Hydro Flask Review

by Jacob Gordon

It’s tough to get excited when you think of water bottles. For most of us, they have a simple task: carry our liquids from point A to point B, C, D, and beyond. Some of us may only use them exclusively for hydration during physical activities, while others (myself included) use our bottle as an everyday liquid transporter. Regardless of your particular use, the line of Hydro Flask bottles is sure to have you covered.

hydroflask water bottleLet’s talk basics. Any size or mouth (wide or standard) Hydro Flask bottle you buy will be double-wall vacuum insulated, ensuring your hot drinks stay warm and your cold drinks stay cold (especially if you toss an ice cube or two in there first). In fact, Hydro Flask claims that its bottles can keep drinks warm and cold for 12 and 24 hours respectively. In other words, you’ll be able to drink your liquids at your own pace, not the bottle’s. The Hydro Flask bottle is also made from 18/8 stainless steel to keep your drinks from imparting any off-flavors to other liquids or the bottle itself. This means you can go from coffee to water or tea without any cross-contamination of flavors. Granted, there may be some lingering odors, but water tastes like water no matter what was in there before.

Every Hydro Flask is 100% completely spill proof as long as it has the standard cap on, and the bottle prevents any condensation from hitting your belongings. Once you switch to the Hydro Flask Flip Lid for hot drinks, you’ll want to be a little more careful about keeping the Hydro Flask upright. As for clean up, all you need is warm soapy water.

When it comes to deciding on the style of bottle to go with — wide vs. narrow mouth — a lot of that depends on your drinking habits. If you’re typically drinking cold liquids or want a bottle dedicated to cold liquid storage, the narrow mouth is best for you. It comes with a loop-cap that tightly screws on to the bottle for a secure fit and easily slides onto a carabiner for easy transportation. If you tend to drink hot liquids, you’ll want to pick up a wide mouth Hydro Flask since that’s the only bottle Hydro Flask makes their Flip Lid for.

Speaking of warm-liquid drinkers, the Hydro Flask is without a doubt the best travel coffee mug I’ve ever owned. At times, I wonder if it might be too good. After pouring my morning coffee in my bottle and screwing the lid on, I all but head out the door to start my day. My 45-minute commute typically consists of a lot of walking since I’m near the Penn State campus, and in 10-degree weather during the winter, my coffee is still as hot as it was when I poured it from the carafe. So hot, in fact, that I have to open the lid just to let the coffee cool down a little. And that’s really where the Flip Lid comes in handy. Since the Hydro Flask is made of stainless steel, good luck sipping any hot liquids from the metal lip of the bottle anytime soon. The Flip Lid provides a cool plastic surface for your lips to lay on while drinking your hot beverage.

It’s tough to go wrong with a Hydro Flask bottle. It keeps cold drinks cold and hot drinks hot. It’s spill-proof (when the standard lid is used), and the 18/8 stainless steel construction ensures off-flavors aren’t transmitted between different types of drinks. It all comes down to what liquids you plan on drinking. If you plan on drinking mostly cold drinks, any Hydro Flask is a great option. If you’re thinking hot drinks, go for a wide-mouth bottle and the Flip Lid to avoid scorching your lips.

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