No matter how far or how long a trip you are planning is you need to have a water bottle on your packing list. This can help save you from constantly having to buy bottled water and also be used with a purification system depending on where in the world you are. But which one is the best travel water bottle?
Finding the best travel water bottle.
Before my year of travel I did a lot of research and shopping around for the idea vessel to carry H20 around in and the one I decided to go with is the Hydro Flask 21oz insulated stainless steel bottle. After more than a year of travel in over 20 countries I believe this to be a near perfect travel water bottle.
Living out of a backpack and constantly moving from one place to the next is hard on the body, the mind, and the gear. But this tough little bottle took everything I put it through very well. That is because it is made with 18/8 stainless steel. Honestly I do not know what the "18/8" means but it must have something to do with the endurance this bottle has.
And it is a "food grade" stainless steel which means you can put a lot more than just water in this bottle and it does not retain the flavor. For example if you have an early start to your day and you want to safely take some nice hot coffee with you this flask will get the job done without taking on any stale coffee funk. When the coffee is gone simply rinse it out, add fresh water, and you are good to go.
Also because it is insulated that coffee will stay nice and hot but you will still be able to hold the bottle with burning your hands. (See what I mean by best travel water bottle?) Hydro Flask claims it will stay hot for 12 hours but I always drank my coffee a bit faster than that so we'll have to take their word for it.
Speaking of insulated...
The company also claims that it will keep liquids cold for up to 24 hours. Again I never kept anything in the bottle for that long but I can say that when I was in tropical climates no matter how hot it was outside the water in the bottle always stayed nice and cold.
Bonus points for not sweating.
Again because of the vacuum insulated bottle there was no condensation on the flask. This alone is worth the price of admission. Not having the bottle get covered in condensation meant I could safely stash it next to my camera or electronics and not worry about.
Keep it clean.
No matter what I put in the bottle or what I did with it the water always stayed fresh and did not get that weird funk plastic bottles are know for. My years as an Infantryman taught me that "take care of your gear and it will take care of you." Because of this I washed it with dish soap when I could or simply rinsed it and let it dry when soap was not available. That is all I had to do to keep it clean.
How much does the best travel water bottle cost?
The 21oz bottle I used retails at $25.99. Yes you can find cheaper bottles but because a travel water bottle is so important to a trip I do not recommend cutting corners in this department. The bottle does come with a lifetime warranty so it is really a good value.
Final thoughts.
I travel very light and a lot of thought goes into everything that goes into my backpack. So I am glad that I discovered the Hydro Flask. I plan on taking with me on every trip I take because I truly believe it is the best travel water bottle.
And not only does Hydro Flask make the best travel water bottle they might just make the best beer growler. I have not got my hand on one yet but I plan to once I get back to Fort Collins. It is a 64oz stainless steel insulated bottle that looks perfect for keep my 90 Shilling fresh and cold. Check it out.
