Gear of the Week: Smart Bottle Double Wall Outdoor Series

Our take These handy containers split the difference between durable, hard-sided water carriers and lighter, more packable soft-sided ones. The Double Wall Outdoor Series comes in three sizes—1-, 2.6-, and 5.3-gallon—and all of them are constructed with 18-millimeter thick, double-walled plastic. The material is supertough, and our samples have survived being slung around rocky campsites and frozen on cold nights. But the Double Walls also compress flat, so they’re easy to stash in your pack when space or weight is at a premium. We also like the handles that help with portaging water back to camp, and the different lid options that include twist spouts, clamping tubes, and filter connections.

Trail cred “These containers are rugged. I tossed them onto gravel shorelines from our boat in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve in Alaska, dragged them up to camp, and they don’t look any worse for the wear,” one tester reports.

4.5 oz. (1 gallon size); Buy the Smart Bottle Double Wall Outdoor Series now for $8