Hello from CamelBak, where our entire line of hard plastic bottles will soon be BPA-free.  For the moment, the first of the BPA-free bottles will be on store shelves by the first of February.  Then we'll roll out the rest of the bottles in co-polyester. You should be able to find the BPA-free bottles within the next few weeks -- and they'll be everywhere for your Christmas shopping next year.  

Thanks for enduring the commercial commentary in the flow of helpful, clever advice.  We read you often and just couldn't resist weighing in when we saw your post.

I had a food process engineering explain to class that that basically the lower the number the more cancerous the plastic container is.

Lower numbers mean it degrades faster and oxidizes quicker so if you have a already opened bottle of liquid you're ingesting once the bottle is opened the inside wall of the bottle begins to oxidize and degrade turning the liquid into a carcinogenic..

It isn't really an issue unless you start reusing #1's

My daughter recently got a Camelbak hydration backpack (plastic water bag) for her birthday, and the cleaning directions say "Clean with mild soap and hot water.  Dry with reservoir open."  Has anyone had luck with keeping that reservoir open?  In my limited experience, the bag sticks together, because water is cohesive, and the inside doesn't get dry.  I have tried propping it open, upside down and rightside up, without much luck.  Also, I have wondered  how germy/leachy that enclosed tubing gets over time?  There doesn't seem to be a way to clean or dry  it???

I just couldn't resist weighing in when I saw your comment, Camelbak!  I love the concept in theory but am wondering about the health impacts of this new way to get water in my little hiker.

I'm a professional environmentalist who also spends lots of time in the backcountry.  I have two science degrees and my course and thesis work included graduate level biochemistry and statistics.  Personally, I will continue to drink from my Lexan bottles in winter (they fit nicely within my OR bottle cozy which keeps them from freezing here in AK), store my earthquake water in 1-gallon milk jugs, and use my Camelbak hydration bladder on summer hikes hikes and backpacks.

Over the course of my lifetime, the amount of water I'll drink from Lexan or my Camelbak will be negligible compared to the fluids I get from other containers, so even if there's a little BPA leaking out of the Lexan, or microbes in my Camelbak, this will come nowhere near to the health risks I incur every day when I drive, walk through a building with new vinyl flooring, or inhale woodsmoke from a neighbor's woodstove, etc.  BTW since I have a healthy immune system and am diligent about cleaning out my Camelbak after every use, I'm not worried about getting sick from it.  Folks, there are bacteria and viruses everywhere but with a little common sense our bodies are amazingly able to keep the bad stuff out and the good stuff in.

I will only use my earthquake water -- changed every six months and sanitized with chlorine bleach -- if there's another major earthquake here in Anchorage that puts my house well offline.  Again, drinking a few gallons will present a negligible risk to my health at a time when there will be bigger challenges to healthy living.

BTW Camelbak sells a (very overpriced) plastic device that fits through the opening and expands to help the inside walls of the bladder air dry.  I hang my Camelbak from my kitchen pot rack using this device when not in use, and take the hose off to dry separately.  There is no off taste associated with my Camelbak nor any visible mold growth etc.  It's as clean as the ceramic and glass containers I drink from and eat off of.  I bought my Camelbak dryer at REI.

In summary, although I'll do things like use an inverted bowl on a plate to microwave food instead of using plastic, I do not see a big enough risk to justify giving up all plastic use, especially where there is no practical alternative (metal bottles are NOT practical for backpacking).  OTOH I don't smoke, eat lots of wild salmon and vegetables, always use my seatbelt, get tons of high intensity exercise, get 8 hrs of sleep almost every night, and my BMI (I'm a 52-y.o. female) is under 20.  By making these lifestyle choices I have vastly reduced my risk of heart disease and driving fatality, which kill more women my age than all forms of cancer.  I think if most people understood the true comparative risks of occasionally drinking from plastic v. being overweight, inactive, living in a smoggy city, not getting a colonoscopy at age 50, etc., they would lose this silly obsession with Lexan.

We extend the life of our camelbak water bags by washing them after each use and then putting them immediately into our freezer.  It gets a little stiff, but is flexible within minutes after removal from the freezer.   No mold for us.

Hi!  I have a Camelback which doesn't get nearly enough use.  However, on those wondrous occasions when I actually do get enough outdoor exercise to use it, here's how I clean it, dealing with how the bladder want to stick together when wet.

First, I remove the mouthpiece, turn it to open position, and clean it, and keep it in a retrievable place. Then, after cleaning the Camelback Bladder, I just stick a clean/re-used little yogurt container through the opening and slide it down until the bladder stops sticking together.  I hang the bladder upside down by where the hose meets the bottom of the bladder(yogurt container is now up, near the hose entry to the bladder). I might need to wipe out a bit of water in lowest point before storing, but this way the hose and bag both dry nicely.  Then I re-attach the mouthpice and put the thing away, wide open, little yogurt thingy still in place so air can circulate.    

Hope this helps.  Happy Hydrating!

Wait, so what about Nalgenes? If they use evil plastic #7, then should I not be using them? :( Do they have any plans for co-polyester bottles?

I was just going to ask the same question. Does anyone know?

Nalgenes are the notorious number 7.

I own about 10 of the #7 BPA Better Bottles.  I tend to agree that some of this issue is overhyped; however, there is some real science indicating there is a problem.

The design of these bottles is great.  I drink water all day from these bottles and bet I consume 2-3 times more water than I used to.  I literally have one at the office, one at home and one in the care.  90% of the water I drink comes from these bottles.

Here is the problem - Camelbak is now actively marketing "BPA Free" bottles with their CEO stating Camelbak wants to give customers a choice.  A choice between what - bottles that leach harmful chemicals or safe bottles.  I think Camelbak has crossed the line.  They simply can't have it both ways.  

By marketing BPA free bottles they are basically opening the door for a class action lawsuit.  I decided to ask them for an RMA where I can return the 10 BPA models for the new bottles.  

My guess is 5 years from now I'll probably be reading about the harmful effects of the Eastman Triton bottles.

Why is Camelbak coming out with BPA free bottles if the old models are safe?  I hope you are planning to offer owners of the #7 the ability to exchange them

I asked the manufacturer of my #7 bottle of choice about the leeching thing, and they sent me an actual study that basically said that there was no leeching unless it was exposed to a certain degree of heat, or certain chemicals.  That is why the instructions specifically say, don't wash in the dishwasher (hot AND chemicals), don't use chemical soaps, and don't use for hot beverages.  I believe it also said, don't use with acidic juices (as the acid counts as "chemical").  They said otherwise it should be fine.  As far as I know they didn't pay for the study, just pointed to it for this very question so I took it to be legit.  Is anyone else familiar with this study?

I have a metal water bottle too, but a) it's very small in comparison to my 70-oz. or so #7 bottle; b) it's drinking lid has no vent, so if you close your mouth around it when you drink, you get all sorts of bubbles in your water, and swallowing all those bubbles gives me gas - you can't squeeze it to get the water out, so that leaves removing the cap every time you want a sip; and c) it's... LINED WITH PLASTIC!  That blew my mind when I got it home and discovered that.  So I don't really use that bottle much anymore.

Maybe I could buy a few of the larger-size metal bottles, but at $25+ a pop, that'd be quite an investment.  I would need multiple bottles due to their diminished size; I literally do go through 8-10 glasses of water just while I'm at work most days, so I would need to carry that much with me as I would be filling from my water filter at home.

Thinking of it that way, it would be cheaper just to buy another water filter to keep on my desk and use a regular glass all day.

Why are the metal bottles so friggin' expensive, anyway??  You can buy an entire set of stainless steel silverware for about what one of those bottles costs, and I'm sure that's more metal involved!

Nalgene does make bottles of the non-#7 variety - the old ones that used to be all they sold, #5 plastic, I believe - identical except for the fancy colours, and half the price.  I heard a rumour that MEC in Toronto was going to be stocking only these Nalgenes from now on, but I don't know how true that is.  At any rate, you can avoid Lexan but keep the convenience and same size of plastic if desired.  

I use my Kleen Kanteen metal bottle for everyday use - it is light and compact, and the only plastic on it is the outer part of the lid.  Steel can be washed and subjected to heat and cold without worry, but I've heard from many sources that freezing (as well as heating) plastic enhances its leaching tendencies... but if you're only drinking water from your bottles, it shouldn't be hard to keep them clean enough with normal washing, right?

It was actually this issue, plastic drinking containers, that brought me to Umbra in the first place, 2 years ago.  Many people have asked related questions before, and she's answered them in her thorough and judicious way.  You're here, you obviously read Umbra, go look them up! And then decide for yourself.

I'm not sure asking the manufacturer for their study is an objective source for information.  If they are so safe, why are they marketing a BPA free bottle?

"renowned for leaching the endocrine disruptor  bisphenol A."

Yeah, renowned by incomplete reporting on the internet by blogs who don't bother to do research, but pass along hype from something else they've read.

Yes, lexan does leach BPA, but not in any quantity that can harm a human.  USA and EU labs are doing more studies to confirm this since their is such fear about lexan.

As other commenter's said, you have to put a very acidic or alkaline substance in the bottle and heat it up (hot!) for leaching to be at any appreciable level.  That's why it is not recommended to put lexan in the dishwasher.  Dish soap and warm water is fine for cleaning.

The inside of baby formula bottles is lined with lexan.  The makers of the formula said the baby would have to drink 650 bottles of it in succession to get near any sign or symptom of BPA  poisoning.

Why market a BPA-free bottle?  So you'll buy it!!!   The market reacts to your needs and also your fears, no matter how misinformed.  They're going to make a lot off fear essentially.  The rush on Siggs and Kleen Kanteens is incredible.  Yah, I work at one of those three-initial outfitter stores.  We still drink out of our Nalgenes.  

Buy what makes you feel comfortable.  Lexan is not going to harm you, but if you get peace-of-mind from stainless steel or non-BPA, buy that one.