Top 8 Best Travel mugs of 2022

Hydro Flask’s products are usually in the upper price range in their various categories, and its reusable mugs are no exception. But the high price tag on this mug feels justified. Not only in light of its features and quality but also because of its stylish design. Hydro Flask Coffee With Flex Sip Lid is available in different sizes, and a wide choice of colours. The durable exterior is tough enough to withstand rough treatment, and you can clean the entire mug on the top rack of the dishwasher.

The lid of the Hydro Flask Coffee has been specially designed to be completely leakproof. It consists of three parts and the first time you take it apart is rather confusing. Luckily, Hydro Flask has a very instructive video tutorial. And you soon get the hang of taking the Flex Sip lid apart. Putting it back together, however, is trickier and requires considerable hand strength.

Leak-free reusable mug with smart carrying strap

The lid has an integral flex strap. This not only makes it easier to carry the Hydro Flask Coffee in your hand but also makes it simple to attach to the outside of your backpack or hang on your bike. And the lid really is leakproof. Even if you accidentally pack this travel mug upside down in your backpack, the contents will stay completely dry.

The mug has a superb ability to keep drinks piping hot. So good, in fact, that if you want to start sipping your coffee immediately after filling the mug, you’ll need to be very careful not to burn your mouth! But the fact that hot drinks still maintain a drinkable temperature 5–6 hours after filling the mug is really impressive. The smooth flow opening is also good, and the twist feature for opening and closing the lid works brilliantly. Anyone who regularly takes their coffee to-go will want to use their Hydro Flask Coffee With Flex Sip Lid so much that the price per use quickly reaches an excellent level.

The Klean Kanteen TK Wide is a reusable mug as suitable for city dwellers who want to be environmentally conscious as for the outdoor lover who gets out and experiences the wilderness. In terms of size, the mug is quite large. Unfortunately, it’s a bit too big, and it wouldn’t fit in the cup holders in any of the four cars it was tested in.

The design is simple and the mug is available in many different colours. The TK Wide works for many different drinks. Filled with cold drinks and ice, the ice still hasn’t melted six hours later. And, after the same amount of time, a hot cup of coffee is still drinkable.

Reliable mug that doesn’t leak

You can easily open the lid enough to drink from with just one hand, and it feels comfortable on your lips. If you want your coffee to cool faster, you can also unscrew the lid of the Klean Kanteen TK Wide completely and use it as a normal cup. Completely closed, the mug is reliably watertight and you can safely stow it away in a bag.

Even though the mug isn’t dishwasher safe, regular washing kept it as fresh as when it was new. The only thing that really prevents the Klean Kanteen TK Wide from being a complete hit is that the bottom isn’t narrow enough to go into most cup holders.

It takes a certain kind of mind to reword Foreigner’s old lyrics 'Feels like the first time' into a reminder to drink more water (Feels like the thirst time). It's this kind of sharpness in the notifications that makes us really want to like the smart and connected Hidratespark Steel water bottle. However, we were otherwise not as impressed.

Hidrate Spark is primarily intended for drinking water, although its properties as a thermos allow it to keep tea or coffee warm relatively well for a long period of time. However, the lid leaks a lot of heat and can burn you.

The lid is easily opened using a button, but the actual threads for screwing the lid into the mug feel very flimsy. The entire bottom is made of plastic and contains the smart parts plus battery. A design that unfortunately makes the bottle very top-heavy and thus unexpectedly unstable.

Flashes when you need to drink

A removable block contains LED lights, bluetooth, and a battery which together visually alert you that it is time to drink water, and which also communicate with an app on your phone. Unfortunately, the battery is charged with its own invention of a charging connector and not a standard USB connector, and the battery lasts about a week. The app logs how much you have drunk during the day, shares it with, for example, Apple health (for iPhone users), and also allows you to set which colour to use for the bottle’s LED lights.

Hidratespark Steel is a really expensive water bottle (which can also act as a thermos) for those of you who like the idea of technical gadgets that remind you to drink the right amount of water during the day. At the same time, you hardly need an app and RGB lamps to set up such a habit, and Hidratespark Steel is both an expensive and not entirely flawless bottle.

The Contigo West Loop is a sturdy travel mug that can hold a full cup of morning coffee and a bit more besides. The mug is made of stainless steel and plastic. According to the manufacturer, it should be hand washed, but the mug works fine in the dishwasher. The lid is a little more complex and should be washed by hand as water easily gets stuck inside.

You certainly can’t complain about the quality. A slight smell is noticeable at the very beginning, but it disappears quickly with use, and during our months of testing the cup didn’t become discoloured.

Completely non-spill cup

If you’re looking for an absolutely idiot-proof spill-free travel mug, the Contigo West Loop is one of the best choices you can make. The cup doesn’t leak even half a drop. You can pack it upside down in your backpack and it stays spill-free. Even when you drink, there’s no risk of dribbling. To take a sip of the drink, you need to press and hold a button on the cup.

Pressing the button requires a certain amount of force, and some of our testers felt this was a little too tough, while others found it worked without any problems. For those with a slightly weaker grip or with the priority of being able to quickly and easily chug down a hot drink, this travel mug is probably over-engineered. But if you value good thermal retention properties and the fact the mug never ever leaks, then it’s a Contigo West Loop you should be pouring your coffee in.

The Klean Kanteen Insulated Tumbler is a high quality model that comes with two different lids – a straw solution for cold drinks and a classic coffee cup lid with a smaller opening for drinking through. Neither lid is completely watertight, so the mug can’t be placed in a bag and there’s a risk of leakage as soon as the mug is shaken or tilted.

The design has an outdoor life sort of feeling, but is at the same time classic enough to work in an urban environment. The drinking experience is excellent. Regardless of the type of drink, there’s no spillage, and nor does the liquid taste of the container.

Retains the heat long enough and then some

The Klean Kanteen Insulated Tumbler is very effective when it comes to heat retention. Despite the fact that some heat leaks out through the opening, coffee was still hot for many hours after pouring. However, the stainless steel and solid insulation make the mug relatively chunky and once completely filled, it can feel heavy to carry for longer periods.

Overall, the Insulated Tumbler lives up to your expectations of a reusable mug, but being able to close the lid so it doesn’t leak feels like a basic feature that should have been there. If you have strong, steady arms and don’t mind the odd splash, you’ll probably like the Klean Kanteen Insulated Tumbler.

The Stelton to Go Click is available in several different designs, with some differences. The normal stainless steel mug is dishwasher-safe, while the Moomin special edition has enamel on the outside that can only be hand washed, which together with a higher price makes the Moomin mug less good value for money. Otherwise, the Stelton To Go Click mugs work in the same way.

The idea is to be able to drink from this travel mug just like a normal cup. With the Stelton To Go Click you don’t have to get your mouth used to a special spout. Instead, you press down the entire round lid with one click, and then you can sip from the edge of your choice.

Travel mug with 360 degree drinking

This has both advantages and disadvantages. The Stelton To Go Click does have a good seal and can safely be packed in a bag. But once you have drunk from it, liquid tends to collect just under the lid. This can then seep out even though the lid is otherwise closed. Nor is it entirely clear whether you’ve clicked the lid into closed position or not.

The Stelton To Go Click retains both warmth and cold well, so no matter how your drink is served, it will maintain approximately the same temperature even during the journey to work. The Stelton To Go Click is an efficient travel mug in many ways, but with slightly more of a focus on attractive design than on practical function.

The Light My Fire Pack-Up Cup is a unique reusable mug that could be described as the more urban alternative to a camping cup. Its best function is that the cup can be compressed to about 1/3 of its regular size. This means that the Pack-Ip Cup can fit in your pocket and go everywhere with you.

The mug consists of a lid which, even when you open it, stays attached to the rest of the cup. In terms of size, the Light My Fire Pack-Up Cup is on the smaller side, and it has no direct heat-retaining ability – but it still works better than a disposable mug.

The lid is too loose

Unfortunately, the lid tends to come off the mug far too easily. And the opening in the lid for drinking can’t be closed. This means you can’t have a liquid-filled Light My Fire Pack-Up Cup in your bag, and if you shake the mug it will splash. It’s also too small for the cup holders in some cars.

On the positive side, the Light My Fire Pack-Up Cup can be cleaned in the dishwasher and the mug is pretty cheap. Overall, if you don’t want a disposable product and would prefer a reusable alternative, the collapsible Light My Fire Pack-Up Cup is one you might want to consider.

The Keep Cup Original Hydro is available in a large selection of sizes and colours. The most colourful mugs have playful designs not really appreciated by adult testers in a metropolitan environment, but the mug is also available in more stylish versions in black, grey and beige. The Original Hydro has a heat-insulating silicone band around the outside, so you can hold the mug when it's full of hot liquid without burning yourself.

The lid has effective spill protection in the form of a round, smaller lid. The Keep Cup Original Hydro isn’t completely watertight and so it can’t be placed in a bag when it's full. But the lid works well enough as protection against accidents when you take your coffee on the go with you. Unfortunately, the lid is also quite hard to get up and down, which reduces user-friendliness.

Made of recyclable materials

The Keep Cup Original Hydro has some heat retention capacity. It definitely keeps the drink warm longer than a disposable mug. One tester experienced a certain plasticky smell from the mug. The Keep Cup Original Hydro is easy to clean after use, thanks to the fact that the entire mug can be put in the dishwasher.

We also appreciate the fact that it’s made of recyclable materials. The Keep Cup Original Hydro is a small, lightweight mug, suitable if you want to avoid disposable products and don't need to be able to take your coffee with you for long periods.