Platy Soft Bottle with HyperFlow Cap

I'm a big fan of platypus products in general. I now own a 3L big zip, a 1L plusbottle and this bottle in .5L. Overall, I'm really glad I got all three as together they pretty much cover all my water needs. I also went to my local outdoors store and bought the 2pk of closure caps, just for more versatility. They were only a couple bucks, so if you think you might like the hyperflow, but are worried there's a possibility you might not, get the one with the hyperflow cap as buying the hyperflow cap separate is much more expensive than buying the closure caps separate. You can also buy a push-pull sports cap if that's more your speed.This bottle is my everyday water bottle. I take it to work and school and it just fits in my (tiny) lunch box. Sometimes I use it as an icepack - but I do use the closure cap when I freeze the bottle as I'm not certain how the hyperflow cap would hold up to freezing water. (I believe a standard screw off cap from a pop bottle would also work as a closure cap, but I cannot 100% verify that as I haven't bought water or pop in a bottle for quite some time.)I also bring this bottle in my purse, and if you have decent sized pockets, I'm sure the bottle could fit in there too.The hyperflow cap does make this bottle quite tall, but I really like the cap. I was familiar with the bitevalve as I do have a platypus bladder, but it's really intuitive and has great flow. It also makes me drink more water because it's so easy to do.I also think this bottle, particularly with the hyperflow cap would be great for kids. It's easy to hold on to - even for small hands, you don't have to worry about the kids loosing the cap as you don't take it off to drink, you don't have to worry about kids squirting each other as they would with a sports push-pull type cap (if you squish the bottle, liquid can't get out. The quarter turn shut off is more to make sure the bite valve doesn't accidentally get pressed and let out water), and it comes in a great variety of colors so each kid's bottle can easily be determined.If you're considering the 1L version of this, I would encourage you to also look at the platypus plusbottle. That bottle, while not quite as colorful, does have a lot of great features like the loop to carry it by, and a less tall profile that may be more what you're looking for. If you want the hyperflow cap, you can buy it separately.Another fun thing about playtpus products is they're nearly all compatible. So, if you're looking for a small hydration bladder, but also want it to function as a water bottle, you can buy a hose kit that will allow you to use the softbottle or plusbottle as a small hydration bladder. I think this would be overkill for the .5L, but 1L for a short run or for kids is a pretty decently sized hydration bladder. It would also work well as a hydration bladder if you're nervous about keeping all your water in one container - get a couple soft or plus bottles with one hose kit and you've got a modular hydration bladder where if a bottle were to fail, you only lose 1L of water, maximum.

I love these- I had the old style that gave out after 15 years. I had a neoprene pouch for them that made it easy to drink out of and kept it cool and reduced condensation. To my knowledge these new shapes do not have a holster that fits them. They do fit in car cup holders easily but they flop over when they are about half full and the seams are kinda stiff and sharp so I would really like to be able to put it in something. I have hard water bottles of course but I use these as ice packs in my coolers. I freeze them and put them in the cooler and then have cool water later in the day- it does not work as well with hard water bottles.The half liter does not stay frozen for more than a few hours (definitely not the whole day like the 1 L) and of course it only holds a half liter of water which is really not much (yes I knew that when I bought it and am not faulting the item for that).The hyperflow cap is super easy to drink out of and does not leak. I feel a little iffy about really getting it clean but so far I don't see signs of grime building up. My only beef with the cap coupled with this skinny bottle shape is that the bottle itself ends up being very tall (11 3/8in) for the amount of water it holds. The cap adds 1.75in to the height compared to a flat cap! The 1L with hyperflow is the height of a 2L soda bottle making it very difficult to fit into coolers which is why I tried the 0.5L. It fits into my tall lunch coolers but it is tight! I wish they had 0.75L size but realize that is a bit picky of me. Still I don't think the new shape has enough benefits given that the extra height is sort of annoying.

This is a great water bottle for anyone who travels or hikes. The most notable feature about this bottle is simply that fact that when its empty it is completely flat and flexible so you can roll it up and store it away taking up virtually no space in your pack. This is great if you want to bring a water bottle to the airport since it will not take up any room in your carry on while empty. Once through security you can fill it up at a water fountain. Because of its flexible quality, you can easily bend this bottle to get under any faucet.I have had this same water bottle for about six months and have never had a problem with leaking, cracking, or breaking. I regularly toss this bottle in my backpack for school and I would say I can be pretty brutal with my water bottles. The only thing I noticed is that after a few months of use the outmost laminate coating began to peel(hence the 4 star review). It started from the bottom and I have peeled it off about half way up the Platypus. There hasn't been any apparent damage to the structural integrity of the bottle, it just doesn't look as pretty anymore.I absolutely recommend getting a Platypus that has a Hyper-Flow valve. While it is possible to drink out of the Platypus through the regular opening, it is infinitely easier with the Hyper-Flow valve. The flexibility of the water bottle can make it difficult to drink from without the Hyper-Flow valve.In Summary:I plan on always owing at least one of these because they are durable, cheap, easy to pack, and can hold a significant amount of water.