The 5 Finest Water Bottles of 2024, Examined & Reviewed

Water is so scorching proper now (or, ought to we are saying, chilly?). There is a TikTok channel (aptly named ‘watertok’) that covers, effectively, all issues water. Water sommeliers even exist and can accumulate and advocate luxurious bottles of—you guessed it—water. 

With this water fandom comes a complete lotta bottles and tumblers to sip your H2O. To search out the most effective ones, We examined 12 water bottles between 18 and 40 ounces and in a wide range of supplies (plastic, chrome steel, glass). We wished a bottle that was transportable, versatile, simple to drink from, and leakproof. In the long run, 5 bottles (together with two tumblers) met our requirements. 

The Winners, at a Look

This light-weight water bottle is brilliantly engineered with two sipping choices: a straw and a chug spout, so you possibly can slurp or gulp. However regardless that there are two methods for water to flee, the tight-fitting lid made the bottle tremendous leakproof. It additionally has wonderful chilly retention. 

This well-liked stainless-steel water bottle was simple to sip from, and it stored water chilled for a very long time. We favored its slim profile, too, which made it properly transportable.  

Whereas it gained’t hold water chilled, this plastic, budget-friendly choice from Nalgene remains to be an incredible water bottle. The lid is safe and leakproof, so you possibly can toss it in a handbag or backpack.  

With a modern type and huge capability, this tumbler wowed us from the get-go (it was our total high choose once we examined insulated tumblers). Past aesthetics and practicality, it additionally stored water chilly for a really very long time and, surprisingly for a pitcher, was leakproof. Plus, it’s solely $30. 

Whereas it holds 40 ounces of water, the (notorious) Stanley tumbler remains to be light-weight sufficient to tote round comfortably. It sports activities a sturdy straw that’s simple to sip from, and the tapered base matches simply right into a automotive’s cup holder. 

The Assessments

• Usability Assessments: We evaluated how simple every water bottle was to fill with ice and water, and sipped water from every water bottle a minimum of 25 instances. We additionally introduced them with us within the automotive to evaluate their portability and the way they match into cup holders.
• Spill Check: We stuffed every water bottle with water and knocked it over 5 instances onto a paper towel-lined floor to see if it leaked.
• Chilly Retention Check: We stuffed every water bottle with 100 grams of ice and 300 grams of chilled water and checked the temperature with an instant-read thermometer each hour for 12 hours after which once more at 24 hours.
• Cleanup Assessments: We hand-washed every water bottle with a bottle brush and soapy water, noting how simple or troublesome it was to take action. We additionally ran the dishwasher-safe bottles and elements by the dishwasher and checked for injury afterward.
• Sturdiness Check: We dropped every water bottle 5 instances onto the pavement to look at sturdiness.

What We Realized

Straws Made for the Smoothest Sipping Expertise

Straws, screw-tops, chug spouts—the water bottles we examined had a myriad of lid and mouthpiece designs. However out of all of the sipping strategies, we most well-liked straws (this matches what we present in our chrome steel water bottle evaluation); they had been simple to sip from and, within the case of inner straws, like within the Owala Free Sip and Hydro Flask, they helped channel the water up into the sipping port with out having to tilt the bottle. Whereas we additionally favored the straws on the tumblers we examined, most (save for the watertight ones just like the Simple Modern) did leak when knocked over, in order that’s one thing to remember.

Stainless Metal was Finest for Chilly Retention

To check chilly retention, we stuffed every bottle with 100 grams of ice and 300 grams of water chilled to 53°F, and checked the temperature each hour for 12 hours, then once more at 24 hours. Water within the plastic bottles warmed up quicker, as to be anticipated since plastic doesn’t have as a lot thermal mass as insulated chrome steel. The ice fully melted in all of the bottles across the 12-hour mark, however the water within the stainless-steel bottles was nonetheless chilly, averaging 59°F. If you happen to’re the kind who likes a brisk sip of chilly water, a stainless bottle is the way in which to go.  

Light-weight, Smaller Bottles Have been Extra Moveable

Water bottles with base diameters between two-and-a-half and three inches, like on the Owala FreeSip, Stanley Quencher, and Hydro Flask, match properly into cup holders, making them nice for automotive trip sipping. And when you’re on the go, lighter and extra compact bottles, just like the Nalgene and Purist, are virtually made for tossing right into a backpack or tote (bonus: they’re leakproof).

Conversely, the Yeti Rambler was just a bit bit too massive to be tremendous transportable; it had a 3.25-inch huge base (only a smidge too massive to suit right into a cupholder) and weighed one pound, 4 ounces empty (that’s six ounces greater than the Owala FreeSip). 

So, in the long run, whereas it relies on how and while you use your water bottle, the lighter, smaller bottles are a very good wager for lively water sippers, whereas the tumblers are nice when you’re driving and wish to sip water such as you would an iced espresso. 

Dings and Dents Weren’t a Large Deal 

A light-weight, chrome steel water bottle goes to ding and dent when dropped; whereas it’s the unhappy actuality, the excellent news is the injury is merely beauty. The Hydro Flask was particularly prone, sporting new marks after every drop, although you should buy a silicone boot so as to add a protecting layer. The plastic bottles ended up with a couple of scratches, but it surely was the one glass bottle we examined from Takeya that suffered irreparable injury—it shattered on the fifth drop, regardless that it claims to be shatterproof (eek!).

Leaks Have been Minimal

A lot of the water bottles we examined had been surprisingly leakproof, particularly any that had inner straws or lined lids. As to be anticipated, the vast majority of the tumbler-style bottles, just like the Stanley Quencher, leaked somewhat little bit of water. The Simple Modern tumbler was an outlier on this—it didn’t leak in any respect, because of a silicone lining across the straw—making it an incredible selection when you’re vulnerable to knocking issues over however need a water tumbler. 

The Standards: What to Search for in a Water Bottle

The perfect water bottles are simple to sip from and handy to hold round. Bottle bases that match into cupholders had been a bonus, as had been bottles that had been mild and compact sufficient to suit right into a backpack or tote bag. If you happen to’re on the lookout for a normal water bottle, we favored choices with inner straws with the spout lined by a lid; they had been simple to sip from and the lids prevented leaks. If you happen to’ve jumped on the tumbler practice, we favored ones that had been simple to seize and go, and that had sturdy straws that had been simple to sip from. 

The Finest Water Bottles

What we favored:  This compact water bottle gained factors for its portability and watertight seal—it’s the form of bottle you possibly can throw into a handbag or backpack and be in your method. It sports activities a straw and chugging mouthpiece, so you possibly can both take a sip by the opening connected to the straw or chug by the broader mouthpiece. And when you’re the kind who prefers a pleasant, tall, chilly glass of water, this bottle stored water underneath 62°F for twenty-four hours in our assessments.  

What we didn’t like: The underside did ding throughout the sturdiness check, however a rubber bottle boot might help defend the end. 

Key Specs

• Quantity: 24 fluid ounces
• Supplies: Stainless-steel, plastic
• Base diameter: 3 inches
• Peak: 10.75 inches
• Weight: 13.7 ounces
• Sipping type: Straw and chug
• Dishwasher-safe: Sure, but it surely’s beneficial to handwash the cup to protect the end

What we favored: A winner in our prior testing as effectively, the Hydro Flask is a no-frills water bottle that does a strong job on all counts. We favored the slim type, which made it ultra-portable. Its cap had a built-in straw that was simple to drink from and its huge mouth made it a cinch to fill.

What we didn’t like: It’s costly and dinged up pretty simply—however the excellent news is you should buy a detachable, silicone boot to guard it (and the dings are beauty solely).  The one different qualm we had is that if the sipping spout is left up, it can dribble when tilted, so when you’re tossing it right into a backpack, make certain the spout is pushed down first. 

Key Specs

• Quantity: 24 fluid ounces
• Supplies: Stainless-steel, plastic
• Base diameter: 2.85 inches
• Peak: 12.55 inches
• Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Sipping type: Straw
• Dishwasher-safe: Sure; straw and lid high rack solely

What we favored: This plastic bottle was the lightest of the lot, which counts hundreds when you’re lively and wish water on the prepared always. The straightforward, slim spout stayed clear and was simple to sip from.

What we didn’t like: The bottle didn’t preserve the temperature of the chilled water for lengthy in any respect, shortly climbing as much as room temperature. The clasp to lock the lid was somewhat flimsy and it allowed the lid to pop open after a drop. 

Key Specs

• Quantity: 24 fluid ounces
• Supplies: Plastic
• Base diameter: 3 inches
• Peak: 9.5 inches
• Weight: 4.6 ounces
• Sipping type: Sipping port (no straw)
• Dishwasher-safe: Sure

What we favored: At $30, this tumbler offers you a number of bang to your buck. Not solely was it surprisingly leakproof, but it surely additionally stored water underneath 45°F for 16 hours (not many tumblers can boast a feat corresponding to this!). The deal with was ergonomic, too,  and it is available in an array of fairly monochrome colours. 

What we didn’t like: The lid was somewhat bit troublesome to screw on, because it’s fairly skinny.

Key Specs

• Quantity: 40 ounces
• Supplies: Stainless-steel
• Weight: 1 pound
• Suits in a automotive cup holder: Sure
• Sipping type: Straw
• Dishwasher-safe: Sure

What we favored:  Whereas we form of wished to roll our eyes at this stylish behemoth, we wound up liking the Stanley. The sturdy exterior straw made it simple to drink from, and the deal with had a rubbery grip, making it simple to hold. Whereas this can be a massive tumbler, it does have a smaller base that matches snugly right into a cup holder. 

What we didn’t like: This tumbler does leak, so you possibly can’t toss it into a handbag or backpack. Whereas larger than most traditional water bottles, it’s truly on the slimmer aspect in comparison with different tumblers.

Key Specs

• Quantity: 30 fluid ounces
• Supplies: Stainless-steel
• Base diameter: 3.15 inches
• Peak: 10.8 inches
• Weight: 17.6 ounces
• Sipping type: Straw
• Dishwasher-safe: Sure

The Competitors

• Yeti Rambler: Whereas it was sturdy and had good chilly retention, this bottle was simply too massive and ponderous to tote round.
• Yeti Yonder with Tether Cap: We favored the light-weight, leakproof nature of this bottle, we simply didn’t love the lid. The way in which it’s arrange—with the chug spout lined by a twist cap, set on high of the screw-on lid—makes it simple to by chance unscrew the entire lid and douse your self with water.
• Stanley the Quick Flip Go Bottle: This water bottle was heavy and the lid had a flimsy locking mechanism we didn’t belief to not leak if tossed right into a bag. The skinny steel deal with was uncomfortable to carry, too.
• Thermos Hydration Bottle: The lengthy sipping spout was simple to drink from, however the lined lid had a flimsy button.
• CamelBackEddy+Water Bottler with Tritan Renew: To drink from CamelBack’s rubber spout, you needed to squeeze it open together with your tooth—this was disagreeable, to say the least.
• Takeya SURE-GRIP Glass Water Bottle: This water bottle was the one one we examined made out of glass, and it didn’t survive the sturdiness check, shattering after the fifth drop.
• Purist Collective Mover: Whereas modern, this bottle was huge and slippery. The rubbery lid cowl was additionally exhausting to pop open.

FAQs

What’s the distinction between a water bottle and an insulated tumbler?

An ordinary water bottle often has a lid, however past that, they’ll differ extensively. Some water bottles we examined had chug spouts, whereas others had inner straws connected to an exterior sipping port. Some have all-encapsulating lids, whereas others characteristic one lid with a sipping port that folds out and in. Materials may also fluctuate vastly; we examined bottles made from chrome steel, glass, and plastic. Insulated tumblers, alternatively, are extra standardized; they’re usually made from chrome steel, sport a straw that pokes out by the lid, and have a big deal with for toting. 

Which is best: a water bottle or insulated tumbler?

Neither is best, per se, however every has execs and cons. As talked about above, water bottles can fluctuate vastly, so we advocate on the lookout for one which fits your wants. We favored bottles with inner straws that connected to a sipping port since they made consuming water simple and mess-free. We additionally favored bottles with sturdy lids that gained’t pop open unbidden or leak when tossed right into a bag. Tumblers usually do leak, alternatively, and are supposed to be sipped from such as you would an iced espresso. They’re oftentimes bigger than a normal water bottle, although most sport slim bases and match into cupholders simply. 

Can water bottles hold water chilled?

In our assessments, we discovered that chrome steel water bottles stored water chilled the longest, whereas plastic carried out the worst on this realm. 

Is Yeti or Hydroflask higher?

Each have their execs and cons, although on this evaluation, we most well-liked the Hydroflask 24-ounce Wide Mouth with Flex Straw Lid over the Yeti bottles examined.  

Why We’re the Specialists

• Helen I. Hwang is a contract author for Critical Eats.
• She holds a mechanical engineering diploma and labored at meals corporations for seven years.
• She has written for The New York Occasions for Children, Dad and mom, Eater San Diego, and different shops.
• Grace Kelly is a commerce editor at Critical Eats.
• She is enthusiastic about reusable water bottles and carries one together with her always (she likes to assume she was on the hydration development earlier than it was a development). She additionally wrote Critical Eats’ evaluation of chrome steel water bottles.
• She has written dozens of critiques for Critical Eats, together with wine openers and boxed sweets.
• For this evaluation, we examined 12 reusable chrome steel, plastic, and glass water bottles. We examined them for leaks, sturdiness, and value (how handy they had been to fill with water and ice, sip from, and tote round). We additionally examined how effectively every bottle retained preliminary temperatures when stuffed with chilled water and ice.