The Best Water Bottles of 2024

What can we say about the workhorse that is a Nalgene Wide-Mouth ($17) that hasn’t already been said? Perhaps the most well-loved and recognizable bottle on this list, a Nalgene is worth every penny of its extremely palatable price. Our testers have been using Nalgenes as long as they can remember — some of whom would likely still be using the first one they ever had if they hadn’t lost it. Seriously, though, these water bottles are much sooner lost than they are broken or discarded — one of their hallmarks is their near-indestructibility. 

Unlike stainless steel bottles, the Nalgene can be dropped, tossed, kicked, or otherwise punished with little repercussion. One of our testers did melt the cap by putting it on the bottom shelf of his dishwasher, so maybe don’t do that. If you do melt the cap, it’s only $5 to replace it. The beauty of a Nalgene is partly in its price, but even better is the fact that you probably won’t ever want to replace it. 

This might not be the right water bottle for you, however, if you’re always behind the wheel or prefer cold water. The shape doesn’t fit in cupholders, and the lack of insulation may be frustrating for those in hot weather. 

Also, if you don’t love the Nalgene Wide-Mouth’s wide-mouth lid, you can buy one with an easier-to-sip-from mouth, but it won’t be as easy to fit ice cubes into, so there’s a trade-off. You can always buy one of Nalgene’s Easy Sippers, which nestles nicely into the wide-mouth bottle to prevent spillage. 

The CamelBak Eddy+ ($16) is a classic, perennial bestseller that our testers love for its immense versatility. The bottle comes in a handful of sizes and materials and can be fitted with a LifeStraw filter. We’ve been testing the standard 25-ounce Eddy+ made from Tritan™ Renew plastic, but you can also get one made from insulated stainless steel or in 20-ounce or 32-ounce sizes. 

The width of the bottle fits nicely in your hand, regardless of size, and our testers liked that it was easy to fit in even the most fickle of bottle pockets on their various backpacks and totes. The lid has a handle that makes it easy to carry, whether you want to hook it onto your finger or attach it to a carabiner. We also loved that you could flip open the straw with just one finger. 

Two notes: if you are keen on finding a bottle with insulation, we’d definitely recommend upgrading to a stainless steel bottle over the Eddy+, and if you don’t like sipping from a straw, we’d recommend looking elsewhere, too. 

Speaking of the straw, though, the CamelBak Eddy+ has one of the highest-flow, easiest-to-use straw systems we’ve tested. Water comes out easily — as CamelBak says, “Flip, bite, sip.” We are generally skeptical of quippy mantras like this, but it turns out, it’s actually true.

Our testers were also big fans of the ability to add on a filter after the fact. You can buy it with a filter if you want, but it’s not always necessary, so the ability to buy one later or easily swap it out with the straw is a huge bonus. 

In the world of insulated water bottles, the Hydro Flask Wide Mouth bottle with Flex Straw cap ($50) is always mentioned as one of the best you can buy. It can keep drinks hot for up to 12 hours, but since we’re talking about water bottles, our guess is that the whopping 24 hours it can keep your water cold is a more helpful feature (though, in cold weather situations, keeping your liquids hot may be a lifesaver). 

The double-walled vacuum insulation and stainless steel construction make this one of the most durable water bottles you can buy, though it is susceptible to dents and dings if you drop it. Our testers like to think of those as a badge of honor rather than a detriment.

However, if clean aesthetics are important to you, we recommend not dropping it. The steel is easy to clean inside and out, and the water never picks up any unwanted tasting notes from the bottle, which is always a good thing. 

The straw is easy to drink from and provides a consistent drinking experience, but they did note that the water would cut off if the straw part of the lid wasn’t fully open. Not a huge deal, but if we’re nitpicking (which we are), that is something to keep in mind, along with the bottle’s dingability.

Our testers were big fans of the Hydro Flask Wide Mouth’s lid, which allowed them to fill up their bottles with ice cubes of just about any standard shape and size. Sipping from a wide-mouth lid isn’t always the easiest, though, so our testers decided that having the straw lid was a must if you wanted to drink without spilling all over. 

For folks who are looking for high-quality temperature regulation in a bottle that’s lightweight and easy to tote around, we highly recommend the Miir Wide Mouth bottle ($35), specifically the 20-ounce version. Its tall, thin shape makes it super easy to hold, even for our testers who have smaller hands or like to carry a ton of things at once.

The handle on the lid is easy to slide your fingers onto and is easy to throw on a carabiner or your bag’s extra attachment point. Since it’s so thin, it’s also ideal for bags that have small (or nonexistent) water bottle pockets — this was the bottle our testers found most compatible with laptop bags, messenger bags, and lightweight totes. 

The wide mouth makes it easy to throw in a few ice cubes, which the bottle can keep frozen all day. The 20-ounce model that we tested was just big enough for a day at the office or visit to the gym, and one tester has already found himself perusing the Miir site for more lid options to really maximize its versatility. 

Since it’s lighter and more svelte than some of the other steel options on our list, the Miir Wide Mouth bottle can feel more susceptible to damage, but our testers have been putting it through the wringer and haven’t noticed any significant shortcomings. Like all steel bottles, it’ll get dings and can be scratched, but the insulation works like a charm and the versatility of Miir’s lid system well outweigh the cons. 

The Breakaway+ from Hydrapak ($45) is an absolute must-have piece of gear if you spend any time in the backcountry, whether on your bike, hiking, or hunting. Our testers who regularly bikepack or take their mountain bikes off the grid were huge fans, saying that taking at least one Breakaway+, if not two, was a game-changer when it came to getting clean water. 

The filter comes already installed and doesn’t require any extra steps — you just fill it up and, boom, you’ve got clean H2O. The filter clears out 99.99% of E. coli and parasitic cysts, giving our team peace of mind when filling up from a trailside creek, and though the water doesn’t come out of the nozzle as quickly as a standard water bottle, the filter can handle about 1,500 L of fresh water at a rate of >1 L per minute, which let the water flow fast enough to guzzle it down if needed. 

Another way the Breakaway+ separates itself from standard cycling water bottles is the lid itself. It opens and closes with a twist and is easy to operate with gloved hands, a godsend for folks riding mountain bikes or venturing out in inclement weather.

The nozzle is wide, allowing for maximum flow, and the mudguard is super handy if you’re bombing down some singletrack and don’t want to end up sucking down a bunch of dirt and dust (which would probably contradict at least part of the reason for having a filter in the first place). 

If you like to chug your water, though, this might not be the best option. The filter is great but keeps the water from flowing quite as fast as a normal bottle, so that’s something to keep in mind. Replacement filters are also not available yet, but the brand says they’re on the way in the coming months. 

The Hydrapak Breakaway+ comes in 20-ounce or 30-ounce sizes, is designed to fit in a standard cycling bottle cage, and will fit in just about any backpack’s water bottle pocket. Our testers found this useful when carrying a lot of gear. 

The LifeStraw Go Series ($65) combines the filtration of a humble LifeStraw with the temperature regulation of double-wall vacuum insulation. As far as water bottles go, each size it comes in is heavy and cumbersome, so our testers say you might as well go all the way and get the biggest bottle, the 1L. This comes in handy while car camping or in other situations where weight isn’t necessarily an issue. Don’t get us wrong; in those situations, it truly shines. 

The 1L bottle holds 34 ounces of water that is filtered as you drink it, so while you can’t fill it up and dole out filtered water to your friends later on, the capacity is great for sustaining a single person for a solid amount of time. Lifestraw says the filter will last for up to 26 gallons, which is roughly 2 months of daily use. 

Filtering your water doesn’t have to be only for outdoor excursions, though. Sometimes, you may just want to clean up your local tap water for a better taste. This is perfectly possible thanks to the charcoal filter, which removes chlorine, odors, and organic chemical matter. The membrane microfilter, working together with the charcoal filter, removes 99.99% of bacteria, parasites, microplastics, silt, sand, and cloudiness. 

The filter was effective during testing, and we love the double-walled insulation. In fact, this was a candidate for the best bottle for backpacking, but we opted for the lighter Hydrapak Breakaway+. Still, if you don’t mind the extra weight, this could be an excellent bottle for the backcountry.

The filter is easy to replace and you can use the LifeStraw Go Series bottle without it, if you prefer. Either way, you’ll be enjoying a hefty supply of water all day long. 

One of the OG brands that brought stainless steel bottles to the mainstream, Certified B Corp Klean Kanteen has spent over 20 years perfecting it, a point proven by the TKWide Insulated with Twist Cap ($45). It is more than just a mouthful of a name — it’s one of the best insulated bottles you can buy these days. The highlight for our testers was the steel straw, which is super easy to clean and much more durable than a plastic straw. 

The bottle is super versatile — the user can easily swap between any of Klean Kanteens lids to suit their needs. We loved the lids with a steel straw but also were excited about the chance to swap it out at any point. Say you’re headed to the beach and have your bottle filled with something other than water. Just swap the lid for a standard insulated lid, and you can easily dole out refreshments to everyone in your party (or take big swigs yourself). 

One of the downsides is that the lids come in so many pieces. While our testers loved that each piece was dishwasher safe, making it easy to give the lid a thorough clean, it meant more pieces to potentially lose in the process.

This may not be an issue for the hyper-organized, but for our testers who keep a grip of water bottles at the ready, a lid that comes apart into a handful of pieces was hard to keep track of. The only other drawback is that the steel straw isn’t suited for hot liquids. 

In the end, the Klean Kanteen TKWide Insulated with Twist Cap is a great bottle for someone who loves to keep their drinks ice cold and sip from a highly advanced cap.

If you’re looking for a bottle that feels practically weightless, the Snow Peak Titanium Aurora Bottle ($150) should be your go-to. This titanium bottle weighs just over 5 ounces, which means the only weight you’ll feel when you carry it is the 27 ounces of water you’ll carry inside it.

Is it insulated? No. Does it have a straw? Nope. Filter? Nah. In lieu of perks that you’ll find in the other bottles on this list, the Aurora is a showcase of artful simplicity. In fact, while our tester was fully prepared to be underwhelmed by the lack of features with this bottle, it quickly became part of her everyday carry setup.

It turns out that the big appeal of this bottle is its plain old effectiveness. What you get with the Aurora is an extremely light bottle that, thanks to the 1mm titanium walls, is extremely durable. Plus, the iridescent powder coat is just plain gorgeous. We have yet to go more than a week without someone commenting on how nice the bottle looks.

If you need insulation, filtration, or other bells and/or whistles, check out some of the other bottles we’ve covered here. If you want something you can carry around every day without adding any weight to your bag, the Snow Peak Titanium Aurora Bottle is the way to go.

We had to include one absurdly big option for you extra-thirsty readers. And the YETI Rambler One Gallon Water Jug ($130) definitely fits the bill. Its 1-gallon capacity is enough for a day’s worth of water or enough coffee to get your whole crew ready for the day. And it’s YETI, so you know its double-walled vacuum insulation and the vault-worthy lid will keep your hots hot and your colds cold.

Our tester hauled the jug to the gym all summer to help him stay hydrated for hours-long workout sessions during competition season. The jug kept his refills refreshingly icy, despite triple-digit temperatures every day. In fact, our tester noticed that there was still ice in the jug after a long weekend. The bottle’s clever construction isn’t limited to its insulation, however. Our tester loved the substantial handle with its durable foam grip.

One of the more unique and well-thought-out features is the magnetic cap, which attaches to the lid when you remove it for a pour. Over the decades, we’ve lost more lids and caps than we can count, and this little bit of genius was a welcome surprise.

Let’s not kid ourselves — at 4.5 pounds empty, you’re not going to take this hiking. And if you do try to take it on the trail, this behemoth will take up most of the room in any pack. But if you need to caffeinate your whole base camp or you want a stash of cold water to slake your thirst all day, the YETI Rambler One Gallon Water Jug is the way to go.