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Home » Gear » best filtered water bottles

The 8 Best Filtered Water Bottles for Travel and Hiking • 2024

Everybody loves water right? Even if you don’t think you do, believe me your body absolutely adores the stuff. Personally, I drink litres and lites of the stuff each and every day and could even drink a tree under the table (obviously the table would be a metal one…)

And if you’re here, it’s presumably because you love water too but more specifically, cos you’re looking for the best-filtered water bottle that money can buy.  Good call.

A semi-decent filtration water bottle may be a life saver when out on a hike and will even take the edge off tap water when you’re at home. But if you’re looking for a filtered water bottle for sustained travel, prolonged backpacking, and serious survival activities then a semi-decent bottle just won’t cut it. You need the best.

In this post we are going to look at the best filtered water bottles for travel, camping, hiking and surviving that money can buy you in 2024.

Quick Answer: The Best Filtered Water Bottles

The top 8 best filtered water bottles, the importance of water purification – why you should travel with a filtered water bottle, choosing a filtered water bottle for you – a buyer’s guide, the best filtered water bottles – tried, tested and rated, the 8 best filtered water bottles at a glance, faq about the best filtered water bottles, final thoughts on buying a filtered water bottle for travel.

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• Best Overall Filtered Water Bottle –  Grayl Geopress Purifier Bottle
• Runner-Up for Best Filtered Water Bottle – LifeStraw Go Water Bottle
• Best Cheap Filtered Water Bottle – Epic Water Filters Epic Nalgene OG
• Best Ultralight Filtered Water Bottle – Grayl Ultralight Water Purifier Bottle
•   Best Filtered Water Bottle for Extreme Conditions –  Seychelle Extreme Water Filter Bottle
• Best Stainless Steel Filtered Water Bottle –  Clearly Filtered No.1 Filtered Water Bottle
• Best Glass Filtered Water Bottle –  Escape Glass Filtered Water Bottle
• Best 1 Litre Filtered Water Bottle – OKO H2O Advanced Filtration Bottle
• Jump to ->  Bottle Round-Up

Grayl Geopress Purifier Bottle

• Price > $$$
• Size > 24 fl oz

LifeStraw Go Water Bottle

• Size > 22 fl oz

Epic Water Filters Epic Nalgene OG

• Size > 32 fl oz

Grayl Ultralight Purifier Bottle

• Size > 16.9 fl oz

Seychelle Extreme Water Filter Bottle

• Size > 28 fl oz

Clearly Filtered No.1 Filtered Water Bottle

• Size > 20 fl oz

Escape Glass Filtered Water Bottle

OKO H2O Advanced Filtration Water Bottle

• Size > 34 fl oz

As a traveler, it’s essential to stay hydrated, especially when exploring new and unfamiliar places. However, tap water quality can be questionable in some destinations, and buying bottled water can be expensive and environmentally damaging. That’s where filtered water bottles come in.

Filtered water bottles are a must-have item for any traveler, and there are several reasons why. Firstly, they provide clean drinking water, no matter where you are in the world. Using a filtration system, they remove impurities and contaminants from the water, ensuring that it’s safe to drink. This is particularly important in areas where tap water quality is questionable or when you’re hiking in the wilderness and need to refill your bottle from a natural water source.

Secondly, filtered water bottles are an eco-friendly alternative to single-use plastic water bottles. Travelers often generate a significant amount of plastic waste, and buying bottled water can contribute to this problem. By using a filtered water bottle, you can significantly reduce your environmental impact and help protect the planet.

Cheap Water Purification Methods: Some Budget-Friendly Number Crunching

Thirdly, using a filtered water bottle can actually save you money in the long run. In some touristy areas, prices for bottled water can be inflated, and buying multiple bottles can quickly add up. With a filtered water bottle, you can refill for free at public water fountains or natural sources, saving you money and reducing your reliance on single-use plastics. Seriously, while paying $50 up front may feel like a lot, I spent that in one month on bottles water in India…

In addition to the practical benefits, using a filtered water bottle can also improve the taste of water. Tap water in some destinations can have an unpleasant taste or odor due to high levels of chlorine or other impurities. A filtered water bottle can remove these impurities, making the water taste fresher and more enjoyable to drink.

In conclusion, a filtered water bottle is an essential item for any traveler. It provides clean drinking water, reduces environmental impact, saves you money, improves taste, and is incredibly convenient. Investing in a filtered water bottle is a wise decision that will benefit both you and the planet. Don’t leave home without one!

Ok, so now that you’re questioning how you ever made do without a water filtration bottle, let’s talk about how you can find the right one!

Since we’re doing this in threes, there are three things to keep in mind when hunting down and choosing your water filter drinking bottle: the material, the size, and the coverage of protection. Consider these wisely and you’ll be stoked on the investment you made into your anywhere-anytime water drinking experience.

Your Water Bottle’s Material

You’ve got three (hah, see) basic choices with this each with their own pros and cons:

• Plastic – But you said plastic was the antichrist and- Hey! Not all plastics are equally evil – some have just committed offences considered especially heinous. Pretty much any filtered drinking bottle (unless they’re particularly terrible) will be constructed from BPA-free plastic. The especially good amongst those will be constructed from Tritan which is both BPA-free and durable as all hell. The down shot to plastic is that there is almost no insulation (so your water will be life-nourishing but not at a refreshing-cool temperature) and they’ll still never be as durable as steel.
• Stainless Steel – Tougher and stronger than plastic, a stainless steel filter water bottle will survive all the calamities of travel and is the optimal choice for clobbering someone. If you’re ever in the situation where you need to beat someone up with a water bottle, go for stainless steel. But at the cost of all that extra toughness (and insulation) comes the extra weight. This makes it not always the preferred option for the outdoor adventurers seeking how to purify water in the wild.
• Glass – Yeah, I wouldn’t really recommend a glass water bottle with a filter. The perks? Well, it’s glass, I guess; drinking out of glass is nice. The cons? I mean, it’s glass. You figure it out.

Your Water Bottle’s Size

I think this kind of goes without saying, but for the best travel filtered water bottle, you want one that fits nicely in your hand, backpack, or anywhere else. At the very least, it shouldn’t be so big that hanging it from your person with a carabiner becomes a highly optimised form of self-flagellation.

The bigger it is, the heavier it is. But also, the bigger it is, the less you have to refill it. It’s a trade-off.

Generally speaking, sizes range from about 500-1000 mL (17-34 fl oz). The bottom end of the scale gives you something more ultralight; the top end will be bulkier but you’ll also be stopping for refills half as much. See, maths is useful! It all depends on how much pure drinking water you think you need.

Choose what’s right for your preference but remember that it’s another addition to your pack’s size so take in all the usual considerations you would with any gear purchase.

Your Water Bottle’s Coverage of Protection

The last thing to consider is what exact nasties your filtered water bottle filters out. Some filter bottles are not made, in any form, to combat the conditions of third-world water drinking sources. They’re more for filtering out that ‘yukky tap water’ sensation from all that terrible clean free drinking water when you’re hitting the gym in your activewear for spin class.

But the best filtration system water bottles for travel, hiking, and adventuring tend to stand up to a bit more. That said, even amongst the premium choices, they don’t all offer the same protections. Not all water purifier bottles are able to remove viruses, heavy metals, or other gut-wrenchers.

Depending on where you’re going and just how extreme you are (and how apprehensive you are about dysentery), it’s crucial your water purifying system is properly covering your ass (hah).

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So, here it is. Let’s do this. The top 8 best filtered water bottles!

1. Grayl Geopress Purifier Bottle – Best Overall Filtered Water Bottle

This is it: the ‘whoa, mama’ choice. If you’re really after the absolute best water filtration bottle for travelling, then you can give up on the rest of my extremely well-written and well-researched article and just grab yourself a Grayl Geopress . Actually, if you’re super-serious about your water filtering, I would urge you to have a look at our in-depth review .

Grayl bottles are damn good. They’re so good, in fact, that they make this list twice! In terms of usage, it functions similarly to an AeroPress (in reverse). Water goes in the outer sleeve, you push the filter in, and the water filters into the inner container ready to be drunk without murdering your stomach lining. It’s a simple yet highly effective method of water purification.

You see, the Grayl water purifier removes just about anything that’s out to ruin your day 24-48 hours after ingestion and the following incubation period. Its water filter removes viruses and heavy metals (on top of the standard bacteria and parasites) so you’re protected against anything you’ll find in a stagnant puddle or worse.

Size-wise, the Grayl Geopress cuts a fine balance. Carrying 24 fl oz (710 ml for all my metric bros) of liquid and weighing 15.9 oz (450 grams), it’s big (and durable) enough while still fitting nicely into your backpack. Or hanging off a carabiner without repeatedly striking you in the worst possible location…

Price-wise, you’re looking at the premium option. It’s on the top end of the spectrum for filter bottle prices but it also tops the chart in quality. It’s one of those ‘worth the investment’ choices.

And, of course, the most important question – does it work? You’re damn right it does! We’ve put the Grayl Geopress Purifier Bottle through its damn paces (including trekking expeditions in the Karakoram in Pakistan) and the little beauty has come out on top every damn time. No poops; no pukes; no Cholera . The way it should be.

So what’s the hold-up? You were looking for the best filtered water bottle for travel, hiking and anything else, right? Well, this is it!

2. LifeStraw Go Water Bottle – Runner-Up for Best Overall Filtered Water Bottle

Here’s the deal: I can’t give a personal hands-on of the LifeStraw bottle but I can give one of the LifeStraw filter itself. It carried me through 5 months in South Asia and into Southeast Asia and it’s still going strong.

That was on one filter straw, mind you. Not a single replacement was needed. One LifeStraw water filter lasts for approximately 1000 gallons (4000L) of water so it comes with the peace of mind that you’re not going to suddenly be filter-less mid-adventure.

Of course, there has to be a caveat with the LifeStraw Go Water Bottle to make it runner-up. There is and that’s in your protection coverage. The LifeStraw bottle falls short in this area filtering out only protozoa: no viruses, chemicals, or heavy metals. For this reason, it falls behind in the race of the LifeStraw vs. the Grayl.

But if full coverage isn’t something you need, then the LifeStraw Go is an excellent choice. Coming in at a much more digestible price, the water bottle is a good size (22 fl oz/650 ml) and weight (10 oz/285 g). It’s also durable; I watched a mate drop his down a few mountains in the Himalayas and he just kept sipping water from it like it was no problem.

3. Epic Water Filters Epic Nalgene OG -Best Cheap Filtered Water Bottle

We have all probably owned a Nalgene at some point. This Epic Nalgene OG filter bottle by Epic Walter Filters takes the same classic bottle we all enjoy up a few notches by adding the cleverly designed water filter element. Practical, easy to use, and very importantly – this bottle won’t break the bank either.

The Epic Nalgene OG uses their patented  Everyday Filter  system – and as the name implies – it is intended for everyday use. Like any filter bottle, the filter does not have an endless life span and the filter will need to be replaced after roughly 75 gallons. Speaking from experience – I typically end up filtering 3-4 liters of water per day when I am traveling or backpacking so one filter can get me through almost two months on the road or in the mountains.

For the best budget option for hikers and backpackers on this list – The Epic Water Filters Epic Nalgene OG is a truly excellent product!

If you are going to be in countries with ultra-sketchy water sources, keep in mind the Epic Nalgene OG is not a complete purifier. 

4. Grayl Ultralight Water Purifier Bottle – Best Ultralight Filtered Water Bottle

I told you Grayl bottles made the list twice. This is Grayl’s ultralight option for all the gram-counting fiends. It’s smaller than the Geopress holding only 16.9 fl oz (500 mL) and weighing in at 10.9 oz (310 g).

That’s about your only difference though because all of the high-quality badittude of the Geopress still carries over. The Grayl Ultralight still filters out all the terrible beasties, it’s still made of high-quality materials, and it still kicks ass.

It comes in at a lower price than the Geopress and doesn’t hurt as much if you drop it on your toe. Its lower weight and smaller frame make this the best filtered bottle for hiking and anything outdoors where the bulky choice doesn’t cut it.

The only real negative is you have to fill it up twice as much… but, oh well. You can’t have your cake and eat it too!

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5. Seychelle Extreme Water Filter Bottle – Best Filtered Water Bottle for Extreme Conditions

When I say extreme conditions, I’m mean extreme conditions. The Seychelle water filtration bottle does it all. It does your bacteria, your viruses, your protozoa, your radiological contaminants… wait, what?

Yup! On top of all the other much-needed protection, you have the extra layer against biohazards with the Seychelle water filter bottle. This one is for you, Chernobyl Exclusion Zone spelunkers.

The Seychelle Extreme Water Bottle even filters out fluoride. It really is the one-stop-shop for all your water purification needs.

The downside is the design; I mean, just look at the thing. You’d think a high-tech filtration bottle that filters out radioactive contaminants would look less like the bottle I took to school when I was seven. It’s clunky and unwieldy and coming in at 28 fl oz (830 mL) just makes it a bit more chunky than necessary.

But, I suppose, the ability to still drink clean water after the nuclear fallout crisis inevitably arrives and we’re all driving super-charged dune buggies across apocalyptic wastes is worth the added bulk.

6. Clearly Filtered No.1 Filtered Water Bottle – Best Stainless Steel Filtered Water Bottle

If life was a Jackie Chan movie where you partook in a series of increasingly zany fights using household objects as weapons, then this would be the bottle to bitchslap some generic henchman with.

It’s stainless steel: that means you’re going to have a seriously difficult time breaking it no matter how many Himalayan mountains you drop it off! That also means that the bottle has some insulation to keep your water refreshingly cool (or heart-meltingly warm) while you adventure.

The Clearly Filtered also filters out all the nasties (with a disclaimer): viruses, bacteria, and metals begone! It’s even a water bottle that filters fluoride!

So what’s not so awesome? Well, its construction just isn’t as tight as many of the other entries on this list. It doesn’t feel as well put-together as a lot of other water filter drinking bottles with the lid having some noticeable threading difficulties.

Regardless, if a stainless steel filter water bottle is your preference, the Clearly Filtered is one of the better ones out there. It’s one of the best-insulated filter water bottles you’ll find that also covers you for all the murderous organisms that are out to ruin your lactose tolerance.

7. Escape Glass Filtered Water Bottle – Best Glass Filtered Water Bottle

Now, mind you, I don’t know why you’d want a glass filter bottle for travelling. If we were graphing drops off Himalayan mountaintops survived by filtered water bottles, then the Escape Bottle would certainly come last.

But, it’s still a good filtration bottle that comes with all the bells and whistles you’ve come to expect from the best water purifier bottles. Replaceable filter that protects you from the whole shebang ( BUT (and here’s that disclaimer), not with the stock filter; you have to buy the Outdoor filter separately), and it comes in a silicone sleeve (to counter that whole ‘made of glass’ thing). It also feels fancier to drink from because everybody knows that drinking from glass tastes better.

It is worth noting that both the Escape and Outback bottles (they’re made by the same dudes) are a hard purchase to justify. I’ve included them here for the folks who don’t want plastic but the hard truth is that for nearly the same price you could be purchasing a Grayl Geopress (the premium option), or one of the other cheaper purifier bottles on this list, and it would be a much better purchase all-round.

Still, if you’re after a glass filtered water bottle, this the choice for you.

8. OKO H2O Advanced Filtration Bottle – Best 1 Litre (34 fl oz) Filtered Water Bottle

Oh, so 700 ml wasn’t enough? And 800 ml wasn’t enough? The 500 ml ultralight water bottle definitely wasn’t enough then…

Well, ok, this is for you… you thirsty son-of-a-bitch.

The OKO H2O is made from NASA technology which means that you’re basically an astronaut with one of these. It’s got all you need: durable Tritan plastic (yep, back to plastic) and a filter that covers you for the worst-of-the-worst (although only reduces chemicals, fluoride, and metals present).

It’s also pretty damn lightweight for the size! It comes in at 5.2 oz (145 grams) which is good because, given its volume, you’ll probably be hanging it off your pack or belt.

Oh, on that, you don’t have to get the Papa Bear size; it comes in a Mama Bear and Baby Bear size too. That means it gets even lighter making this another good filtered water bottle for hiking and long walks into the wild.

Now, you  could spend a fat chunk of $$$ on the WRONG present for someone. Wrong size hiking boots, wrong fit backpack, wrong shape sleeping bag… As any adventurer will tell you, gear is a personal choice.

So give the adventurer in your life the gift of convenience: buy them an REI Co-op gift card!  REI is The Broke Backpacker’s retailer of choice for ALL things outdoors, and an REI gift card is the perfect present you can buy from them. And then you won’t have to keep the receipt. 😉

Right, so there are all your precious details. By now, I hope, you have a general idea of what’s the best water filter bottle for your needs.

If you want to see how the choices stack up against each other, look below. I’ve got a quick comparison of the individual specs and a comparison of the pros and cons too. After that, check out the FAQ to see if any of the burning questions about filtered bottles that you may have are answered.

The Hateful Eight’s Specs Roundup:

It’s all about them specs!

The Hateful Eight’s Pros and Cons Roundup

Let’s call this the tl;dr section of the roundup.

Frequently Asked Questions on Water Purifier Bottles

• Do filtered water bottles filter out beneficial minerals? Nope, you’ll be still getting all your nutrients. That said, if you’re travelling somewhere water needs a filter, it’s a good idea to drink water with the electrolyte powder added on occasion just to ensure your body is still getting the best.
• Are filtered water bottles dishwasher-safe? Some are, some aren’t. But, like, seriously… that’s a really dumb question. Like, just wash it by hand, dude. When did washing the dishes go outta vogue…?
• How do I clean my filtered bottle? Again, weird question. Soap and water, man… c’mon.
• Is a filtration bottle refrigerator-safe? The fridge is fine but I’d advise against sticking it in the freezer. Those filters are fancy tech!
• How do I know when my filter needs replacing? It can vary from filter to filter but eventually, your flow rate will slow to a crawl or stop entirely. In the case of the Grayl bottles, the pumping process will have slowed dramatically.
• Do I really need a filtered water bottle? I’m sorry, did you skip the part about my mate Tyrone?

Still have some questions? No problem! We’ve listed and answered the most commonly asked questions below. Here’s what people usually want to know:

Is there water you can’t filter?

That depends on your bottle. Most basic filters are made for tap water purification. If you invest in a high quality filter bottle, you can even go for the muddy river water in India without an issue.

Is filtered water 100% safe?

If you choose your filter bottle from our list, then yes, filtered water is prefectly safe and, in fact, very healthy.

Why should I invest in a filtered water bottle?

Three simple reasons: 1. You can safe the planet 2. You can save a hell lot of money 3. You’ll never run out of water, even in secluded areas (if there is a water source near)

What is the best filter bottle for travelling?

Easy! The Grayl Geopress is our absolute go-to. No matter where you are in the world, this bottle can filter even the nastiest water.

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To be brutally, savagely honest, I kinda think you’re a dillweed if you don’t buy one.

The fact is, you’ve gotta travel with a bottle . If you’re not doing that already, we’re going to have a serious chat. The impact of plastic bottles on the environment is abhorrent: don’t be a part of the problem.

But if you’re travelling, a standard drink bottle isn’t going to get you very far. You’ll still have to buy purified water to put in your travel bottle… which probably means buying a plastic bottle of water.

Do you want to know how many countries the CDC (Centre for Disease Control) has declared to have safe-for-drinking tap water? 38. Do you want to know how many countries there are in the world? 195. I’ll let you crunch that particular math.

If you’re travelling or adventuring, sooner or later, you will be somewhere without safe drinking water. Enter filtered water bottles! Science once again swooping into to save us with its crazy inventions!

Seriously, don’t skimp out on buying a filtration bottle. Get the best filtered water bottle you can. Leave the Tyrones of this world behind: take nothing but photographs!

Ziggy Samuels

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6 Must-Have Filtered Water Bottles for Travel

Jamie Ditaranto

Jamie Ditaranto is a traveler in a love triangle with writing and photography. Follow the drama on Twitter @jamieditaranto and Instagram @jamieditaranto .

Ditaranto joined SmarterTravel in 2015. She loves ecotourism, cities with history, and discovering local hangouts. Though she likes all the continents equally, she holds a special place in her heart for rainy little islands.

Her work has also appeared online at USA Today, Huffington Post, Business Insider, and other publications. You can check out her photography on her website .

The Handy Item I Always Pack : "My instant camera comes in handy for giving instant gifts to new friends."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience : "Befriending penguins in Antarctica."

Travel Motto : "You have to get the hard places out of the way first."

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat : "On short flights, the window. For long flights, the aisle."

Email Jamie at [email protected] .

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With what they’re charging for bottled water at the airport these days, nobody should be traveling without their own water bottle. However, it’s fair to be a bit wary of drinking from the tap, especially when you’re traveling to a place that doesn’t have a great reputation for clean water. This is why filtered water bottles make the most sense for travelers.

Filtered water bottles can be a little more expensive than regular reusable bottles and may involve a little more maintenance, but they’re worth it for the peace of mind you’ll have with every sip. Here are some of my favorite water bottles with filters for traveling.

If you’re the kind of person who would buy a filtered water bottle but never get around to changing the filters, a LARQ could be the bottle for you. Instead of filters, this bottle purifies water using a UV-LED light hidden in the cap. The light is powerful enough to kill germs, and the same kind of light is even used in hospitals to disinfect surfaces. The best part? It’s as easy to charge as your phone, with a universal charging port that will plug into any USB port.

Brita Filter Bottle

Fans of Brita, rejoice: You can take the 36387 Premium Water Filter Bottle on the road. The 26-ounce bottle is sleek enough to slip easily into car drink holders. The BPA-free hard plastic bottle has a carrying loop and an enclosed straw for ease of use. The chlorine-reducing filter improves the taste of tap water, and the filters are easy to replace.

8 Foods You Should Never Eat Before Flying

Glass isn’t necessarily travel-friendly, but at the same time, every drink tastes better when you’re drinking it from a glass. Why else would airlines go the extra mile to use them when serving their first-class customers? If you like glass but are worried about it breaking, check out The Escape , a glass water bottle that is protected by a silicone sleeve and uses a multi-stage filtration process to keep your water clean and tasting good.

GRAYL UltraPress Water Purifier

If you will be spending time outdoors and might need to drink from a fresh water source, consider the GRAYL UltraPress Water Purifier . With its press-down filter design, this travel water bottle can filter particulates as well as chemicals and waterborne pathogens without leaving an aftertaste.

LifeStraw Go

LifeStraw is one of the most trusted brands for water filters. Its LifeStraw Go bottle has a heavy-duty filter built-in, making it super easy to filter your water on the go. It is also available with a one- or two-stage filter, so you can choose the one that fits best for the trip you’re planning.

15 Tiny Travel Products to Help You Stay Healthy on Vacation

The Outback

If you have an affinity for Nalgene water bottles, The Outbacks’ collaboration with the company might be the best choice for you. This is a sturdy water bottle with a filter that will last, and it has a 100% money-back guarantee.

Jamie Ditaranto is a writer and photographer always looking for her next adventure. Find her on Instagram @jamieditaranto .

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The 8 Best Filtered Water Bottles for Clean Water on Every Adventure

We researched and tested dozens of outdoor gear expert-approved picks

Michelle Parente, CYT, is a New York City-based yoga sculpt instructor and lifestyle journalist specializing in health, wellness, and fitness content. As a commerce writer, it's Michelle's mission to provide researched and reliable product recommendations.

Michele Stanten is a walking coach, certified group fitness instructor, and running coach. She is the author of Walk Off Weight and The Walking Solution.

Rich Scherr is a seasoned journalist who has covered technology, finance, sports, and lifestyle.

Verywell Fit / Jaclyn Mastropasqua

Whether you're traveling internationally, hiking the backcountry , or just hitting your local gym, having access to clean water is essential to avoid the dangerous effects of dehydration . The best filtered water bottles are beneficial beyond their hydrating capabilities: They provide peace of mind in knowing that you won’t risk falling sick from bacteria-ridden water, they are cheaper and more sustainable than single-use water bottles, and they are a great space-saving option.

Finding a reliable and well-vetted brand is vital when choosing a filtered water bottle; otherwise, you may risk serious negative health effects. To find the best options on the market, we first spoke with outdoor gear experts to learn more about what key features to look for. Then, we tested two of our top selections in the Verywell Testing Lab , paying special attention to drinkability, seal, portability, insulation, durability, and value.

• What to Look For
• How We Selected and Tested

Our Experts

Frequently asked questions, why trust verywell fit, best overall, grayl ultrapress filter bottle.

• Drinkability 5 /5
• Portability 4.5 /5
• Insulation 2.5 /5
• Durability 5 /5

Easy to use

Quick flow rate

Easy to carry handle

Filter Type: Ceramic fibers and activated carbon | Material: BPA-free polypropylene | Weight: 12.5 ounces | Care: Hand wash | Volume: 16.9 fluid ounces | Filter Life: 40 gallons | Our Overall Rating: 4.6/5

Why We Love It

The activated carbon that equips Grayl’s UltraPress Purifier quickly filters sediment, microplastics, many common chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, viruses, bacteria, and heavy metals—so you’re good to go in most cases with this heavy-duty bottle. We love that the bottle is both compact and easy to use . It features a non-slip grip and reliable durability , so it's good for going on your rockiest and bumpiest excursions. You want peace of mind when it comes to bacterial and heavy metals, so this is our top option for every adventurer.

When testing this water bottle, we found the twist cap easy to use and the spout easy to drink from. We didn't notice any leaks , even on more intense hikes. We also love the handle, which makes this option very portable . Although it is heavier than others, since it comes with a water bottle filter, it still fits into the average backpack bottle pocket and standard cup holder.

Potential Flaws

• While this bottle may be more expensive than several alternatives on our list, we believe it justifies its cost for individuals who are dedicated hikers, frequent travelers, or daily adventurers, thanks to its reliability and durability.

Best for Tap Water

Brita stainless steel water filter bottle.

• Drinkability 4.5 /5
• Seal 4.5 /5
• Portability 5 /5
• Insulation 5 /5
• Durability 4 /5

Enclosed straw

Double-wall insulated

Only recommended for travel and everyday use

Filter Type: Activated carbon | Material: Stainless steel | Weight: 14.4 ounces | Care: Hand wash | Volume: 20 fluid ounces | Filter Life: 40 gallons | Our Overall Rating: 4.6/5

Brita’s Stainless Steel Filtered Water Bottle is double-wall insulated to keep your water cold for over 24 hours for safe and satisfying hydration all day long. The activated carbon filter works to filter out contaminants like chlorine and certain particulates while preserving healthy minerals and electrolytes that may be found in tap water. 

When we tested the 20-ounce version of the water bottle , we found that its filtration system made tap water taste great. We also really like the water bottle's silicone mouthpiece and the button on the lid that can be easily opened for one-handed drinking. This bottle is great for everyday use because of its easy-to-hold handle, enclosed straw, and sleek design.

• We wouldn’t recommend taking this one on your next hike or backpacking trip because it doesn't filter out some dangerous contaminants in natural water sources, like rivers or streams.

Bonus Favorites

Although we didn't test the following filtered water bottles ourselves, we still think they're a solid buy after our expert interviews and thorough research. Each product has reliable filtration systems, added features, and prices comparable to the shoes that we personally tested.

Most Versatile

Lifestraw go water filter bottle.

Good brand ethics

Comes in many colors

Suitable for a variety of activities

Some users complain of leaking

Filter Type: Membrane Microfilter and activated carbon | Material: BPA-free plastic | Weight: 7.84 ounces | Care: Dishwasher safe when filter is removed | Volume: 22 fluid ounces | Filter Life: Microfilter lasts up to 1056 gallons and activated carbon filter lasts up to 26 gallons

Lifestraw's Go Water Filter Bottle has membrane microfilter and activated carbon filters thay work together to protect against bacteria , parasites, microplastics, chlorine, organic chemical matter, dirt, sand, and cloudiness—all while improving odor and taste.  Plus, the filters were independently lab tested to meet the US Environmental Protection Agency and National Sanitation Foundation International (NSF) drinking water standards —so we have no doubts about this bottle's dependability.

The BPA-free plastic bottle is budget-friendly, relatively lightweight, and equipped with a carabiner for easy securing. It is great for international travel, hiking trips, and at your local park. Since it comes in many colors , you can choose one that you’ll want by your side on every adventure. And, with every Lifestraw purchase, a child in need receives clean, safe water for an entire school year. 

• Some adventurers complain that the bottle leaks during bumpy treks, though this could be user error and solved with a tight twist of the cap.

Best for Hiking

Sawyer products squeeze water filtration system.

Very lightweight

Requires multiple parts

Filter Type: Hollow fiber membrane | Material: BPA-free plastic | Weight: 3 ounces | Care: Back flushing required | Volume: 32 fluid ounces | Filter Life: 540 gallons

Recommended by both of our outdoor gear experts as the best option for hiking, Sawyer's Squeeze Water Filtration System was an obvious addition to our list. Although it’s not technically a filtered  water bottle,  to use, you simply fill the included water pouch, screw on the filter, and squeeze the pouch to push the water through straight into your mouth (or a water bottle). It's a budget-friendly and lightweight option that's great for distance hikers, says outdoor gear expert Maggie Slepian .

According to the manufacturer, it protects against 99.99% of all bacteria (like salmonella and E.coli) and removes 99.99% of all protozoa (like giardia and cryptosporidia). Plus, it's easy to clean the entire system thanks to the included syringe. This option is a reliable way to ensure clean water on all hiking trips, from your local path to the Appalachian Trail.

• While lightweight, this system has many more parts than other bottle-only options on our list. Still, we think the included mesh bag makes for easy carry.

Best Budget

Philips active water bottle.

Squeeze bottle

Delivers great tasting water

Not suitable for freshwater sources

Filter Type: Activated carbon | Material: BPA-free plastic | Weight: 5.29 ounces | Care: Dishwasher safe when filter is removed | Volume: 20 fluid ounces | Filter Life: 52 gallons

Philips' GoZero Active Filtered Water Bottle is super budget-friendly without sacrificing quality. The bottle comes with an attachable blue fitness filter that improves the taste of tap water by reducing lead, pesticides, and chlorine. You can purchase a separate green adventure filter suitable for more heavy-duty use, which can filter viruses and bacteria. 

Made from BPA-free plastic, the easy-to-use squeeze bottle is leak-proof and sleek, making it a great option for everyday use, gym sessions, and other outdoor activities. A huge plus: it’s dishwasher safe for super convenient and low-maintenance use.

• This water bottle is primarily designed for the consumption of safe tap water and may not be equipped for advanced filtration from freshwater sources.

Best for Extreme Conditions

Grayl geopress water purifier.

Removes heavy metals

May be a little bulky

Filter Type: Activated carbon | Material: BPA-free plastic | Weight: 15.9 ounces | Care: Hand wash | Volume: 24 fluid ounces | Filter Life: 65 gallons

Grayl’s Geopress Bottle is the perfect companion for hiking, backpacking, or camping. It’s built tough and made to withstand drops up to 10 feet , making it durable enough for the most extreme conditions. The reliable activated carbon filter removes waterborne pathogens , including Hepatitis A, E. Coli, Cholera, and more. It also filters particles (like sediment and microplastics) and many chemicals, heavy metals, and pesticides.

A fan of the water bottle, Slepian says it's simple to use: The filter screws onto the bottom, and then you push a plunger, and it filters the water. This removes the little floaties in water, so it’s great for collecting water from outside sources. Just fill it, press, and you’ll have 24 fluid ounces of safe, clean water in eight seconds. The BPA-free plastic bottle exceeds agency standards, making it a super reliable choice for your most extreme adventures.  

• This bottle is slightly larger and bulkier than other options on our list, but that's because it boasts a heavy-duty filter with maximum filtration capabilities.

Best Lightweight

Katadyn befree water filter.

Cap over mouthpiece to keep clean

Some complain of pinhole leaks

Filter Type: Hollow fiber membrane | Material: BPA-free thermoplastic polyurethane | Weight: 2.3 ounces | Care: Hand wash | Volume: 33.8 fluid ounces | Filter Life: 264.2 gallons

Katadyn's BeFree Bottle collapses down to fit into the tightest and smallest spaces, making it an obvious choice for our best lightweight pick. Instead of a traditional water bottle cdesign, this filter holds water in a soft flask pack that can be easily conformed to fit into any backpack, luggage, or purse.

We love that its hollow microfilter is tested to protect against harmful organisms, protozoa, and bacteria to surpass EPA standards. This bottle is best for outdoor activities, like backpacking and hiking, because it is so compact and provides quick hydration in less than one minute.

• Since this bottle holds water in a soft flask pack, it may be more susceptible to tears and leaks in extreme conditions.

Best for Outdoor Activities

Survimate filtered water bottle.

Has a compass feature

Leak-proof design

Straw may be difficult to use

Filter Type: Hollow fiber membrane and activated carbon | Material: BPA-free plastic | Weight: 9.6 ounces | Care: Hand wash | Volume: 22 fluid ounces | Filter Life: 396 Gallons

SurviMate Filtered Water Bottle is perfect for various outdoor adventures like biking , hiking, camping, and backpacking. It’s also great for recreational activities, from fly fishing in Rock Creek to playing defense in your local soccer game and everything in between. 

You can fill it with water from ponds, puddles, and more—while protecting against 99.99% of common bacteria (like E. coli), heavy metal ions, chlorine , and other organic contaminants. The BPA-free bottle is also super lightweight and comes with a carabiner clip to be effortlessly taken with you on all outdoor experiences.

• Since this straw is designed to flip up, using it with just one hand might be a bit more challenging. However, the upside is that it helps maintain cleanliness.

What to Look for When Shopping for Filtered Water Bottles

• Type of Filter: Different types of filters will filter out different things, outdoor gear expert Wesley Trimble says. Make sure you take a look at what type of filter comes with the water bottle you're purchasing and that it aligns with your intended use. Membrane microfilters typically remove bacteria, parasites, and microplastics, whereas activated carbon filters work to reduce chlorine and improve taste. A hollow fiber membrane filter is a fine filter that often removes bacteria like E.coli and protozoa, like giardia. And you can sometimes find a combination of two filters within one bottle that work together for optimal filtration.
• Material: Filtered water bottles come in different types of materials—the most common being plastic and metal. When considering which material to choose, it is completely up to personal preference and intended use, as different materials will be better suited for different types of activities. If you choose plastic, make sure it's free of toxic substances like BPA. Metal water bottles tend to be insulated and will keep your water cooler, but may be bulkier and heavier than plastic bottles, Trimble says.
• Size and Weight: Similarly to the material of your filtered water bottle, size and weight are up to personal preference and the type of adventure you’re taking. Filtered water bottles come in various sizes and weights, and the right choice for you will depend on your intended use. If you’re planning on packing a water bottle in your luggage to travel internationally, you may want to consider a smaller and more lightweight option. Whereas if you expect to carry your bottle to the gym every day or are hoping to use it while sweating it out on the elliptical machine , size and weight may not matter as much. 
• Price: As our list of top picks demonstrates, filtered water bottles come in various prices, and you’ll need to determine what price works best for your budget. However, Slepian believes this kind of equipment is worth spending a bit of your budget on since it ensures safe drinking water wherever you are.

How We Selected and Tested the Filtered Water Bottles

To find the best filtered water bottles, we've researched dozens and tested two options from top, trusted outdoor gear brands. For products we select through research, we first ask our experts what key features to look for in filtered water bottles. Then, we consider expert recommendations and review key specs to narrow down our list. Finally, we tested our top two options in the Verywell Testing Lab, evaluating each one based on the following key categories:

• Drinkability: If your filtered water bottle is difficult to use and produces poor-tasting water, you won't want to drink from it. First up, we test each bottle's drinkability: How easy is it to open the cap and take a sip? Does the water taste metallic, acidic, or grainy? We prioritize bottles that are efficient to use and deliver good-tasting water.
• Seal: Your bottle must be leak-proof, especially if you plan to take it on long hikes or traveling. To test each bottle's seal, we fill it with water, shake it around, and hold it upside down for one minute. We also throw it into a backpack and walk around for at least five minutes. If any water leaked out, we gave the bottle a poor score for this category.
• Portability: Next, we note any portability features, such as carrying handles, non-slip grips, or included bags. We also consider how lightweight the bottle is when completely filled with water and if it would be suitable for long hikes, travel, and more. Finally, we check whether the filled bottle fits into a standard car cup holder and backpack.
• Insulation: We also perform a cold liquid performance test: Using a thermometer, we record the water temperature inside each bottle. Then, we leave the bottle on a window sill in direct sunlight and subsequently re-record the water temperature at the three and six-hour marks. We prioritize bottles that keep our water cold for up to six hours.
• Durability: Our final test is for durability. We drop each bottle at least three times from table height, both lid-first and bottom-first. We note if the bottle is still usable and if there are any noticeable dents, cracks, or other damage. We give high scores to bottles that hold up perfectly after the durability test and throughout the entire testing period.
• Value: When the testing period is complete, we look at each bottle's price. Given how the product performed in each of the above-tested categories, we consider whether it's fairly priced. We only include bottles that we think are worth the money or that we would consider paying even more for.

We spoke to experts at every stage of our research, testing, and reporting for this story. These outdoor gear experts helped us learn more about the importance of safe drinking water and what key features to look for and avoid in a filtered water bottle. They also helped inform our test. We choose products independently but use expert input to influence our choices.

• Maggie Slepian, outdoor gear expert, editor, and writer based in Montana
• Wesley Trimble, outdoor gear expert and communications and creative director of the American Hiking Society

Why should I use a filtered water bottle?

You should use a filtered water bottle to ensure you stay hydrated by drinking clean water wherever your next adventure takes you. These handy bottles eliminate harmful bacteria, viruses, debris, and often heavy metals from any suspicious water sources.

Is filtered water really better for you?

If you plan on drinking municipal water from a new place or natural water from rivers, streams, lakes, and more, filtered water is always better for you. Filtered water bottles may remove harmful chemicals, bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, and more—turning any source into drinkable and safe water. 

Can filtered water bottles remove heavy metals?

It’s important to remember that not all filtered water bottles can remove heavy metals. If you know you will be traveling somewhere where heavy metals pollute the drinking water, look for a specific tested and certified filter to remove these contaminants.

Are filtered water bottles dishwasher safe?

Before purchasing a new filtered water bottle, check the manufacturer's website for suggested care instructions. Some bottles are dishwasher safe, while others require a bit more effort to clean. Maintenance is an important factor to consider when choosing which bottle is right for you, Trimble says.

As an experienced health and wellness writer, Michelle Parente is passionate about making great product recommendations. She specializes in health and fitness, understanding the importance of making informed and reliable recommendations.

United States Environmental Protection Agency. Drinking Water . Updated September 28, 2021

National Science Foundation. NSF Standards for Water Treatment Systems .

United Environmental Protection Agency. Drinking Water Regulations . Updated October 4, 2021.

United States Environmental Protection Agency. National Primary Drinking Water Regulations . Updated January 26, 2022.

The 8 Best Travel Water Bottles of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

An often overlooked item that can improve your trip

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more .

PeopleImages  / Getty Images 

A water bottle is an essential travel item, but finding the best one—in other words, one that doesn't leak and isn't heavy or fragile—can be challenging. We researched the best water bottles on the market and came up with a list of 26 to put to the test in our New York City testing lab. Travel editors tested the bottles for portability, insulation, durability, drinkability, and overall value by filling up the water bottles, dropping them onto the lab's concrete floor, and taking temperature readings. We then averaged scores for each category to give you the best travel water bottles for any trip or situation.

Final Verdict

Other travel water bottles we tested, product selection, how we tested.

• What to Look For

What Trust TripSavvy

Best overall, takeya actives water bottle.

• Drinkability 5 /5
• Portability 4 /5
• Insulation 5 /5
• Durability 5 /5

Actives Spout lid has perfect water flow

Extra lid loop offers another carrying option

Passed the durability test with no damages

Superior insulation

Not completely leakproof

Our testers liked a lot about the Takeya Actives Spout Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle, particularly its drinkability, durability, insulation, and overall value. The superb drinkability ratings start with the bottle's Actives Spout lid, which maximizes water flow without the likelihood of spilling it all over your face a la other brands' wide-mouth bottles. "This is really a perfect cap," one tester said of the lid. "Just the right size so that you can get as much water as you want without spilling and can get a perfect flow of water from it."

The bottle held up well in the shake and durability tests but surprisingly had some leaks after walking around with it in a bag. It was also slightly heavier than some of the other bottles we tested. But where this bottle also stood out compared to others was its insulation. Our original temperature reading put the water temperature at about 55 degrees. At three hours, the temperature dropped to 47.5 degrees thanks to the ice in the bottle. And by six hours, the temperature had only risen to about 50 degrees.

Testers also enjoyed some unique features of this bottle, like the removable rubber anti-skid coaster at its base, the hinge-lock, which keeps the cap out of your way while drinking, and its style. "This is a great water bottle for everyday use," a tester concluded. "But because of the smaller cap and ease of drinking while being in motion, plus its durability, I also think it would be good for someone who is very active."

Material: 18/8 food-grade stainless steel | BPA-free: Yes | Sizes: 18, 22, 24, 32, 40, and 64 ounces

TripSavvy / Conor Ralph

Best Overall, Runner-Up

Thermoflask bottle with chug lid and straw lid.

• Portability 4.5 /5
• Insulation 4 /5
• Durability 4.5 /5

Includes two different lids

Cup holder compatible

Overall excellent value

A few dents from the drop test

The coolest thing about this water bottle? It comes with two lids—a chug lid and a straw lid. Both lids are leakproof—clutch for travel—and both passed the drop tests without cracking. We also liked that it was one of the few water bottles to fit in all cup holders and that it has a carrying handle, though we'd like to see that handle have the ability to fold down.

The vacuum insulation claims to keep liquids cold for up to 24 hours or hot for up to 12. After six hours, the temperature of the ice water we put in the bottle only increased from about 51 degrees to just under 55 degrees. The only real drawback we saw with this bottle was the bottle itself did dent when we dropped it. But the straw didn't open, and no leaks started.

Material: 18/8 food-grade stainless steel | BPA-free: Yes | Sizes: 24 ounces

Best Budget

Mira water bottle.

• Drinkability 4 /5
• Portability 3.5 /5
• Durability 3.5 /5

Good mouth opening

Testers rated the seal and drinkability highly

Water stayed decently cold

Heavy and no extra features

Didn't hold up well in drop tests

If you lose water bottles frequently, a budget bottle might be a wise choice. Our testers liked MIRA's insulated stainless steel water bottle best of the budget-friendly options we tested. The MIRA bottle has a good grip and a cap that stayed intact during the drop tests, and it's a good carrying size. It also did an excellent job of keeping water cold, only increasing from 54.5 degrees to just over 58 degrees over a span of six hours.

Be careful if you go with the MIRA, as many dents formed during the drop tests. "It's now wobbly and doesn't stand perfectly straight and balanced anymore," one tester noted after the drop tests. Still, if you're looking for a basic bottle that won't hurt to lose, this one is a good value that keeps water cold and is nice to drink from.

Material: 18/8 stainless steel | BPA-free: Yes | Sizes: 17 and 25 ounces

Brita Insulated Filtered Water Bottle

 Amazon

• Drinkability 4.5 /5
• Seal 4.5 /5
• Portability 5 /5
• Durability 4 /5

Excellent insulation, holding temperature for six hours

Filters water

Good for carrying and holding

Lid potentially annoying for certain face shapes

Not the most durable

If you didn't already know, Brita makes water bottles, too. And it turns out the brand makes pretty good ones. Like the typical Brita counter water filter, the hard-sided water bottle includes a filter that reduces chlorine taste and odor. (Note: It's recommended to replace the filter every two months.) Besides the filter, this bottle has all of the typical features included in a quality reusable water bottle, like stainless steel construction and a leakproof lid.

This bottle has a silicone mouthpiece that our testers liked. "The water tasted great and pure," one tester noted. "The button to open the lid is nice and convenient, as is the handle on top." Our testers had one issue with this bottle: It dented fairly easily, and the seal was compromised when it landed on the lid during the drop tests. But, overall, our testers liked this bottle quite a bit.

Material: Stainless steel | BPA-free: Yes | Sizes: 20 and 32 ounces

Best for Hiking

Nalgene 32-ounce wide mouth tritan bottle.

• Insulation 2 /5

Inexpensive

Lid loop offers additional carrying options

Very tough to break or dent

Wide mouth makes for easier spilling

There are a few pieces of gear that are absolute game-changers. The 32-ounce Nalgene Water Bottle is one of those products. Nalgene has been around for decades, but we still remember getting our first Nalgene bottle as a teenager in the early 2000s. Nalgene has manufactured this water bottle for over 50 years, fine-tuning its design so that the water bottle is durable enough to survive in any condition or hiking adventure. This lightweight water bottle features BPA-free Tritan material, which can handle both cold and hot drinks. The opening is large enough for ice cubes to fit inside, which also makes it a breeze to wash by hand. You'll be able to track your water intake easily when you're on the go using the measurement markers displayed on the side, and the loop-attached lid guarantees you'll never lose it.

Material: Tritan renew copolyester | BPA-free: Yes | Sizes: 32 ounces

Best for Portability

Hydro flask standard mouth water bottle.

Hydro Flask

• Insulation 3.5 /5

Carrying loop boosts ease of use

Fits everywhere

Grippy outer material

Not great durability

Temperature holding could be better

Bend, Oregon-based Hydro Flask has elbowed its way into the competitive insulated water bottle market by making high-quality and functional tumblers and bottles. We've always been Nalgene fans because of the brand's lightweight, rugged, and inexpensive bottles. But Hydro Flask has grown on us over the past decade for its functionality. The Standard Mouth Flex Cap bottle has quickly become one of our favorites in the Hydro Flask line.

Our testers also liked the Standard Mouth Flex Cap bottle for many reasons, including its textured finish for boosted grip, its superior seal that didn't allow any leaking, and the actual flex cap, which has a loop that pivots and moves with you as you walk. "The size of the bottle fits perfectly into a backpack holder and fits securely in there without feeling top heavy, so it'll fall out. It also fits well into a car cup holder," a tester reported.

Two downsides dropped the overall scoring of this bottle. The temperature increased almost 8 degrees over six hours (although it stayed remarkably stable for three hours). And it dented easily. "A couple more falls could have likely broken the bottom rim and made the bottle unusable," a tester noted. "The lid and cap, however, stayed intact."

Material: 18/8 pro-grade stainless steel | BPA-free: Yes | Sizes: 18, 21, and 24 ounces

Best Splurge

Yeti stainless steel bottle.

Narrow mouthpiece helps prevent spills

Holds temperature well

Very strong and durable

A bit heavy

When we see a YETI product, we know two things are likely to be true about it. First, it's going to be expensive. Second, it's going to be excellent quality. The Rambler bottle isn't that much more costly than others on this list. But it is of top-shelf quality, and if you don't tend to lose water bottles, it is definitely worth the higher price.

"A delight to drink from," one tester succinctly described the Rambler. "The mouth opening was a great size, and the water tasted terrific and cold."

The Rambler comes with a chug cap, and if you get a smaller size (it comes in five sizes, up to 64 ounces), it's likely to fit easily into a backpack pocket or car cup holder. The temperature only increased by about 2 degrees over six hours. And, because it's YETI, there were basically no dents or scuffs during the drop tests. Like the Hydro Flask, the YETI Rambler has edged its way into our water bottle rotation with our Nalgene, and we're good with it.

Material: 18/8 kitchen-grade stainless steel | BPA-free: Yes | Sizes: 18, 26, 36, 46, and 64 ounces

Best Thermos

Healthy human vacuum insulated double walled thermos.

Excellent drinkability

Cap stayed intact during drop tests

Excellent insulation

Sustained some denting

There's a lot to like about the Healthy Human Water Bottle. For one, it was one of our top performers in the temperature test, dropping almost a full degree over six hours. Our testers also enjoyed the size of the lid for drinking as water poured out easily but not too quickly. It was also super comfortable for our testers to hold. Like others on this list, it did dent somewhat easily during the drop tests, but the cap was not damaged and only suffered minor scuffs.

Material: 18/8 stainless steel | BPA-free: Yes | Sizes: 16, 21, 32, and 40 ounces

Our thorough testing revealed the Takeya Actives Insulated Water Bottle to be the best overall. In terms of price, insulation, and durability, this bottle takes the cake. The ThermoFlask 24 Oz. Bottle came in a close second, impressing our testers with its top-notch leak protection and drinkability.

We tested 26 bottles for this roundup. Other bottles we tested not included above in our list were as follows:

CamelBak Eddy+ : We like the size of this bottle and feel it is ideal for active pursuits, but it did not hold up well during our durability or seal tests, and the bite-and-suck straw isn't the most comfortable to use.

CamelBak Podium Bike Water Bottle : This bottle is durable, seals well, and is lightweight. It is also difficult to squeeze to get the water out and would not suit anyone with hand weakness.

Purist Mover Vacuum Water Bottle : The Purist Mover is easy to grip and does not leak while in pristine condition. Our tester deducted points on durability because it began to leak after being dropped twice and noted that anyone with nails would have difficulty opening the thumb slot.

Kleen Kanteen Classic Water Bottle : Our tester found this bottle easy to drink from, and the textured exterior easy to grip. Though it is not expensive, the durability test demonstrated that even a modest drop would make this bottle unusable.

Kleen Kanteen TKWide : We liked drinking from this bottle and didn't have any issues with leaking, but it became uncomfortably heavy when filled, especially considering the handle is made of a sturdy metal without rubber.

S'well Stainless Steel Water Bottle : Our testers liked the shape of this bottle and the fact that it easily fits in a cup holder. It's not as durable as we'd like, and after being dented a few times, it wouldn't stand up straight.

Platypus DuoLock SoftBottle : Malleable yet durable, this soft bottle performed reasonably well and didn't leak. However, after only three hours, the water had reached room temperature, and the cap was somewhat cumbersome when drinking.

Que The Collapsible Bottle : The unique design of the Que bottle played well with our testers. The main drawbacks they found were it had very little insulating capability and that the rubber material tended to pick up dust and hair.

W&P Porter Glass Water Bottle : This pick has a good-sized mouth opening and keeps the water inside tasting pure due to its glass construction. This also means it is more fragile than bottles made of other materials.

Iron Flask Sports Water Bottle : Multiple lids provide a comfortable drinking experience, and the seal was not perfect but solid. We took points away after the drop test, which resulted in several dents and damaged the cap to the point of causing leakage.

E-Senior Collapsible Water Bottle : Easy to stow with a good seal, this bottle survived the durability test beautifully. Unfortunately, we found it awkward to drink from and grip while full.

MoChic Flat Water Bottle : In terms of drinkability, seal, and durability, this is a great option. The main drawback was that its unique shape (kind of a flask/water bottle hybrid) is not easy to fit into standard cup holders or backpacks.

We selected products based on internet research and the expertise of travel writers, editors, and our lab testing team. Internet research included examining what other prominent media sites have featured and highest-rated products on sites like Amazon and REI. Individual expertise came from the experience of TripSavvy's editors and writers and the water bottles we've used over the years.

Once we selected an initial list of products, we narrowed it down to the 26 tested above based on price points, intended uses, features, and styles. We wanted to provide a diverse list of products to fit as many different types of consumers, travelers, and outdoor-focused individuals as possible.

We tested water bottles for drinkability, seal, portability, insulation, durability, and value. Each bottle was rated on a five-point scale for each category. We averaged each score to create an overall score for each bottle.

First, we filled each bottle with ice a quarter of the way. Then we filled the rest with cold water from the water machine in our testing lab. An initial temperature reading was taken. Testers took temperature readings three and six hours after the initial reading. For drinkability, testers took drinks from the bottles while standing still and walking, noting any spills or splashes.

We tested the seal by shaking the bottles, holding them upside down for one minute, tossing them in backpacks, and carrying them around for five minutes. Testers rated portability based on the bottles' grip, carrying handles, and how well they fit in cup holders and backpack carrying pockets.

Drop tests tested durability. Testers dropped the filled bottles three times on the lids and three times on the main body and rated the bottles based on the damage. Lastly, testers rated value based on how the bottles performed across all tests.

What to Look For in a Travel Water Bottle

These days, insulated bottles' standard water material is 18/8 stainless steel. Be on the hunt for that material if you're looking for a quality bottle. Other brands, like Nalgene, feature a proprietary Tritan plastic material. Most importantly, be sure the bottle you pick is BPA-free.

Like the 18/8 stainless steel construction, most quality bottles will claim up to 24 hours of keeping liquids cold. This claim will vary based on many factors, like how cold the liquid is initially when it's placed in the bottle and how warm or cold it is when you use it. Vacuum and double vacuum insulations are the best types of insulation these days, so look for that when purchasing a water bottle if insulation matters to you.

Style of Lid and Cap

While materials and insulations are mostly the same in reusable water bottles, lid and cap styles can vary. Do you prefer a wide-mouth lid? Standard-mouth? Do you like a straw? A smaller lid? Those are all personal preferences to consider when picking a water bottle.

Extra Features

Some water bottles have bonus features like filters, purifiers, or fruit infusers. If that interests you, be on the lookout for those additional items. Just know that with those extra items likely comes increased costs.

This is less of an issue if you're only putting water in your water bottle. You can either hand wash your bottle or throw it in the dishwasher if it's dishwasher-safe. All water bottles come with cleaning instructions. But, if you're like us and put electrolytes or other liquids in your water bottle, cleaning can get a bit more involved. This might require additional scrubbing with warm or hot water and typical dish soap. Pro tip: If mold starts to form, fill your bottle a quarter of the way with ice and add coarse salt. Shake it hard until whatever is growing on the sides of your bottle is removed. We have noticed the traditional Nalgene material is more likely to grow mold than new Nalgene materials and the 18/8 stainless steel.

Another rule is to give your bottle a good scrubbing before using it for the first time.

Any reusable water bottle! The only potential issue is forgetting there's water in it when you go through the security line. Reusable water bottles are excellent for travel as they are better for the planet and help you avoid overpaying for a water bottle after going through the TSA security checkpoint .

We love bottles that have some sort of carrying loop on the lid. It's easier to carry in your hands or attach to a backpack or other luggage with a carabiner. Most carry-on backpacks and other luggage items also have water bottle-specific pockets. If those options don't work, putting the bottle in your carry-on bag will work.

Nathan Allen is TripSavvy's Outdoor Gear Editor. Friends and family have made fun of him for the amount of liquids he keeps on hand. Nathan uses collapsible water bottles daily while trail running, biking water bottles often while cycling or mountain biking, and keeps them nearby for rehydration while working between his many outdoor pursuits. His current rotation of water bottles includes Nalgene's 48-ounce wide-mouth bottle, YETI's Rambler, and Hydro Flask's Standard-Mouth Bottle.

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7 Best Filtered Water Bottles, According to Experts

Enjoy fresh, filtered water anywhere you go.

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

If you love filtered water, whether it’s for the enhanced taste or the reduction of certain contaminants, then you know it’s not always easy to find when you’re on the go. Even if you buy bottled water, it’s not always clear what has been filtered out. That’s why a filtered water bottle is handy: It’s designed to provide purified water, removing contaminants such as chlorine, lead, pesticides and more. Just keep in mind that not all water bottle filters remove the same things, and some only enhance the taste of the water.

Our top picks:

Best Overall Filtered Water Bottle

Brita premium filtered water bottle.

Best Value Filtered Water Bottle

Philips water gozero active filtered water bottle.

Best Stainless Steel Filtered Water Bottle

Lifestraw go series insulated stainless steel water filter bottle.

Best Compact Filtered Water Bottle

Larq filtered water bottle.

Best Filtered Water Bottle for Travel

Grayl geopress water purifier bottle.

Best Filtered Water Bottle for Everyday Use

Clearly filtered tritan filtered water bottle.

Best Filtered Water Bottle for Tap Water

Contigo wells chill stainless steel filtered water bottle.

The experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute have reviewed hundreds of water-related products, including water filters and water testing kits . We assess the performance and ease of use as well as safety and sustainability . To evaluate filtered water bottles, we assessed ease-of-use factors such as how simple it is to set up, clean and drink from. When it came to performance, we asked consumers to evaluate whether the filtered water bottle improved the taste of the water. We also spent over 10 hours reviewing third-party test data for some of the filtered water bottles on this list to make sure they matched the brand’s claims of contaminants it can remove.

You can read more about how we evaluate filtered water bottles in our Labs — plus everything you need to know to shop for the best filtered water bottles — at the end of this guide. Looking for more ways to filter your water? Check out our guide to the best water filter pitchers .

Brita’s Everyday Water Filter Pitcher is one of our favorite water filter pitchers , so it’s no surprise that we also love the Brita Premium filtering water bottle . One tester stated they loved this bottle for travel because they could confidently fill it up at an airport or hotel room sink and know that their water would taste fresh. The attached strap makes it a breeze to clip it onto your luggage or carry it along with you.

The bottle is available in stainless steel or plastic. The stainless steel is double-walled to keep your water cold, and testers agreed it kept their water cool and crisp all day long. According to Brita, the plastic bottle is BPA-free, and both the plastic and stainless steel filter bottles help reduce chlorine odor and taste as well as some particulates, which the brand shares on its website. Our pros appreciate the easy-to-change filter that requires only a quick rinse before installing it in the straw.

The company recommends that the stainless steel bottle be washed by hand, but the plastic filter bottle can be placed on a dishwasher's top rack. The stainless steel comes in an impressive 32-ounce size or a more compact 20-ounce option . If you prefer a plastic bottle, you can opt for 36- and 26-ounce versions .

It’s hard to beat the price of this filtered water bottle, available in 20-, 24- and 32-ounce sizes, all priced under $20. Although we haven't tested this bottle, our pros appreciate that it's a squeeze bottle. It eliminates the need to sip through a straw, avoiding the common complaint of the extra effort required to drink from many water filter bottles. The trade-off with the squeeze bottle is that it may make a squeaking noise during use, according to some Amazon reviewers. The brand says that the lid is designed to be leakproof and comes with a cap to keep the squeeze top clean.

We love that two different types of filters are compatible with this bottle, so you can choose the one that’s best for you. The brand claims that the blue fitness filter not only enhances the taste of tap water but also helps remove lead, pesticides and chlorine. Philips also states that the green Adventure filter is specifically designed for filtering water from fresh sources, reducing up to 99.999% of viruses and bacteria. Care is easy since most parts are dishwasher-safe.

The Lifestraw Go Series water bottle stands out with its stainless steel and double-wall vacuum construction, which makes the bottle durable and helps ensure your drink stays cold. With the large one-liter capacity, you won’t find yourself needing to refill as often.

This water bottle has two filters: one activated-carbon filter that improves taste by reducing matter such as chlorine, and one membrane microfilter, which effectively removes contaminants such as microplastics, certain bacteria and more. The claims are substantiated by third-party data the brand shares on its website. According to the brand, with this bottle, you can fill up from sources like gas stations during road trips without issue. We didn’t test the bottle in gas stations, but one of our pros successfully used it to drink water in both Mexico and Iceland, from several airport taps and from a waterfall without encountering any issues. Our expert noted that she also uses the non-insulated versions (available in 22-ounce or 1-liter sizes) and loves them as well. Testers like the easy-to-carry large handle and that the bottle is easy to clean. One drawback one of our testers noted is that when traveling on an airplane with this bottle, you need to release built-up pressure by opening the top lid before drinking; otherwise, the contents may leak. The straw is positioned at the center of the bottle, which some testers found easy to drink from, while others prefer a straw that's located closer to the bottle's edge. Hand washing is recommended, but the bottle is dishwasher safe.

The Larq bottle boasts a sleek design with a detachable carabiner clip, making it convenient for travel and commuting. Similar to Larq's filter pitcher, which is our pick for the best water filter pitcher to remove bacteria , the brand's bottle helps remove lead, heavy metals, chlorine and particulates; these claims are supported by independent lab test data available on Larq's website.

It comes in both 25- and 17-ounce sizes. The 17-ounce bottle is one of the smaller filter bottle options that we tested , and it's good for someone who wants a slim, portable bottle rather than a larger size that may not fit into a cup holder. One tester stated that the 25-ounce size fits easily into a side pocket of their backpack. They found the drinking spout easy to open and close. Our testers gave this bottle high scores for its durability and light weight. Notably, one tester praised the ease of drinking compared to other filter bottles that often require more effort to suck water through the filter, a common issue with water filter bottles. One downside is that the opening is relatively small, so it’s difficult to hand wash without a bottle brush. Even though Larq recommends hand washing, the bottle is dishwasher safe.

In our research, we saw the Grayl filtered water bottle frequently recommended as a travel pick because the brand claims it filters out a wide variety of contaminants, including certain viruses and bacteria that other water filter bottles do not eliminate. According to Grayl, the filtered water bottle effectively eliminates particulates, chemicals, protozoa and heavy metals.

While we haven’t tested this bottle ourselves or reviewed the scientific data to validate the brand's claims, we did find that Amazon reviewers stated the bottle worked well for their travels or outdoor adventures. Unlike other filter bottles that require sucking water through a straw that houses a filter, the GeoPress works by pressing the water through the filter first, making drinking easier. To filter the water, fill the outer cup to the fill line with unfiltered water, then place the inner press into the outer cup; on a flat surface, push the lid and inner cup down. The pressure from pushing filters the water into the inner cup, which is ready to drink. The filter can handle 65 gallons before needing to be replaced, making it one of the longest-lasting filters on this list.

We like this Clearly Filtered water bottle thanks to its clear design that allows for easy monitoring of water intake — an excellent choice if you need help hitting your daily hydration goals . According to the brand, this filter bottle effectively removes over 220 contaminants, including chlorine, fluoride, lead and more, while retaining beneficial minerals. Although we haven't independently verified the data, the brand provides test results on its website.

The manufacturer states that the bottle is made with BPA and BPS-free medical-grade Tritan plastic, which Clearly Filtered claims offers the "gloss and sparkle of glass" while being shatter-resistant, unlike traditional glass bottles. With a 24-ounce capacity and a weight of less than half a pound, it's also a convenient option to take with you when you leave the house. The one downside is that the filter needs to be changed every 25 gallons, which is more often than others we've tested.

We love the Contigo filter water bottle whether we’re running errands or just sipping at home, especially when it comes to everyday use with tap water. Multiple testers raved how impressed they were with the taste of the filtered water, noting that it significantly improved the taste of their regular tap water compared to other water filter bottles they've tried. One tester even said, “It tastes better than my refrigerator-filtered water.” This isn’t surprising considering it removes 99% of the chlorine taste and odor, a claim we verified with independent test data.

The attached loop on the handle makes it easy to carry, and the soft pop-up straw makes drinking more comfortable. Overall, testers liked this water bottle and will continue to use it, but it is harder to suck water through the straw than some other water filter bottles they’ve tried.

How we test filtered water bottles

Our Good Housekeeping Institute experts sifted through the filtered water bottles on the market and then narrowed them down based on our categorical expertise. Our lab pros spent over a month researching, testing and getting feedback from panelists for some of the filtered water bottles on this list.

We dedicated over 10 hours initially reviewing pages of data from various water bottle brands that were from independent labs or had the data readily available on the brands' websites, to ensure these filtered water bottles remove what they claim, such as getting rid of specific chemical or physical contaminants. Our Executive Director of the Beauty, Health and Sustainability Lab, Birnur Aral, Ph.D. , did a final review, verifying the test results to make sure the data was accurate about contaminant removal and purification claims.

We tested the ease of installing the filter and the overall user-friendliness of each bottle, such as whether it's easy to hold, open and drink from. We reviewed how long each filter lasts before it needs changing, the available bottle size capacities, the materials used and whether the bottles and parts are dishwasher-safe.

We had testers use the water bottle in their daily lives. They provided feedback on ease of use, whether they perceived the bottle to be lightweight and durable, whether it effectively kept their drinks cold and whether the filter improved the taste of the water.

What to look for when shopping for the best filtered water bottles

✔️ Filtering ability: Not all filtered water bottles remove the same contaminants. If you have specific needs, be sure to check what contaminants the filters claim to remove. Many brands now share this information on their websites, or you can try reaching out to the company's customer service.

✔️ Spout style: Many bottles filter the water by placing a filter at the bottom of a straw, which requires you to suck through the straw to filter the water. This makes it harder to drink the water compared with a standard straw, and it's a common complaint about filtered water bottles. If this style doesn't suit you, you may want to look for one that doesn't require a straw and filters water through a different method, such as squeezing the bottle or pressing a filter through the water before drinking.

✔️ Material: Filtered water bottles come in different materials. Insulated stainless steel filtered water bottles generally keep your water cool for a longer time than plastic bottles. However, plastic styles are often lighter, making them easier to carry around.

✔️ Capacity : You'll want to choose a water bottle with a capacity that will suit your needs. Larger sizes will require fewer refills but may be more cumbersome to take on the go. Smaller water bottles may be easier to wedge into a full tote or fit in a car cup holder — just keep in mind they will need more frequent refilling.

✔️ Filter replacement frequency: Each filter has a different threshold for how much water it will filter before it needs replacing. Look for a longer-lasting filter if you tend to forget to change the filter or simply prefer to change it less frequently. Keep in mind, no matter which bottle you choose, it won’t work if the filter isn’t replaced as recommended. Birnur Aral, Ph.D., says, “The performance of the water filter depends on the quality of the water source and whether or not the filter is replaced on schedule.”

✔️ Price: Along with considering the upfront cost of a water filter bottle, you’ll want to take into account the price of filter refills and how often you need to change them, which will impact the overall price in the long run.

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

This guide was written by Jamie Kim , a freelance writer with a consumer products background, who specializes in product testing and reviews. She has tested over 25 water filter products, and she regularly tests water filter–related products and water-dispensing products. She tested many of the bottles on this list and oversaw the consumer testing for this story.

Nicole Papantoniou is the director of the Kitchen Appliances and Innovation lab, where she oversees all content and testing related to kitchen and cooking appliances, tools and gear. She's been testing kitchen appliances professionally since 2013 and is trained in classic culinary arts; she tests water filter products year-round.

Birnur Aral , Ph.D, is the executive director of the Beauty, Health and Sustainability Lab, and she has over a decade of R&D experience. She evaluates the contamination-removal claims behind each of our water filter picks. Birnur played a lead role in GH's investigative story Is Your Tap Water Safe? and recently assessed the SafeHome brand DIY water testing kits for the Good Housekeeping Seal. She also helped the brand fine-tune its marketing claims and instruction inserts for the kits, including those for Lead, City Water and Well Water.

Jamie Ueda is a consumer products expert with over 17 years of experience in areas of product development and manufacturing. She has held leading roles at both mid-size consumer goods companies and one of the most notable and largest apparel brands in the world. Jamie has contributed to several of the GH Institute Labs, including Kitchen Appliances, Media and Tech, Textiles and Home Appliances. In her free time she enjoys cooking, traveling, and working out.

Nicole (she/her) is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute 's Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she has overseen content and testing related to kitchen and cooking appliances, tools and gear since 2019. She’s an experienced product tester and recipe creator, trained in classic culinary arts and culinary nutrition. She has worked in test kitchens for small kitchen appliance brands and national magazines, including Family Circle and Ladies’ Home Journal .

Birnur (she/her) led the Beauty, Health and Sustainability Lab at t he Good Housekeeping Institute from 2007 to 2023. In addition to overseeing product testing and GH Seal applications, she conducted our annual Beauty Awards selection process and was an active leader in GH’s green initiatives, including the Sustainable Innovation Awards and Raise the Green Bar Summit. In addition to earning M.Eng. and Ph.D. degrees in chemical engineering, she also has a professional certificate in sustainability management from Columbia University. 

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8 Travel-Friendly Water Purifiers That Actually Work

By Kaitlyn McInnis

It’s easy to take water for granted when you live and work in a building that has clean drinking water running in abundance from every faucet—but that’s not always the case when traveling abroad or heading out into nature while camping or hiking.

I learned that the hard way when I spent three months in a cabin in the woods that ran on lake water. I subscribe to the eight-cups-a-day rule, and I have an emotional support water bottle that I carry from room-to-room at all times. I am, simply put, a big water drinker . And sure, I was able to drive to the grocery store to buy water—but finding a water purifying solution that allowed me to drink the lake water was much more convenient, eco-friendly, and budget-friendly than having to add gallons of drinking water to my grocery list.

Over the last month or so, I’ve tried a handful of different water purifiers and filtration systems at my cabin on the lake . Of all the styles I tested, there were eight that I will continue to use on future trips to the woods and bring with me on my next vacation abroad . Read on for the best high-quality portable water purifiers and filters to ensure you always have access to bacteria- and sediment-free drinking water on the go.

All products featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Larq PureVis water bottle

Best water bottle

The Larq self-cleaning bottle is by far my favorite portable water purifier that I’ve tried so far. The 17-ounce water bottle features unique UV-C LED technology that neutralizes 99.999 percent of harmful bacteria such as E-coli and salmonella in under 60 seconds at the push of a button. The stainless steel bottle also activates a self-cleaning mode every two hours which helps to keep the bottle itself from developing that dreaded musty water bottle smell that can occur over time. Despite its high-tech functionalities, you can drink out of it like you would any other water bottle; the UV technology is confined to the bottle cap and does not interfere with filling or drinking from the bottle itself.

LifeStraw personal water filter

Best straw filter

Sometimes carrying around a water bottle or water filtration system is just not practical—which is where the LifeStraw comes in. This compact personal water filter works as a regular drinking straw while instantly filtering out over 99.999 percent of bacteria, parasites, and sediment such as microplastics, silt, sand, and cloudiness. The compact straw and filtration has an unlimited shelf life and can easily slip into your handbag or backpack for emergency use . Use it to take a sip straight from a flowing stream or drink a glass of tap water from the faucet in your hotel room.

Sawyer Squeeze water filter system

Best for backpacking

Lightweight and easy to transport, the Sawyer Squeeze water filter system will be your best bet if you’re setting up camp in the woods but are trying to keep your load light. The hollow-fiber membrane filter removes more than 99.999 percent of all bacteria, viruses, and parasites at a rate of about one liter per minute—but we particularly like this system for its compact and easy-to-use squeeze bottle design. All you have to do is fill up the pouch with water, attach the hollow-fiber filter, and squeeze the water through the system into your preferred water bottle (or even directly into your mouth).

Platypus GravityWorks water filter system

Best for large quantities of water

The GravityWorks water filter system is my personal favorite for filtering large volumes of sediment-heavy water. The water filtration system works—as the name suggests—by using a combination of gravity and microfilters to ensure removal of up more than 99.99 percent of bacteria and parasites as well as any sand, dirt, or sediment that can often appear in lake or stream water.

Antonia Quirke

Shannon McMahon

Chris Schalkx

Chadner Navarro

Katadyn Steripen Classic 3 UV water purifier

Best multi-purpose purifier

The Katadyn Steripen Classic 3 UV is a hand-held water purification device made to destroy everything from parasites to bacteria and viruses in less than 90 seconds thanks to the built-in ultraviolet (UV-C) light rays. The handy device easily fits over cups, mugs, and even most water bottle mouths for added convenience and comes with a pre-filter for removing sentiment, microplastics, and other particles that might not be visible to the naked eye. Bring it on family or group camping trips where you can divvy up who carries what.

Potable Aqua water purification tablets

Best tablets for groups or families

The Potable Aqua water purification tablet is a great option for purifying large quantities of water to have on hand over a weekend at a lake house or campsite. The two-step process helps to eliminate waterborne bacteria and viruses in up to half a gallon of water per germicidal iodine tablet. The second bottle is a neutralizing tablet, which, although not necessary to ensure safety, helps to improve the overall flavor of the water so you don’t taste the remnants of iodine or anything else that might be floating in the water.

Aquatabs water purification tablets

Best tablets for individuals

Looking for something ultra-compact to throw into your emergency preparedness kit, wallet, or jacket pocket? Aquatabs Water Purification Tablets are extremely small and slender (we’re talking half the size of a credit card ), but despite the compact size, the powerhouse purification system can remove up to 99.99 percent of bacteria and viruses from half a gallon of water per tablet thanks to the neutralizing salt-based chlorine known as sodium dichloroisocyanurate.

Larq PureVis pitcher

Best pitcher

The Larq PureVis pitcher isn’t quite as portable as other options I’ve tested out, but it’s the best option for setting up in the kitchen during a long-term stay abroad or at a Airbnb in the woods . The water-purifying pitcher removes contaminants like bacteria, lead, mercury, pharmaceuticals, and VOCs while the innovative self-cleaning filter helps to prevent bio-contaminant growth from developing within the pitcher itself.

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The 8 Best Water Bottles

By Eve O'Neill and Sam Schild

Reusable water bottles that are both good-looking and functional seem like a necessity in our modern, hydration-obsessed world.

But finding the right one to match your personal taste can be a challenge—it depends on what you’re looking for amid the riot of colors, shapes, and features.

After putting in more than 120 hours of research—and testing over 100 bottles since 2014—we’ve chosen the eight best water bottles in a number of materials and styles.

They include our most versatile pick , which has elbowed its way past more well-known competition, and an inexpensive bottle with a straw , beloved for its functionality in any driving scenario.

Whether you’re looking for a bottle to drink from while flying , a glass bottle (if you’re averse to plastic), a  tapered bottle , a plastic bottle (if you’re averse to high prices), a fancier bottle , or a stainless steel model , all of our favorite water bottles offer a little extra to anyone who’s annoyed by imperfect hydration.

The research

Why you should trust us, who this is for, the most versatile bottle: takeya actives insulated water bottle with spout lid (22 ounces), a simple stainless steel bottle and standard lid: hydro flask standard mouth (21 ounces), our favorite bottle for the car: camelbak eddy+ (25 ounces), the best glass water bottle: purifyou premium (22 ounces), the best tapered bottle: mira cascade (17 ounces), the best plastic water bottle: thermos hydration bottle (24 ounces), an ideal air travel companion: camelbak podium (21 ounces), an upgrade pick: purist mover (18 ounces), other good water bottles, how we picked, how we tested, the competition, care and maintenance.

Since we first created this guide, in 2014, we’ve tested more than 100 different bottles over many hundreds of hours. We also spoke with a lot of experts. Given the popularity of metal water bottles, we wanted to get some insight into how that double-walled insulation works. So we called NASA, the best experts on thermodynamics we could think of. Via email, we interviewed Wesley Johnson, a cryogenics research engineer at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

We also spoke with urban planner Josselyn Ivanov, who wrote her masters thesis on the decline of publicly available water, aka drinking fountains, for MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning. “In the absence of investment and maintenance [in drinking fountains], many people fill the void by hauling around their own personalized infrastructure,” she told us.

And across four different writers (Sam Schild contributed the most recent round of testing, in mid-2022) and ten years of work, we’ve seen more than 100 iterations of the same object. From the hard-plastic Nalgene that steamrolled college campuses in the 2000s to a $5,000-plus Chanel bottle (which looks freshly looted from Blackbeard’s treasure chest), these water bottles all do the same thing. When you’ve used water bottles with triple-digit price tags as well as much less expensive versions, you know which one works best.

Pretty much anyone can benefit from having a water bottle they love. Carrying a reusable water bottle is better for the environment and more cost effective than buying bottled water. Bottled-water production in the US alone in 2007 required somewhere between 32 million and 54 million barrels of oil, according to a study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters (PDF) . That’s roughly 2,000 times as much as the energy cost of producing tap water, and bottled-water sales in the US have grown to 15.3 billion gallons as of 2021, from 8.76 billion gallons in 2007.

For shoppers, bottled water is also a thousand times more expensive than tap water. Add in the fact that in 2014 nearly 64% of all bottled water sold in the US was nothing more than pricey, prepackaged tap water (PDF) , and it becomes difficult to deny the value of a well-made reusable water bottle.

Takeya Actives Insulated Water Bottle with Spout Lid (22 ounces)

The best stainless steel water bottle.

The spout on this bottle is easy to drink from (and simpler to use than a sports cap), and the flip lid stays secure and out of your face. And the bottle has a wide mouth, so you can effortlessly add ice and supplements.

Buying Options

Size options (ounces): 18 , 22 , 24 , 32 , 40 , 64 Lids available: Spout (included), Straw Dishwasher safe: lid, yes; body, no

Get this if: You’d like a chameleon of a bottle, something that can adapt to almost any situation, whether you’re sitting at a desk, commuting on a subway, or working out at the gym.

Why it’s great: This double-walled, stainless steel bottle is marketed for gym-goers. But even if you’re not seeking a water bottle for working out, the Takeya Actives has a lid that’s a total standout.

The plastic top features a spout with a twist-on flip cap. Spout lids flow as easily as if you were drinking from an open glass. Yet they won’t splash contents if you’re cantering down the sidewalk at a brisk clip or powering through a sweaty treadmill workout.

The spout lid on the Takeya stands out because you can lock it after you flip it open—so it doesn’t hit your face. And when it’s closed, it covers the drinking surface completely. The whole thing twists off to reveal a 2¼-inch-wide mouth opening, so you can add in whatever you like: Load the bottle with ice, add an electrolyte powder, plop in some lemon wedges.

A silicone rubber boot, or base, comes standard on this bottle and prevents it from slipping or making noise on hard surfaces. Takeya also offers a straw lid, which you can purchase separately. We tested the straw lid, and it was leak-free; we recommend getting one if you primarily want to drink from this bottle while driving.

These bottles come in an array of colors and sizes, and our pick, the 22-ounce Takeya Actives, is the most recent size introduced to the lineup. After testing more than 100 bottles, we truly believe this is the Goldilocks size: not too big, not too small. It’s compatible with both cupholders and backpack pockets. And, like the final piece of a puzzle, it will slide nicely into that tiny bit of space remaining in your tote bag.

All of the Takeya bottle sizes we’ve tested have proved to be leak-free. And if you want a 32-ounce bottle, the Takeya Actives properly adapts the proportions of the bottle to accommodate the new capacity: It gets wider as well as taller, so this bottle remains stable when you set it down (though that does mean it’s too broad to fit in a standard cupholder).

Takeya’s website lists the lid as BPA-free, and it’s dishwasher safe (in the top rack). But hand-washing is recommended for the body. Takeya offers a limited lifetime warranty (you need a receipt).

Flaws but not dealbreakers: We’ve found very little not to love about this design. This is a bottle we think everyone can be very happy with.

Hydro Flask Standard Mouth (21 ounces)

Simple and reliable.

The Hydro Flask is an insulated steel bottle that’s pleasant to sip from and simple to carry, and it was completely leakproof in our tests.

Size options (ounces): 18 , 21 , 24 Lids available: Flex Cap (included), Sport Cap , Flex Straw Cap Dishwasher safe: no

Get this if: You want a reliable and versatile water bottle. This is a simple bottle, best for those who believe in doing one thing and doing it well.

Why it’s great: The Hydro Flask Standard Mouth is especially reliable. It’s an insulated, double-walled stainless steel water bottle with a powder-coated exterior (the permanent, lightly textured coating) and a plastic cap. Unlike aluminum bottles, this one won’t dent easily. Unlike glass bottles, this bottle won’t have issues with the bottom cracking. And unlike plastic bottles, it won’t deteriorate quickly while in use.

You can use this bottle with three different lids: the Flex Cap (included), Sport Cap , and Flex Straw Cap . We tested the first two caps, and neither leaked, but we prefer the Flex Cap to the Sport Cap. Usually, sport caps aren’t great at accounting for human error—the plastic can be very stiff and difficult to close with your mouth, so it’s easy to leave them halfway open. And if the bottle is lying on its side, water can occasionally leak through the air-intake valve.

If you tend to drink straight from the bottle, the Hydro Flask has a narrow, tapered metal edge. And it mimics the rim of a glass better than the lip on any other bottle we tested, including the round lip on the Klean Kanteen and the thick, industrial-feeling lip on the Yeti Rambler . The standard mouth opening is 1¾ inches wide—wide enough to fit ice but not so wide that water will slosh up your nose if you drink on the move.

Of the three sizes this bottle comes in, we think 21 ounces is the right capacity. This size is big enough to keep refills to a minimum but not as unwieldy as the 24-ounce bottle. (The 24-ounce Hydro Flask is tall and narrow and thus easy to tip over, and it feels large.) The cap is BPA-free, and Hydro Flask offers a limited lifetime warranty on this bottle.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: Complaints about the Hydro Flask are infrequent and few. However, while a silicone boot comes standard on the Takeya Actives bottle, for this Hydro Flask model, a boot is an add-on (it usually costs around $8).

Also, some people may not like that a portion of the drinking surface is exposed; the cap threads twist into the bottle rather than over the top and around the lip. We do like this design because sipping from a threaded drinking surface isn’t pleasant. But if the exposed drinking surface bothers you, several of our other picks—including the Takeya Actives , the Purifyou Premium , and the plastic Thermos Hydration Bottle —have lids that fully cover the drinking surface.

CamelBak Eddy+ (25 ounces)

Great for the car.

If you use a bottle with a straw, you won’t have to tilt your head back while drinking—the easiest way to quaff water and keep your focus on the road.

Size options (ounces): 20 , 25 , 32 Lids available: Straw (included), Chute Mag , Carry Cap Dishwasher safe: yes

Get this if: You want something that’s easy to sip from while you’re driving, or you want something that encourages you to drink water throughout the day (our unscientific findings have led us to believe that straws make it easier to slurp down water).

Why it’s great: This bottle has an integrated straw in the lid that features a plastic bite valve to keep it sealed (something anyone who has owned a CamelBak hydration pack will be familiar with). Just bite down to open the straw and release to seal it shut. That leak-free lid makes this bottle an ideal driving companion—it fits in a cupholder and is easy to sip from while you’re keeping your eyes on the road. And if you transfer the bottle to a bag, the bite valve folds down into the lid, shielding it from too much contact with the bag’s contents.

Also, if you have daily hydration goals, there’s something about a straw that makes it easy to mindlessly consume the 20, 30, or 40 ounces of water you may have ahead of you. If this sounds like you, the Eddy+ comes in a 32-ounce size , which would be easy to fill once, plop next to your laptop, and hit your goal for the day.

The straw lid twists off to reveal a wide mouth that makes adding ice to your drink easy—handy if you like to keep your water cold. However, this is a plastic bottle, so adding ice could also make it sweaty.

You can swap out lids with two others from CamelBak: the Carry Cap and the Chute Mag (a spout lid we’ve tested and liked because of how easy it is to drink from, similar to the lid on our top pick ).

The Eddy+ is an updated model, and with this redesign CamelBak has addressed reports of the bite valve’s leaking or not functioning properly. The one we tested worked great, and neither the lid nor the valve leaked in our tests. This bottle is BPA-free, and all pieces—including the cap, lid, and straw—can go through the dishwasher. CamelBak offers a lifetime guarantee against defects in the manufacturing and materials, and the company will replace them if they’re defective.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: To get the water flowing, you do have to bite down on this straw and hold it while you drink, which may not appeal to some people. But overall we didn’t find that to be cumbersome, and we soon forgot all about it.

Purifyou Premium (22 ounces)

Prevents flavor from transferring.

This is the only glass bottle we’ve found where no plastic touches your water, and the bottle itself is housed in a protective silicone sleeve. But it won’t keep your water cold for long.

May be out of stock

Size options (ounces): 12 , 22 , 32 , 40 Lids available: stainless steel lined lid (included) Dishwasher safe: yes

Get this if: You don’t want to drink out of plastic or metal, or you simply enjoy the heft and presence of a glass bottle.

Why it’s great: Our favorite glass bottle is the 22-ounce Purifyou Premium . It has a few design features that make it more functional than most, including the type of glass it’s made from, as well as an especially useful cap, which is also lined with stainless steel.

We recognize that some people just don’t want plastic touching their water. A major reason this bottle outperformed all the other glass options is it’s the only one we found that has a metal-lined cap (rather than some form of plastic). The simple utility of a finger loop on the cap was a surprise—it made the repetitive task of opening and closing the cap that much easier, compared with standard round caps.

We also like the small mouth on this bottle. When you drink from a wide-mouth glass bottle, such as the Lifefactory , it can seem like you’re drinking out of a jar. The downside is that the Purifyou is too narrow to accommodate ice cubes. But a glass bottle doesn’t retain heat or cold anyway, so we decided that wasn’t a problem.

The Purifyou is made of borosilicate glass, and that makes it special. Borosilicate glass resists thermal shock. This means if you take the bottle out of a hot dishwasher and fill it with cold or room-temperature water, it will resist shattering better than bottles made of common soda-lime glass.

We tested and liked the dimensions of the 22-ounce bottle, though it won’t fit in a traditional-size cupholder (the base is 3¼ inches wide). The body’s center is a little wide, and it’s not tapered like some others, but we had no problem holding it. Purifyou offers warranty coverage for all manufacturing defects, and (according to its Amazon page ) will replace the bottle if it “breaks within the first year” if you register online .

Flaws but not dealbreakers: Glass bottles are limiting. They’re excellent for carrying room-temperature water and that’s it, since they are poor insulators. Glass bottles also aren’t as durable as other options, despite being heavier. Also, if you’re looking for an environmentally friendly option, note that neither the silicone sleeve nor the cap on this bottle is recyclable, since the cap is made from two materials fused into one. If you have environmental concerns, the best approach is to buy a bottle you know you will use the most.

Mira Cascade (17 ounces)

Elegant, insulated, and splashless.

This small-mouth, tapered bottle is pleasant to hold—like a plastic drink bottle but one made of double-walled insulated stainless steel.

Size options (ounces): 12 , 17 Lids available: stainless steel lid (included) Dishwasher safe: lid, yes; body, no

Get this if: You want a bottle with a minimalist, classic shape and a cap that covers the drinking lip.

Why it’s great: The Mira Cascade is a double-walled insulated bottle made of stainless steel. Its lid threads over the drinking surface, so you won’t have to put your mouth on something that’s been getting dirty in your bag all day. The Mira’s tapered shape is reminiscent of a classic 20-ounce plastic soda bottle, and this bottle is nice to hold. It will keep the contents cold all day, and due to the bottle’s small opening, your beverage won’t splash your face while you’re drinking, as the Nalgene Wide Mouth Bottle does.

The Mira Cascade is nearly identical to the S’well , another tapered bottle we like everything about—except the price. Since the Cascade is usually about half the price of the S’well, we naturally picked the less expensive option, which performs just as well.

The Mira Cascade has an elegant design, so it fits in at the office and other formal events: Pick the right color, and it could even match a tux. And it passed the leak test, so you don’t have to worry about this bottle’s contents ruining your day, your laptop, or your evening wear.

We think the 17-ounce size is ideal—it fits in a briefcase, in cupholders, and in water-bottle pockets. If you want a smaller or larger bottle, the Cascade also comes in a 12-ounce size.

The lid covers the drinking lip, so no matter where you toss this bottle, the surface that your mouth touches will be covered. Also, we think the Mira Cascade’s lid is just the right size, compared with the Corkcicle Canteen ’s lid, which is so small we were worried about losing it. Like most double-walled bottles, the bottle itself isn’t dishwasher safe, but the lid is. Mira sells replacement lids and lid gaskets , too.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: Since the lid covers the drinking lip, the bottle’s threads are on the drinking surface. While we generally don’t love the feeling of threads on the outside lip, these don’t protrude much, and we quickly got used to the feeling. Also, because of the 1.35-inch opening, it’s impossible to get prism-shaped ice cubes from a classic ice cube tray into the bottle. However, half-moon-shaped ice cubes do fit through the opening.

Thermos Hydration Bottle (24 ounces)

A budget option.

With a leakproof, push-button flip-top lid, this inexpensive and lightweight bottle should make anyone happy.

Size options (ounces): 24 Lids available: flip top (included) Dishwasher safe: yes

Get this if: You value lightweight portability, and you like a good deal—two excellent qualities in a water bottle. This one is also dishwasher safe, unlike some other bottles we recommend.

Why it’s great: The super-affordable 24-ounce Thermos Hydration Bottle has been a pick since we first published this guide, in 2014, and it’s still here. (Thermos has made a few minor cosmetic changes over the years.) This is a plastic bottle with a plastic, flip-top lid and spout. It has passed years of leak tests, and the lid has a lock, so it will stay closed in your bag.

Another great feature of this bottle: Despite the fact that it holds 24 ounces—a capacity we’ve found to be cumbersome in a metal bottle—the Thermos possesses just the right proportions to be ergonomic and easy to carry.

This bottle weighs only 6.6 ounces. The textured, contoured design makes the Thermos easy to hold, too, and you can effortlessly drop ice cubes into the wide mouth. And after you reattach the lid, the spout is simple to drink out of. This design is a winning combination, the same as on a similar, insulated pick, the Takeya bottle. Also, the Thermos is made from Eastman Tritan BPA-free plastic.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: After using versions of the 24-ounce Thermos nearly constantly for seven years, we don’t have a lot of criticism. However, we do wish Thermos would sell this type of bottle in a few different sizes. Also, though the lid has a ring that you can turn to track your water intake, in practice we’ve found we barely use it. Still, it’s not hurting anything by being there.

CamelBak Podium 21oz Bike Bottle

A lightweight squeeze bottle.

This squeeze bottle is leakproof and light, so you can throw it into a carry-on bag for a flight. And the Podium is cheap enough that if the TSA makes you ditch it, you won’t be heartbroken.

Size options (ounces): 21 ,  24 Lids available: squeeze lid Dishwasher safe: yes

Get this if: You want a travel bottle. This bottle was invented for a bike cage, but a regular ol’ squeeze bottle is useful for so many things, specifically airport travel. Eve personally owns (and uses) just two types of water bottle, and this is one of them.

Why it’s great: Basic, lightweight, and cheap, a bike squeeze bottle makes a great travel companion, and we like the CamelBak Podium in particular. It has a twist lock—which provides extra assurance that the bottle is tightly closed when you toss it in a bag. Plus, it’s dishwasher safe.

For years, we looked for a reliable collapsible travel bottle, but we’ve been disappointed so many times: The Hydaway tastes plasticky, the Vapur and the Platypus collapse (in a bad way) , the HydraPak flops, and the Nomader doesn’t pack down very small. And the implied way to carry a travel bottle correctly—clipped to a backpack or belt loop—always leaves it swinging around haphazardly, in our experience. We’ve recommended all of these bottles in the past, but we’ve constantly been left wishing there were a better way.

A bike squeeze bottle is now our sincere recommendation for airport travel. In addition to being light and relatively compact, this bottle is inexpensive, so if the TSA takes it, you’ve lost only a few dollars, instead of an expensive insulated bottle. You could also bring the Thermos Hydration Bottle we recommend. But this CamelBak bottle has fewer moving parts, if you don’t want to fuss with the lid or flip lock on the Thermos. Our other recommendation would be to buy a plastic bottle in the airport, and then use it for the rest of your trip.

Two types of Podium are available: the original and the Podium Chill , which has a reflective material in the lining intended to help keep water cold. We haven’t found this lining makes any difference. In our tests, the liquid in insulated squeeze bottles warmed 17 degrees over six hours, the same as in a glass or unlined plastic bottle. For that reason, we wouldn’t bother with the lined version and instead recommend the original. CamelBak offers a limited lifetime warranty covering manufacturing defects.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: The lid on this bottle is not covered, so if you dislike the idea of a bottle swimming around in a bag with the drinking surface exposed, you may like the Thermos better. In addition, this bottle’s squeeze valve does not push in and out, as on other models. Instead, the mouthpiece is static, and the plastic piece inside releases water when you apply pressure to the bottle. So if you’re using this bottle for cycling, and you experience a ton of dust and dirt on your ride, some of it may get stuck in that mouthpiece.

Purist Mover (18 ounces)

Premium design and materials.

If you’re seeking an especially sleek-looking bottle, the Purist Mover is a good choice, and its (non-breakable) glass interior prevents flavors from transferring.

Size options (ounces): 10 (Maker), 18 (Mover), 32 (Founder) Lids available: Element (twist lid), Union (spout lid), Scope (café lid) Dishwasher safe: no

Get this if: You’ve noticed that odors or flavors in your water bottle don’t go away, you want a bottle that looks like a design object, or you want one bottle that can hold both hot and cold drinks. Purist’s bottle has a (non-breakable) glass interior that prevents flavors from transferring, so there should be no taste issues like you get with stainless steel or plastic.

Why it’s great: The 18-ounce Purist Mover is a drink bottle designed within an inch of its life. With a special lining made to stop flavor transfers, an aesthetic that looks designed to fit into a Tesla’s dashboard, and a newly expanded range of caps, this is a refined bottle that can do it all—and it’s worth the high price.

The signature feature of the Purist is a glass-lined interior that prevents tastes and odors from transferring. Unlike traditional glass vacuum linings, the Purist’s is unbreakable (and so minimal you can barely notice it), since it’s applied as a thin, spray-on coating. You get the benefits of a glass bottle minus the weight or potential breakage, plus it keeps drinks hot or cold.

And in our experience, the Purist bottle works. We’ve had this bottle in testing for three years, including one episode where we left the Purist under a car seat for a month with kombucha in it. Someone finally got the courage to open the bottle and clean it out, and the next day a bottle full of water tasted like water and nothing else. Wirecutter’s Tim Barribeau—who is pathologically averse to the taste of coffee—found that even after cold-brew concentrate sat in the Purist for a weekend, water came out tasting fresh (after a simple wash of the bottle). Some tastes and smells lingered in the flip-top lid, but those disappeared after a good scrub.

There are three lids that work with the Purist water bottle: the simple, screw-top Element , the flip-top spout Union , and the Scope , a café lid designed for hot beverages. The lip of the bottle is on the thick side, so if drinking from a thick-walled bottle would bother you, we’d recommend either the Union or the Scope.

Though 18-ounce bottles can feel small, the Mover can hold more than advertised. The Union spout cap is hollow and raised above the top of the bottle, in contrast with the flat Element cap, which plunges downward. That means using the Union cap, you can fill the bottle to the brim; we did, and that’s when we discovered the bottle can hold up to 21 ounces.

Purist has a lifetime warranty that covers manufacturing defects.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: This bottle is clunky to drink out of if you use only the twist-off cap (the Element). So if you’re going to invest in the Purist, we recommend getting the spout lid (the Union) or the Scope cap (Purist’s version of a café cap). The Union spout cap is tricky to open due to its tight seal (but we found that if you pinch both sides of the spout, the cover pops off easily).

If you’re going camping: Consider the Nalgene Wide Mouth Bottle , which is inexpensive, indestructible, and lightweight. It has more than 18,000 reviews on Amazon and a star rating of 4.8 out of 5, and we couldn’t agree more. For a decade now, we’ve been talking about why this isn’t among our picks.

But we still don’t include it, because in day-to-day life it’s sort of annoying. You can’t drink out of it while walking, the attached cap gets in your face, and it doesn’t fit a cupholder or a backpack pocket. Out there in the wild, it’s the ultimate weapon. Back here in the urban jungle, it’s just kind of a klutz. So, to summarize, we love this bottle, but specifically for camping. And that’s outside the scope of what we test for in this guide.

If you’re set on getting a collapsible travel bottle: Consider the Nomader 22-ounce collapsible bottle, which was our travel pick in 2018. It has stood the test of time, whereas other travel bottles have sprung leaks. If you must have a travel bottle, this one is the easiest to fill and drink from. Our big concern is that this bottle doesn’t roll down particularly small, so it’s up to you to decide whether the space savings are worth it.

If you want a spout lid on a lightweight, plastic bottle: After a reimagining of the lid on the CamelBak Chute —resulting in the addition of a magnet to keep the lid open and out of the way while you’re drinking—we can’t find any serious negatives for this bottle. The Takeya Actives just barely nudges the Chute out of competition because the Takeya comes with the silicone base, and it’s often on sale. However, the Chute’s lid is compatible with our new recommendation for use while driving, the CamelBak Eddy+ .

We’ve been at this for ten years. And, as always, we start by reading trusted editorial sources, in this case outlets such as Gear Patrol , GearLab , and Outside . In addition, each year, we listen to the opinions of Wirecutter’s readers—we’ve incorporated a number of great suggestions from the comments on previous iterations of this guide.

There are so many water bottles in the world that it’s helpful for us to outline what we don’t consider and why. When we find bottles with a pattern of complaints about build quality, usability, or leakage, we drop them from the list of possible test candidates. We also eliminate bottles made by companies that appear to have an opaque supply chain or no online presence outside of an Amazon listing. In any category, if we recommend a product, we want to make sure you won’t have a problem finding one to buy. And if a product is defective, you should be able to contact the manufacturer so that the company can make it right.

We no longer consider bottles made of aluminum because it dents too easily. And when possible we avoid bottles that have painted exteriors because the coating can tend to scratch; in certain categories, however, painted exteriors are the norm. We also set aside uncoated stainless steel bottles—if you leave an uncoated metal bottle in the sun, the exterior becomes too hot to hold.

Some other bottles, including the Klean Kanteen Wide Mouth, can easily serve as water bottles. But because of the caps offered (travel mug caps) or the sizes available (limited to smaller sizes), they are more suited to hot drinks. In the case of the Klean Kanteen, both things are true, so we consider it to be a travel mug. If that’s what you’re looking for, we have a guide to travel mugs for hot beverages .

For our most recent round of testing, in 2022, we tried nine new bottles and performed several tests to evaluate them. Here are the tests we regularly conduct:

We do leak tests. There are so many bottles that we can’t see recommending one that leaks in any way. We fill each bottle with water that’s dyed with food coloring. Then we place the bottle on its side over a paper towel for 24 hours and watch for leaks.

The leak test also takes into account how the lid seats on the bottle. We believe good design is human-centered design, and that you should be able to absent-mindedly screw the top back on and trust that the bottle is properly closed.

And we’ve discovered over time that rigid sport caps, like the ones you can get for Klean Kanteen or HydroFlask bottles, are not the best at preventing leaks because they’re prone to user error. Such caps make perfect sense on squeezable sport bottles. But the sport caps that come on double-walled steel bottles are stiffer, so they’re easy to inadvertently leave open. It’s also difficult to tell at a glance whether the valve is fully closed.

We do temperature tests. For five years, we performed temperature tests with the goal of seeing which bottle kept its contents the coldest for the longest. Here are the results from 2017:

In this 2017 test, we filled each bottle with water at 47 degrees Fahrenheit, and then we took a temperature measurement every hour for 10 hours. What we’ve seen in years of testing is that almost every insulated bottle performs to within a few degrees of its competition. There are exceptions, but they’re rare. Companies love to make claims about how long a bottle can keep something hot or cold, but they all work basically the same.

Sometimes manufacturers make bottles with copper linings in an attempt to keep the contents even hotter or colder. It could work, and as Wesley Johnson, a cryogenics research engineer at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, explained, “For spacecraft, we often use a similar technique for insulation.” The theory behind using copper in insulation (despite its being an excellent conductor normally) is based on the fact that heat transfers through three forms: solid conduction, gaseous convection, and radiation, Johnson told us. A double-walled bottle already stops solid conduction, and a vacuum-insulated bottle stops gaseous convection. “This leaves only radiation heat transfer between the walls,” Johnson said. And copper can work to stop that last method of heat loss. But it works only under a set of specific circumstances. “The main benefit of copper is that when it is polished, it is much more reflective of radiation heat transfer,” Johnson explained. So, “the copper liner needs to be: polished, installed in a vacuum, and done so in a manner that limits the amount of oxidation of the metal prior to pulling the vacuum.”

We have tested bottles with and without copper linings, and so far we haven’t found any advantage to using copper. The Yeti Rambler is “constructed with a copper plate to protect against UV,” according to the company’s PR reps. But neither Klean Kanteen nor Hydro Flask includes any copper in its designs, and all the bottles still insulate within degrees of one another.

We consider bottle proportions. After nine years, we’re convinced that 20- to 22-ounce bottles are the perfect size. Although 17-ounce bottles are wonderfully portable, the contents get consumed quickly. And 24-ounce bottles are almost too tall and skinny. They can be very easy to knock over, and they don’t stay upright in cup holders because they’re top-heavy. They begin to take on the appearance of blunt-force weapons: The 25-ounce S’well could double as a small baseball bat.

We like bottles with the right proportions, and we have to believe designers have noticed the awkwardness of the 24-ounce size. For instance, in 2020 the Takeya Actives became available in a 22-ounce size (slightly smaller than the 24-ounce version, which had been our previous pick). Similarly, 32-ounce bottles are most useful when they are wide and squat instead of tall. When we make recommendations for larger capacities, such design concerns are a big part of what we take into consideration.

We consider the drinking experience. Think about the lip: If you’re drinking directly from the bottle, what is that experience like? If you’re trying to drink out of it while walking, what is that like? If you’re drinking from it in a car, what is that like? And recently, due to reader comments, we’ve been tracking whether the cap of a bottle covers the drinking surface completely or whether it’s exposed. Some people are concerned about bacteria getting onto the lip of their bottle, via contact with their hands or with sweaty gym clothes.

Metal bottles

The Yeti Rambler is a reliable bottle. But its opening does not taper at all, so this bottle is more of a thermos and more suitable for using a spoon, with something like soup.

The S’well bottle insulates with the best of them, and it has been watertight in all our tests. If you like it, go for it: S’well bottles are just more expensive, at every capacity, than anything else we’ve seen.

The Simple Modern Summit bottle leaked through the threads when we left it on its side overnight.

In past years, the Klean Kanteen Classic has been one of our picks, and we’ve tested the Insulated Classic as well. They’re both very similar to a Hydro Flask, but in 2019’s testing, both bottles had small leaks. For 2022, we tested the Klean Kanteen Insulated Classic with Pour Through Cap . Though this new lid’s dual gaskets fix the leaking problem, it took twice as many turns to open the pour-through cap compared with most other bottles. This bottle works great as a thermos to carry hot drinks to pour into a smaller cup, but it’s not great as a water bottle. 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 into the bottle.

The Corkcicle Classic Canteen performed well in every regard, but its lid is the smallest of of those on other bottles we tested. In fact, the lid was so small we were afraid we’d lose it.

The Corkcicle Series A Sport Canteen 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 leak-proof.

Several other bottles leaked in our testing and were thus disqualified, including the 21-ounce Healthy Human Stein .

Other bottles performed poorly in our insulation tests, including the 25-ounce Fifty/Fifty Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel , the Laken Thermo Classic (its contents rose by 20.1 degrees during our test), and the Contigo Autoseal Chill .

Though we like the inclusion of a mesh strainer inside the lid of the EcoVessel Boulder , this bottle has the same problem as the Nalgene: The lid is connected with a long silicone strap that doesn’t stay put when you drink from it, unless you hold it down.

The mouthpiece on the EcoVessel Wave with Fliptop Straw is made of hard plastic, and it was not as pleasant to drink out of as the CamelBak Eddy+ .

The Stanley Quik Flip Go Bottle is one of the few flip-top bottles we’ve found that has a lock to secure the top. But this bottle is especially tall and unwieldy. It would make a better thermos than a water bottle.

The Coldest Water bottle has a flip-top straw that’s also made of hard plastic, like that of the EcoVessel Wave with Fliptop Straw. And it’s not that nice to drink out of.

We passed on the Coleman Autoseal FreeFlow Stainless bottle for the same reason we pass on most trigger bottles—a relatively elaborate cap that needs detailed cleaning.

Glass bottles

A pick from 2017, the 22-ounce Lifefactory Classic Flip was the best wide-mouth glass bottle available. There are just a few caveats. First, the wide mouth is a bit awkward to drink out of—it feels a lot like drinking out of a jar. Second, although the bottle has alternate lid options, we tested the Flip Cap in 2018, and it leaked. (That lid has since been discontinued.) Third, the standard lid is watertight but made of plastic, a concern for many people seeking glass bottles.

In drop testing, the Glasstic suffered from extensive scuffing.

The 20-ounce Ello Syndicate had a cap problem, with reports of mold building up.

Collapsible bottles

The Hydaway was our collapsible travel pick in 2018, and it proved polarizing: We received feedback both from people who loved it and from others who hated it. Such is the fate of all collapsibles we’ve tried. A 50/50 love-hate relationship didn’t convince us this bottle was a reliable recommendation for most travelers.

Our 2017 travel pick, the Platypus Meta , tends to develop a small hole in its bottom, which renders it useless for carrying water. Our 2016 pick, the Platypus SoftBottle , is watertight but floppy, as all collapsible bag-bottles are.

Before that, we picked the 1-liter Vapur . However, CNET’s Tim Stevens brought to our attention a design flaw in the cap that caused it to leak when lateral torsion was applied. We were able to replicate the issue independently using a brand-new bottle. As such, we no longer feel confident recommending it. Both the Vapur Element and the Nalgene Wide Mouth Cantene also leaked from their seams during our twist-and-torque test.

Plastic bottles

The Pogo plastic water bottle is basic and functional. We like the lid (again, just as with the Takeya ) and the flip top that closes over the spout. We encountered no leaks, but at the time we tested this bottle, it had a bad Fakespot rating (a D). As of 2023, the rating was a B, so we plan to look at it again.

The trendy reemergence of the Gatorade squeeze bottle prompted us to put it to the test in 2020. There was some small leakage through the threads when we left the bottle on its side overnight.

The Nalgene On The Fly comes with a locking flip-top lid but no spring release, so the lid wouldn’t pop open when we pushed the button.

The Embrava would be a good choice if the 24-ounce Thermos isn’t available, but it has a huge logo and a smooth body that becomes slick when wet.

If you’re drinking anything besides water, gunk will build up in your bottle over time, so you’ll need to clean it occasionally. The best way to do that is to use a bottle brush and some baking soda and vinegar.

OXO Good Grips Water Bottle Cleaning Set

For cleaning your bottle.

The OXO bottle-cleaning set includes a skinny straw brush and a looped, detail-cleaning brush—everything you need to keep your water bottle squeaky-clean.

After several hours of research, we found that the best bottle-cleaning set is the OXO Good Grips Water Bottle Cleaning Set . This dishwasher-safe kit offers a large bottle brush, a skinny straw brush, and a looped, detail-cleaning brush, all kept together on a handy ring so you don’t lose any parts. We bought a couple of sets to confirm their quality, and they are as good as we thought they would be.

This article was edited by Eve O’Neill and Christine Ryan.

Wesley Johnson, cryogenics research engineer at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland , email interview , August 22, 2018

Jocelyn Ivanov, MIT, Drinking fountains: the past and future of free public water in the United States , September 29, 2015

PH Gleick, HS Cooley, Energy implications of bottled water (PDF) , Environmental Research Letters , February 19, 2009

Bottling Our Cities' Tap Water (PDF) , Food & Water Watch , August 1, 2010

No consumer health risk from bisphenol A exposure , European Food Safety Authority , January 21, 2015

Jon Hamilton, Beyond BPA: Court Battle Reveals A Shift In Debate Over Plastic Safety , NPR , February 16, 2015

Johanna R. Rochester, Ashley L. Bolden, Bisphenol S and F: A Systematic Review and Comparison of the Hormonal Activity of Bisphenol A Substitutes , Environmental Health Perspectives , July 1, 2015

Jenna Bilbrey, BPA-Free Plastic Containers May Be Just as Hazardous , Scientific American , August 11, 2014

M. Ridder, Sales volume of bottled water in the United States from 2010 to 2020 , Statista , May 10, 2022

Meet your guides

Eve O'Neill

Eve O'Neill is a former senior staff writer reporting on travel and outdoors at Wirecutter. She can remember the titles on her childhood bookshelf that set her in this direction: Into Thin Air, On The Road, The Call of the Wild . She has always been drawn to ideas about how to relate to, and play in, the wilderness.

Sam Schild is a writer and outdoor adventurer based in Denver. A former academic, teacher, and bicycle mechanic, he now finds joy in adventures as often as possible. Whether he travels by bicycle or on foot, he uses his experience outside to bring inspiration to all the stories he tells.

Further reading

How to Clean a Travel Mug or Water Bottle

by Christine Ryan

Don’t want your coffee to taste like yesterday’s brew? Give your travel mug a good deep clean—and do the same for your insulated water bottle, too!

This Inexpensive Water Bottle Is Meant for Cyclists, But It’s Great for Travelers, Too

The Camelbak Podium is affordable, lightweight, and perfect for packing.

We’ve Recommended This Travel Mug for a Decade. It’s Still Going Strong.

by James Austin

Our longtime favorite travel mug keeps drinks piping hot, and the nifty locking lid makes it virtually spill-proof.

The Best Travel Mug

by Trey French and Anna Perling

After testing travel mugs for more than 10 years, we’re still confident that the Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug is the best mug to keep drinks hot for hours.

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The 13 Best Water Bottles of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Stay hydrated wherever you go with these durable and insulated water bottles.

In This Article

• Our Top Picks

Our Testing Process

• Others We Liked
• Tips for Buying

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why Trust T+L

Travel + Leisure / Janelle Jones

For hiking trips, biking adventures, and commuting to the office, a reusable water bottle is a great way to increase your hydration and cut down on single-use plastics. We tested dozens of popular water bottles to determine the very best based on qualities like durability, portability, and the ability to retain temperatures. 

When picking out a water bottle, it’s important to factor in weight, size, and material so you purchase a container that best fits your needs. To find the best water bottles on the heavily saturated market, we put the most popular and innovative designs through a series of tests in our Lab. After all the jostling, dropping, and critiquing we put them through, the Thermoflask Double Stainless Steel Insulated Water Bottle is our top pick if you’re looking for a bottle that’s easy to carry around, keeps water cold, and has a leak-proof lid. 

Best Overall

Thermoflask stainless steel water bottle.

• Drinkability 5 /5
• Portability 4.5 /5
• Insulation 4 /5
• Durability 4.5 /5

This stainless steel bottle is easy to carry, keeps water cold for hours, and has a reliable, leak-proof lid that was still in pristine condition after being dropped on the floor three times. 

This high-capacity water bottle is bigger and heavier than others we tested.

The Thermoflask Double Stainless Steel Insulated Water Bottle is the ideal water bottle for everyday use. Whether you’re going to the gym or running errands, this vacuum-insulated, stainless steel bottle has a comfortable grip with a convenient handle for carrying, and it fits in a standard-sized vehicle cup holder. No need to worry about backpack spills—we were impressed with the strong seal that prevented leaking, even when we vigorously shook the bottle. Depending on your day-to-day needs, you can switch between two lids that come with the Thermoflask: one straw top and one chug cap that remained leak-proof after being dropped lid-down on the ground three times. We thought the chug cap was comfortable to drink from, and it provided a steady flow of water without any chance of spillage while sipping. The straw lid is ideal for exercising or when you’re otherwise busy, thanks to a tiny air pressure hole that allows you to drink continuously with one hand or hands-free. 

If you want a great travel accessory that provides an ample reserve of chilled water all day long, this is your winner. The Thermoflask’s double-wall insulation did an excellent job of keeping water temperature steady over six hours, only warming 3 degrees in that time — making it perfect to keep in your tennis bag on a sunny day on the court. In addition to being perfectly cold, water from the Thermoflask tasted pure and fresh with absolutely none of the metallic or plastic flavor transfer that can come along with some lesser bottles. While we tested the cobalt blue model, there are four other colors to choose from, including white, black, purple, and light blue. The 40-ounce model is ideal when you need a robust supply of hydration, but the Thermoflask is available in 18- to 64-ounce bottles if you have different capacity needs.

The Details: 40 ounces | BPA-free stainless steel | Chug spout or straw

Travel + Leisure / Conor Ralph

Best Overall, Runner-up

Yeti stainless steel bottle.

• Portability 4 /5
• Durability 5 /5

The chug cap is uniquely pleasant to drink out of, and the water bottle sustained no leaks or scratches after we dropped it three times.

The bottle felt heavy to carry and didn’t fit securely in a standard-sized cup holder.

For a durable water bottle built to withstand a rugged lifestyle, the Yeti Rambler 26-ounce Bottle is a solid choice. We found that the water didn’t absorb any metallic taste, and it felt natural to drink out of the narrow chug cap, which was effective at preventing spilling. Drinking from the bottle is easy because of its comfortable mouthpiece. While it barely fits in a standard car cup holder, the bottle slipped into our backpack’s water bottle pocket nicely. This bottle also regulates temperature effectively; the water only rose 2 degrees after six hours. Although the Yeti Rambler felt slightly bulky and heavy, the flaws will be worth it to those who need a durable container that can provide refreshing gulps hours into an outdoor venture . We dropped the bottle three times, and although it didn’t sustain scratches or leaks, there was some minor denting on its body. Still, we think this is a sturdy choice for comfortable drinking in a variety of settings. 

The Details: 26 ounces | 18/8 Stainless steel | Dishwasher safe | Chug spout

Travel + Leisure / Janelle Jones

Best Insulation

Takeya actives water bottle.

• Insulation 5 /5

This water bottle remained dent- and leak-free after being dropped three times, and the ice water’s temperature even got colder after six hours. 

It’s too tall and wide for a standard-sized cup holder, and a few tiny drops leaked when we carried it around.

If you prefer your water ice-cold, don’t go anywhere without the Takeya Actives Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle. It performed the best out of all of the bottles during the temperature testing: The water was actually 5 degrees colder after six hours in the bottle, thanks to melted ice and vacuum insulation. According to Takeya, the bottle will keep hot liquids at the same temperature for 12 hours, and cold liquid frigid for 24 hours. We were also impressed with the lid of the bottle, noting that it’s “just the right size so that you can get as much water as you want without spilling and can get a perfect flow of water from it.” Its 24-ounce capacity means you won't have to buy multiple bottles of water, so it's also a money-saving travel product . Along with the double-walled stainless steel material of the main bottle, the lid is insulated to prevent condensation from building up and lowering the water temperature. When we walked around with the bottle, a few drops did escape, but there was no leaking when we shook it. The size of the bottle was a great fit for a backpack holder, but is too tall to rest securely in a vehicle cup holder. While the bottle might be too big for some car commuters, we think it’s a great everyday companion that will keep your water cold all year long.

The Details: 24 ounces | BPA-free stainless steel | Chug spout

Best Collapsible

Nomader collapsible water bottle.

• Drinkability 4.5 /5
• Portability 5 /5
• Insulation 2 /5
• Durability 4 /5

The silicone bottle rolls into a small pouch and still feels stable to drink from without any plasticky aftertaste.

This bottle is not insulated and won’t keep water cold for long.

Our top pick for the best collapsible water bottle, the Nomader Water Bottle impressed us with its ability to seamlessly roll up into a small pouch and expand into a full-size water bottle that remained leak-proof during heavy shaking. Although the silicone water bottle isn’t insulated, the water tasted normal and didn’t have any plasticky aftertaste. The lid was pleasant to drink from, although the cap does touch your face when you do so. The Nomader felt stable despite being made of squishy silicone; when we dropped the bottle onto its lid, however, the plastic cap cracked a bit. Meanwhile, the body bounced off the floor without leaving any scuffs or damage. Ideal for packing, the Nomader water bottle will keep you hydrated and save space in your bag. 

The Details: 22 ounces | BPA-free silicone | Dishwasher safe | Chug spout

Best with Straw

Brita insulated filtered water bottle.

 Amazon

• Seal 4.5 /5

The lid flips open and clicks shut, providing a durable seal to prevent leaking.

The aluminum base wasn’t as durable as the other bottles we tested.

The Brita Stainless Steel Filter Bottle has a sleek design with eight matte colors to choose from in 20- or 32-ounce sizes. During testing, we loved the pure taste from the internal water-filtering straw. The bottle comes with one filter that will need to be replaced once every two months, per Brita’s instructions. The lid of the cap flips open to reveal a silicone mouthpiece, and while we were skeptical of the texture, it ended up being comfortable to drink from. When we shook the bottle around, not one drop escaped from the mouthpiece, but when we dropped it lid-down, the base dented easily and the seal broke, causing the cap to leak a bit. The bottle fits in a standard backpack and cup holder, and there is a wide handle on the top of the lid that is smooth to hold when you need to carry it. After sitting out for six hours, the ice inside of the bottle melted, and the water temperature decreased by three degrees. The Filter Bottle comes in an array of unique colors, including ruby and jade. If you’re looking for a bottle that will keep your water chilled and filtered, this Brita design is a great option, but we recommend handling it with some care so it won’t dent. 

The Details: 20 and 32 ounces | Stainless steel | Straw

Best Stainless Steel

Hydro flask 24 oz standard mouth bottle.

• Insulation 3.5 /5
• Durability 3.5 /5

The bottle is comfortable to hold with a solid grip, and the wide mouth was pleasant to drink out of.

There were a few dents after dropping the bottle, and the water temperature went up after six hours.

If you’re in search of a no-frills stainless steel water bottle, the Hydro Flask Standard-mouth Flex Cap Bottle is a wise choice. During testing, the bottle performed well and impressed us with a sturdy grip, and the width of the mouth made for a comfortable lip to drink from. We thought the jointed loop handle was easy to hold and allowed the bottle to sway and move around naturally. However, someone with bigger hands might find the loop of the handle to be too small. If that’s the case, the bottle fits perfectly into a backpack water bottle sleeve and a car cup holder. Although the body of the bottle dented when we dropped it, the flaws were only cosmetic, and the functionality remained intact. Over time, the bottle would likely get dented and scratched, but it would stay functional and leak-proof for everyday use. If feel is more important to you than aesthetics, this could be the right bottle for you.

The Details: 18 ounces | 18/8 Pro-grade stainless steel | Dishwasher safe | Canteen lid

Best for Biking

Camelbak podium bike water bottle.

• Drinkability 3 /5

The bottle had a solid grip while being held, and it was unaffected by our durability tests.

The spout needs to be pulled out by hand, and this is not an insulated bottle.

The CamelBak Podium Bike Water Bottle is a lightweight, BPA-free water bottle optimized for cycling. We were impressed with the bottle’s durability, as it had no issues being dropped on the ground several times. It sustained no leaks, cracks, or scratches, which is ideal for mountain or terrain biking where there’s a possibility that your bottle could fall out of a holder at high speeds. The plastic design of the bottle can’t keep water cold, but it has more give to securely fit into a bike’s holder without rattling around like a clunky stainless steel model. When we shook the bottle to test for leaks, it remained secure without any drops coming out of the spout. The spout does require a hand to open, so you may need to stop to drink from it when you’re on a bike. We had to squeeze the bottle to access water, since there is no straw or wide-mouth cap. While this bottle can’t keep water cold for the duration of an extended bike ride, we think its durability and lightweight design make it a reliable piece of gear for your next ride.

The Details: 21 ounces | BPA-free plastic | Chug spout

Best Filtering

Grayl ultrapress filter bottle.

• Insulation 2.5 /5

The non-slip rubber base had a comfortable grip and prevented damage to the plastic body when we dropped it. 

The water temperature increased after six hours.

With a high-grade water filtration system, the Grayl Ultrapress Water Purifier and Filter Bottle is a great asset to have when camping or hiking. The manufacturer claims that the filtration system removes 99.9 percent of viruses, bacteria, and protozoan cysts and filters out dirt and chemicals. We were impressed by the bottle’s durability and comfort while drinking from the vented spout. The hard plastic material is coated with a soft grip cover that was comfortable to hold, and the jointed handle was easy to grasp. Drinking from the spout felt natural, and it closed securely without any leaks occurring during testing. While the price point is higher than most bottles, we think the durability, ease of use, and filtration system are worth it. 

The Details: 16.9 ounces | Polypropylene | Chug spout

Corkcicle Canteen

It's easy to drink from and comes in multiple fun colors and designs.

It dented badly after being dropped.

This chic water bottle is easy to drink from and doesn't leak even when shaken. The bottle isn't too large and has a smooth-but-not-slick exterior that is easy to hold or store in most bags' side pockets. During our insulation tests, this bottle had one of the best performances, keeping water cold even after six hours in our lab (it's advertised with the ability to keep liquids cold for up to 25 hours.) The bottle did, however, dent during our drop test, so it may not be as durable for everyday use as other stainless steel options, but makes for a stylish statement water bottle to bring on low-risk adventures.

The Details: 16 ounces | Stainless steel | Canteen lid

Best Plastic

Yeti yonder water bottle.

• Insulation 3 /5

It's completely leak-proof.

It isn't insulated.

This Yeti bottle is made of 50 percent recycled plastic and BPA-free plastic for a lightweight alternative to heavier stainless steel bottles. The tether cap is easy to use and prevents leaks, even if you toss it into your backpack or carry-on for a full day on the town. It also fits into all standard-sized cupholders and water bottle pockets for easy access. Throughout our tests, the bottle was dropped and thrown around more times than we could count — on grass, tile, and carpet — and it didn't suffer any scratches or scuffs. While this water bottle isn't insulated, the lighter material makes for a sleek option perfect for those who want to minimize bag weight.

The Details: 20, 25, 34, and 50 ounces | Plastic | Dishwasher safe | Canteen lid

Best Filtered

Larq bottle filtered.

It keeps water cold for hours, even in extreme temperatures.

The filters need to be replaced every two months and are $20 each.

To ensure you have access to safe drinking water wherever you go, consider this filtered water bottle by Larq. While the large filter does take up some room in the body of the bottle, it's definitely worth it to make sure you stay hydrated wherever you go. Simply fill your bottle from your nearest water fountain or bathroom faucet and enjoy crisp, clean water every time. During three months of tests, the bottle never leaked, even when brought on planes, trains, buses, and the subway inside bags and clipped to the outside with the built-in carabiner. We even used this bottle in Egypt in the middle of July and it kept the water cold for hours. This is a pricey bottle, but constant access to reliable drinking water (especially when traveling) makes this bottle well-worth the price.

The Details: 17 and 25 ounces | Stainless steel | Straw

Best with Handle

Stanley 40 oz stainless steel h2.0 flowstate quencher tumbler.

It's perfect if you're going on a road trip or driving as it will last you a long time and keep your water pretty cold.

It is not leak proof and water will come out if it turns on its side.

At this point, Stanley Tumblers are synonymous with it-girl-hydration. These large bottles keep water cold for hours, feature a convenient straw, and come in a variety of sizes so you can pick your favorite. Plus, the sturdy and convenient handle is great for travel — whether you're going for a walk or heading to the airport. While the tumbler can get quite heavy, it's the perfect choice for taking to the gym or bringing on your next road trip since it holds plenty of water. We prepared our water with ice before bed and waking up the next day, the water was still cold. The exterior is also shockingly durable and looks brand new even after we've dropped it on the sidewalk several times

The Details: 14, 20, 30, 40 and 64 ounces | Stainless Steel | Dishwasher safe | Straw

Best for Hiking

Wondery fifty states bucket list water bottle.

The stickers are well-designed and a fun motivator to head to new destinations.

Be sure to store your unused stickers in a safe space as replacement stickers cost extra.

This water bottle is such a fun idea, you'll want to buy one for yourself and your favorite hiking buddy. The Wonder Outdoors Bucket List Bottles come in the Fifty States design, The Original Parks of the USA , Euro Trip , and more. Each bottle comes with several sticker sheets, so as you travel to new destinations, you can peel off the sticker and add it to the outside of your bottle. Perfect for new travelers, youngsters, and bucket list adventurers, this bottle is even dish washer safe (although hand washing will help the stickers last longer.)

We love that the bottle comes with a sturdy handle that you can use for holding or as an attachment piece for the outside of your pack. It's also a great size for hiking, at 32-ounces, it provides plenty of water for shorter hikes, but doesn't add too much weight to your set-up.

The Details: 32 ounces | Stainless steel | Dishwasher safe | Straw

We tested dozens of popular water bottles in our New York City lab and in the real world to find out which ones have the best drinkability, durability, portability, insulation, and leak-proof levels.

We first filled up their water bottles one-quarter of the way full of ice, and the remaining space was filled with cold water from a machine. We then measured and recorded the water temperatures. Then, we each took sips from our bottles while standing, walking, and sitting, to evaluate how comfortable each one was to drink from, whether there was any spilling, and how easy or difficult it was to take big gulps. To test the seals, we shook the closed bottles, hold them upside down for one minute, and then place them in a backpack and walk around for five minutes. The bags and bottles were carefully inspected to see whether any drops had escaped.

Our portability tests included having the testers grip each bottle as well as carry it with any included handles to judge the weight and how natural it felt to hold. We placed each water bottle in a standard-size car cup holder and a backpack water bottle pocket to see how convenient it would be to transport them in these common ways. 

Next, we assessed durability by dropping the bottles onto the ground from the height of a table. The bottles were dropped three times so that they landed on their bodies and three times with the lid facing the hard floor. That allowed us to see how easily the bottles got dented or scratched and whether the lids broke and rendered the bottles unusable.

Lastly, we tested the insulation of each bottle by letting them sit in the sun for six hours, taking the temperature again halfway through the wait period and then one final time after the full six hours.

Other Water Bottles We Liked

There were some water bottles that almost made our list, but a few weaknesses during testing meant they didn’t make the cut.

Purist Mover : While we thought the bottle was easy to grip and drink out of, it was easily dented during the durability test and even leaked afterwards. The bottle didn’t perform as well as we had hoped, given its somewhat lofty price. 

Kleen Kanteen Insulated TKWide 32-ounce with Chug Cap : Although this bottle was durable and retained temperature well, there was nothing remarkable about it that stood out in comparison to other insulated bottles we tested. 

Tips for Buying a Water Bottle

Consider the material’s durability and insulation.

The material of a water bottle affects its durability, ability to retain water temperature, and weight. 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 folding bottles that are perfect for saving space. Since glass bottles have the potential to break or shatter, we recommend being mindful of the activities you would use them for. 

Certain types of lids and spouts suit different activities 

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 other high-intensity activities, 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, 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.

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.

Why Trust Travel + Leisure

Anna Popp is a Commerce Writer at Travel + Leisure, where she writes and reviews travel products. She has been travel writing since 2018, and product testing since 2021. Anna worked with travel editors and expert product testers to determine the results for the best water bottles, based on a series of tests completed in our New York Lab.

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Related Articles

The Best Travel Water Filters & Purifiers for Every Budget – Tested & Ranked

By Author Steph Dyson

Posted on Last updated: 6th October 2023

If you’re preparing for an international trip abroad, then a travel water filter or purifier bottle should be at the top of your list of essential packing items. 

Not only will you want to avoid getting ill from polluted water sources, but you’re probably also concerned about your environmental impact. A carefully selected water filter can help to solve both of these problems.

But what should you be looking for in a portable water filter and which are the best options on the market? 

I’ve personally trialed multiple portable water filtration and purification systems over the past five years of travel in South America and other parts of the world.

As a result, I’ve been able to identify which are the best for international travel and therefore make an excellent investment for your next trip abroad. 

Click to navigate this article:

Why do you need a travel water filter or purifier? 

Who doesn’t have a story of getting violently ill traveling abroad?

More often than not, it’s the result of untreated water, particularly as waterborne microorganisms are a real problem in developing countries, where poor sanitation can lead to untreated sewage entering drinking water supplies. 

Diseases such as diarrhea , cholera, dysentery, and typhoid can be transmitted through contaminated water and thus make you very, very sick. 

Diarrhea is the most common illness associated with drinking unpurified water. Luckily, there’s an easy solution: bring a portable water purifier with you on your travels, which quickly and easily filters out dirty water, leaving it safe for you to drink. 

Planning Your Trip to South America?

Save time, stress & money with a customized travel itinerary planned for you by a South America expert

What previous clients have said:

“Steph’s itinerary exceeded all expectations. She provided off-the-beaten-path hikes, great restaurants and accommodations, and very helpful local contacts. Due to the weather we had to deviate from our original plan, however Steph quickly responded to our email during the trip with further recommendations. Her service took all the guesswork out of planning our vacation and led to the most fun and unforgettable trip we have ever had!”

The problem with single-use plastic water bottles

What’s more, relying on bottled water – which is always safe to drink – presents its own problems. Reuters produced graphics to illustrate the scale of the problem , showing how every minute, one million single-use plastic bottles are purchased around the world.

This works out to 1.3 billion bottles per day or 481.6 billion bottles per year.  

Many single-use plastic bottles are widely recyclable. Unfortunately, most aren’t, and instead end up in landfill where they will take at least 450 years to degrade . Yes, seriously. 

Imagine you’re on a one-week international trip and you drink the recommended two liters per day. Each day, you purchase two single-use plastic bottles containing one liter of water; by the end of the week, you’ll have used 14 single-use plastic bottles.

But what if you’re on a two-week trip? Or a month? Or a year? Your environmental impact starts to build up – and so does the cost. 

Why travel water purifiers are a sensible economic choice

If you can expect to spend around $2 USD per day on bottled water, many of the purifiers listed in this guide will see you break even after just a two-week trip or one week if you’re traveling in a pair.

What’s more, your water purifier can be used on every trip you take in the future, making them an environmentally- and budget-conscious piece of travel equipment.

What is the difference between water purifiers and water filters?

Both “purifier” and “filter” are thrown around a lot, but did you know they actually have a crucial difference? 

Water filters – such as those like Brita filters you might find in your home – can remove impurities such as small particles and unpleasant odors such as chlorine (which is often used to kill micro-organisms in the water to ensure that it’s safe to drink in the first place). 

This type of system removes waterborne protozoa (parasites such as Giardia and cryptosporidium oocysts ) and bacteria (single-celled organisms such as E. Coli and salmonella). 

However, water filters are unable to remove some of the most dangerous impurities in the water: viruses.  

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, viruses such as rotavirus and norovirus are the smallest of all waterborne disease-causing microorganisms and can pass through filters with pore sizes of between 0.1 and 0.4.

Therefore, if a purifier has a membrane larger than this, viruses are not caught by the filter and instead pass right through with the water itself.

Water purification , on the other hand, removes all three of these classes of microbes and therefore provides complete protection to the drinker – thus stopping you from getting ill. 

Which type of travel water purifier do you need? 

It can feel like a herculean task when faced with the variety of travel water purifiers on the market to identify which is best for you and the type of international travel that you do. 

Add into the mix the range of prices, sizes, and exactly what they safely remove from the water, and you can be left feeling completely perplexed. 

To make things simple, water purification systems can be broken down into the following types of products:

Which water purifiers for international travel exist on the market?

There’s a wide range of different options available at different price points and for different styles of travel. 

I have personally trialed all of the water purifiers listed – except for two as indicated – and vouch for their effectiveness based upon this. 

UV water purifiers: Steripen Adventurer

Trialed by me: yes

The only portable UV water purifier on this list, the Steripen Adventurer kills all bacteria, viruses, and parasites found in water and does so almost in the blink of an eye. Seriously. 

It looks a bit like a pen that you dip into a bottle full of untreated water. At the click of a button, you begin to “stir” the water using the Steripen and in just 90 seconds, you’ve purified a liter of water.

A light on the body of the device lets you know exactly when to stop stirring and whether the water has been successfully purified or not. 

To use the Steripen Adventurer, you need to buy your own wide-mouthed water bottle to use with the purifier (I’ve found the Nalgene water bottle to be an ideal size for this), meaning you can ensure that you have enough water for a day’s hike or drive if you fill up a couple of water bottles. 

It’s also handy if you’re sightseeing around a city and don’t want to purify loads of water in one go; just purify a small amount, ask for your bottle to be filled up from the tap in a restaurant, and purify the water you need. 

It’s also the lightest portable water purification system on this list, weighing in at only 70g – although you will need to have your own water bottle at hand. 

Some reviewers have claimed issues with the battery and that it has failed at crucial moments; I have not personally faced any such issues during my four years of ownership. 

Things to consider about the Steripen Adventurer

The main negative about the Steripen Adventurer is the fact that the batteries it requires are really, really weird (like seriously, I’ve never seen them before) and saw me buying a large box of them from Amazon (and of which I’ve used about four because the batteries do seem to last forever). 

Secondly, it is a delicate piece of kit with the UV light easy enough to break if you don’t take care of it – although this isn’t an issue that I have faced.

Thirdly, you cannot use the Steripen for murky water as suspended soil particles in the water can shield microorganisms from the UV light, thus preventing them from being killed in the process. 

Therefore, if you plan on backpacking a lot on your trip or taking water from backcountry water sources that could have been contaminated by humans, this isn’t a great option for you. 

Finally, it’s also one of the most expensive of the water purification systems available (coming in a tiny bit cheaper than the Grayl). However, in my experience, you get what you pay for. 

Check out my full review here: Why the Steripen Adventurer is the best backpacking water purifier .

I’ve personally used the Steripen Adventurer for close to five years and find it the most convenient and easy-to-use travel water filter for travel on the market.

90 seconds is all you need to purify a one-liter bottle of water and remove protozoa, bacteria, and viruses, leaving water that is perfectly safe for you to drink immediately. 

It’s ideal for using with contaminated tap water in developing countries but not a great choice for backcountry hiking because it can’t filter out sediment.

Independent tests have also shown that the quality of the water that is filtered is not as good as the Grayl Geopress. 

Buy the Steripen Adventurer Opti on Amazon or buy the newer Steripen Ultra UV on REI

Bottle water purifiers: LifeStraw Go

Trialed by me: no

The LifeStraw Go is often touted by backpackers as the best water filter for traveling abroad because of its ease of use and accessible cost.

This is a bottle water purifier, which means that you fill the bottle up, re-insert the straw filter, and then suck through it. The water is purified as it travels up and into your mouth. 

The process is therefore instantaneous, requiring no time, planning, or effort on your part. 

Inside the filter cartridge itself, activated carbon removes unpleasant chlorine or other odors from the water.

It also comes with a carabiner clip so that you can easily attach it to your bag while out sightseeing in a city or to your rucksack when you’re on the trail. 

Things to consider about the LifeStraw Go

However, there’s a big but for any travelers. 

The LifeStraw Go doesn’t remove viruses from the water. While the company doesn’t actually claim it will, I honestly didn’t know this vital piece of information until I started researching this article. 

As a water filter bottle so regularly recommended to backpackers, this is a crucial bit of information that lots of people seem to have missed. 

Tap water in developing countries (and all across South America where I’ve traveled) is rife with viruses; throughout this continent and the world in general, 1 in 3 people (that’s 2.2 million people) don’t have access to safe, clean drinking water according to the World Health Organisation and UNICEF . 

Therefore, the LifeStraw Go leaves you open to stomach upsets and other serious illnesses.  

What’s more, you will need to replace the cartridge in this purifier on a regular basis if you plan to use it long-term on a trip.

The manufacturers recommend every three months – and you’ll know when it’s time to replace the bottle as it’ll start becoming increasingly more difficult to suck water through the straw.

This is costly (effectively the price of buying a brand new LifeStraw Go), so is definitely something to consider. 

A friend of mine who reviewed this product for me also mentioned how the filter is prone to leak when placed in direct sunlight or when it’s at altitude.

On the place she had an incident where the bottle leaked, leaving her seat wet for the entirety of her flight, which isn’t exactly ideal. 

The LifeStraw Go doesn’t remove viruses so isn’t safe for day-to-day travel use in developing countries where tap water isn’t safe to drink. 

A lot of people ask which is better, the Grayl or the Lifestraw Go, but it’s not even a fair contest as they’re aimed at different things (read my Grayl Geopress review below to learn more).

Instead, this is a great water filter bottle for hiking in backcountry destinations where the river water is unlikely to have been tampered with. It’s affordable and easy to use. 

Buy the Lifestraw Go on REI or Amazon

Bottle water purifiers: Water to Go

The Water to Go is another water purifier bottle.

When I first came across this brand, I was really impressed with the price of their products. This is a top water purifier as it’s one of the cheapest models on the market and can filter all of the nasties that you don’t want to have in the water: bacteria, viruses, and protozoa, as well as filtering out heavy metals such as lead and other harmful chemicals. 

It’s also designed to make sure that the water tastes good; inside the filter cartridge are activated carbon particles to reduce any unpleasant taste or odors in the water. 

If you buy it on Amazon, it comes with a replacement filter, which you’ll likely need after three months of use, while additional replacement filters are relatively affordable at around only $13 USD a pop.

Things to consider about the Water to Go

While the Water to Go is probably up there as the best filtered water bottle for international travel, there are some downsides.

Many users have reported that the bottle does leak if it isn’t kept completely upright – which is a bit of an issue if you’re using this water filter bottle for travel, as keeping a bottle upright is nigh on impossible.

Some reviews have also noted how it’s not a very durable water filtration bottle, so you’ll want to make sure that you don’t drop it (the Grayl Geopress, below, is a far sturdier alternative). 

With the larger bottle, it’s also hard to see how much water you have remaining as the plastic is opaque (the smaller 500ml bottle is clear so you can see this), which can be annoying. The black design isn’t great for hot countries anyway as it causes the water to heat up rapidly. 

For me, the bottle is a little on the small side (I don’t like to travel without a one-liter water bottle), particularly as it can be hard to get the final hundred milliliters from the bottom of the bottle – so capacity is never fully 750ml. 

This isn’t designed to be a squeeze purifier (check the Sawyer Mini below instead for that), so you can’t use it to purify water into a glass – instead, you’ll be drinking from the water bottle throughout.

If this is a game changer for you, I’d recommend the Steripen Adventurer instead.  

This is among the cheapest and most affordable portable travel water purifiers and delivers with speed, capacity, and ease of use. It’s also significantly lighter than the comparable LifeStraw Go and has a slightly larger capacity. 

However, you’ll want to keep it upright to avoid leaks and I would avoid the black design if you want to keep your water cool. 

Buy the Water To Go on Amazon

Squeeze purifiers: Sawyer Mini

The Sawyer Mini is the cheapest and one of the most lightweight water purifiers on this list.

Like the Steripen Adventurer, you can filter water in advance as you squeeze dirty water from the provided container through the filter and into your own bottle. 

It also should last a lifetime, with no need to replace the filter cartridge – at all. This is because you can flush the filter out using the small syringe that comes with the filter.

This is the only filter on the list that should never require replacing and, for the price, this makes the Sawyer Mini incredibly hard to beat in many respects.

You can also link it up to a hydration bladder such as the Platypus and suck the water directly from the bladder through the filter. Similar to the LifeStraw Go, this does require some effort because of the resistance provided by the filter. 

Things to consider about the Sawyer Mini

However, as with the LifeStraw Go above, the Sawyer Mini doesn’t remove viruses from the water.

Therefore, it’s really only recommended for backcountry hiking trips with reasonably clean and reliable water sources, rather than something to use when you’re traveling through developing countries and drinking tap water that’s potentially contaminated with waterborne viruses.  

I also found this pretty hard to use for one main reason: the bag tears pretty easily if you’re not super careful when you’re squeezing.

This is something that the manufacturers highlight as being an issue (and subsequently, you should be more careful) but was a real deal-breaker for me and the main reason that I opted instead for the Steripen Adventurer . 

I also found that, because of the degree of care you needed, the whole process takes a lot more time than it needs to (around two minutes, and a lot of pressure, for a liter of water).

This isn’t helped by the fact that the filter cartridge can clog easily and you need to backflush the system using the provided syringe to enable it to work again. 

On balance, neither my dad or my brother have faced similar issues when using the Sawyer Mini and it has rapidly become my dad’s water purification system of choice.

That said, if you’re just starting out with the Sawyer Mini, you’ll want to invest in a couple of spare bags in case you do spring a leak. 

This is a great little water purifier at a supremely accessible price, but the fact that it doesn’t filter out viruses means that it’s not ideal for travel.

Instead, this is probably the best water filtration system for backpacking and backcountry hiking, but only in areas where the water sources are unlikely to be polluted with waterborne viruses. 

Sawyer has just recently launched their new Select Water Purifiers and Filters range, with the S3 range aimed toward international travel as it removes bacteria, protozoa, viruses, heavy metals, and chemicals (including pesticides).

It’s a lot more expensive than the Sawyer Mini (coming in at a similar price to the Steripen and Grayl) but looks like it could be an excellent alternative. 

If you’ve tried this new product, please let me know your experiences!

Buy the Sawyer Mini water filter on REI or Amazon

Press purifiers: Grayl Geopress

The Grayl Geopress is a very different type of water purifier from those discussed above.

It’s a bottle that you fill with water, before inserting the filter cartridge and pressing down, thus forcing the water through the cartridge in one swift movement.

It’s a really popular bit of gear for travelers because it does eliminate all bacteria, protozoa, and viruses, meaning it’s a reliable source of fresh and safe drinking water. 

What’s more, the Grayl Geopress has a capacity of 710 ml, which is comparable with all of the bottle water filters available on the market.

Finally, the water bottle itself is the most durable of those in this guide and you can guarantee that dropping this bottle isn’t going to cause serious harm to the filter. It also won’t leak, even if it’s stored upside down. 

Things to consider about the Grayl Geopress

However, my biggest issue with using the Grayl Geopress is how small the capacity of the bottle is. 

While they claim that it filters 710 ml, I found this to be less because of the dribble of water at the bottom of the bottle that ends up being out of reach of the cartridge and therefore doesn’t get purified. 

What’s more, I’ve found that the act of pressing the water through the filter genuinely starts to hurt my hand after a while. You need some serious guns (US readers: muscles!) to work this filter and it can feel like a bit of an ordeal to be doing this multiple times per day. 

It can also get extremely tough to press if the water has lots of sand or silt in it, so you’ll probably want to try and pre-filter this (a handkerchief or similar piece of cloth can be useful for this). 

Note that at altitude, I’ve also found that the filter cartridge starts trying to remove itself from the bottle due to the pressure, which caused some leaking. Therefore to avoid this, you may want to ensure that it’s not completely filled before you fly. 

The Grayl Geopress left my hands hurting, however, independent testing has proven that it provides some of the cleanest water post-purification, blowing the Steripen Adventurer out of the water.

What’s more, it can filter water containing particulates, so can be used in practically any context and still guarantee safe drinking water in a matter of minutes. This makes it an ideal option as a water filter for traveling abroad. 

Issues remain in the fact that it doesn’t have space for that much water and it’s really heavy, which is the compromise for the quality of the purification system inside. 

Buy the Grayl Geopress on REI , Backcountry or Amazon

Gravity purifiers: Sawyer One-Gallon Gravity Filtration System

Sawyer’s One-Gallon Gravity Filtration System is basically a one-gallon bag attached to the Sawyer Mini. You hang the bag in a tree or off your pack and watch as gravity pushes the water through the Sawyer Mini and into your receptacle of choice. 

Because gravity, rather than your hands, is doing all the work, this version of the Sawyer is a lot more durable. Additionally, the Sawyer Mini filter that comes with it has the same long lifespan – 100,000 gallons of water or, what the manufacturers claim is equivalent to a lifetime of water. 

This is a great option if there are a number of you on a trip, as you can quickly and easily filter water for cooking or drinking. 

Things to consider about the Sawyer One-Gallon Gravity Filtration System

However, as with the Sawyer Mini, this water purification system doesn’t filter viruses, so isn’t ideal for travel.

I saw some guys using one on the O Circuit in Torres del Paine and it was great for this type of situation: the water sources in the park are largely uncontaminated by humans or chemicals, so the water just needed filtering for sediment. 

Again, the Sawyer One-Gallon Gravity Filtration System doesn’t filter viruses, so isn’t a good choice for general travel. However, like the Sawyer Mini, it’s a great outdoor water filtration system for backpacking and backcountry hiking, particularly if you’re travelling in a group. 

Buy the Sawyer One-Gallon Gravity Filtration System on Amazon

Chemical water purification

Perhaps the most widely-used means of purifying water is through chemicals such as iodine or chlorine.

Tablets or drops can be bought at a very inexpensive price and need to just be added to the water you are trying to purify.

That said, you do need to wait from 30 minutes to four hours before it is safe to drink the water. 

Iodine purification tablets and drops don’t purify water from cryptosporidium oocysts and they can also leave the water with an unpleasant taste, although this can be circumnavigated with the help of additional tablets that neutralize the flavor. 

Chemical water purification tablets or drops are the ideal backup for any of the other methods identified in this guide. However, they are not a great solution for travel, particularly as you’ll want clean, drinkable water available at a moment’s notice. 

Get water purification tablets on REI , Backcountry or Amazon

If you’re traveling and don’t have access to any water filtration system, boiling is the most reliable method of acquiring safe drinking water. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it’s necessary to boil water for one minute to ensure that all waterborne microorganisms are killed. 

However, in my experience, if there’s no kettle where you’re staying (something very common in South America), then it can take a long time to boil a few liters of water. 

You also need to do this in advance (this method doesn’t allow you to purify while you’re out and about), while the pan you boil water in can leave an unpleasant metallic taste in your water. 

Boiling water is a last-resort option for acquiring safe drinking water and one that, while functional, can take time and result in metallic-flavored water. 

I personally think investing in a water purifier is worth the cost for its ease of use and is the best way to get clean drinking water when you’re traveling abroad. 

Which is the best travel water filter for international travel?

The best travel water purifier for simplicity: I personally prefer the Steripen as I’ve found this the fastest and most reliable method of treating tap water throughout South America.

Not only can you purify one liter of water in 90 seconds, but this also requires practically no effort on your part. 

The Steripen Adventurer removes everything from bacteria to protozoa and viruses making potentially contaminated water fit to drink. You need your own water bottle in addition to the filter itself, but I’ve found this to be a reliable little device, which is also highly portable, lightweight and small. 

Buy the Steripen Adventurer Opti on REI or Amazon

The best travel water purifier for every single circumstance: However, the Grayl Geopress comes a close second in the contest for finding the best travel water filter, despite a couple of reservations I have about the product.

This is because it removes practically everything from the water, including chemicals, hard metals, and microplastics and it even works with water containing particulates – something that the Steripen Adventurer isn’t capable of doing. 

The downside to the Grayl Geopress is the size and weight of the bottle and filter, which may put you off, but are something you can overlook in order to be guaranteed safe drinking water wherever you are on the road. 

Looking for more recommendations for travel and backcountry hiking? Find out why the Big Agnes is my go-to lightweight tent and read my recommendations for what to pack for South America and hiking hotspot, Patagonia .

Saturday 25th of November 2023

Hi. Thank you for this valuable information. Can I please ask you a question, and thanks in advance if you can help :)

I plan on doing a year backpacking and hiking in South America next year, so I need something that works 100% on everything - bacteria, viruses, protozoa, floating particles. It looks like the Geopress is the only option that ticks all of these boxes, am I right? As you mentioned, the Geopress is heavy/bulky, so is not ideal for my situation as I need to be fairly lightweight.

In my case, what would you recommend? Would it be a good idea to use a Sawyer Squeeze, and have some purification tables to remove the potential viruses?

Steph Dyson

Tuesday 28th of November 2023

Hi Aidan, I travelled across South America just using my steripen and didn't get ill. If you want the belt and braces approach, the Geopress is the best option. I wouldn't use purification tablets as they make the water taste awful. Steph

Friday 4th of August 2023

None of what you covered will prevent sickness in New Guinea. All of those items were good but it was the food not water that caused the problems in Port Moresby. I was sick the entire time until I went over to Rabaul on the other side of the country. Before I left the US I bought several of those items like the Lifestraw and grayl geopress. after 4 years of traveling in 32 country's I left them behind to lighten the bags. I mostly just found it easier to treat the reactions by traveling with pepto all the time. Or gaviscon in AU and nz. Even when I was a otr driver in the USA it was always the food not the water that caused the issues.

Wednesday 20th of September 2023

Hi Vance, the issue with food is typically as a result of the water being used (salad often makes people sick because of it being washed in water that has bacteria or viruses). Steph

Ryan Sainthill

Friday 21st of July 2023

Great article, I appreciate it! Thank you very much. I found out one filter but it is a bit bigger, so can anyone share some information with me if it is good to use this filter for walking or to buy another one? https://www.aussiestormshop.com.au/lifestraw-peak-series-1l-filter

Thursday 7th of April 2022

I love my Grayl! Great for foreign travel, I fill up with tap water, etc. all the time. Less worries about bottled water, as I found sometimes the hotel can be a little stingy. :) No issues pressing it, I just set it down and lean on it a bit. I don't try to hold and force it. A little heavy for backpacking, but I take it anyway. I carry a 1l. bladder and a couple of presses fills it up as well.

Friday 22nd of April 2022

Great, thanks for sharing! It's definitely one of the best options! Steph

Tuesday 29th of March 2022

I was very surprised to see your comment that LifeStraw doesn't remove viruses... as my research told me otherwise. I just double checked their website. They claim:

LifeStraw’s membrane ultrafilters are capable of removing 99.999% (log 5) of viruses, 99.999999% (log 8) of bacteria (including E. coli), 99.999% (log 5) of parasites (Giardia, Cryptosporidium, etc.), and 99.999% (log 5) of microplastics.

https://lifestraw.com/pages/how-our-products-work#:~:text=LifeStraw%20Membrane%20Ultrafilters%20%2F%20Purifiers&text=LifeStraw's%20membrane%20ultrafilters%20are%20capable,(log%205)%20of%20microplastics.

So not sure where your information is coming from, but this definitely gives me pause and I will do more research to confirm before buying.

Monday 20th of February 2023

@paul, hello - on their detail data sheet info, it’s just the PURIFIERS listed that remove viruses [Lifestraw “Mission”, “Family” and “Community” product items]. The other Lifestraw products on that page are FILTERS and they do not remove viruses [“Lifestraw”, “Lifestraw Go, Play, Universal, Steel” and “Lifestraw Flex” ]. [pardon my emphasis with the caps but it helps me to keep it straight]. Here’s the URL: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2631/0778/t/4/assets/LSGo-Play-Universal-SteelEvidenceDossier-1544005030340.pdf?9890004779047419701

Wednesday 1st of February 2023

@paul, I just checked your link and checked on their webpage too, and it doesn't say anything about virues. I was looking into it too as I would be interested if it removes viruses as well

Brita's Popular Filtering Water Bottle Is Just $14 Right Now

Shopping Writer, HuffPost

HuffPost and its publishing partners may receive a commission from some purchases made via links on this page. Every item is independently curated by the HuffPost Shopping team. Prices and availability are subject to change.

This leakproof, filtering Brita water bottle is a real winner among water bottles — and it’s on sale right now for just $14 at Walmart . (The retailer doesn’t advertise an original price, but it’s listed for $23.99 on Brita’s site and with an original price of $22.99 at Amazon .)

The bottle’s built-in filter ensures you can have tip-top quality water anywhere, without having to go through steps like using an external filter before adding it to your bottle. You can add water directly from the tap and enjoy filtered water straight away. The replaceable filter is ingeniously stored inside the straw, so you don’t even waste any precious capacity your bottle. The filter will also make your water taste and smell better — most notably, less like chlorine.

Plus, the bottle lid is leakproof, and the filter also makes it a great option for traveling , so you don’t have to spend extra money on disposable water bottles to get clean water. (In fact, Brita says this can replace up to 1,800 single-use plastic water bottles per year.)

Another reason I’m majorly impressed by the Brita water bottle? It’s sleek, despite holding 26 ounces of water. It’s thin enough to fit into backpacks and cup holders, making it more practical than bulky water bottles that provide hydration but are more difficult to transport with ease since they don’t fit into standard holders or sleeves.

An added bonus: It’s dishwasher-safe on the top shelf, too, so you don’t have to worry about hand-washing it. I’m convinced this would make a great last-minute Mother’s Day gift , since it’ll arrive before Mother’s Day if you order soon.

Brita recommends that you switch the filter out after 40 gallons of water, or which is approximately two months of regular use. You can find replacement filters on Amazon . Brita’s 10-cup filter pitcher is on sale right now , too, in case you are in the market for an at-home filter.

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