Hydro Flask makes insulated bottles and cups that keep your drinks hot or cold all day - here are the 9 we personally use and why

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Hydro Flask makes insulated bottles and cups that keep your drinks hot or cold all day - here are the 9 we personally use and why

Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider, Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

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  • Hydro Flask makes great insulated, travel-friendly drinkware. Its bottles maintain beverage temperature (hot or cold) for hours, and they're durable and easy to carry.
  • They come in a variety of sizes, colors, and functions, including a 12-ounce Cooler Cup, 18-ounce Food Flask, and 40-ounce Wide Mouth water bottle.
  • At Insider Picks, we all have a Hydro Flask we love and never want to part with. Here are the nine favorites that haven't let us down.

A few years ago while scrolling through my college's online Lost and Found group, I noticed something interesting. Among the usual desperate pleas for abandoned phones, IDs, and apartment keys, it was the anguished cries triggered by the loss of an unexpected possession - a Hydro Flask bottle - that most often found itself the subject of sympathetic cyber pats on the back.

What would make a lost water bottle more concerning than the inability to communicate with people or get into your own house?

Hydro Flask, a drinkware company founded in Bend, Oregon in 2009, has accomplished the massive task of making customers care more about their reusable water bottles than their phones or keys, with no secret tricks or gimmicks.

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Hydro Flask

People love Hydro Flask's products because they're plain effective, durable, and convenient to use. They're designed for active lifestyles, but that doesn't meant you have to be an avid hiker or camper to enjoy them. Any time you're moving, whether by foot, plane, bike, or canoe, you'll find use for a Hydro Flask product.

Hydro Flask makes water bottles in a variety of sizes and colors, as well as drinkware options for coffee, alcohol, and even food. They're all made from stainless steel, along with double-wall, vacuum-insulated TempShield tech that keeps its contents hot when you want it to be hot and cold when you want it to be cold.

The bottles are easy to carry thanks to the signature Flex Cap, a soft and comfortable strap that moves flexibly with the bottle as you swing it back and forth, and all the products are coated in a non-slip finish so you'll never drop an entire jug of water on yourself and make a mess.

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Hydro Flask/Facebook

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Hydro Flask bottles are available in a variety of colors, including limited edition collections, and they're also customizable, with over 180,000 possible combinations.

In case your bottle starts leaking or the insulation becomes compromised, don't worry. You won't have to go too long Hydro Flask-less because the company offers a lifetime warranty on all its products (except the cooler bags and bottle slings, which have five-year warranties).

If you need help deciding which Hydro Flask to get, we're all too familiar with its bottles and other drinkware, from the classic 21-ounce Standard Mouth bottle to the 12-ounce Cooler Cup that doubles as a beer koozie. You can find our favorite Hydro Flask products below.

Here are the nine best Hydro Flask bottles and products we swear by:

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Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.

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18-ounce Wide Mouth

18-ounce Wide Mouth
18-ounce Wide Mouth, $29.95, available in 11 colors at Amazon and Hydro Flask

I have the 18-ounce wide mouth water bottle at my desk, so I use it multiple times a day. It's super easy to clean and the perfect size so that I don't have to get up five times a day to refill it. And because it's so well insulated, I know that I can leave it for a few hours if I have to take meetings and my water will still be chilled when I get back. —Breton Fischetti, Insider Picks vice president

Shave Ice 32-ounce Wide Mouth (limited edition)

Shave Ice 32-ounce Wide Mouth (limited edition)
Shave Ice Limited Edition 32-ounce Wide Mouth, $44.95, available in 3 colors at Hydro Flask

I had always heard how great Hydro Flask's water bottles were, and I never paid much attention because I already have about half a dozen water bottles. Hydro Flask recently sent over its limited edition Shave Ice collection of water bottles, so I finally got to try one out, and it's great.

It really does keep drinks cold for 24 hours or more as advertised. I popped some ice and water into mine, screwed the lid tight and left it alone for an entire day. When I opened it again, the ice was still partially there and the water was cold. Beyond the great insulation, I also like that the bottle's mouth is wide enough to accommodate ice cubes and that the lid has a cute little handle for portability. —Malarie Gokey, Insider Picks senior editor

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16-ounce True Pint

16-ounce True Pint
16-ounce True Pint, $24.95, available in 8 colors at Amazon and Hydro Flask

The 16-ounce True Pint was designed for beer, but it's been my go-to office cup for nearly two years. Every day, I fill it with ice water and it stays cold for as long as I need it to be. It's so well insulated that the ice is usually still there in full form when I'm finished with the cup. I end up refilling it multiple times a day since I always drink a lot of water, but never because my drink turned lukewarm after a few minutes of sitting. —Amir Ismael, Insider Picks reporter

64-ounce Growler

64-ounce Growler
64-ounce Growler, $64.95, available in 5 colors at Amazon and Hydro Flask

If you're lucky to live near a bar that offers fill-ups, bring home a tasty brew with the Insulated Beer Growler. The stainless steel container does a terrific job at keeping beer cold and carbonated before you're ready to drink, which helps retain that crisp, fresh taste that draft-beer drinkers enjoy. When a local Whole Foods used to offer beer on draft, the Hydro Flask Growler was how I transported hard-to-find craft brews home. Hydro Flask also recommends the Growler for kombucha. —Les Shu, Insider Picks guides editor

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40-ounce Wide Mouth

40-ounce Wide Mouth
40-ounce Wide Mouth, $42.95, available in 11 colors at Amazon and Hydro Flask

My positive experience with the True Pint at work motivated me to buy something I could use when I was out of the office. I decided on the 40-ounce Wide-Mouth because of its large size and easy-to-carry handle. Out of the handful of thermoses and water bottles I own, this is now the only bottle I want to bring with me to the gym or when I know I'll be out and about in warm weather.

The TempShield insulation is designed to keep drinks cold for up to 24 hours — and it works so well that placing this bottle in the freezer or even in a scorching hot car that's sitting in the sun will do absolutely nothing to the temperature of your drink inside. If you fill it with really cold water and a few ice cubes, you'll have a refreshing drink throughout the entire day and part of the next. —Amir Ismael, Insider Picks reporter

12-ounce Cooler Cup

12-ounce Cooler Cup
12-ounce Cooler Cup, $24.95, available in 5 colors at Amazon and Hydro Flask

The new Cooler Cup checks all my boxes: It's a koozie for both bottles and cans, a sleek little substitute for a cocktail glass, and, conveniently, Hydro Flask's wine tumbler lid fits it, so it's great for coffee and tea, too.

The silicone sleeve is another selling point for me. It's mostly meant to seal the edge around bottles and cans and help keep them cool and snugly in place, but it also doubles as a non-slip coaster if you're using it as a coffee mug or beverage glass. I'll grab a few more of these and keep them in my camping and boating kits. I don't need wine glasses, cocktail glasses, or coffee mugs; this thing does it all, and it feels great in the hand. —Owen Burke, Insider Picks guides reporter

Read the full review of the Cooler Cup here.

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18-ounce Food Flask

18-ounce Food Flask
18-ounce Food Flask, $34.95, available in 3 colors at Amazon and Hydro Flask

When I bring soup to work, my 18-ounce Food Flask is always up for the job, for three reasons. First, the cap tightens securely, so I never worry about finding a hot mess in my bag. Second, the vacuum insulation is effective at keeping the liquid hot for hours — nearly as hot as when it left the stovetop, no joke — even if I'm having a late lunch.

Third, it doesn't retain the smell of whatever I poured into it, which is important because I don't want hints of yesterday's clam chowder in today's butternut squash soup. I've tried many vacuum-insulated containers and I always go back to my Hydro Flask. —Les Shu, Insider Picks guides editor

12-ounce Coffee Mug

12-ounce Coffee Mug
12-ounce Coffee Mug, $29.95, available in 5 colors at Amazon and Hydro Flask

I'm usually strictly a water drinker at work, but I've been drinking a lot more tea and cold brew ever since getting this mug. When I want a warm beverage, like a soothing cup of green tea, this mug keeps it hot — almost too hot. I actually leave the lid open for a little bit before tightening it so I can drink my tea without scalding myself. And when I'm feeling a refreshing cold brew, it keeps my jolt of caffeine cold all afternoon. It's really comfortable to hold, plus the spout lid prevents accidental spills. I'm going to need another one of these to use at home. Yes, it's that useful. —Connie Chen, Insider Picks reporter

I bring this mug with me everywhere at work — to every meeting, to lunch, to a coworker's desk and back. It basically never leaves my sight. It keeps my coffee warm for hours when I'm too focused on something else to remember to drink it. The spout on the lid doesn't have any sort of top that seals so I don't love taking it on the subway, but I do love that it's sealed enough that I can walk to meetings quickly without worrying about spilling.

The real mug shape also makes me feel ... settled in, if that makes sense. I mean, I suppose that's a weird way to put it, but when I drink from tumblers and travel cups, I always feel like I'm on the go in a way I don't want to be once I've gotten into work and settled for the day. —Sally Kaplan, Insider Picks editor

Read our full review of the Coffee Mug here.

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21-ounce Standard Mouth

21-ounce Standard Mouth
21-ounce Standard Mouth, $32.95, available in 11 colors at Amazon and Hydro Flask

The 21-ounce Standard Mouth Bottle made its way into my hands during my junior year of college, and I have been an avid Hydro Flask supporter since. As promised, the bottle kept my iced water cold throughout the day and my peppermint tea warm during long nights of studying.

Throughout the last couple years at my university, this bottle withstood drops down cement stadium stairs, falls off of desks in a crowded room, and the one time that it slipped out of my hands and rolled a good 60 feet before stopping at the bottom of a hill. It was a tad beat up, but still worked like a charm. —Megan Foster, Insider Picks intern