I have been a long-time user of lexan & other such plastic water bottles for all of my back-country hydration needs, as well as for daily water consumption around the office & house. I have tried a few different aluminum water bottles over the years, but none of them impressed me like the Laken. I received this bottle a few weeks ago at the Interbike trade show from the good fellows at Pacific Outdoor.
It has been in constant use since then, seeing about 3L of H2O pass through it daily. The wide mouth allows for easy insertion of ice cubes, as well as makes it easier to drink from. Another feature is the wide threads, so the cap is simple to put on & take off. The wide loop on the cap is a perfect fit for two fingers (when carrying), or for clipping to a carabiner. The cap seals nicely, and I noticed no leakage during use & transport. The water seems to stay at a cooler temperature in this bottle compare to their plastic counterpart. It seemed to me that the water retained the same taste, even when left overnight. I will be using this bottle on many upcoming adventures, and will report back on its performance. It even has a nice feel to it when holding it in my hand!
Laken is a company from Spain, and has been around for almost 100 years. They have quite a few different styles of water bottles – most of them made from aluminum. They sound like a very cool company, putting into place sustainable measures in the manufacturing of their product. From what I was told, ‘Laken’ is the last name of the family in Spain that started the company back in 1912. It looks like they have a great line of aluminum flasks as well!
