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MAXPEDITION 10X4 BOTTLE HOLDER Review
Joezilla in the Field

 

The need of water. Normally we transport it with some kind of container, probably of the Nalgene, Clean Canteen, or Guyot assortment. The problem is not the actual design of the water bottle itself, but what to put it in. I’ve seen integrated pockets on packs (such as the Gregory Shasta), but these are often blocked by some form of gear the woods junky has. Other backpacks pay no heed to the water bottle at all, they normally expect the user to take off their pack, and unzip the top to get the hydration needed. I’ve seen paracord bottle holders too, these are pretty cool and a fun project, but they often don’t allow the space needed to fit your mug cup and your water bottle together. The problem is that despite the many bottle holder designs, no company has really paid attention to the needs of the tactician and woodsbummer alike. The placement, the ease of getting to the water, and the means of securely holding the heavy water bottle are points that must be focused on. I can remember when I was on the Appalachian trail, near Mt. Leconte. I almost stumbled on a water bottle to the side of the trail. I caught up to the owner later, who didn’t even know she had lost her bottle from the holder yet. See where security can be an issue?

 

I have also had many problems integrating the Guyot into my smaller MOLLE style pouches and packs such as my Camelbak mule. I don’t like to use hydration bladders much myself, so long has it been that the water bottle location has vexed my pack configuration. I like to keep my pack smart, keeping in mind the streamline shape that makes it easy to go about woods romping in the manner I do.

 

I could never figure out how to mount the bottle onto the pack. I've tried different items such as velcro all around it. I was never able to get it right. Maxpedition, I think, was able to sense Joe’s anguish, and presented and interesting solution. They made a cover that mounts on the pack. I got the bottle holder, and was intrigued and eager to use the design. So much so, that I decided to base my whole kit on it.

Easy to do, considering that this was the first MOLLE compatible water bottle holder that I had yet to see. The integrated clips on the side make it so I can attach a carrying strap to it. Gratuitous MOLLE straps all around make it easy to attach other Maxpedition products, my favorite being a cocoon and a Maxpedition M-2 waist pack. My Pentagon MOLLE light does well on there too. There is a 4X6 pouch on the front, compatible with MOLLE and Velcro, perfect for a mini kit.

Did I mention the pack is insulated? But how much? I conducted a very simple test to find out. Taking two plastic Nalgene bottles, I froze them overnight in the freezer. I then took one bottle and put it in the insulated water bottle holder. The other I left open to the elements. I started a timer and noted the changes in the melting process. The standard room temperature was about 70 degrees. The uninsulated frozen Nalgenes began to thaw out rapidly. 8 hours had passed, and the open Nalgene had completely unfroze. The bottle insulated by the Maxpedition water bottle holder had remained frozen, almost completely! 15 hours later half of it insulated bottle was still frozen when the other Nalgene was room temperature liquid, not even cold. It doesn’t take much imagination to think about how this would hold a Guyot water bottle with warm soup in it, during the winter. Also, with consistent repeated research, I also found that all brands of the 40 oz liquor bottles and beer bottles are also insulate and able to fit into the pack. Of course, one cannot zip up the zipper with a 40 in it, but who would want to? It is one heck of a party accessory at any southern pig pickin. They make a 12X5 bottle holder that might be expedient for such a task. Can’t wait to check one of those out in person.

After 8 hours: insulated Maxpedition water bottle holder vs out in the open

After 15 hours: Maxpedition water bottle holder vs. out in the open

So in my larger bag, the sewing kit and tiny stuff like tweezers and a magnifier are good to have, but if you stick to just the necessities, you can have your tube tent, PSK, a good sized fixed blade knife, and water boiling kit all in one small package. Figuring out a strap configuration is limited only by your imagination. I used parcord, daisy chained as a strap. I fixed the clip on the side of my belt to keep it from bouncing around. I found myself using this belt I worked it into my daily woods kit. It quickly took the place of my camelback hawg (I know, sacrilege with all my preaching of the pack) on shorter excursions. The short treks around camps at pwyp were perfect for the water bottle hold configuration. I had my bug vials, snake bags, and other nerdy essentials ready and at hand as well as a whistle, PSK, and a flashlight, along with a good portion of paracord in my Maxpedition Cocoon. I also had a little bit of tea in the bottom of the bag. A quick fire and the mug cup and I had a cup of hot tea almost instantly. There are two sizes of the water bottle holder available. The water bottle holder also proved great for holding water and other small necessities on a turkey hunt. I was able to affix my call to one side, my small binoculars to the other, and take the whole set up with me in a small package with my water bottle. The other hunters had huge bags they hauled with them, I found this entertaining with my small setup.

 

The bottle holder also has a large rivet for draining water. The holder was drenched in 2 downpours, only to find that the drainage rivet works well .Each stress point on the MOLLE straps and the other stress points are double stitched for rigidity. There were no frays in the craftsmanship of the pouch, and the nylon around the holder resisted abrasion on rocks. The small pouch is also perfect for a rectangular esbit stove or a small cylindrical alcohol stove. Combine this with a GSI mug cup that fits on the guyot bottle, and you have the ability to cook two different water sources in one package. When burning wood around the guyot bottle, it is not unusual to get a resin sap build up on the metal container. After rubbing most of the resin off with sand and leaves, I normally just put it in the maxpedition bottle holder. To this date, no stains have transferred from the bottle to the inside of the holder, leaving the bottle holder still looking clean despite the use. I don't know if that would happen if I just threw the creosol canteen in there, however I don't foresee it being a problem..

The spectrum of uses the water bottle holder has is limitless. It will become an integral piece of gear in my rompings outside. They retail for $34.00 from Two Wolves, and are well worth it.

Review by Joe Flowers (aka Joezilla).
Used with permission.
Thank you Joe!

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