Whether you’re counting ounces on a backpacking trip, or just out for a hike, the Vapur Eclipse Anti-Bottles can handle just about anything you can throw at them. I’ve been carrying these around for the past few months and I’m very impressed by the durability and functionality they offer compared to the traditional rigid bottle. There are certainly upsides to a rigid bottle, but for the right situations, the Vapur might be just what you’ve been searching for.
Vapur Eclipse Anti-Bottle
Constructed of three layers of ultra-durable plastic and BPA-free, the 1 liter Vapur Anti-Bottle reviewed here is designed in California and manufactured in the United States; a huge thumbs up from me. I’ve actually been using .5 liter Vapur bottles for quite awhile and have two that I didn’t entirely care for as much as these. They were two of what’s now being called the Reflex Bottle and feature a sport cap, similar to a plastic bottle of water. They still have the collapsible feature, but the sport cap left much to be desired.
Thankfully that’s been answered with the Vapur SuperCap, which is vastly superior. It features an easy-open top that has a nice “click” when closed and even has a rubber gasket on the spout. As you’ll see in the video above, it also withstood bursting open when I stood on a full bottle with all my weight. (I had to try, right?) That challenge is also a testament to the strength of the Anti-Bottle and it didn’t suffer any damage or leaking. With it being made from plastic, you’re probably asking yourself the same thing that I wondered. How will it stand up to repeated use?
In the months that I’ve been rolling them up and being as tough on them as I can, they’re holding up fantastically. “The innermost later of each bottle is made from FDA-approved polyethylene, which is then bonded to two layers of nylon for strength and durability.” That inner layer is also described as odor, taste and stain resistant and I’ve found that to be absolutely true. You can also freeze them without worrying about the plastic cracking, I tried that and it worked great. In fact freezing them with water before a trip is pretty cool. They’ll sweat as the ice melts, but it will give you a few hours of cold water, even here in the Texas heat. You can even use it as an icepack.
The biggest benefit of the Anti-Bottle outside of the SuperCap is the ability to fold or flatten it when empty. Additionally, by just puffing a little air into an empty bottle, they’ll stand up on their own. Of course they’ll stand on their own filled as well. Weighing just 1.4 ounces (with the removable orange plastic carabiner) it’s one of the lightest fully-featured bottles I’ve ever seen. It can be rolled up and secured with the carabiner and easily stuffed into a cargo pocket or bag, taking up hardly any room at all. The carabiner could feature a little bit better closing, as the metal bar can become shifted, but it didn’t bother much at all. I like that they are removable too.
Vapur Anti-Bottles are even dishwasher safe but Vapur recommends hand washing with a little soap and a bottle brush if you put anything in your bottle other than water. You may start to notice the matte finish rubs off after prolonged use and washing, I haven’t found this to be an issue at all and it certainly doesn’t compromise the integrity of the bottle. In fact I’ve grown to like the “used” look. While not technically a wide-mouth opening, the Anti-Bottle’s opening it is wide enough to fill from a sink, hose or other methods via the screw-cap design of the SuperCap. Not quite as easy to fill as the large opening of a wide-mouth Nalgene, but everything has trade offs.
Click here to order the ITS Vapur Eclipse Anti-Bottle from the ITS Shop