best travel mug

We've Tested Almost 100 Travel Mugs, and These Are Our Favorites

Commute with your coffee under control.

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Best overall

Brümate müv coffee mug with handle.

RTIC Road Trip Travel Mug

Best for Commuting

Zojirushi 16-ounce stainless steel mug.

What differentiates a travel mug from a standard coffee mug is a lid — while some are designed to resist spills, others won't leak when turned upside down. Some travel mugs boast a handle, most are made of an insulating material and many have a tapered design to fit inside a work bag , backpack pocket or car cup holders (and if they don't fit, we recommend a cup holder expander ). Fortunately, there are tons of options to fit your lifestyle and favorite beverages, from stainless steel coffee thermoses or heated mugs for hot coffee to insulated tumblers to keep your cold brew perfectly chilled.

Over the last decade alone, the pros in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab have tested almost 100 different travel mugs for hot and cold temperature retention, durability, resistance to leakage, ease of cleaning, sipping, holding, storing and more. In addition to Lab tests, we put travel mugs to the test in real-life scenarios: in the office, on our commutes and long car rides. We evaluated how they felt, how they traveled and, unavoidably, how they held up when dropped. Ahead, we rounded up the best travel mugs that performed well during Lab and on-the-go testing.

Our testers found BrüMate's travel mug to be leak-proof, even if thrown into a backpack during a commute. It features a lid that locks to give you peace of mind. We found this travel mug easy to sip out of and the handle offers a comfortable grip. The bottom of the tumbler is tapered to ensure it will fit inside your car's cup holder.

In our Lab tests, this travel mug got perfect scores on both the drop and leak tests. The lid took me a bit of practice to remove from the tumbler since the pieces have to be properly aligned, but we figured it out after a couple of tries thanks to the instruction stickers.

The Road Trip Travel Mug from RTIC is a ceramic-lined stainless steel tumbler with a large, easy-to-grip handle. Plus, it comes in over 10 different colors. Travel mugs can be pricey, but this one offers many thoughtful details while staying under $25 . For long road trips, this travel mug fits inside most car cup holders and, with its silicone base, lands quietly on your countertop.

We found this tumbler easy to sip from whether we were drinking water, an iced coffee or a hot latte. One of our analysts used it on long car rides and public transportation; it never leaked and retained its temperature during her travels. RTIC also has a few other travel mugs in different sizes and styles that we love like the Essential Coffee Mug and the Essential Tumbler . Keep in mind that this model is only available in a 16-ounce size.

RELATED: The Best Cold Brew Makers, Tested by Experts

Our tester didn't lose a drop of coffee on their commute with the RTIC Road Trip Travel Mug.

Zojirushi's travel mug with a locking lid opens with the push of a button but won't leak or spill (even in a backpack). It keeps hot coffee hot — in fact, the brand is so confident that it offers a five-year warranty on heat retention. Iced coffee fans will appreciate that the mouth is large enough to handle big ice cubes.

Our tester noted that the vacuum-sealed lid keeps water cold all day: "I always grab it from my backpack and think, 'There's no way this could still possibly be cool anymore,' and I'm always pleasantly surprised." We also like the slim design, which is easy to grip and fits nicely into backpacks or totes. It comes in several colors and a 12-ounce version. Take note that this coffee mug is a bit harder to clean than others and isn't dishwasher safe.

RELATED: The Best Water Bottles

Yeti Rambler Stackable Cup

The Yeti Rambler Stackable Cup is an easy-to-hold and durable tumbler (no dents in drop testing) that comes in four capacities — from a petite 8 ounces (perfect for espresso drinks) to large 30 ounces for those days when you need extra caffeine. All sizes come in numerous colors and you can even customize your tumbler on the brand's website by engraving your own uploaded design or monogram.

We've tested various capacities of this tumbler, but we especially love the small 8-ounce, which is a size you don't often see in travel mugs. It also accommodates the growing population of Americans who love making espresso drinks at home . And you can stack these pint-sized cups to neatly store in your cupboards.

The Yeti MagSlider lid makes it easy to open and close the drinking spout and to remove the closure for easy cleaning. Better yet? All pieces are dishwasher safe. Keep in mind that if you accidentally drop this tumbler, the MagSlider may fall off and spill your beverage (it did in a drop test), so be careful when transporting.

This line isn't the only Yeti travel mug collection we recommend. The 14-Ounce Stackable Mug and 24-Ounce Rambler Mug are great options with handles.

Contigo Luxe Autoseal Vacuum-Insulated Mug

This coffee mug from Contigo is comfortable to hold, and it has a unique locking feature that makes it leak- and spill-proof. When you want to sip (or chug) your coffee, just press the button to release the seal. During your commute, you can lock the button so you don't accidentally press it while on the go . One tester did note that with hot beverages, the lid can feel too hot to handle.

Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab Director Nicole Papantoniou is a fan of this model: "I always like how easy it is to clean the lid." This travel mug (even the lid) is completely dishwasher safe.

Hydro Flask Stainless Steel Mug

Many of our analysts love this travel-friendly mug that is easy to use and clean. The insulated mug (which keeps coffee hot for up to six hours, per the brand) comes in 6-, 12- and 24-ounce capacities and a variety of colors.

"I love this mug so much that I often use it in my house," says Papantoniou. "I like that I can wrap my hand around the cup and how the handle is sturdy but made out of a soft material that isn’t too rigid like some others we’ve tested." Keep in mind that the spout isn't completely leak-proof making this travel mug less ideal for public transportation and better in the car or even camping.

Fellow Carter Bundle (3-in-1) Travel Mug

This versatile, travel mug bundle makes a statement with three different lid options: carry lid, move lid and cold lid. The sleek stainless steel shell contains a ceramic liner intended to keep your coffee free of metallic flavors. One consumer tester stated, "It's cute to carry, very sleek. I wouldn't use it at the gym, but it's good for sipping my coffee during my commute."

The bundle's carry lid is ideal for when you need to tote your coffee around, while the dome-shaped move lid is more compact and ideal for throwing into a work bag. The screw top of both the carry and move lid reveals a wide mouth that you can sip from any angle and is large enough for adding ice. However, if you prefer to sip through a straw, the cold lid has you covered, but it unfortunately wasn't leak-proof in our Lab testing.

This bundle comes in many additional colors and there's also the option to buy a standalone Carter Move Mug or Carter Cold Mug , but we think this is the best value. Keep in mind that the move lid's seal can be harder to clean.

MiiR 20-Ounce Flip Traveler

This stainless steel thermos from MiiR has a slim and sleek design ideal for fitting in cupholders and backpacks, even though it has a larger capacity. It also features a flip lid designed to prevent leaks. We also like its focus on giving back: The bottom of each travel mug is printed with a Give Code that you can enter at MiiR's website for details on the brand's corporate giving, which is funded through every purchase.

This double-wall vacuum insulated travel mug is available in eight different colors and 12-ounce and 16-ounce sizes if you prefer smaller beverages. Take note that the flip lid which is designed to reduce splatter may hit your nose while sipping.

Owala Travel Tumbler

This insulated tumbler from Owala comes in a variety of fun colors and offers two ways to drink — with the included straw for cold drinks or through the lid for hot beverages. It holds a lot of liquid and is comfortable to use and hold, but its also great for cold brew. It performed relatively well in temperature retention over a 24-hour time period, and kept its ice over the course of an entire workday.

The Travel Tumbler performed well in other Lab tests as well. The straw didn't leak when the tumbler was hit on its side, unlike other tumblers with straws that leaked all over the place. Keep in mind the tumbler will leak if turned upside down, and was slightly dented after drop testing.

We also recently tested the Owala SmoothSip Slider if you're looking for a leak-resistant travel mug for your hot coffee.

Other travel mugs we recommend

Stanley Classic Trigger Action Travel Mug : This leak-proof travel coffee mug includes a "trigger action" lid that keeps the mug sealed unless the button is pushed, but it does requires some level of strength and dexterity to hold the button down while sipping.

S'well Stainless Steel Traveler : This sleek 16-ounce bottle has been redesigned to fit more comfortably in your hand and its large size and wide mouth can easily fit ice cubes. Keep in mind that this model has a rather large spout for drinking hot coffee.

W&P Ceramic Mug with Protective Silicone Sleeve : The inside of this travel mug is easy-to-clean ceramic, which generally helps to prevent buildup over time, but coffee doesn't stay hot as long as other models.

Stojo Collapsible Travel Cup : This collapsible silicone coffee cup makes it possible to travel light while avoiding single-use plastics, but isn't as sturdy as other picks on this list.

Splitflask : This insulated travel mug allows you to carry both water and coffee in one tumbler. Each side of the 30-ounce tumbler fits 15-ounces of liquid, but it is on the pricier side.

Created Nomad Flip : This sleek travel mug comes in three different sizes and the interior is ceramic coated, but it's not dishwasher-safe and requires extra care when cleaning.

Joco Glass Reusable Coffee Cup : This glass-bodied mug is microwave and dishwasher safe, but the lid does not seal shut, so it isn't great for tossing in your bag.

Smrtmugg Heated Coffee Mug : This heated travel mug aced our leak tests, but we did find the edge of the button on the lid can bump your lip while drinking.

How we test travel mugs

In the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, we evaluated each travel mug for leakage, temperature retention, durability, ease of use and much more. We also enlisted consumer testers to put travel mugs to the test in real-life scenarios.

To determine each travel mug's durability, we use our drop-tester machine ( pictured ) to drop each cup from a height of three feet — twice with the cup standing upright and once on its side.

To test leakage, we fill each travel mug with its capacity of coffee. Our pros roll the mug around on its side as well as turn it upside down and shake it vigorously.

To assess temperature retention, every mug is filled to maximum capacity with water. We then remove a specific amount of water from each tumbler, replacing it with a calculated amount of ice. The internal water temperature of each is documented over 30 hours. We then repeat the process with hot coffee for heat retention over the course of six hours.

To evaluate ease of use, we consider how each travel mug opens, closes and locks. Using either a dishwasher or dish soap and a brush, we test how easy it is to clean each model. Our pros also evaluate the mugs for stability and comfort of both holding and drinking.

How to find the best travel mug for you

✔️ Usage : When selecting a travel mug, first determine what you will be using the mug for. Do you like commuting with a large cup of iced coffee that can be thrown into your backpack? Or do you like sipping on a hot latte on your drive to drop the kids off at school? When you determine what you'll use your travel mug for, you can make an educated decision on what size, material and lid type is best for you.

✔️ Capacity : Travel mugs come in a variety of sizes, but the majority are around 12 to 24 ounces. A 16-ounce capacity is a good sweet spot if you like a variety of different coffee and tea drinks. However, there are 8-ounce models for petite espresso drinks and large 30-ounce options for those who prefer bigger beverages or lots of ice.

✔️ Material : All of our top travel mugs picks are stainless steel (with a few that are ceramic-lined), but there are also some models on the market that are fully constructed out of ceramic, glass or silicone.

• S tainless steel mugs help keep your beverage hot or cold longer. Its relatively durable: It might dent, but won't shatter. Stainless steel doesn't absorb flavors, but it sometimes alters the flavor of beverages unless its ceramic-lined.
• If you opt for a glass travel mug, consider borosilicate glass, which is tempered to prevent shattering with hot liquids and can be more durable if dropped, but its still a more delicate material compared to stainless steel options.
• Ceramic mugs are generally easy to clean, and because the material is nonporous, the mug is unlikely to develop odd flavors. You do have to be careful as this material is prone to breaking if dropped.
• Silicone is a great lightweight and durable option, but it can get warm if it does not have a heat sleeve. Silicone can sometimes hold onto some flavors of coffee, tea or even dishwasher soap.

✔️ Lid : Some lids are more spill-proof than others. Our Lab experts particularly love the locking feature on the Contigo Luxe Autoseal Vacuum-Insulated Travel Coffee Mug , which adds a level of safety if you plan to toss your mug in your bag. Lids that screw on are also often leak-resistant. Those who prefer a more traditional-style mug with a handle may find that slider lids are common; evaluate those for leaking, as some are prone to dribbles (or worse). Note that spill-proof lids often require more care to clean.

✔️ Drinking spout : Travel mugs usually offer a small spout for sipping hot beverages slowly. However, those designed for cold drinks often have straws. Some tumbler-style travel mugs on the market also include two types of lids so you can switch it up based on your beverage.

✔️ Handle : Travel mugs can either come without a handle so the mug can slip easily into a backpack pocket, a carrying strap for carrying on a long walk or a handle like you would find on a traditional mug to grip comfortably. Most travel mugs are insulated so you don't need a handle to prevent burning your hand like you would with a traditional ceramic mug. At the end of the day it's more about personal preference and how you like to carry and hold your mug.

✔️ Washability : Check to see if the mug is dishwasher safe. If it needs to be washed by hand, make sure you can thoroughly clean it with a sponge or bottle brush .

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

Eva Bleyer has tested all kinds of kitchen gear for Good Housekeeping, including gas ranges , microwaves , kitchen scales , blenders and much more. She holds a B.S. in Food Studies, Nutrition and Public Health from New York University, where she studied sustainability practices. She's also a trained cook. Eva has tested over 50 different travel mugs and tumblers over the last year (almost all of these on this list), including 17 Stanley cup dupes . She has also tested numerous water bottles for the Kitchen Appliances Lab and is constantly trying out new drinkware in her daily life.

Sarah Gregory is the Deputy Editor, Editorial Operations & Special Projects for the Good Housekeeping Institute. She tested several travel mugs and led the test of heated mugs . She's written about all kinds of kitchen gear, as well as coffee advice like how to make a cappuccino and how to make an iced latte .

Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab Director Nicole Papantoniou oversees testing of all kitchen gear, including coffee grinders , coffee makers , espresso machines and Nespresso machines . She has used almost all of these travel mugs and is constantly rotating through an assortment for her daily use.

Eva (she/her) is a reviews analyst in the Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she tests kitchen gear, home appliances and culinary innovations. She graduated from NYU with a bachelor of science in food studies, nutrition and public health and is a trained chef through the Natural Gourmet Institute. Eva has more than 10 years of experience in the food industry, working as a food stylist, personal chef and marketing manager.

Sarah (she/her) is a deputy editor in the Good Housekeeping Institute , where she tests products and covers the best picks across kitchen, tech, health and food. She has been cooking professionally since 2017 and has tested kitchen appliances and gear for Family Circle as well as developed recipes and food content for Simply Recipes, Martha Stewart Omnimedia, Oxo and Food52. She holds a certificate in professional culinary arts from the International Culinary Center (now the Institute of Culinary Education).

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 .

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The Best Travel Mugs to Keep Drinks Hot or Cold

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Best Overall Hydro Flask 16 oz Coffee with Flex Sip Lid Read more

A Good Wide-Mouth Bottle Klean Kanteen 16 oz TKWide Insulated Coffee Tumbler with Café Cap Read more

A Great Mug Hydro Flask Coffee Mug (12 Ounce) Read more

Camp Classic Ello Campy Travel Mug (16 Ounce) Read more

One way to quickly ruin a morning is to take a sip from your mug expecting hot coffee or tea only to be met with freezing-cold liquid. Or, on the flip side, desperately wanting ice cold water only to find it warm. For those moments, you need an insulated travel mug. There are tons of stainless steel mugs, bottles, and tumblers on the market. These are our favorites.

We tested each bottle with both cold water and hot coffee, sitting outside in indirect sunlight and inside in the AC. During testing, none of the bottles has failed to roughly match up to their claims of how long they'd keep cold liquids cold and hot liquids hot. It's rare to run across an insulated bottle that's a total failure at doing that these days, but it's also rare to find one that truly stands out. Rather, I've noticed the features that tend to make or break a bottle are leak-proofing, exterior coating, and the cap. While all these bottles can keep cold drinks at temperature, you may prefer getting a dedicated insulated water bottle if that's all you need.

Be sure to check out our guides to the Best Coffee Subscriptions , Best Coffee Grinders , Best Espresso Machines , Best Portable Coffee Makers , Best AeroPress Coffee Makers , and How to Make Better Coffee at Home .

Updated June 2024: We made the Hydro Flask mug a top pick and added Owala’s SmoothSip and W&P’s Porter to the honorable mentions. We've also moved all bottles that use lead soldering to the avoid section and updated prices and links throughout.

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A Note on Lead Soldering

Since we first started testing water bottles and coffee tumblers, it's come to light that some brands use lead soldering to seal their insulated bottles. The lead is on the bottom of the bottles encased in stainless steel. While it's unlikely it would become exposed, we think it's an unnecessary risk given that enough of our favorite brands use other methods to seal their bottles. We've noted which brands have confirmed they use lead in our “avoid” section below and will keep this guide updated as we hear from the others.

Best Overall

Hydro Flask’s powder coating is one of the toughest I have come across on a beverage container. Whenever I can foresee some serious abuse happening to a coffee mug on a trip, I take a Hydro Flask. I’ve yet to dent or scratch one through routine carelessness over the past four years. Without a cupholder in my car, my Hydro Flask lived on the floorboards, rolling and crashing around with every maneuver, and it still held up. The pebbled texture is grippy, so you're less likely to fumble it if your hands get wet or greasy.

A Good Wide-Mouth Bottle

Narrow openings are fine for water, in my opinion, but for hot beverages, I like having a wider gap so I can take a big gulp. I'm less likely to burn my mouth on hot drinks when I can let them cool off through a bigger opening, too. The TKWide’s Cafe Cap is more like drinking from a regular to-go coffee cup, rather than a water bottle.

All the colors have matte powder-coated finishes, which are more scratch-resistant than the brand’s smooth powder-coated finishes. That said, I haven’t found them to be as tough as Hydro Flask’s powder coating, and the uncoated stainless-steel ring on the bottom of the mug is pretty easy to scuff up.

A Great Mug

If you're commuting or hiking, you want a bottle that's not going to leak on you. But if you're camping and mostly stationary, drinking coffee around a fire or at the lake, a nice mug with a handle is a great option. Hydro Flask's is affordable, with its signature tough powder-coating that's nearly impossible to scratch.

The lid has a slider so you can open it to sip and then close it to keep it hot even longer and to avoid any woodsy bugs from accidentally landing inside. It's not leak-proof, but it's not going to drip on you as you sip either. If you prefer to go sans-lid, it has a thin stainless steel rim that's comfortable to drink from. The brand also has great colors across all its options.

Camp Classic

This camp cup is awfully charming, harkening back to the classic blue, enameled camp cups that ooze 20th-century Americana. Like all the tumblers on this list, it’s vacuum-insulated to keep hot drinks hot and cold ones cold. Its screw-on plastic lid, with a sliding lever for sipping, is leak-proof enough. If you leave it upside down for more than a few seconds or shake it, it’ll drip, but I couldn’t get it to leak by knocking it onto its side. The handle is plastic to avoid conducting heat from hot contents, and the inner part of the handle is lined in cork. The Campy isn’t enameled—it’s just painted to look like it—but it pulls off the effect well.

For Coffee Purists

Instead of a tiny sippy hole, the Carter’s screw-on cap reveals a wide tumbler that lets you breathe in your coffee’s aromas as you drink. The opening is 69 millimeters wide, so you can use most manual coffee brewers, such as an AeroPress or Hario pour-over , directly on it. That’s too wide for many cars’ cup holders, but it’s plenty stable, and you won’t have to worry about tipping it over on a desk. My average-size hands had no issues, but some buyers with smaller hands might find it difficult or uncomfortable to hold.

The interior is ceramic-coated, so you don’t get any metallic flavors, and the thin metal lip is curved like a cabernet glass. Its textured matte exterior coating is tough and held up as well as the mighty Hydro Flask’s coating. It's been completely spill-proof too. You should have no concerns throwing it into your laptop bag completely full.

A Classy Paper Cup Replacement

The Brew Cork is greater than the sum of its parts. This double-walled, insulated mug is meant to replicate and replace paper coffee shop cups. It’s fun to drink out of. Many other tumblers’ lid openings are blocky or mash your nose, but the KeepCup is ergonomically on point. It’s not the best for road trips, nor the best for keeping a ton of coffee hot for hours, but I highly recommend the LongPlay if all you want is a reusable cup to cut down on single-use waste and keep your drink warm long enough for you to actually drink it. That said, the lid is a bit dribbly. While the interior and lip are glass—no metallic off-tastes here—the exterior shell below the rubber grip is plastic.

Tumblers and travel mugs are generally designed for you to pour your chosen beverage into, but what if you just want to put a can in there? These kinds of insulated drink holders are particularly useful when I'm out and about, drinking a canned soda or beer, and want it to stay cool in the summer heat.

Hydro Flask shines here too. Not only can you put the can directly into the drink holder, but you can also pour it into the Hydro Flask and drink directly out of it, if you wish. Just remove the collar, and now you've got a handsome, stainless steel rim to sip from. The collar fits over the bottom of the can to stabilize it too, so you won't lose it. This is the 12-fluid-ounce version that fits a standard beer, soda, juice, or wine can. There's also a 16-fluid-ounce Tallboy Cooler Cup for $28 if you're feeling particularly thirsty.

Honorable Mentions

We've run through many travel mugs, and not all of them are winners. These are a few we like, just not as much as the ones above.

• KeepCup Thermal for $32 : This is the answer to those who like the paper-cup-imitating feel. It shares the Brew Cork's slightly dribbly lid, although it loses some of the novelty of that one's glass construction.
• Oxo Good Grips Thermal Mug for $30 : We reviewed this bottle in 2022 and liked its solid build and dishwasher-friendliness, but since it's older it now fluctuates in and out of stock.
• Owala SmoothSip for $25 : We love Owala water bottles and enjoyed the SmoothSip nearly as much. It kept coffee warm all afternoon and, despite the lid having an open spout for easy drinking, coffee didn't slosh out while I walked around. Don't throw it in a bag, but it should be fine in the car. The simple lid makes it easy to clean too.
• W&P Porter Insulated Bottle for $35 : W&P has become a WIRED favorite, thanks to its many eco-friendly reusable products . We loved its insulated bottle too, which has a ceramic coating if you dislike drinking directly from steel. It also has a silicone sleeve for more grip and softness. The two terrazzo colors are particularly pretty, with a speckled, textured sleeve. It's also dishwasher safe and usually dips below $35 on Amazon.
• REI Co-op Camp Mug for $23 : There are getting to be an awful lot of insulated camp mugs in this basic style on the market, and REI's stainless steel cup is a perfectly fine option that doesn't particularly stand out. The exterior coating was tough enough to show no scratches, even after knocking it over a few times outside.
• Hydro Flask All Around Travel Tumbler for $35 : If you like drinking both cold and hot drinks from a straw, Hydro Flask makes a great tumbler akin to the Stanley shape without the lead . It comes with the same bomb-proof powder coating of other Hydro Flasks that resists scratches and chips very well.
• GSI Outdoors Glacier 15-Fluid-Ounce Camp Cup for $20 : It's not too easy to find at retailers, and when you do, they tend to be available in just a few colors and go in and out of stock. This cup is awfully simple with an incredibly basic lid, but it's more than a little endearing, particularly in the "blue speckle" color that imitates classic enameled camp cups.
• Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug for $29 : The lid locks to avoid accidental spillage, and I once accidentally left hot tea in it for 18 hours and found it still hot when I opened it again. It’s also small enough to fit in my jacket pocket on chilly morning walks. It’s not my preferred mug for daily use, simply because the lid has three separate parts—a mouthpiece, a gasket, and a lid—that are deeply ridged and hard to clean.
• Purist Mover for $48 : The Purist has a thin layer of glass over the interior of the Mover, which removes the possibility of taste transfer from previous drinks. We didn’t experience leaks from the Element top, but a high number of customers have reported their Purist lids leaking over time.
• S'well Traveler Tumbler for $30 : S’well boasts that its tumblers are triple-walled, but we didn't find it kept beverages hotter than its double-walled competitors. What sets the brand apart is its designs, from plain colors to elaborate patterns like blue marble and wood.

Avoid These Travel Mugs

We’ve tested a great many tumblers, and not all are winners. These aren't anywhere near as good as our picks above.

• Greens Steel Beast 20-Ounce Insulated Tumbler for $21 : The Beast tumbler has over 70,000 positive reviews on Amazon, but we found the rubber seal around the lid easily comes out of place. That meant it leaked like a sieve.
• Toaks Titanium Double Wall 450ML Cup for $40: More often than not, we champion Toaks gear as an affordable source of titanium camp cookware. But this mug is $12 more than the Hydro Flask mug we recommend above, and its finishing is rougher.
• GSI Outdoors MicroLite 500 Flip for $30 : The actual bottle isn't bad, but the lid is overly complex to clean and gimmicky. Under the button-activated, flip-up lid there's a contoured bowl that you drink from, as if somebody cut the top half off a plastic cup. It didn't do anything that just drinking from an open bottle couldn't do, and it tended to collect stray water droplets after I was done drinking. There's a twist-off lid version that does away with the gimmicky cap, but the carry strap is narrow and not as robust as we'd have liked.

The following mugs aren't bad options—some are past favorites— but these brands have confirmed the use of lead soldering to seal their insulated mugs. Enough brands use other sealing methods that it feels unnecessary. We haven't heard from every brand on this list, but we'll keep it updated as we do.

• Miir Climate+ for $25 : We liked that the Climate+ resembles a cup more than a bottle and it has a tough powder-coated finish. The lid is also made from recycled plastic and the insulation uses 25 percent less steel than traditional insulated mugs. We also liked Miir's Flip Traveler for $28 and Camp Cup for $28 . Both were leak-free and tough.
• Stanley Classic Vacuum Pint for $26 : Stanley has been around forever and we liked the pebbled exterier reminiscent of classic flasks. There's also a few extra ounces to accommodate foam (or splashing hot coffee).
• Contigo Luxe Autoseal for $36 : Contigo's bottle has a lock to prevent leaks, which worked remarkably well. Despite some reviews saying the lid got too hot, we found it barely got lukewarm even while holding scorching, molten coffee.
• Yeti Rambler Stackable Cup for $30 : Yeti has a durable powder coating, so it's among the toughest options. We also liked this model is stackable, so you can keep a few in your pantry without taking up much room.
• OtterBox Elevation for $30 : The Elevation has a copper lining that the company says helps better maintain your beverage’s perfect temperature, although we saw no noticeable difference.

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