So I'm pretty much a curmudgeon when it comes to liquor..I drink what's there, what's cheap...I drink whatever, and I drink it quite happily.

I really want a good leather bota bag for my wine- mainly because being able to squirt it into my mouth and dribble down my chin is in true wino style...but until I find one I like (not some cheapo Wal-Mart version)...

What's the deal with the Platypus wine bladders?

Really necessary?

I know oxygen spoils wine. As can light exposure.

Why not just use a regular clear bladder, squeeze the air out before capping it, and keep it in the dark of the pack when not drinking?

Am I missing something?

**Disclaimer: you're dealing with someone who probably can't tell the difference anyway...especially after a liter. But I'm curious.

Thanks.

In Vino Veritas.

Ask Ken Helwig...He's in the biz.

Not related, but I'm not sure why anyone needs a titanium flask. I get by, just fine, drinking cheap bourbon out of a plastic bottle.

> What's the deal with the Platypus wine bladders?

They are colored so you don't boil your Sauvignon blanc and pour it into your Mountain House Mac & Cheese.

Gimmick. I got one back when backcountry had the 40% off sale but I've never bothered using it. It doesn't have a vacuum seal so it's just blocks light. Not a lot of light inside my backpack so I don't see the need.

For chin dribbling I use the sport top on a 500 ml platy. Plus I prefer whiskey. More concentrated means lighter weight.

Hi Craig,

As near as I can tell from the specs, the Platy line uses the same materials "nylon/PE" so there should be no difference, light exposure aside. The Preserve containers are sized appropriately for the task. Aside from keeping oxygen out, the main goal is to not have the container impart any taste to the wine. Eau de pinot+plastic is no treat.

Conversely, wine imparts a flavor to any plastic container I've ever used, so I usually put it in a recycled supermarket water bottle that I recycle at trip's end. It's not difficult to squeeze the air out of a half-used bottle. Tighten the cap well--a wine-drenched pack is no fun.

Cheers!

Rick

Main difference, it is appropriately sized... ie, you can get a 500ml Platy or a 1000ml Platy, but a bottle of wine is typically 750ml as is the wine bladder. I have one, I use it for whisky, it works great.

Beyond size it is admittedly marketing and market expansion or cross-over. Could make a nice little add-on sale at the local wine shop, maybe someone going on a picnic, tailgating, somewhere where glass bottles aren't allowed. By making them look different and making the distinction that they're good for wine, more people will be aware of the possibility. And they look better... Not saying it's a big deal in any way from an end-user perspective, but from the company perspective probably a wise move, more acceptable "looks" from the wine crowd.

Ah, Tom, I agree, no one NEEDS a titanium flask. But I wouldn't put my single malt in anything else when backpacking. It goes from my Snow Peak titanium flask to my Snow Peak titanium 7oz 'scotch glass.' Silly and ridiculously priced, I agree. But I'm okay with it!

Just pull the bag out of the box wine and you're in business. They now make single "bottle" box wine and when you're done you can use it for a pillow or nice little flotie in the lake as for the flask - old grandad in a 1/2 pint plastic bottle...

many really decent wines now come in tetra packs (think larger juice box) and also plastic bladders without a box. The Merlot and Shiraz from Baldivis winery in Austrailia comes in the plastic. The best thing is that the packaging folds flat, is light and takes up very little space to pack out. The problem with things like the Platy and other containers is that you expose the wine to air when you are decanting and that will cause the wine to start degrading.

I might be a bit of a wine snob, though... lol.

DISCLAIMER!!! Put some kind of marking on whichever vessel you have your booze in!!!

This fall I was on a backpacking trip with some buddies as part of a somewhat annual get together. Our routine is to typically bring a liter or two of Scotch for the better part of a week in the mountains.

This trip, rather than keeping the whiskey in an aluminum Sigg bottle as my roomate usually does, I suggested a Platy to save weight (imagine that, me suggesting weight saving techniques). All was well and good and by the middle of the trip we were down to the last swallows off the bottle and when I asked if there was any left my roomate said, "no". I took his word and went about my business. Little did I know, he was saving the last drink for himself and when I went to empty the last drops of water from my water bottle on the ground to keep it from freezing over night I accidentally dumped the last drops of expensive Scotch on the ground instead. Doh!

So in closing, MARK YOUR SCOTCH BOTTLE SO SOMEONE DOESN'T MAKE A HUGE PARTY FOUL BY DUMPING IT OUT!!!

Yet you live on to tell the tale. How?!?

Cheers (hic),

Rick