Coleman FreeFlow Autoseal 40 oz Stainless Steel Water Bottle: We passed on this bottle for the same reason we pass on most trigger bottles—it has a relatively elaborate cap that needs detailed cleaning.
Corkcicle Classic Canteen: This bottle performed well in every regard, but its cap is the smallest of those on the various bottles we tested. In fact, the cap was so small, we were afraid we’d lose it.
Corkcicle Series A Sport Canteen: This bottle performed poorly in our insulation tests. Also, though it didn’t leak during testing, we thought the quick-sip lid was too prone to human error to be genuinely leakproof.
Healthy Human 21oz Stainless Steel Water Bottle: Several of these bottles leaked in our testing.
Klean Kanteen Classic Water Bottle with Sport Cap: This bottle has had small leaks throughout our years of testing. That history was the source of our biggest hesitation about recommending the Klean Kanteen TKWide with the Twist Cap, but the TKWide’s straw design, ease of use, and overall praise from our testing panel nudged it into the mix—for now.
Klean Kanteen Classic Insulated Bottle with Pour Through Cap: Though the new lid’s dual gaskets fixed the bottle’s leaking problem, opening the pour-through cap took us twice as many turns in comparison with most other bottles. This bottle works better for carrying hot drinks to pour into a smaller cup. Plus, the cap is metal, as is the bottle, and everyone who tested this model hated the metal-on-metal sound of the cap threading onto the bottle.
Slim Stainless Steel Memobottle: This bottle is uniquely shaped—long and slender, like a pencil case—to take up less room in your personal-item bag than a traditional water bottle. However, it’s expensive and not great for general use: The bottle’s contoured bottom prevents it from standing on its own, and it certainly won’t sit snugly in a standard cup holder. It’s good for one thing—fitting in your bag—but not good for really anything else.
Simple Modern Summit Water Bottle 32 oz: This bottle leaked through the threads when we left it on its side overnight.
Stanley Quik Flip Go Bottle: This is one of the few flip-top bottles we’ve found that have a lock to secure the top. But this bottle is especially tall and unwieldy. It would make a better thermos than a water bottle.
S’well Original Bottle: This bottle insulates as well as our insulated picks, and it has been watertight in all our tests. If you like it, go for it. Keep in mind, though, that S’well bottles, unless they’re on sale, are more expensive at every capacity than almost anything else we’ve seen.
Ello Syndicate 20 oz Glass Water Bottle: This bottle has a cap problem, with reports of mold building up.
Glasstic 16oz Clear Glass: This bottle suffered from extensive scuffing during our drop tests.
Lifefactory 22 oz Glass Water Bottle: The wide mouth was awkward to drink out of—it felt like drinking out of a jar. Also, the standard lid is watertight but made of plastic, a concern for many people seeking glass bottles.
Hydaway Collapsible Water Bottle: This model was a pick years ago, but we received feedback both from people who loved it and from others who hated it. Such mixed reports convinced us that this bottle wasn’t a reliable recommendation for most travelers.
Vapur 1L Wide Mouth Anti-Bottle: The cap leaked when we applied lateral torsion.
CamelBak Podium 21oz Bike Bottle: A former pick for travelers, this lightweight squeeze bottle is cheap enough that if the TSA agent makes you ditch it at the airport, you won’t be heartbroken. But it’s not insulated, so it won’t keep your water cold, and it takes up as much room as an insulated steel bottle.
Takeya 24oz Tritan Water Bottle: This is a version of our attached-cap pick made from a BPA-free Tritan. It offers all of the same attributes as our pick but in a lightweight and non-insulated plastic. We dismissed it because a plastic bottle shouldn’t cost as much as this one does.
Yeti Yonder 34 oz Water Bottle: This is a plastic version of the Yeti Rambler. But you pay extra for the name; plastic bottles everywhere else are far less expensive.
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