A note to remember: You only need one reusable bottle (though I won’t judge if you rotate between two). More than that defeats the environmental purpose of purchasing a reusable bottle in the first place. Also, be aware that some insulated bottles use lead solder. We’ve removed those from our list. We have some standards, after all.
Does your water need to be even cleaner? Check out our guide to the Best Backpacking Water Filters. Then get one of our Best Travel Mugs or Best Tote Bags.
Some water bottle companies use lead soldering to manufacture their vacuum-sealed bottles. The Stanley Quencher tumbler is one of them. No amount of lead exposure is safe, but it poses particular risk for children and pregnant people. The company has confirmed that some pellets used to seal the bottom of the cup use lead, but unless you remove or damage the bottom of the cup, the lead will not come into contact with your beverage or skin.
The risk of exposure might be very low, but it should be zero. Given that many brands practice lead-free manufacturing, we think the proximity to exposure is unnecessary.
WIREDAvailable in 15+ colorsNo flavor transfer or metallic aftertasteKeeps cold drinks cold for 24 hoursKeeps hot drinks hot for up to 12 hoursTIREDExperience fully dependent on cap choiceA longtime favorite of outdoorsy folks and anyone else who wants a water bottle that’s not easily damaged, Hydro Flask has staying power. That may be due in part to its customization capability: Pick your preferred type of bottle, cap, and color, and if you buy from Hydro Flask, you can also engrave many styles. You can choose one color for the bottle, another for the lid, and depending on those choices, yet another for the strap or straw. —Boutayna Chokrane
WIREDAvailable in a variety of colorsTriple-layer insulation works wellFreeSip spout with a built-in straw lets you drink in multiple waysCarry loop for easy transportTIREDCup is hand-wash–onlyMouthpiece gasket requires involved cleaningOwala perfected its FreeSip design with the Sway, which includes familiar features of other bottles in the line, like fun colors, triple-layer insulation, and a multifunctional mouthpiece that lets you sip through its straw or tilt the bottle upward to swig through its spout. Details that lift the Sway above its FreeSip cousins include its convenient top-carry handle that’s easy to hold, contoured side edges that let you get a comfortable grip while you drink, and its attached push-button opening with a locking mechanism that both lets you drink one-handed and also saves you from unfortunate spills.
Its materials are durable, it comes in four sizes (the 30-ounce option is plenty big for me without being too cumbersome), and the lid is dishwasher-safe. Even so, because the lid has a lot of edges and ridges where gunk can get trapped, I like to clean it by hand, which is a bit of a pain.
The wider top lid screws off completely, letting you add ice or easily pour in any other beverage, but it’s important to close it tightly before throwing it in your bag. The same warning applies to ensuring you’ve toggled on the mouthpiece lock. While the Sway is indeed leakproof when used as directed, the bottle is ripe for user-error spills, as I’ve learned the hard way. But if you look over to your passenger seat while you’re driving and see water pooling around your bottle because you forgot to close it correctly, at least you can snatch it up easily and plop it into a cup holder—a win that some other FreeSip models don’t offer. —Alexis Berger
