The 10 Best Water Bottles, Tested and Reviewed

Mar 06, 2025

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Travel + Leisure editors selected two bottles each to test head-to-head in a battle of the water bottles.

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If you were to spot a Travel + Leisure editor in an airport, you would likely see them with a reusable water bottle. Better for the environment, keeping you hydrated, and saving you $10 at the expensive airport shops, the investment in a water bottle for travel is well worth it.

Since T+L editors are expert water bottle testers in their day-to-day travels, we enlisted five editors (myself included) to test two bottles each in a head-to-head comparison. Choosing options similar in shape, lid styles, or capacities, we tried the bottles throughout a busy summer of traveling. Whether we took the bottles camping or on a long-haul flight, we noted factors like durability, insulation, drinkability, and portability to determine which bottle edged out the other

T+L editor Taylor Fox chose 32-ounce bottles from S'well and Wondery Outdoors to compare and contrast while traveling. Both bottles feature similar designs with the same capacity, cap style, and stainless steel material. In terms of durability, the Swell Explorer exterior had minor scuffs that didn’t come off, whereas, the Wondery Outdoors bottle held up perfectly despite Fox’s rigorous testing. The Wondery Outdoors bottle also comes with a variety of stickers to place on the bottle when you visit a U.S. National Park, and Fox noted that the stickers remained intact after numerous washes.

Both bottles feature a straw lid, and when tipped upside down, the Wondery Outdoors bottles leaked. Fox was more impressed with the leakproof seals of the S'well bottle. “I've flown with water bottles in the past that have leaked due to the changing cabin pressure, but this one stayed sealed even when it has been on its side and up in the air," she says.

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In terms of portability, both bottles have handles that make it easy to carry the bottle when not placed in a backpack or tote. Though the water bottles are similar sizes, Fox found it easier to pack the S'well bottle in various pockets or bags.

With three layers of insulation, the S'well bottle is designed to keep drinks cold for 42 hours or hot for 10 hours. And although the Wondery Outdoors has just two layers of insulation and promises 24 hours of cold drinks and 12 hours of hot, Fox felt like both excelled at keeping water chilled for long travel days and overnight. Fox also added that both bottles were easy to take apart and clean thanks to the removable straws and wide lid for scrubbing the interior.

These bottles were neck and neck in terms of performance, but Fox ultimately preferred the S'well bottle because it was more leakproof and easier to place in pockets, totes, and to carry.

Two of the most unique bottles on this list, the Larq PureVis and Fellow Carter 3-in-1 Lid System boast a variety of special features for travelers in mind. Self-cleaning and water-filtering, the Larq bottle has high-tech capabilities in addition to traditional features like insulated walls and a leakproof lid. The insulated Fellow Carter 3-in-1 Lid System comes with a 16-ounce tumbler and three different lid types to change out as preferred. Now let’s dive into the pros and cons of each bottle after T+L associate director Morgan Ashley Parker tested both.

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Hands down, Parker’s favorite feature of the Larq bottle is the ability to have it clean itself with the press of a button, which emits a UV-C light (pictured above) that sanitizes the contents of the bottle every two hours. Parker noted that the inside of the bottle never developed a musty smell, nor did it look grimy or dirty throughout the testing period. The water remained perfectly cold overnight, and the long shape makes it easy to store the bottle in a purse, backpack pocket, or car holder.

The Fellow Carter bottle comes with several interchangeable lid options, including one with a straw, one with a handle, and a vacuum-insulated slide lid. The insulated bottle is designed to keep cold drinks chilled for up to 24 hours and hot drinks warm for up to 12 hours. Parker found that the contents of the “move” lids (not the straw lid) remained perfectly chilled overnight. She loved being able to change out the lids depending on the type of drink in the bottle and her travel needs.

“This bottle is a steal as it's three bottles in one,” Parker says. “I love it because I can pack the straw lid when traveling but keep my water cold on the journey with the move lid.”

Because of the versatility of the Fellow Carter bottle thanks to the different lids, Parker preferred using it during her travels. The Larq bottle is still a great option for travelers looking for a self-cleaning bottle, though.

While testing both the 32-ounce Hydro Flask and 34-ounce Stanley bottles over the course of six weeks, I used the bottles on road trips, camping trips, and on multiple flights.

While Stanley is known for its tumbler water bottles, the brand launched this soda bottle-shaped option that is extremely easy to travel with. My favorite part of this bottle is that the top screws off so you can use it as a cup or as an easier way to fill the body with ice cubes since the bottleneck is quite narrow. It also makes it supereasy to clean both sections of the bottle separately. I took the bottle camping and loved that I could unscrew the top and use the double wall vacuum insulated body as a cup for other beverages. I found this bottle to be easier to place in a backpack or bag since it’s a tad narrower than the Hydro Flask, but it doesn’t have a handle.

I’ve had a variety of Hydro Flask bottles my entire life, and they never seem to fail me. This one kept my water chilled for 15 or more hours, and the ice cubes remained intact overnight, which impressed me. The straw lid is made with a sturdy rubber material, so even when I dropped the bottle on the lid, no part of it cracked or scuffed. However, the lid did leak a bit when I flipped the bottle upside down. When it comes to cleaning, the wide opening of the bottle makes it easy to get a brush in the scrub, but the straw spout requires some more attention to clean the detachable straw and mouthpiece.

While the Stanley bottle offered two canisters in one design, the Hydro Flask was ultimately more durable and can endure rough handling better than the Stanley, making it the better option for traveling.

Similar in size and lid style, editor Jackie Cucco tested popular bottles from Corkcicle and Owala. Both bottles have a lid cover to keep the sip area protected from touching unclean surfaces or from leaking — though only one comes with a straw. Cucco also tested the canisters in the heat of summer, putting the insulation to the ultimate test of 90-degree weather.

The Corkcicle bottle shined in testing for portability and durability. It has a narrow, 20-ounce body with a grippy, rubbery coating that prevented any dents or scratches while Cucco used the bottle. In fact, she dropped it on her kitchen floor and neither the lid nor body suffered any damage, while the Owala bottle dented more easily when dropped. Though both bottles have a handle for carrying, the Corkcicle one is wider, so Cucco’s hands weren’t as pinched while toting it around, making it easier to carry. Best of all, the triple insulated walls kept two large ice cubes intact for nearly 15 hours, and the water remained chilled for even longer.

“My favorite thing about the Corkcicle bottle is how portable it is for travel because of the grippy texture, the rubbery grip on the bottom, and the wide carrying handle,” she says. “The one downfall is that the sipper is too small and rectangular, so you have to completely tilt your head back to get a good flow of water, causing it to make an audible glugging sound.”

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The trendy Owala bottle shines because of the unique, curved mouthpiece that also comes with a straw that attaches inside the bottle, but you don’t need to put the straw in your mouth to use it — you simply sip on the top of the bottle without needing to tilt it, and the water smoothly flows upward. Unlike the Corkcicle bottle, the Owala also has an easy-open button to flip the lid up. The double lined walls kept Cucco’s water perfectly cold and filled with ice cubes for the same amount of time as the Corkcicle bottle. It also has a carrying handle, though Cucco found it to be more narrow and less comfortable to carry than the Corkcicle.

Both bottles earned high praises from Cucco, who liked the Corkcicle for its grippy texture and wide handle, but she ultimately preferred the Owala bottle for its drinkability, with a more comfortable mouthpiece and the option to use the included straw.

Senior editor Jasmine Grant tried two options from Takeya and Yeti designed for sports and rigorous activities. Both bottles feature double insulated stainless steel walls and handles to carry the canisters with ease.

Grant tried the 40-ounce Takeya bottle (it also comes in other smaller and larger sizes), which proved to be ideal for those wanting to stay extra hydrated throughout the day. The straw lid made it easy to sip the water on the go (at the gym, in the car, on a walk, etc.), and it felt secure enough that Grant could toss it in her bag without fear of leakage. Best of all, Grant took the bottle to the beach on a hot summer day, and she was impressed with the insulation, as it kept her water ice-cold for more than 18 hours. One note is that the straw component means there are more parts to hand-clean, which takes more time than the dishwasher-safe Yeti, and the bottle did dent after it was dropped once.

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If you’re a fan of chug caps, then you’ll like Yeti’s 26-ounce water bottle. The quick-drink lid makes it easy to down as much (or as little) water as you need, which is particularly helpful after a strenuous workout. According to Grant, “The seal of the Yeti is as foolproof as it gets. The twist-on lid is supersecure, and once it's on, it's on,” so she never had any issues with leaks. Plus, the wide mouth and handle make it easy to carry and it’s dishwasher-safe for simple cleaning. Grant noted that the double wall insulation kept her drink cold for at least eight hours, but her water was noticeably warmer.

The Yeti bottle felt more durable since it looked brand new after months of testing, but the Takeya bottle kept beverages colder for longer, making it the clear winner, according to Grant.

Five T+L editors selected two bottles to try in a series of head-to-head tests to determine which option was the ultimate winner, using the bottles over the course of three months. Considering factors like drinkability, insulation, portability, durability, and cleaning, we took thorough notes throughout the testing period, taking the bottles with us on airplanes, trains, cars, and buses for trips of varying lengths and destinations.

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We noted how easy or difficult it was to open the cap and drink from the bottles, if liquid leaked at any point, how easy they were to carry, if they withstood drops and bumps, and how easy they were to clean. When it came to insulation, each editor put the same amount of ice cubes in both of their bottles to see how long the water stayed cold both during the day with consistent use and during an overnight period. We then directly compared the bottles to see which we preferred.

From camping trips to long-haul flights, we put these bottles through the ringer to make sure you’re investing in the best bottle for your needs.

The material of a water bottle affects its durability, weight, and its ability to retain water temperature. We found that insulated stainless steel bottles were the most effective in keeping the water temperature cold after six hours. While stainless steel is generally durable, you can expect a few cosmetic flaws after prolonged use, like dents or scratches. Although plastic water bottles won’t keep your water cold over time, they are ideal for someone who is looking for a lightweight, travel-friendly bottle — especially the collapsible bottles that are perfect for saving space. Since glass bottles have the potential to break or shatter, we recommend reserving those for home use or being mindful of the activities you would use them for.

There are several common types of lids for water bottles, including straws, screw tops, chug caps, and sports caps. With a straw lid, there will be an external straw spout that flips up on the cap and attaches to the internal straw. A screw-top lid untwists to allow you to drink out of a wide-mouth water bottle and can often come with a handle on it for easy carrying. Ideal for a gym workout or staying hydrated at the beach, a chug cap has a wider spout designed for quick gulps. Commonly found in plastic water bottles, a sports cap has a plastic or rubber piece that opens and closes to release water when the bottle is tilted or squeezed.

BPA stands for Bisphenol A, which is a type of chemical that is commonly used in manufacturing plastic materials used for water bottles and other food containers. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that the presence of BPA has affected the reproductive systems of laboratory animals, it is unknown what the effects of low BPA exposure are on humans.

A water bottle will generally come with cleaning instructions that will indicate whether it’s dishwasher-safe or not. Not all water bottles are dishwasher-safe — and sometimes the bottle might be dishwasher-safe, while the lid is not — so it’s important to check the manufacturer's instructions before washing the bottle to avoid ruining its functionality. When a dishwasher isn’t an option, most bottles can be sufficiently cleaned by hand using soap and water. You can also opt for a brush cleaning set to help scrub all the way to the bottom of the bottle as well as the small ridges in and around the lid, and use a smaller brush straw to clean narrow straws.

Glass water bottles are usually chemical-free and made from natural materials, but they aren’t always the most practical while traveling due to breakage risk. While often durable, plastic water bottles have the potential to leak bacteria and chemicals into your drinking water. When it comes to clean and safe water bottles that will also withstand long trips, look for those made of durable and toxic-free materials like stainless steel.

While classic water bottles like the ones in this article are undeniably useful, other designs can come in handy for certain activities and situations. Here are a couple more water accessories we've written about at T+L.

CamelBak Fourteener 26 Hiking Hydration Pack: We love this hydration pack's ability to hold enough water and gear for a day hike without ever feeling like it it's weighing you down. It also has numerous pockets to help you stay organized on the trail.

Lifestraw Peak Series Collapsible Bottle: This water bottle features Lifestraw's signature filtration system that kills 99.99 percent of bacteria and parasites in your water, so you can fill it with H2O sourced from just about anywhere. It's also collapsible for easy storage between uses.

Anna Popp is an associate editor at T+L, where she edits and writes all types of content, ranging from comfy shoes to ski gear. She has been professionally testing products for nearly four years and considers herself a Goldilocks when it comes to finding the perfect travel water bottle. Anna tested two bottles herself and enlisted the help of four other seasoned T+L editors to put together this list of the best water bottles for traveling.

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