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Platypus Meta Review

This is a three-part bottle that combines soft thermoplastic elastomer with a traditional hard-sided plastic bottle.
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Price:  $22 List | $14.33 at Amazon
Pros:  Lightweight, clever design, easy to clean, fool-proof lid
Cons:  Not useful as collapsible bottle, slightly contrived design
Manufacturer:   Platypus
By Jane Jackson ⋅ Senior Review Editor  ⋅  Mar 25, 2019
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64
OVERALL
SCORE

RANKED
#8 of 18
  • Ease of Use - 40% 6
  • Durability - 25% 6
  • Weight - 20% 8
  • Taste - 15% 6

Our Verdict

The Platypus Meta is a novel water bottle that is Platypus's version of a silicone-like, squishy water bottle. It holds its shape but can squish down like a throw-away plastic bottle, except for the upper 1/3 of the bottle which is hard-sided. This combination makes for a unique bottle. We liked it because it is lightweight, but we found that it was not very functional as a collapsible bottle. Its best features are its weight, its simple lid, and large volume. These features make it a great bottle to take on day hikes, trips to the crag, or anywhere where you might be carrying a heavy pack and are concerned about weight.


Compare to Similar Products

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This Product
Platypus Meta
Awards  Editors' Choice Award Best Buy Award   
Price $14.33 at Amazon$38.95 at Amazon
Compare at 2 sellers		$10.95 at REI
Compare at 3 sellers		$26.19 at REI
Compare at 2 sellers		$20.95 at REI
Compare at 2 sellers
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Pros Lightweight, clever design, easy to clean, fool-proof lidDurable, easy to carry, wide mouth for easy drinking and cleaning, good designLight, durable, resists flavors, simple design, wide mouth makes for easy fillingStylish, well-insulated, easy to clean, simple design, durableLightweight, easy for one-handed drinking, re-designed sport cap is effective, durable, good color options
Cons Not useful as collapsible bottle, slightly contrived designExpensive, heavyDiameter too big for cup holders, wide mouth makes it difficult to drink from when walking or drivingHeavy, expensiveSport cap not as secure as a screw cap, carrying handle is small
Bottom Line This is a three-part bottle that combines soft thermoplastic elastomer with a traditional hard-sided plastic bottle.The Rambler quickly became our new favorite bottle after a few trips with it. The size, shape, and design make it easy to use.A tried and tested classic, the Wide Mouth wins again as our Top Pick for Plastic, as well as the Best Bang for your Buck bottle.This hip bottle is a simple, easy to clean vacuum insulated bottle with a narrow mouth and a portable size.It is hard for us to find anything bad to say about this bottle. It's simple, easy to use, and reasonably priced.
Rating Categories Platypus Meta YETI Rambler 26 Nalgene Wide-Mouth Hydro Flask Standard Mouth Klean Kanteen Classic
Ease Of Use (40%)
10
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6
10
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9
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8
10
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9
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8
Durability (25%)
10
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6
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9
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7
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8
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6
Weight (20%)
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8
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8
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8
Taste (15%)
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Specs Platypus Meta YETI Rambler 26 Nalgene Wide-Mouth Hydro Flask... Klean Kanteen...
Body Material Polypropylene / Thermoplastic Elastomer 18/8 stainless steel Eastman Tritan co-polyester 18/8 stainless steel 18/8 stainless steel
Empty weight (oz) 8.0 oz 18.5 oz 6.3 oz 12.9 oz 7.4 oz
Volume (oz) 34 oz 26 oz 34 oz 24 oz 27 oz
Bottle weight (oz) per fluid oz capacity 0.24 oz 0.71 oz 0.19 oz 0.54 oz 0.27 oz
Mouth diameter 1.25 in 3 in 2.5 in 2 in 1.75 in
Base diameter 3 in 3.25 in 3.25 in 3 in 2.75 in
Height 9.5 in 10 in 8.25 in 11 in 11 in
Body Type Hard-sided & collapsible Hard-sided/traditional Hard-sided/traditional Hard-sided/traditional Hard-sided/traditional
Free of Materials BPA-free, BPS-free, and phthalate-free BPA-free BPA, BPS and Phthalate Free BPA-free BPA-free
Cap Materials Polypropylene / Thermoplastic Elastomer Not available Information not available Polypropelene Polypropylene, Silicone spout
Cap/lid type Screw cap with loop attachment Wide-loop cap Loop-top screw cap Wide-loop cap Sport cap wih spout
Other versions .75 L, 1 L, Microfilter option 18 oz, 20 oz, 36 oz 16 oz, 48 oz 18 oz, 21 oz 18 oz, 40 oz, 64 oz, loop cap/sports cap, wide mouth
Warranty Usable lifespan warranty/repair services 3 or 5 year warranty Lifetime Guarantee for normal use Lifetime Warranty Lifetime Warranty

Our Analysis and Test Results

This lightweight bottle is easy to use, fairly durable, and easy to clean, making it an exciting addition to the endless search for the perfect collapsible water bottle.

Performance Comparison


Testing the Meta bottle on a stormy day in Castle Valley.
Testing the Meta bottle on a stormy day in Castle Valley.

Ease of Use


The Meta bottle is nearly as simple to use as a classic Nalgene Wide-Mouth, with a few funky additions. We loved some of these differences, like the lid, which requires only one full 360 twist to close entirely. This is different than most screw-top bottles that require a few turns to ensure the lid is tight. The bottle is strange in that it is partially collapsible and partially hard-sided. This style collapsible bottle takes up more space and weighs more. This design made it very easy to clean, since it breaks down into two halves easily. The silicone portion of the bottle attracted dirt, though, while the hard-sided part shed dirt much more easily.

Durability


In terms of durability, for a collapsible bottle, the Meta is our highest scoring model. Unlike the other Platypus collapsible bottles, the Meta is made of much more durable material. Combined with its fairly simple lid system, this was enough to give the Meta a high durability rating.

The Meta bottle lies in the middle of the photo; it's difficult to tell from this picture but the bottle is collapsible.
The Meta bottle lies in the middle of the photo; it's difficult to tell from this picture, but the bottle is collapsible.

Weight


It's hard to beat any bottle made by Platypus in the weight metric. These bottles are designed to be light, portable, and collapsible. We enjoyed taking the Meta out climbing because it felt as light as the plastic Gatorade bottles we typically use for a day on the rock.

The Meta bottle was great for climbs and hikes because of its light size. The clip loop was trusted but we probably wouldn't continue to use it as an attachment point!
The Meta bottle was great for climbs and hikes because of its light size. The clip loop was trusted, but we probably wouldn't continue to use it as an attachment point!

Taste


The thermoplastic elastomer and BPA-Free hard plastic that makes up the Meta retains a bit of flavor, like most plastic bottles seem to, but not as much as the other Platypus products in this review. Because it is easy to clean, the Meta does not store tastes in its corners, like the SoftBottle. The square shape of that bottle makes it really difficult to clean.

Somewhat strangely the Meta bottle breaks down into two pieces. We figured this was for cleaning purposes.
Somewhat strangely, the Meta bottle breaks down into two pieces. We figured this was for cleaning purposes.

Value


The Platypus Meta is a moderately high-priced bottle compared to the others in this review. For the most part, only glass and insulated bottles cost more.

One aspect of the Meta bottle we liked was its lid which required only a single 360 degree turn to securely close.
One aspect of the Meta bottle we liked was its lid, which required only a single 360 degree turn to securely close.

Conclusion


At first, we were skeptical of this bottle because of its combination of plastics, but after some time using it on hikes and climbs, it became clear that the Platypus Meta is a great lightweight bottle. We liked its one-turn lid, its soft sides that collapse enough to save some room in your pack when the bottle is empty, and its removable upper portion that makes cleaning easy. This bottle is novel and new, which is surprisingly hard to pull off in the world of water bottles!


— Jane Jackson