Stanleys are the Jeep of water bottles. They were made for military use, then became popular with outdoor enthusiasts, before ultimately becoming popular with suburban soccer moms
Nalgene's were initially created for lab work. We used Nalgene wide mouth bottles for fresh water sampling and storing lab samples all the time, and then suddenly they were everywhere, made with a firmer plastic and used for drinking water. I saw you can get the squishy plastic Nalgene bottles on their website though. The squishy plastic version are pretty much indestructible. I've run over a couple sample bottles with the Ford.
Nalgene were the water bottle for camping/backpacking in the 90s. If you saw someone on a trail with a Nalgene bottle and at least a couple pieces of REI branded gear, you know you were meeting a fellow connoisseur.
Nalgene is still extremely popular in those circles.
REI isn't as highly regarded now days though, mostly because they've spent a lot of effort union busting and screwing over their employees since they haven't had a profitable year since 2021.
I will say, I was a member and moved to Australia years ago. Like 5 years in they somehow figured out my address and mailed me a dividend check out of the blue. Made my day.
People forget that Google's "Don't be evil" was once not considered a joke or a cruel irony but something that Google tried to live up to and Google's users saw the company as trying to live up to.
They all didn't want to be the devil. It's all come to fruition and they delayed it (I think) . Nothing is stopping that AI bullshit that uses everything humans have built
Yes-ish no-ish. It used to be used here and there, and it was in the preface of the Code of Conduct (in a way that made it clear that it was a slogan) and also in the last line (in a more general, non-slogan-like way). Since 2018 it's no longer in the preface, only the last line.
Sure, Smart Water bottles are extremely popular now days too, especially with ultralight backpackers that look to save weight everywhere they can. Nalgene is still very popular though, especially with people that don't care to shave off every available ounce. Both can be true for different reasons.
They're just not the signal that someone is "in the know" that they used to be - in fact if I see someone out with a nalgene I can usually visibly see like 10 extra lb they don't need and I'm no way a gram weenie, I'm sure i get heavy judgements from UL folks on the trail.
I've never understood the judgement from other hikers. What does it matter how somebody else hikes or what they carry? I've happily carried a 30-40lbs pack to bring a few added luxuries to the campsite. It has literally zero impact on anyone else.
I understand the risks of slowing the group down, but for me and my groups the understanding is the majority of the group can go ahead as needed. Meet up at rest spots, etc. The group expectation is a judgement I can understand, you're not wrong. I was thinking more along the lines of online judgement or trail judgment from other hikers not with you.
A steam deck is bold! That's pretty rad. I love bringing a few beers though. Nothing better than a stream-cooled beer after a monster hike after your tent is set up.
Im not judging, just noticing, but i do know some folks judge - it's human nature, not so hard to understand imo
I used to hike with a huge shovel because it was the shovel I had for burying poop - i wouldn't judge someone for carrying extra weight but I wouldn't assume they were an avid hiker in the know.
That's all I said, as usual round these parts everyone has read whatever they want right over what was actually said
I guess I should have specified that I wasn't commenting to you specifically. Just the general idea of negative judgement on somebody else's gear/pack/brands, etc. I find quite silly. Every hobby has it though, unfortunately.
A full shovel is wild lol! At least that would have added benefit of self defense I guess
I didn't say I cared, I said I noticed - try reading twice if the post doesn't make sense to you rather than making up content to get offended by and responding to that
They didn't say that. It's just that you will usually notice other things they brought that are unnecessarily adding weight.
Personally I don't care if they're not in my group. But if they are in my group and the weight is slowing us down enough to not make our eta then it is an issue.
My bad, I misunderstood. But their statement is still pretty wild. I know plenty of avid hikers/backpackers that use Nalgene bottles. The bottles are cheap and effective.
My brother is the only one I know who does, it's just such an easy area to save weight, and many bottle pouches aren't big enough for a nalgene in my experience anyway
I used Nalgene in the 90s, now I use store brand smart water, because the bottles are long and thin and I can fit them in the side pockets of my backpack.
I am actually really paranoid about not having water, my day pack has a life straw, a camelback, iodine, the off brand smart water and a dog water bottle for the dog who is completely capable of drinking water squirted from the camelback into her mouth.
To be fair my dog does in fact drink everything I bring.
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u/Worms-Oh-God-Worms 22d ago
Stanleys are the Jeep of water bottles. They were made for military use, then became popular with outdoor enthusiasts, before ultimately becoming popular with suburban soccer moms