The 11 Best Water Bottles Recommended by Frequent Travelers

No matter our destination, a reusable water bottle is always a must-have. After thorough hands-on testing of a wide range of bottles available, we've identified the 11 best options for all your water-related travel needs. From trusted classics to innovative designs that keep drinks colder for longer, these are the top travel water bottles to bring on your next adventure.

Hydro Flask 21 Oz. Standard Mouth Water Bottle

Best Overall

Hydro Flask, based in Bend, Oregon, has earned a loyal following among outdoor lovers due to its bottles' exceptional insulation, comfortable flexible plastic swing handle, a truly leakproof lid, and a wide array of sizes and vibrant colors. Its latest colors draw inspiration from Oregon's waterfalls (Cascade blue), flora (Trillium pink), and ancient forests (Fir green).

With double-wall insulation, Hydro Flask keeps your beverages perfectly temperature-stabilized throughout a full day of hiking—24 hours for ice-cold drinks and up to 12 hours for hot beverages.

The 21-ounce standard mouth bottle holds a generous amount of water while remaining lightweight enough for all-day carrying. Its standard mouth design allows for easy sipping without the risk of spills during a bumpy car ride or flight turbulence. For more active days, we also suggest the 32-ounce wide-mouth bottle with a straw lid option.

Hydro Flask’s dedication to sustainability extends beyond providing alternatives to single-use plastic bottles. Through its Parks For All initiative, the brand has contributed over $3.7 million to nonprofit organizations that support public parks across the United States. Additionally, it has removed single-use plastic packaging from more than 90 percent of its products.

Yeti Rambler 36 Oz. Water Bottle

Top Insulated Water Bottle

The 36-ounce Yeti Rambler has a robust look that suggests it can maintain your drink’s temperature regardless of conditions—and it truly delivers. Planning a multi-day backpacking trip and hoping to return to a bottle of ice-cold lemonade? This is the bottle for you. We’ve even managed to transport ice cream using this bottle (after pre-chilling it with cold water).

Like many top-insulated bottles available, the Rambler features double-walled, food-grade stainless steel. However, it stands out for its durability: you could drop it from a first-floor balcony and it would come out unscathed. Plus, unlike most double-walled models that require hand washing, the Rambler is safe to put in the dishwasher.

The extra-wide opening has its pros and cons: while it ensures the lip won’t bump your nose, it can also lead to a flood of liquid if you sip during a bumpy ride. Measuring 3.8 inches wide and weighing 1.5 pounds, it may not fit in most car cupholders. However, the screw-top lid is easy to grip, accommodating three fingers rather than just one or two, and the rounded plastic feels comfortable even when filled with water.

If you appreciate the design of Yetis but find them too heavy, the brand’s Yonder 34-ounce BPA-free plastic bottle is less than half the weight of the Rambler (only 0.7 pounds). Although it lacks insulation and won't keep water cold for long, it’s sturdy enough to bear the weight of an adult without bending. (Yes, we’ve tested this.)

EcoVessel Aspen

Top stylish insulated water bottle

The 25-ounce Aspen impressively combines water-cooling capabilities with a sleek design. It fits effortlessly into cupholders and the pockets of most bags and backpacks. Its surprisingly thin walls keep beverages cold (or hot, depending on your preference) for an incredible duration: EcoVessel claims that cold drinks will stay chilly for up to 100 hours, making the Aspen an excellent choice for hot climates. While we haven't completely verified that claim, we can attest that it kept water icy for an entire day, even in scorching conditions.

The updated 2022 version of the Aspen bottle still features a user-friendly sipping opening but now boasts a wider mouth for easy ice cube insertion. Thanks to its three-layer construction, which sandwiches copper between two layers of stainless steel, ice cubes stay frozen for a long time. Additionally, this model includes a hidden handle that pops up from the lid when needed and folds away when not in use. It's recyclable and durable, backed by a 100-year warranty, so you won’t have to worry about end-of-life issues. Losing it is a more likely scenario—leaving a fortunate finder to enjoy its sleek aesthetics.

A5 memobottle

Top flat water bottle

Melbourne-based memobottle draws design inspiration from Australian paper sizes, including the A7 (six ounces), A6 (12 ounces), and A5 (25 ounces). Like sheets of paper, these bottles lie flat in your bag or airplane seatback pocket. Tiana Attride, Dinogo’s social media editor, appreciates this design for both practical and aesthetic reasons. “They’re chic and fit into bags much more conveniently than the large, cumbersome water bottles you typically encounter,” she notes.

Memobottles come in all sizes, available in lightweight BPA-free plastic or a more durable stainless steel option. For travelers who tend to drink a lot of water, the 25-ounce plastic A5 is perfect for maximizing hydration without adding excessive weight. As a certified B Corp, memobottle contributes to providing five months of safe drinking water access for every bottle sold, partnering with Water.org. To date, they’ve facilitated 33.8 million days of safe water access.

Klean Kanteen TKWide

Top water bottle with interchangeable lids

This 16-ounce bottle is great for water, but its five interchangeable lids make the Klean Kanteen TKWide versatile for any drink. We particularly love the Café Cap, designed with a small opening ideal for sipping coffee that twists shut to prevent spills, protecting both you and your bag. It features a metal swing handle for easy carrying on hikes, which conveniently tucks away when not in use. The TKWide Straw Cap includes a 10-millimeter stainless steel and silicone straw, perfect for thicker drinks like smoothies or frozen margaritas.

This BPA-free, food-grade stainless steel bottle is designed to keep your drinks hot for up to 14 hours and cold for up to 47 hours. It features Klean Kanteen’s unique, chip-resistant Klean Coat finish and comes with a lifetime guarantee known as 'Strong as Steel.'

As a certified B Corp, Klean Kanteen announced in April 2020 that it has achieved 100% carbon neutrality in the manufacturing and delivery of its products, also being recognized as Climate Neutral Certified.

Vapur 0.7L Wide Mouth Anti-Bottle

Top collapsible water bottle

The Vapur Anti-Bottle stands out as one of the top travel water bottles for air travel and is a must-have for efficiency enthusiasts. When filled, this water pouch holds almost a liter, yet when empty, it weighs just 2 ounces and takes up about as much space as a wallet. The cap features a built-in carabiner for easy attachment, and its three-ply, BPA-free plastic body can be folded to fit into the clip. Don't be fooled by its flexibility—this pouch is tough enough to withstand leaks, no matter how often it's rolled, twisted, or packed into a full backpack. It can also stand upright when filled (or half-filled, really, as long as it's not empty).

Refilling is simple with a wide mouth opening at the base of the cap, while a narrower mouthpiece with a flip top ensures spill-free drinking. Active explorers will love the Drinklink tube accessory that transforms the Anti-Bottle into a hands-free hydration system. This collapsible bottle is dishwasher safe, eliminating the need for special cleaning tools for the interior, and it's freezable, making it useful as an ice pack when needed.

LifeStraw Go Series 22 Oz. Water Filter Bottle

Top filtered water bottle

The 22-ounce LifeStraw Go Series ranks among the finest water bottles equipped with a filter. While it may appear to be a standard plastic bottle with a screw-top lid, the 'straw' inside features a dual-stage filtration system. Its hollow-fiber membrane effectively captures bacteria, parasites, and even microplastics. Additionally, an activated carbon capsule eliminates unpleasant tastes and odors. (An insulated stainless steel version is also available for those who prefer chilled water.)

It's true that you'll need to exert a bit more effort to sip from this mouthpiece compared to an unfiltered straw. However, there's no need to worry about fainting; the hollow-fiber technology allows for a quicker flow rate than most other filters.

Replacement cartridges are priced at $25, and with one filter treating 4,000 liters, that typically costs less than buying the same amount of bottled water. The large filter occupies a considerable portion of the bottle, so the 22-ounce capacity can be a bit misleading; with the filter in place, the Go effectively holds around 15 ounces.

The trade-off is convenience. The Go is incredibly useful for travel, whether in urban or rural settings—particularly in areas where drinking water quality is uncertain. It fits snugly in backpack bottle pockets and car cupholders, and the BPA-free plastic is sturdier than most, as LifeStraw designs each bottle for durability. Supporting reusable plastics is just one aspect of the company’s sustainability efforts: LifeStraw also works to provide clean drinking water to communities in need. For every Go purchased, the company supplies one child with a year’s worth of water.

Katadyn BeFree

Top lightweight filtered water bottle

When empty, this collapsible water bottle shrinks down to the size of an apple, yet it offers significant advantages: Its drinking spout is positioned above a (replaceable) filter that effectively captures protozoa and other harmful organisms. This means you can fill the silicone flask from any questionable water source and immediately enjoy clean drinking water wherever you are.

The hollow-fiber filter provides an impressively fast flow that truly quenches your thirst during exercise. While some filters (like the LifeStraw mentioned earlier) restrict the flow to small sips, the BeFree allows for a generous, satisfying gulp—which we appreciated at 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado where exertion and altitude left us gasping for more accessible hydration.

We’ve relied on the one-liter BeFree to drink from roadside streams, remote lakes, hillside springs, and even airport restrooms—and can confirm we experienced no negative effects. Plus, you can count on each cartridge lasting through multiple adventures: Each one filters 1,000 liters (according to Katadyn), with replacements priced at $27.

However, the BeFree doesn’t filter out unwanted flavors. It’s built to be ultra-light and compact, which means it lacks a carbon element to eliminate unpleasant tastes or odors. The bottle's flexible design has both pros (easy to pack) and cons (can be awkward to hold). Still, the filter-as-you-sip system is ideal for trail running, backcountry hiking, long flights (no need to rely on the airplane’s questionable water supply!), and any journey where you need ample water without the extra weight.

Larq Bottle PureVis

Top self-purifying water bottle

The 17-ounce Larq Bottle comes with a high price tag, but it offers significant value, including a germ-free hydration solution. While traveling, it’s not always easy to remember to clean your water bottle, but the Larq takes care of that for you. Its cap is equipped with an ultraviolet light that disrupts the DNA of bacteria and viruses, preventing them from reproducing (which is essential for disease transmission). The UV light not only eliminates waterborne microorganisms but also activates automatically every two hours to neutralize any germs that might enter from your mouth or a questionable water source.

Unlike UV pens, the Larq avoids using mercury, which poses environmental issues when disposed of in landfills. Furthermore, the Larq’s UV bulb is more durable, lasting 40 times longer than mercury-based options (as per Larq).

The bottle features a rechargeable lithium polymer battery that can last up to a month on a single charge. Pressing the top of the cap activates the UV light: tap once for standard purification or twice for 'adventure mode,' ideal for situations where your water might be contaminated with harmful microorganisms.

Even if you never fill it with untreated water, the Larq is a stylish bottle constructed from double-walled stainless steel, keeping drinks cold for 24 hours or hot for 12. And the added benefit of self-cleaning between regular washes? That's invaluable.

Purist Collective Maker Mug

Top glass water bottle

Glass bottles excel at resisting flavors and odors, making them highly versatile: you can easily transition from coffee to water to wine without any residual taste. Unlike certain plastics and metals, glass won’t leach chemicals into your drink. However, glass can be heavy. Many glass water bottles (like the silicone-wrapped ones from Lifefactory) are perfect for home use but may feel cumbersome for travel.

Purist Collective addresses this issue by lining its premium, surgical-grade stainless steel bottles with an ultra-thin layer of nonporous glass. We filled the 10-ounce Maker with coffee and cream in the morning, then switched to water—detecting no coffee aftertaste. The glass lining is so thin that the Purist weighs just over half a pound, comparable to other double-walled metal bottles, making it easy to carry throughout the day.

The 10-ounce Maker features a leakproof scope top that rotates to allow you to adjust the flow and sip from any angle. The larger 18-ounce Mover and 32-ounce Founder come with simple screw-top caps that include carrying loops. Additional caps, such as a flip-top option for more active pursuits, are available for purchase.

Beyond its sleek, modern design, Purist Collective also has a give-back program: they financially support a network of social and environmental nonprofits, including Oregon’s p:ear, which helps homeless youth through art education and job training. So this attractive bottle contributes positively to society as well.

Thermos 16 Oz. Funtainer Water Bottle

Top water bottle for all ages

This vacuum-insulated stainless steel water bottle keeps beverages cold for up to 12 hours and is robust enough to handle drops and bumps. Although it's marketed as part of Thermos’ Funtainer kids collection, it’s equally suitable for adults. In fact, Dinogo’s executive editor Billie Cohen swears by it, stating, “It’s compact, but that’s perfect for city strolls or my everyday routine. Larger bottles can get cumbersome, so a smaller one is a refreshing option,” she says.

In addition to its compact design, Cohen appreciates that the bottle opens with a simple push of a button, allowing for one-handed drinking. “And it's essential for me that the spout is completely covered, keeping it clean even when I accidentally drop it on the airplane floor,” Cohen notes.

This article was originally published online in 2018 and was updated on March 28, 2024, to provide the latest information.