I tested the best water bottles on the market to find the very best one. And the winner is…
Drink up! 💦
With so many water bottles on the market and so many different price ranges, it can be tough to know which is really the best water bottle to buy. That said, I’ve tested out some of the most highly-rated options over the last year and I’m sharing which ones are really worth it!
From spendy bottles like YETI and Hydro Flask to less than $8 finds at Walmart, here’s what I liked and didn’t like about all of them after using them on a weekly basis over the last year!
If I had to put all of my water bottles on a rating scale, here’s how I would rate them:
- #1 – Hydroflask – great performance, style, and durability.
- #2 – Ozark Trail – great performance and style. Durability could be better, but for the price, you can’t beat it!
- #3 – Yeti – great performance, style, and durability. A smaller bottle is next on my list to test!
- #4 – Takeya – Not as great of a performance, but the most functional for kids.
- #5 – ThermoFlask – Not the most durable option, difficult to clean, and performance wasn’t the best either.
Here’s more on what I thought of each!
1. Hydro Flask Wide Mouth Bottle (The Winner! 🥇)
The trendiest bottle on the market.
There’s no denying that Hydro Flask is one of the most popular water bottle choices for basically anyone nowadays and if you’re just as concerned with the aesthetics of your bottle as the performance, then the 32oz. Hydro Flask is your answer!
While this bottle is also a top performer, the simple and sleek design is what initially won me over. Plus, I love that the new designs are able to be put in the dishwasher making maintenance a breeze! Ever since it arrived, I’ve claimed this bottle mine for the last year!
Here are some of my favorite things about the Hydro Flask bottle:
- The sleek design is my favorite out of all the bottles I tested.
- Dishwasher-safe.
- Softest handle & most comfortable to carry.
- Never leaked or sweat.
- Kept water cold.
- Straw lid option
- Protective boots for the bottom.
- Customized colors & personalization are available.
- Keeps my water icy cold all day.
A couple of things I don’t like about it:
- Still more expensive than I’d like to pay.
- I’m worried the softer grip handle won’t last as long as other bottles with a more durable frame, but so far so good.
- It may not fit in some car cup holders.
1+ year update:
I absolutely LOVE my Hydro Flask Bottle! At first, I was worried the handle wouldn’t hold up well over time with constant dishwashing as it feels softer & less durable compared to the YETI. However, it still looks brand new, has an incredible seal, and is my go-to bottle anytime I leave the house! I actually even drove off with it on top of my car before (not recommended) and it got away with zero dents or scratches! Incredible!
From my most recent photo above, you can see just how well it’s held up! 😍
2. Ozark Trail Water Bottle
The most inexpensive, durable bottle.
If you want to spend a minimal amount of your hard-earned money, then Ozark Trail is a tough competitor priced under $8! 😱 This insulated water bottle may be cheap, but there’s nothing cheap about its awesome performance. I actually found this 24 oz. bottle to keep ice frozen for the longest time out of all of them!
In fact, now Ozark’s water bottles are incredibly similar to Hydro Flask with their new & improved design. 
I also appreciate that they added a stainless steel bottom too, similar to Yeti, so no worries over paint chipping!
I truly feel like this bottle has the best of both worlds now! 👏🏻
*Note that the design I tested in this post is sold out and while I haven’t tried their newly designed bottle, I expect it to perform on par with my design given the 300+ raving reviews. 
Here are some of my favorite things about the Ozark Trail bottle:
- Lowest price on the market.
- Keeps drinks icy cold the longest out of all the bottles I tried.
- Has an almost identical design and color options to YETI & Hydro Flask.
- Top-rack, dishwasher safe.
- Fits in my car cup holder.
- Easy to grip and drink out of.
- Never leaked or sweat.
A couple of things I don’t like about it:
- I noticed some small chipping on the gray paint after a few uses.
- The lid doesn’t go on as smoothly as other wide-mouth bottles. (Although, I have yet to try the new design!)
Hip Tip: If you’re considering this water bottle, check out Lina’s deeper dive in comparing the Ozark Trail bottle up against Hydro Flask!
1+ year update:
We sadly don’t have this water bottle anymore – it began to chip all over and had a few dents. Although it’s super great at keeping water cold, it was more difficult to put the lid on and take it off and certainly isn’t kid-friendly! Since it was my son’s water bottle, we ended up replacing it with the Takeya bottle I shared above. However, I still stand by Ozark Trail being a cheap alternative to YETI & Hydro Flask if you’d like to save quite a few bucks! Plus, I love the new design of their bottles even more now!
3. YETI Rambler Bottle
The most heavy-duty bottle money can buy.
YETI Rambler Bottle, 36 oz. $49.99
This was the biggest and most expensive water bottle that I tried. Hello, $50… GULP! 😳 And while the 36 oz. is also a tank to lug around, it’s simply awesome and looks brand new over 365 days later! I’ve really got to give it to YETI – from the design to the durability, they truly thought of everything!
Speaking of design, they even changed their standard insulated bottles to now come with their innovative chugging cap to make drinking easier! That’s a $12.99 value that now comes standard! SWEET!
Here’s what I thought about the YETI Rambler Bottle overall:
Here are some of my favorite things about the YETI bottle:
- Easiest handle to grip & open.
- Never leaked or sweat.
- Kept water cold.
- Dishwasher-safe.
- Easy to grip exterior “DuraCoat”.
- Stainless bottom (no color chipping over time).
- MagDock lid option.
A couple of things I don’t like about it:
- It’s the most expensive option.
- I need two hands to drink from the 36 oz. size.
- It may not fit in some car cup holders.
- It’s the heaviest bottle out of all the ones I tried.
1+ year update:
Overall, I’m really impressed with my YETI Rambler. The price is well worth it – you certainly get what you pay for! As you can see from my recent photo above, it shows very little wear and tear on the outside and still has a perfect seal after tons of uses and washes through the dishwasher.
4. Takeya Water Bottle
The most kid-friendly water bottle.
Takeya Water Bottle, 18 oz. $17.99
- Other colors available – starting at $20.99.
Not only am I a fan of this bottle, but so are my kids! The screw-top is by far the easiest one to open and close and there’s no fussing with the perfect angle to get it back on with a great seal, which is so important for kids and preventing leaks – even more so now that mine are back in school all day! The 18 oz. bottle that I tried was also pretty easy to tote around thanks to the ergonomic handle.
We have loved it so much, I recently bought a second one for my son!
Here are some of my favorite things about the Takeya bottle:
- Silicone boot comes standard (also comes off easily for cleaning).
- The lid is easy to unscrew and put back on.
- Kid-friendly design.
- The adjustable handle is easy for carrying and storing away.
- Good price point.
- Easy to drink out of with one hand.
- Never leaked or sweat.
- Fits easily in car cup holders.
A couple of things I don’t like about it:
- Handwash only.
- The lid is a bit more of a hassle to clean.
- Wasn’t the greatest at keeping drinks cold.
1+ year update:
This water bottle is perfect for kiddos! I have even snuck ours in the dishwasher numerous times and it’s held up incredibly well! Both my son and daughter take theirs to school every day and the silicone bottom is perfect for keeping it in place on his desk and it’s super easy to unscrew and drink from. Plus, over the summer, they saw a fair share of usage between camping, the pool, and everything in between!
5. Thermoflask Water Bottle
The most extras for your money water bottle.
This 18 oz. water bottle is the best value as far as extra features go! With two included lids and an extra straw, it’s definitely got the most bang for your buck! I found the biggest downfall with this bottle to be the lid which doesn’t adjust. However, if you don’t mind taking up a little extra room in your cabinet, then this one will suit all of your needs just fine.
Here are some of my favorite things about the Thermoflask bottle:
- Comes with 2 different lids and an extra straw.
- Easy to grip with one hand and drink out of.
- Great price.
- Fits in my car cup holder.
- Never leaked or sweat.
A couple of things I don’t like about it:
- The handle isn’t adjustable so it takes up more room in cabinets.
- Not as many color choices as the other brands.
- Handwash only.
- Wasn’t the greatest at keeping drinks cold.
Hip Tip: If you’re a Costco member, you can score a two-pack of Thermoflask bottles priced at just $27.99 – making these bottles just $13.99 each! And as an even bigger bonus, I noticed that their model comes with a lid that looks adjustable and even has a convenient silicone bottom. 👏🏻
1+ year update:
Although this water bottle is the most bang for your buck, it hasn’t held up the best over the last year. Even with handwashing, the blue paint is chipping at the bottom and the body of the water bottle also has seen some small dents
It was going strong until my son asked for a new water bottle, so to the donation pile it went! Considering it had the chipped paint and didn’t keep the water very cold, I think there are many other better & affordable options to consider for long-term use.
Here’s how they all stood up to my ice challenge:
I placed 6 whole ice cubes in each bottle. I checked each bottle every 2 hours for 8 hours straight, starting my test at 10:30 AM taking notes every 2 hours, and ending at 6:30 PM.
Here’s what I discovered…
It’s pretty clear to see that Ozark Trail (the cheapest competitor amongst the group) dominated in the ice challenge with almost 6 whole cubes still intact and barely any melting. The two most popular brands, YETI and Hydro Flask, performed about the same, and given that their capacity to hold water is slightly bigger than the rest of the bottles, I still say they held up pretty well!
That said, the less expensive brands, ThermoFlask and Takeya did pretty poorly in comparison and were actually the smallest bottles I tested. ThermoFlask only had about 2/3 to 1/4 of ice remaining and sadly, Takeya totally bombed the challenge with almost no ice remaining after the 8 hours.
The Hydro Flask bottle wins my yearly update!
After using all of these highly-rated water bottles for over a year, I have to give it to Hydro Flask as my best overall pick! Yes, they’re slightly more pricey than some of the other brands I tested but the performance and quality are unparalleled and worth the extra money if you’re looking to keep your water bottle around for a while. That said, I don’t think you could go wrong with 4 out of the 5 water bottles I tested!
BONUS TIP: If you’re buying a handwash-only bottle…
I did a lot of research on bottle brushes and I came across this innovative option. It’s long enough to reach into any bottle for easy cleaning and I love the stainless handle so you can assure that it’s going to be durable enough to last a long time. (I’ve had mine for over two years now!)
Most importantly, it’s designed to stand on its own which makes it a more sanitary and cleaner choice as well. 🙌🏻
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