TravelFreak Logo
Travel Gear

15 Best Water Bottles for Travel

N

Nick Reed

TravelFreak Writer

Published on Jan 6, 2020
17 min read
15 Best Travel Water Bottles

15 Best Travel Water Bottles

When you’re busy preparing for a trip, a water bottle is an easy thing to overlook. However, staying hydrated is essential, especially during travel. But there are other things you need to factor in, like water quality and your environmental impact if you use single-use water bottles.

The best travel water bottle for you really depends on where you're going and the kinds of activities you've got planned for your trip.

  • Can you drink the tap water at your mountain retreat in Patagonia?
  • If you're traveling carry-on only, is there room in your carry-on backpack for a water bottle?
  • Are you tramping around in the wilderness, or sticking to big cities?

If you're an outdoorsy type, you'll probably want a metal water bottle that will stand up to the elements (and carry a fair bit of H2O). On the other hand, if you're taking some time to travel in Europe, you'll love a stylish, glass water bottle.

Whether you're a beach bum or a mountaineer (or if you're simply searching for a great travel gift), I'm here to share the best travel water bottle options to help you stay hydrated on the road!

Why Travel with a Water Bottle?

Here's why you should travel with a water bottle:

  • Convenience. You need to stay hydrated while you travel, and a reusable water bottle that you can fill up every morning is the simple solution.
  • Safety. Drinkable tap water is an unknown luxury for the vast majority of the planet. Containing everything from heavy metals to pathogens, you don't want to take your chances with tap water when you travel in most places across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The consequences can range from slight nausea to a full-blown dose of cholera.
  • Environmental awareness. You could just drop into a store and buy a bottle of water, but single-use plastic water bottles are terrible for the environment! Most countries just aren't equipped with the right waste management and recycling programs to cope with all that plastic, so they end up in the oceans and waterways.
  • Better taste. Even if you can drink the tap water at your destination, there's a good chance it won't taste great. If you're going to a region where water is scarce, you'll probably come across water that has either been desalinated or chlorinated. These processes make the water 100% safe to drink, but it'll taste funky. If you travel with a water bottle that has a basic filter, the water will taste better.

A water bottle also comes handy on airplanes. Flights make you super dehydrated, but single-use plastic bottles of water at an airport regularly sell for $10 each. (Just make sure your bottle is empty when you go through security!)

On the other side of security, most airports have drinking fountains where you can refill your water bottle.

Now that you know why it's essential to bring a bottle, let's go through the best travel water bottles that you'll love.

Best Overall Water Bottle for Travel

If you need to drink water that's downright disgusting, the Grayl Geopress is the travel water bottle for you. In just 8 seconds, this lab-tested water purifier bottle removes chemical pollutants and waterborne pathogens from Hepatitis A to Cholera, making any water, no matter how vile, safe to drink and wash fruit or vegetables.

It also filters out pesticides, chemicals, heavy metals, and microplastics.

This water bottle is BPA free and comes with a 10-year warranty. The replaceable filter cartridges are good for 3 years of heavy use, and there's a recycling program for the water filter.

The Grayl Geopress water bottle also comes in an ergonomic design, with five different colors.

Best Filtered Water Bottles

LifeStraw Go is a two-stage water filtration bottle that makes any water safe to drink. Whether you collect the water from a stream or a pool of still water, this lab-tested bottle removes heavy metals and other pollutants as well as 99.9999% of pathogens including E-Coli. It's a decent size for day treks, but you can easily fill it up along the way if you're going out for longer.

The LifeStraw Go water bottle has a filter system that reduces chlorine content and improves bad odors and tastes, as well as a hygienic silicone mouthpiece. The replaceable hollow fiber filter of this bottle is good for 5 years of use (1000 gallons of water), while the replaceable carbon filter is good for 3 months of use (25 gallons).

Plus you'll have no accidents! When it's time to replace the filters, the pores clog so water can't pass through.

As well as killing 99.9999% of waterborne creepers, LARQ is also the world’s first self-cleaning water bottle. This bottle filters and cleans itself with UV light every two hours. LARQ's technology works similarly to the old trick of leaving a bottle of water out in the sun to disinfect. But it does that whole process in just 60 seconds.

As the LARQ bottle cleans water with a UV light, it doesn't require filter replacements like the other bottles in this list. The UV light is powered by a lithium battery that lasts for one month on a single charge, and you can recharge it via USB. The battery is good for 1000+ water cycles.

While it is a great water bottle for making dodgy water clean, it's not as suited to super-intense wilderness expeditions like the LifeStraw and Grayl because it's battery operated and it's kind of fancy-looking.

It's better for urban areas that have untreated tap water. Be careful though--some city tap water contains heavy metals, so check first. While the LARQ bottle removes pathogens, it doesn't take out heavy metals.

Another big thing to love about the LARQ water bottle: its double vacuum insulation keeps contents hot for 12 hours or cold for 24 hours!

Click here for my full review of the LARQ Bottle.

This classic, lightweight bottle offers an interchangeable filtration system, meaning you have reliably clean water whether you're in the office or on the trail.

Their Everyday Filter is perfect for urban use, filtering 99.99% of contaminants from tap water, and their Outdoor Adventure Filter is easy to swap in its place for use in the outdoors. The Epic Nalgene OG Water Filtration Bottle comes equipped with an Everyday Filter.

Each filter can produce up to 75 gallons of clean water, removing contaminants such as benzene, chlorine, lead, mercury, microplastics, and PFOA. Plus you'll have no wait time—you instantly get clean water. The water bottle is 100% replaceable and recyclable.

Best Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottles

HydroFlask's wide mouth and standard mouth water bottles are the best of the brand's range. If you want something versatile, a HydroFlask is a good option. These bottles for water can handle activities from beach-going to mountaineering.

The bottle's insulation stops condensation and allows cold drinks to stay cold for 24 hours and hot drinks stay hot for 12 hours. It's also compatible with other branded mouthpieces.

One of my favorite things about the HydroFlask water bottle? It comes in dozens of colors!

Yeti makes robust stainless steel drink bottles that are another extremely versatile option if you're a well-rounded traveler who wants a water bottle that can slide into a day pack without much hassle.

The double-wall vacuum insulation of a YETI water bottle keeps drinks hot or cold, while also keeping fingers dry and non-frosty.  The 100% leak-proof cap is essential if you happen to toss your bottle into your backpack with all your valuables!

YETI water bottles also come in a wide range of colors so you don't have to stick to boring blacks or greys.

Best Glass Water Bottles

The Ello Syndicate BPA Free Glass Water Bottle is very on-trend. It looks just as good sitting on your desk as it does 33,000 feet in the air or lounging around on a beach in Thailand. Just maybe don't take it trekking.

Its convenient one-handed push-button lid is a nifty feature as well, making it easy to gulp down some water when you're in desperate need.

This water bottle has an integrated carry loop and a protective silicone sleeve that adds much-needed padding. But you'll find no BPA, phthalates, or lead traces on this thing!

This glass bottle for water has a very sleek, minimalist design. If aesthetics are important to you, you'll love this Japanese-inspired vessel.

The Takeya Glass Water Bottle features shatter-resistant glass and has an integrated carry hook, as well as a protective silicone sleeve. It's BPA-free, dishwater safe, and has a simple straw lid that's very easy to use.

This bottle doesn't exactly share the same frills as the rest of the water bottles on this list, but if you want a simple design with chic aesthetics, you'll love it.

Best Collapsible Water Bottles

Need to save space? The Nomader Collapsible Water Bottle is the perfect companion. It's a super flexible water bottle made from silicon. You can just squish it right into your bag, making heaps of space for other odds and ends.

I like the Nomader's bottle because they're more rigid than the other ones on this list. This makes them easier to drink from. It has other practical features too, like a leak-proof screw cap, a hygienic drinking spout cover, and a carry strap.

The Platy 2.0L Bottle is more like a very durable plastic bag for water. It can hold the most water out of any bottle on this list, so it's perfect if you're going for a particularly long or grueling hike. This bottle is for the extremely space-poor. When it's empty, it's as a flat as a ziplock bag.

The Platy is BPA, BPS, and phthalate-free. One of its best features? It's compatible with other Platypus-brand filters and tubes.  Its only real downside is that the material is so soft, it can actually be a little hard to drink from.

The Vapur water bottles are pretty similar to the Platypus one above (they're more like bags than bottles), but they have a few advantages. Unlike the Platy, the Vapur comes with a filter that you can use to get rid of any waterborne grossness in an emergency.

The Vapur Element is freezable, so you can stick your bottle in the freezer overnight and enjoy long-lasting cool water all day long. The bottle is BPA-free, and you can clip it onto other bags. The tough flip cap is very hygiene-friendly since it keeps icky things out.

Best Plastic BPA Free Water Bottles

You've probably seen about a million of these around. Every backpacker on earth has one. This bottle is very popular because it's almost a perfect choice: it's reusable, it does what you need it to do, and it does it well. No bells and whistles needed.

Free from BPA, the Nalgene Wide Mouth is the best bang for your buck that you're going to get. Nalgenes are a great choice if you're a multi-purpose traveler as they're ideal for both hiking and general travel. It has a tethered screw-top cap, AND it's leak-proof.

Can't choose between a glass or plastic water bottle? The KOR Nava Water Bottle brings you the best of both worlds. Made with Tritan copolyester, this travel bottle gives you the look of glass without the risk of smashing it.

If you want a versatile travel water bottle that looks sleek, this is a great choice. The KOR is also one of those water bottles with filters! The carbon-activated filter is made with coconut shell, and it filters up to 40L. While it isn't going to get rid of pathogens, this water bottle does a good job of taking the funk out of highly-chlorinated water.

Best Hiking Water Bottles

The Klean Kanteen Insulated Classic is an excellent water bottle for hiking in hot and cold environments. Nobody wants to go on a sweaty hike and have to deal with drinking warm water, and with the Klean Kanteen Classic, you don't have to.

This travel water bottle keeps water cold for 90--yes, 90--hours. That's epic insulation, thanks to its double-wall vacuum seal. It even keep liquid hot for 24 hours, so if you're hiking through the snow and want to keep some hot tea to keep you going, you've got options. Hot or cold, this water bottle is a wonderful choice for hiking.

Not quite as well insulated as the Klean Kanteen, this CamelBak Chute Vacuum bottle is more suited to a shorter hike. It can keep water cold for a respectable 24 hours and hot for a lazy six. Its tether securely attaches the cap to the bottle for easy filling and refilling.

The biggest advantage of this water bottle is that it comes with an anti-slip finish so you can't drop it so easily. It's versatile enough for an everyday traveler, too. It comes with a half-turn lip that's easy to sip from as well (a big bonus if you're carrying hot liquid).

Buying Considerations

So, what is the best travel water bottle?

That depends!

Staying hydrated can be a mammoth task on some trips, so you have to select water bottles for travel based on the conditions you're going to face.

Personally, if I didn't know WHAT to pick, I'd go for a stainless steel water bottle. These water bottles are as close as you can get to a perfect one-size-fits-all, especially if it has an insulation system. You'll have a sturdy water bottle that works well across all kinds of climates without breaking the bank.

If you want the versatility and durability of steel without the extra weight, a reusable plastic bottle is a good option. While you could go for a more durable plastic, you'll get the full advantage of this material with a collapsible plastic water bottle.

However, if you're concerned about the impact that even reusable plastic has on the environment, glass is the best option. It also looks beautiful. The main disadvantage of glass is its fragility. It's definitely not suited to a trip that involves any taxing physical activity.

Are you going into the back-country where there are no taps? Or maybe a place where sanitation is non-existent? You'll need to keep yourself healthy during travel with a water bottle that has a reusable filter. Make sure it gets rid of both pathogens and other contaminants like heavy metals, microplastics, and chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides.

Here are the main things to consider when looking at water bottles for travel.

  • Durability: Are you traveling rough? Maybe you’re accident-prone? You'll probably need to look for water bottles for travel that will handle rough conditions. A good water bottle could last you 20 years. Bonus points if it has a warranty.
  • Versatility: If you do a mix of travel, you need a water bottle that suits a variety of activities. Stainless steel and plastic water bottles win the competition there.
  • Space: You also want to think about your water bottle fitting in your travel bag. If you're low on space, a flexible bottle you can squeeze into a corner of your hand luggage is a great idea.
  • Check for leaks: Who wants to find their travel bag filled with water? The more expensive a water bottle, the less likely it is to leak.
  • Environmental impact: Pollution is a major concern, especially in developing regions. The manufacturing of both plastic bottles and steel ones causes pollution, so make sure you purchase a travel bottle that is made to last for a long time.
  • Hygiene: Make sure you can clean your water bottle properly. They can grow mold and bacteria and get smelly. The most hygienic bottles are dishwasher safe.
  • Water quality: A high-tech filter or water purifier bottle isn't necessary for most common tourist destinations. However, if you're going off the beaten track, you literally can't live without a water bottle with a filter.
  • Price: The prices of water bottles vary a lot. You can pick one up for two bucks or you can spend $200 on one. Price really depends on your needs, but you can still get a good water bottle for about $30.

Conclusion

Staying hydrated during travel should be simple, but it's not. You have a plethora of choices. I've given you some epic insight into picking the right water bottle for travel.

Whether you're going to hang out on the beach in Fiji or climb Kilimanjaro, you now know exactly what kind of water bottle you need!

Travel Water Bottle FAQs

Are collapsible water bottles worth it?

Collapsible bottles are worth it if you want a bottle that takes up less room when empty.

Which water bottle is best for travel?

The Grayl Geopress is the best travel water bottle if you want built-in filtration.

How do you carry water when traveling?

The easiest way to carry water when traveling is in a water bottle in your backpack.

Why are Hydro Flask water bottles so popular?

Hydro Flask water bottles are hugely popular because of their stylish designs and great social media presence.

What's the point of a collapsible water bottle?

Collapsible water bottles are meant to pack away small and take up less room when they're empty.

N
Written by

Nick Reed

As a Manchester City fan, he made it his mission to catch matches at legendary stadiums from Camp Nou to the Etihad. But Nick's travels go beyond football. He's explored 20+ countries across Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean, always chasing authentic experiences over tourist traps. Nick lives by a simple rule: the best stories come from saying yes to the unexpected. And TravelFreak is his biggest yes yet.

RELATED

More Dispatches

Best Packing Cubes
Travel Gear24 min read

15 Best Packing Cubes for Travel in 2026

If you aren't using packing cubes, are you even packing? Eagle Creek, Monos, EVERGOODS, and Peak Design make some impressively functional cubes.