I recently tested the Liberty Bottleworks (both the 24-ounce and 32-ounce size) aluminum bottles, designed for reusable field hydration.
Made in the Yakima Valley, they are the only American-made metal bottles in the industry, made with American materials and American labor.
Liberty Bottleworks bottles are made from deep-drawn recycled aluminum, coated with food-grade material. The coating is flexible, which means it does not chip if the bottle gets dented.
Although Liberty Bottleworks has bottles in a single color, the paint patterns on models with graphics are almost three dimensional. They come in various designs including tactical patterns and the company can also do custom runs.
Liberty Bottleworks uses Digital Cylindrical Printing, which puts the finish on accurately and consistently. The powder in the finish is BPA-free and they bake using energy-saving IR light ovens.
The Patrol Car Test
When I first got my Liberty Bottles, I initiated the Patrol Car Test.
I’ve involuntarily done this test 100 times over my career, from which I am now retired. It consists of getting one’s hot or cold drink and placing it into the center console of the patrol car.
The next portion of the test is receiving a hot call where I:
A.) Get into a prolonged pursuit, or
B.) End up in a prolonged investigation.
I patrolled an area where temperatures can easily go into 100-110 F all day and into the evening. Insulated containers only keep beverages hot or cold for a limited amount of time.
After that, whatever flavor the beverage container emits (baked plastic, last week’s sweetened tea, etc.) is etched into the beverage container.
I executed the Patrol Car Test several times with my Liberty Bottles with both hot and cold liquids.
The taper of the bottle is similar to that of a wine bottle, which doesn’t “glug” when poured. Pouring into the mouth, my preferred method, is one of three ways of getting the liquid from the container to the body. The other two are sipping an upright bottle using the Sport Cap and sipping an inverted bottle using the Sport Cap.
Since both methods are noisier than twisting off the cap, I use the classic method. However, since the 24-ounce models fit in the bottle holder on my bike, I use the sport cap also.
Non-inverted drinking uses the sport cap and the supplied straw. Since I tend to frequent environments where the altitude changes a bit, I discovered that I prefer the standard ¼ twist top when I head for the hills.
The Sport Top tended to burp out a little water through the breather valve when I went from sea level to 5,000 feet. This is expected and any product will do this. The Sport Cap is the best application for briefcase and cycling use.
The original cap doesn’t pop off unintentionally, even when stuffed into a backpack. The bails on the top of the cap are strong enough to suspend the contents with 550-cord, as necessary. Here’s a field tip: The bail will hold a couple of yards of 550-cord, for those who don’t like bracelets.
