The Best Insulated Water Bottles of 2024

Insulated water bottles keep cold liquids colder longer (and hot liquids hotter) and are usually higher quality and more durable than their plastic counterparts. Plus, reusable water bottles are better for the environment. Since 2021, we’ve sourced, filled, and drained more than 40 different vessels to create this review of the 14 best insulated water bottles in our line-up today.

Lead tester Meg Carney (along with help from other contributors) put each vessel through our in-house testing regimen. We examined each bottle for timed ice retention, a leak test, and a quasi-scientific taste test. We evaluated each on factors like insulation, shape, volume, durability, and price. Whether you want the performance of our best overall pick, the Hydro Flask Wide Mouth Bottle, or the lower price of our budget-friendly option, the RTIC Vacuum Insulated Bottle, we have you covered.

For more information about insulated water bottles, check out our Buyer’s Guide, Comparison Chart, and Price & Value section at the end of this article. Otherwise, top off your bottle and scroll through our picks for the best insulated water bottles of 2024.

Editors’s Note: We updated this guide on November 1, 2024, by fine-tuning our list, adding an expanded price and value discussion, and including comparisons within our reviews to help direct you to the best option for your needs.

The Best Insulated Water Bottles of 2024

Insulated Water Bottle Comparison Chart

How We Tested the Best Insulated Water Bottles

Our Expert Testers

Long a holdout to the niceties of an insulated bottle, GearJunkie Senior Editor Nick Belcaster finally came around to the wonders of insulated water bottles after being gifted a Hydro Flask. It turns out that having ice-cold water hours after leaving the house is worth it.

When you work and play in extreme environments, the benefits of keeping hot water hot and cold water cold start to click. Contributor Katie Griffith originally sought an insulated bottle so she could sip on a liter of hot chocolate during an ice climbing trip. Now, she packs her Hydro Flask every day for work as a rock climbing guide in Joshua Tree. She especially savors each gulp of cold water in the desert heat. Meg Carney, gear guru, biker, hiker, and all-around outdoor lover, took over this guide in 2024 by adding a few new products and fine-tuning the overall selection.

Many in the GearJunkie offices enjoy bringing an insulated bottle to work. So, we tapped into this collective knowledge to assemble our list of bottles. We then put them through the wringer and pulled together the best of the best insulated bottles you see here.

Our Testing Process

We started our foray into the world of insulated water bottles in 2021, aiming to cut through the noise and distill down a huge market into a handful of the best insulated water bottles available. To test our slate of insulated bottles, we subjected them to common-place use, such as hot-day hikes, bike commuting, or airline travel. We paid close attention to how long each bottle held onto chilled water and to important issues such as leaking or denting.

In 2023, we expanded our horizons when Nick looked afar for the best bottles for more special circumstances and tested models to include the best options for insulated growlers, can coolers, and self-cleaning water bottles. 

At the end of 2023, we tweaked our choices again, pivoting some of our award winners to newly updated standard bearers, and added significantly to our Buyer’s Guide to really dig deep into subjects such as volume, materials, and styles.

In 2024, we added a few additional products to the mix, including popular models from CamelBak, LifeStraw, and Stanley, to bring you the best 14 bottles around. It’s worth noting that this article specifically covers the best insulated water bottles. We also have a separate gear guide for the best thermoses for when the temperatures dip, and a hot drink is needed. You may also want to read up on the best backpacking water filters.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose an Insulated Water Bottle

Style of Insulated Bottle

Insulated bottles come in many shapes and sizes. Some closely resemble other plastic sports bottles like the CamelBak Podium Big Chill with spill-proof, screw-top lids. The best overall bottle, Hydro Flask’s Wide Mouth, falls into this category. These are often the most versatile option and may replace your Nalgene when weight isn’t a big factor. 

Beyond the standard water bottle, this list also includes tumblers, can coolers, and growlers. A tumbler more closely resembles a cup with a lid than a water bottle. The Stanley Quencher H2.0 Flowstate Tumbler is great for all-day hydration, but the lid is not spill-proof. You can’t pack it in a backpack like other water bottles. 

Other styles are even more specialized, like the MiiR Growler. This insulated container is designed specifically for storing carbonated beverages like beer or kombucha. The lid functions to seal in carbonation and freshness; you wouldn’t need this for your daily beverages.

Volume

Pick a water bottle with enough volume for all your activities. If you really love one particular insulated bottle, consider getting two sizes — one for daily use and one with more volume for longer trips or travel. (Also consider if the bottle you’ve chosen will work with a water filter or in your pack pocket if you know you’ll be taking it with you on the trail.)

Or, get one with a built-in water filter like the LifeStraw Go and you won’t have to worry about it. If you spend a lot of time driving, note that after a certain volume, fitting into most cup holders isn’t going to happen.

Most bottles we tested are available in volumes from around 12 to 64 ounces. A 12- or 16-ounce bottle is ideal for morning coffee or tea, while you’ll likely want a 24- or 32-ounce bottle like the CamelBak Podium Insulated Water Bottle to stay hydrated. For all-day, outdoor activities, bringing at least two liters of water is typically recommended, which would translate to about 64 ounces of capacity. We find that two 32-ounce bottles fit easier in a backpack than one 64-ounce vessel. 

Make sure the bottle you choose lists how long it keeps water (or other liquids) cold. The standard is 24 hours, but we’ve noticed in many of these bottles the contents will stay colder for longer. You’ll want to know how good the insulation is, especially if you live in a hotter climate.

Materials

What are the interior and exterior materials? Most insulated bottles use some form of stainless steel double-wall insulation, but not all, like the triple-wall build of the Owala FreeSip. Also, look at the exterior material: Is there a powder coating? Does it reduce condensation? Is there a rubber grip or protective design on the base? Some like CamelBak Podium Insulated Water Bottle is made of plastic, which means they’re light, easy to drink from and can fit into bicycle cages, but they aren’t as durable or long-lasting.

Once you find a bottle that works for you, pick out a fun color while you’re at it! Colors are mainly just a preference but can also help identify your bottle in a crowd.

Temperature Retention

One of the most important aspects of an insulated bottle, temperature retention is how well it keeps the hot things hot and the cold things cold. The majority of insulated bottles will use some type of vacuum insulation to achieve this. 

Heat energy needs mass to travel through, so by removing the air in between the two layers of the bottle, the liquid inside is able to retain its temperature for longer. We’ve found that most bottles are able to keep hot liquids hot for around 12 hours and cold liquids cold for about 24.

An insulated water bottle is basically a thermos with different design features. Most thermoses are also built with vacuum insulation, but they typically come with a lid designed for pouring hot liquid and a cap that doubles as a small cup for sipping tea or coffee. 

Lids on thermoses can also be more effective at keeping liquids hot or cold. The lids on insulated water bottles focus on hydration, with straws like the Stanley Quencher H2.0 Flowstate Tumbler or open tops like the Hydro Flask Wide Mouth. 

Don’t get us wrong; the insulated bottles we tested are still great at temperature retention. We filled the Stanley Quencher halfway with half-inch ice cubes and no water. After 24 hours in a 65-70 degree room, we found some water, but most of the ice cubes had shrunk only 50%.

Taste

Metal bottles can sometimes impart a metallic taste to water, often after being left for a long period of time. Bottles like the Purist Mover implement a silicon dioxide coating on the interior of the bottom to create a glass-like barrier. This can greatly reduce the metal taste that is imparted to water.

Keeping insulated bottles clean is also important to limit any off-tastes. Pay attention to how easy the bottle might be to clean. Look at the threads on the lid as well as how easy it is to remove any gaskets for cleaning. Many bottles are marked as dishwasher safe on the top rack but not all.

A quick tip for cleaning your insulated bottle: Mix 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda and warm water and shake inside your bottle. Let sit for a few hours and then rinse out with water.

Lids & Handles

A bad lid can ruin an insulated bottle. Manufacturers understand consumers have many uses for their bottles and produce a number of different lids to fit them. The most basic will be a simple screw cap. But, there are also lids that incorporate straws, flip closures, and even magnets.

Lids will also have a good bit to do with the mouth style of the bottle. Narrow-mouth bottles can make sipping directly from the bottle nice and easy. But, a narrow mount will limit your ability to put ice into the bottle. Wide-mouth bottles can accept things like water filters with ease. But, without a steady hand, they can lead to some spillage.

Some lids are designed to be leak-proof when closed, and some are not. YETI’s 26-ounce Rambler Bottle, for example, features a secure lid that doesn’t allow spillage when screwed on correctly. The Stanley Quencher is not leak-proof and doesn’t claim to be. What it sacrifices in spillage, it makes up for in ease of sipping with the reusable straw. The rotating cover helps reduce leaking but doesn’t prevent it. 

Our tester performed a leak test on the Quencher by adding food coloring to water inside the bottle, screwing it shut, turning it on its side, and timing both types of covers for ten seconds. The Quencher was nearly full during the test. With the rotating cover closed, a small blue puddle formed on a paper towel within a short time. With the straw still in place, a big puddle spilled over a paper towel almost immediately. 

At their most basic, insulated bottles are sleek cylinders, which aren’t the most stable. Having a lid that you can clip a carabiner to can ensure it won’t make an escape. Others will sport a layer of silicone to improve grip or a contoured shape that fits your hand. We found the Stanley IceFlow Flip Straw Water Bottle to be one of the nicest to handle.

Price & Value

These bottles are an investment but totally worth it, especially if (like us) you spend lots of time outside. And before buying, always check to see if your favorite bottle is on sale.

Budget

You can find insulated bottles that won’t break the bank in the $15-25 range. The RTIC Vacuum Insulated Bottle ($20) and the CamelBak Podium Big Chill ($18) both fit this bill. These are both award winners in our review, so a lower price doesn’t necessarily mean lower quality. Both of these options perform well in terms of keeping beverages insulated and they are easy to drink out of. However, they aren’t as durable as others on the list, so they may not last as long.

Mid-Tier

Some of our favorites are in the $30-45 range. This includes the Stanley Quencher H2.0 Flowstate Tumbler ($45) and the YETI Rambler Chug Water Bottle ($40). Though a little spendier, both of these come in larger volumes. They also feature a coating that improves durability and keep beverages cold (or hot) for an impressive amount of time.

Premium

The most specialized bottles, including the Hydro Flask Wide Mouth ($50), MiiR Growler ($60), and Purist Mover Bottle ($50), often have the highest price tags. Sports technologies that go above and beyond daily hydration needs, like holding in carbonation, adding a taste-free liner, or being made from uber-thin materials to cut down weight, can all add to the price.

The Hydro Flask Wide Mouth is our top pick, and it is leakproof and retains heat and cold for much longer than most on this list. A bottle like the LifeStraw Go ($50) actually also acts as a filter so you can have clean water no matter where you are; it’s definitely worth a few extra bucks as far as we’re concerned.

Frequently Asked Questions