles (I found it when I was looking at their Lexan French Press coffee maker) and I'd imagine that there are other manufacturers of Lexan water bottles also

GSI Outdoors H2O! Bottles- made of Lexan® resin

[Malawry]

Nalgene is a brand name. I assume that the plastic they use to manufacture their water bottles is lexan. It looks, feels, tastes, smells and acts like Lexan. But I have no solid evidence of this other than my senses. It may be some other type of plastic, I don't know. Other Nalgene products are made from other plastics, including the disappointing travel toiletry bottles I mentioned earlier.

Edit: they are Lexan according to REI's website. Click here to see and purchase water bottles, including the one Hillbill just referenced.

Edited November 5, 2003 by Malawry (log)

[hillbill]

Nalgene also has their own web store which lists the type of plastic for each type of bottle and the advantages of each type of plastic.

For the smoke-gray round Lexan bottles it says:

LEXAN, Round, Loop-Top

Made of super-tough Lexan. Smoke-gray in color. Dishwasher safe (top rack, Please secure the lid so it does not come in contact with the heating element). Withstands temperatures from -135ºC (-211ºF) to135ºC (275ºF). Comes with a loop-top cap that won't get lost.

Made with Lexan

Extremely durable

Resistant to staining

Resistant to retaining odors

Recommended for "extreme" adventures

Dishwasher Safe (top rack only)

Withstands temperatures from -135ºC (-211ºF) to 135ºC (275ºF)

Recommended for:

Liquids

There's another page describing the various plastics.

For polycarbonate (Lexan) it says:

Polycarbonate (PC)

High impact resistance

Resistant to staining

Won't retain odors

Withstands sub-freezing to boiling temperatures

Dishwasher safe away from the heating element

Max temperature: 135°C/275°F

Min temperature: -135°C/-211°F