best coffee cup for travel

Best travel coffee mugs in 2024 — tested and rated

We’ve tested a range of models to find the best travel coffee mugs

The best travel coffee mugs displayed together on an outdoor railing

Best overall

Best budget and durable

Best with handle

Best heavy duty

Best color selection

Best smart travel mug

Best for heat retention

Best for sustainability

Most secure

Best mug design

Best ceramic

If you're on a morning commute, traveling or camping, you'll need one of the best travel mugs. These are essential for keeping your coffee warm, or your iced tea cool in warm conditions.

And while choosing a travel mug might seem easy to do, it can be tricky to know which one is suitable for your lifestyle. First, you'll need to consider what material you'd prefer? Durable materials range from steel, aluminum and plastic, to even ceramic. Also, if you'll be on the move, you'll need to know heavy it is to carry, heat retention, and overall style.

Finally, what's your budget? The best coffee travel mugs range from as little as $15 to $35. Or if you want to splurge, you could invest in more advanced types with their own battery, costing around $185.

Luckily, we’ve done all the hard work and found a great selection of the best travel mugs to suit any lifestyle, need and budget.

Best travel coffee mugs: MiiR Flip Traveler

1. MiiR Flip Traveler

The MiiR Flip Traveler is one of the best travel coffee mugs we’ve tested, offering a compact cup that will keep your liquids hot or cold for hours. Coming in 9 different colors, the double wall vacuum-insulated stainless steel body holds 16 fluid ounces of liquid. Although there are 12 and 20 fluid ounce capacities available too. The cup itself is very light, coming in it at 10.2 ounces.

The unique lid on top flips out when you need to drink and is secure when you need it locked in. But right after you drink, a small amount of liquid can gather on the lid, leaking to tiny droplets getting in places they shouldn’t. Also, if you don’t lock the lid firmly in place, it can spill. There’s nothing worse than having hot tea on your electronics because you didn’t make sure the lid was completely down.

It was one of the best we tested at keeping liquids consistently hot. Our testing started at 203 degrees Fahrenheit, only to drop to 178 after two hours, 154 after five hours, and 126 after 10 hours. Other cups paled in comparison, with the MiiR outclassing them in the category that is, literally and figuratively, the hottest.

Washing the cup is super simple and the lid doesn’t need to be taken apart to be put in the dishwasher. The whole cup is fairly durable and comfortable to hold. Overall, MiiR offers a fantastic travel mug with few downsides, keeping everything cool and on the inside. Give it a try if you are looking for a mug that offers everything you’d need.

Best travel coffee mugs: Stanley Classic Trigger Action Travel Mug

2. Stanley Classic Trigger Action Travel Mug

Best budget and best durable

Stanley is a brand built for rugged adventures and their Trigger Action Travel Mug is no exception. The strong, durable exterior claims that it has survived a bullet so it should be able to handle whatever you can throw at it. Made of stainless steel, the double-wall vacuum insulation creates a sturdy mug that weighs 12.8 ounces and holds 16 ounces, making it one of the heaviest we reviewed. A 20 ounce capacity is available too, which will no doubt weigh even more — we tested the 16 ounce capacity.

The lid is also built to last, having a unique trigger system that lets you take a sip by just pressing the button. Though the lid is useful, it does tend to leave a bit of water in the mouthpiece if you close it too quickly. But other than the occasional dribble, it won’t leak even when turned upside down and severely shaken. The whole cup is dishwasher safe, but you might want to think twice about taking apart the lid. It's a bit difficult to reassemble, especially when you haven’t rebuilt it before.

It kept the heat in fairly well, starting at 204 degrees Fahrenheit, dropping to 176 at two hours, 152 at five, and 125 hours at 10. But when it does have a hot liquid in it, the heat only breaks through a bit allowing you to hold even scolding beverages without a problem.

While the MSRP is $25, it can often be found for $17.50, so you are getting one of the best travel coffee mugs out there for a great price. Even if you aren’t the adventurous type and just need something to shove in your cup holder that won’t tip over, then Stanley is your guy.

Best travel coffee mugs: Hydro Flask Coffee with Flex Sip Lid

3. Hydro Flask Coffee with Flex Sip Lid

Hydro Flask is one of the most popular brands for travel mugs and cups for a very good reason. Available in multiple sizes, from 12 to 40 ounces, and in 11 colors, this travel mug features double-wall vacuum insulation to keep your drinks at the right temperature for hours. The stainless steel bottle is durable, with paint that won’t chip from use.

What really makes this mug different from the competition is its unique lid. The top handle is great for taking it on the go, but when you unscrew it you see the real magic. To take a sip, just turn the lid counterclockwise to open the seal. When you want to take the whole lid apart to clean, just unscrew it in the opposite direction, revealing the intricate mechanism beneath. Keep in mind that getting it put back together can be a bit of a hassle or might take practice.

The cup is incredibly durable and lightweight, coming in at 11.6 ounces for the 20 ounce capacity. Though it lacks a rubber bottom, the cup is still comfortable to hold and stable. It's also great at keeping your drinks hot, falling from 202 degrees Fahrenheit to 172 after two hours, 145 after five, and 116 after 10. It's definitely one of the more unique-looking cups we’ve tested, but that doesn’t make it any less spectacular. Expert engineering and craftsmanship put it at the top of our list. This is why it’s one of the best travel coffee mugs.

Best travel coffee mugs: THERMOS Stainless King Vacuum-Insulated Travel Mug

4. THERMOS Stainless King Vacuum-Insulated Travel Mug

Thermos is a brand that has become synonymous with quality travel mugs, and the Stainless King is truly a wonderful option. Made of stainless steel, this vacuum-insulated cup is dishwasher safe and should fit in most cup holders. The handle on the side makes holding the cup easy and the outside stays cool even when hot liquids are inside. It is available in four different colors and holds 16 fluid ounces of liquid.

The lid is expertly crafted and won’t leak no matter how many times it's turned over or shaken. But it does have to be completely closed to work, just a little bit of an opening and the cup will spill out whatever is inside.

To open the lid, just turn the nozzle counter-clockwise revealing the “open” label on the lid. When it's closed, the lid creates a vacuum seal that keeps everything nice and hot. There’s even a small hook on the bottom of the lid to hold your tea bag and make sure it doesn’t fall in. The lid doesn’t even need to be taken apart to clean.

The Thermos excels at keeping beverages hot, outperforming everything else we tested. Starting at 203 degrees Fahrenheit, it only dropped to 181 at two hours, 159 at five, and 131 at 10 hours, which we found was still too hot to drink. It earns a spot on our list as one of the best travel coffee mugs for this reason alone.

It is one of the heaviest cups we tested, coming in at a whopping 15.6 ounces. The only heavier mug was the Ello Jane Ceramic Travel Mug.

5. Yeti Rambler

Available in 10, 20 or 30 ounces (we tested the 20 oz capacity), the Yeti Rambler is unique in its design, offering a much stouter mug with enough room for your liquid inside. Cupholder-friendly and dishwasher safe, this double-wall vacuum-insulated mug is great for taking your cold or hot drinks on the go. Plus it’s available in a whopping 34 colors, so you can find whatever tone you want.

Because of its more round shape, it's better than some we’ve reviewed at not getting knocked over, though it doesn’t have a rubber bottom for grip. But even the mightiest wind should allow the Yeti to stay upright.

The lid is simple but effective when kept upright. You can slide it up to take a sip and then slide it back down to seal it. The slide requires a bit of pressure for it to get opened, so it shouldn’t just flop open and spill what's inside. But you shouldn’t just place this cup in your bag because it is possible for it to spill. The lid does not screw on and only has a rubber circle keeping it in place. With enough shaking or momentum, the lid will pop off and won’t have an airtight seal when turned upside down.

It's also a bit dangerous to drink while hot. We found that while testing the outer ring on the lid retains heat a bit too well and was too hot to touch. The cup itself retains heat well enough, starting at 204 degrees Fahrenheit and going to 166 after two hours, 136 after five, and 108 after ten.

But if you aren’t going on any backpack adventures and just want a drink to keep warm, then the Yeti is a great option.

Best travel coffee mugs: Ember Temperature Control Travel Mug

6. Ember Temperature Control Travel Mug

Having an electronic travel mug that costs $185 might seem a bit extra, but the Ember makes it seem absolutely reasonable. The mug has an internal battery and can keep a drink at the same consistent temperature for three hours on a single charge. All you have to do is tap the center to reveal icons and set it to your desired temperature.

It's packed full of smart features, which is why it’s one of the best travel coffee mugs, like Bluetooth that connects it to your phone to set the temperature and light that tells you when the cup needs charging. It also has an app, which is simple to use and works flawlessly, showing the battery level and temperature of the beverage (but it does need to be reconnected after every use). To charge it, all you have to do is place the cup on the included stand and it should be ready to go in just a few hours. We set the temperature to 136 degrees Fahrenheit after starting at 199, it managed to stay the same for the whole 10-hour period.

The lid is also a marvel of engineering- all you have to do is press down whenever you want to drink to create a small circle of liquid to flow through. Even when shaken, the liquid didn’t escape and stayed inside the remarkable metal cylinder. Some liquid might stay around the lid after you take a sip, so keep that in mind.

It’s also very durable and has a rubber-coated bottom to keep it from spilling over. It might be a great travel mug, but other options can do what it does without the hefty price tag. There’s no need to over-engineer a cup that’s worked fine before. It’s fairly lightweight, coming in at 12 ounces and holding 12 fluid ounces. Being hand wash only is a drawback to boot as well.

7. Teabloom

The Teabloom tumbler allows you to make teas on the go with everything inside the bottle. Unlike a lot of other travel mugs, this long but elegant bottle comes with a metal diffuser with its own handle that you can throw your favorite tea blend or coffee right inside. Holding 16 fluid ounces, it's made of stainless steel and brushed with a metallic exterior that stood up to the wear and tear of everyday use and weighs 15.2 ounces.

The tumbler is very thin and can be a bit wobbly. It doesn’t have a rubber grip and it's tall but the thin facade can cause it to get knocked down with just a little bit of force. But it will fit in almost every cup holder snugly, without any worry of it flying out.

The lid is a simple screw-on top with a rubber ring that easily stops it from leaking even when shaken upside down. We found that even with the lid not screwed on completely all the way, the cup did not spill any water.

It also retained heat very well. When you put it in high-temperature beverages you can feel the heat on the side but it is definitely not too hot to touch. Out of all the travel mugs we tested without its own battery, the Teabloom held heat the longest, starting at 203 degrees Fahrenheit, and falling to 179 at two hours, 154 at five hours, and 126 at ten hours. It's by far one of the best travel coffee mugs to store hot liquid in, the fact it can make tea, coffee, or infused fruit water is just a plus.

Best travel coffee mugs: bioGo 16 oz Reusable Coffee Cups

8. bioGo 16 oz Reusable Coffee Cups

The bioGo Reusable Coffee Cup is simplistic but offers everything you’d need in a travel mug. Available in eight colors, it's made of recycled rice husks making them better for the environment. They also fit in cup holders and have a padded bottom to stop the cup from falling over.

It's also remarkably light; the model we tested weighs 6.2 ounces while still holding 16 fluid ounces. Although a 13 ounce capacity is also available. That light nature does make it feel a bit flimsy, but it held up to being knocked around just as well as other stainless steel mugs we tested. The cup is dishwasher safe and won’t break apart after multiple uses.

The screw-on lid is simple but effective. The hole on top has a plastic stopper that can be flipped in or out, which effectively keeps liquids inside. No matter how shaken or flipped upside down, the cup did not leak. The lid closer did not move once it was locked in place, but when the piece came out of the hole it did flop around.

Though it's a very pretty and stylish cup, it didn’t retain heat as well as a lot of the other mugs we tested. Starting at 202 degrees, it dropped quickly to 118 by two hours, 90 by five, and room temperature by 10. The whole cup became extremely warm on the outside, starting out at 125 degrees making it too hot to touch. If you need a mug that's safe for the environment and that you don’t need to hold hot beverages for long periods, then give this bioGo a shot. The environmentally friendly aspects make it one of the best travel coffee mugs.

Best travel coffee mugs: Contigo West Loop Stainless Steel Vacuum-Insulated Travel Mug

9. Contigo West Loop Stainless Steel Vacuum-Insulated Travel Mug

The Contigo West Loop Travel Mug has a gorgeous and unique shape that is durable enough to last. Made of stainless steel and its own patented Thermalock insulation, drinks stay hot or cold for hours inside. The shape makes it stand out from other travel mugs out there while still being slim enough to fit in most car cup holders. It holds 16 ounces of fluid and weighs 6.9 ounces. A 20 ounce capacity is also available, but we tested the smaller model.

The lid opens with a button press on the side, allowing any liquid to flow without issue. Even when shaken and held upside down, nothing escaped. To make sure nothing escapes, there’s a fantastic locking feature where all you have to do is press down on a button on top to make sure the lid can’t open. So when you place the mug in your bag, the button won’t accidentally get pressed and spill everywhere.

The odd shape does have it wobble a bit when tapped and it lacks rubber grips on the bottom, so it can fall. But it is still quite durable so even a tumble shouldn’t crack the exterior. The whole cup is dishwasher safe and the locking lid does not require disassembly to clean.

When filled with hot liquid, we found that the plastic lid coated in rubber got very hot and couldn’t be touched at max heat. But it did hold heat tolerably, starting at 204 degrees Fahrenheit and failing to 166 at two hours, 137 at five, and 111 at 10. Other travel mugs insulated a bit more consistently, but the Contigo still earned a recommendation, which is why it makes the list as one of the best travel coffee mugs.

Best travel coffee mugs: Ello Campy Vacuum Insulated Travel Mug

10. Ello Campy Vacuum Insulated Travel Mug

The Ello Campy Travel Mug is a simple, yet truly effective, liquid container. Its sleek metallic exterior hides a vacuum-insulated interior that keeps beverages cold or hot hours after use. That hard body makes it incredibly durable, though the plastic lid may not be able to handle the most aggressive of use.

The handle is coated in cork inside, helping you keep your grip and not burn yourself when going for a drink. The large handle makes it impossible for it to fit firmly in most car cup holders, especially any that are very deep. But it does make the cup look aesthetically pleasing and simple to use if you’d rather grasp a handle.

The screw-on lid is a bit more than just a simple piece of plastic, using a unique flipping mechanism to look the cup in place. Hot liquids made the lid too hot to touch and drink. It's also just a simple push button that can easily be knocked open without you noticing. This cup can’t be placed in a bag because it will spill everywhere. But it won’t leak when turned upside down as long as the lid is positioned correctly.

The whole cup is fairly good at keeping liquids hot, starting at 203 degrees Fahrenheit it fell to 171 at two hours, 142 at five, and 113 at 10. That puts it alongside a lot of the other cups we tested with vacuum insulation. Overall, it's great as long as you don’t try to drink scolding hot beverages. The model tested holds 18 ounces and weighs 5.3 ounces, but a smaller 11 ounce design is also available.

Best travel coffee mugs: Ello Jane Ceramic Travel Mug

11. Ello Jane Ceramic Travel Mug

The Ello Jane Ceramic Travel Mug is elegant with a timeless look, capturing the vibe of a cozy summer cottage somewhere in the wilderness. With a thick rubber bottom, the mug stays firmly planted when placed down and won't jiggle too much unless you try to knock it over. Being made of ceramic, we imagine that it's not as durable as other steel options (though we didn’t intentionally try to break it).

The handle on the side makes it comfortable to hold, though it is a fairly wide mug that won’t fit in most cup car holders. You can fill it with 18 fluid ounces of liquid and clean it in the dishwasher.

The top lid is a thin piece of plastic that you can shift up and down to take a drink. The lid is most certainly not leakproof and does not offer an airtight seal. If you just flip it over, the liquid will come gushing out, potentially with the lid as well. The lid is not screwed on and has no rubber gasket and is only held in place by a thin rubber bit around the lid.

It’s also not very good at retaining heat. It started at 199 degrees Fahrenheit and went down to 115 in just two hours. Like the Tupkee Glass Tumbler, the cup reached room temperature in just five hours. It's a much better indoor mug than a travel one, offering a unique option that just isn’t as stable as others on this list. The mug is also quite heavy, coming in at 22 ounces.

How we test

We put these travel mugs through rigorous testing for durability, heat retention, and comfort. First, we gave a score to every mug based on holding capacity, comfort to hold, stability, ease of opening, ease of cleaning, weight, and quality.

Best travel coffee mugs: Thermos mug shown above sink

Then we performed a test to see if it could hold liquid while turned upside down, without spilling a drop. We filled each cup to its maximum amount and held it upside down for five seconds. Then we noted which cups leaked and spilled onto the countertop. Most mugs managed to stay tight-lipped, while others leaked their insides everywhere. After a quick wipe-down of each mug, we moved on to the next step.

Best travel coffee mugs: Ello Jane Ceramic Travel Mug, Ember and Thermos shown on counter with digital thermometer testing liquid temperature.

Then we tested each mug's ability to retain heat. We filled each cup at the same time with boiling water and checked its temperature with a digital instant-read thermometer at two, five, and 10 hours. To check the inside temperature, we opened the top and placed a thermometer with a rod inside just long enough to get the recording without leaking much heat. Then, we closed the lid as quickly as possible before moving onto the next one.

How to choose the best travel mug

Material A travel mug can be made of stainless steel, plastic, ceramic, or glass. If you need a more durable mug, you should find one made of a tougher material like steel or plastic. These tougher mugs are also much better at retaining heat, with some having a vacuum insulation that keeps heat from escaping.

Durability Steel and plastic mugs are incredibly durable, able to withstand rigorous outdoor activity or time spent knocking around in a backpack. Mugs with rubber bottoms are also better at staying upright and not just falling over. If you are looking for a mug you can take on the road, it needs to be both durable and practical to use.

Size Most travel mugs are between 12 and 20 ounces, with 16 and 18 being the sweet spot. Most are slim enough to fit inside your average car coffee cup holder, while being snug enough to not just bounce around inside. If you are looking for a good sized mug, then aim for one that's around eight to ten inches in height.

How easy is to clean Ideally, you should wash or rinse out your travel mugs straight after use, to prevent any grimy build-up inside. If you want to remove odors, one tip is to add ½ cup of vinegar before adding 1tbsp baking soda into the travel mug. Allow it to soak in the solution overnight, and then rinse it with warm water. Make sure you rinse it well so that there are no traces of the solution/vinegar. This should have removed lingering smells.

How do you keep your beverage hot or cold? Whether you want to maximize the heat or chill factor of your drink, there are a few tips. For hot beverages, it's recommended to pour hot water into the mug, and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Then empty the mug, before adding your hot drink, and this should retain the temperature. The same applies for cold drinks, but you use ice cubes in the cold water instead.

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Steven Asarch is a writer and editor who lives on Twitch and YouTube. After graduating from Baruch College, he wrote for IBT Media, Newsweek and Insider. In 2021, he executive produced the docu-series "Onision in Real Life" on Discovery +. As someone always looking to have the best smelling apartment possible, he's made it his mission to find the best air purifiers out there. His home has since become an air purifier haven, having stored and tested ten models for over three months. You could say he now knows everything there is to know about air purifiers, and what separates the good from the best.

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The 12 Very Best Travel Mugs

Cut back on waste and enjoy a better cup of coffee..

When I walk into any coffee shop, I see at least a handful of people asking for their morning brew to be poured into their own reusable vessel instead of something disposable. And trust me: Baristas are more than happy to oblige. Every single one of the pros I talked to for this story said that not only are ceramic, glass, and stainless-steel options better for the environment, but they actually make your coffee tastier than paper or plastic. They’re also more convenient — I make my coffee and tea at home the vast majority of the time, but now, I pour it into one of the few reusable mugs I tested for this story whenever I want to take it with me on the go. Not only does that save money, but it keeps my drink hot or cold for longer. And I can sip some, throw it in my bag , and save the rest for later.

All the travel mugs on this list have temperature retention for at least a few hours, with the exception of three, which I’ve noted and explained. While all of them work well, if you’re going to invest in this long-term good habit, you want to find the one that best fits your coffee habits and, of course, aesthetic preference. Read on to help determine which reusable cup, mug, or tumbler is best for you. And if you’re in need of a water bottle , I’ve got you covered there, too.

What we’re looking for

Eight or 12 ounces is on the smaller side; both are good for standard cappuccinos or cortados or if you don’t consume all that much coffee or tea. Twenty ounces is pretty big, useful if you’ll be toting your drink around all day without the chance for refills. And then, of course, 16 ounces is somewhere in between.

The type of lid on your travel mug can make a fairly big difference in how you experience drinking. Some have bigger openings, some smaller. Some snap shut; others twist open and close. This can come down to personal preference — meaning the literal mouthfeel of each one. But it’s also important to consider when and how you’ll be using your travel mug, whether that’s commuting by train or car, sitting at a desk, or running errands around your neighborhood.

How to clean

Some travel mugs on this list are dishwasher safe; others need to be cleaned by hand. Take note if that’s an important factor for you.

Best travel mug overall

Volume: 12 to 20 ounces | Lid type: Flip lid | How to clean: Dishwasher safe

The MiiR Travel Tumbler is my personal favorite travel mug. I own the smallest size (12 ounces) and love the compact build and sleek shape. I find the grip itself to be secure, too, and slim enough to fit in one hand. The whole lid screws on tight; I’ve never experienced any leaking. It’s especially easy and comfortable to sip from, thanks to the small piece on the lid that flips up and reveals a hole that allows a stream steady enough to get a good mouthful but not so wide open that it spills when I tilt the mug back. This is even the case with iced coffee; the cubes never obstruct the opening or cause uneven flow (though if you mainly drink it this way, one of the larger sizes might be a better choice).

The temperature retention is fantastic, too; I’ve had coffee stay hot — not just warm, but piping — for six hours. Jerad Morrison, co-founder and co-CEO of Sightglass Coffee in San Francisco, explains that this is thanks to the double-walled interior, which also means it’s never too hot or too cold to hold on the outside. “It’s stainless steel, so it washes really easily,” Morrison says, “and doesn’t hold on to any flavors.” Will Pratt, founder and owner of Tandem Coffee Roasters in Portland, Maine, agrees that its material makes it a breeze to clean — and that if you have one, you can even just throw it in the dishwasher. “Coffee has sticky oils that leave residue, and there’s nothing worse than a mug that holds that flavor over time,” he says. The final bonus, as mentioned by Morisson, is that it fits into cup holders in both cars and bikes, which “is not always the case.”

Michael Philips, director of content and copy at Blue Bottle , recommends Miir’s standard tumbler . Like the travel model above, the body is made from the same material, slightly tapered towards the bottom, so it still feels good in the hand and fits in cup holders, Philips says. The clear lid “gives you a chance to see what you’re drinking,” he says, and “does a great job stopping sloshes from getting out and onto your hands.”

Best travel mug for cappuccinos

Volume: 12 and 16 ounces | Lid type: Flip lid | How to clean: Hand-wash only

KeepCup was also mentioned by many of our experts, and in my own testing, I liked it, too. The lid here functions pretty much the same as the MiiR, which means you can sip from the hole or take the whole thing off. Both make for comfortable sipping. But I will note: while there’s a small silicone tag that fits into the sip hole to seal it, it isn’t perfectly leak-proof, meaning this isn’t a mug I would casually throw in my bag. But it’s very nice for taking on walks or bringing coffee-shop brew home.

I was initially nervous the glass would be delicate, but it’s thick and feels sturdy, with a wide cork ring around the perimeter so I can grip without my fingers getting too hot. The glass body also means that there’s not as much heat retention going on as some of the others. (And for Ryan Fisher, director of coffee and roasting at GoodBoyBob Coffee in Santa Monica, California, that’s actually a benefit instead of a problem: The glass gets his coffee to the exact temperature he likes quickly.)

KeepCup was also praised by coffee pros who say its size and shape works well on their side of the counter, too. The small glass vessels were designed by two former baristas in Melbourne, Australia, making it easier for people like Joanna Lareau, coffee manager at Stumptown , and Samya Said, former barista training manager at Fairgrounds Coffee & Tea , to do their jobs. Both Lareau and Said say that having a wide mouth and inner slope allows baristas to pour amazing coffee art. Lareau also notes that the small size fits cortados and cappuccinos well. “Some reusable cups are so big they don’t fit into the espresso machine,” she says.

Best travel mug for iced coffee

Volume: 8, 12, and 16 ounces | Lid type: Twist-off lid | How to clean: Hand-wash only

Fellow is generally a favorite brand among industry folks (I’m a big fan of their electric kettle in particular). As with all their products, the travel mug has a streamlined look. Even though you can’t throw it in the dishwasher, Morrison says the stainless steel interior makes it easy to clean. And it retains hot and cold temperatures with the best of them. But the coolest feature of all? “There’s a small guard insert at the top,” Morrison says, “so if you’re drinking iced coffee, the cubes don’t fall back onto your face when you get towards the bottom.”

Best travel mug for commuting

Volume: 12 and 16 ounces | Lid type: Flip lid | How to clean: Hand-wash recommended

The Zojirushi, which was also a top pick for reusable water bottles , comes with a lot of the same perks as many others on this list — namely fantastic temperature control and a slim, sleek, and lightweight body. We’ve been recommending it since 2016 in large part because the water bottle keeps drinks at the same temperature as they were when you initially filled it. “One time, I made coffee early one winter morning and brought it to work in my Zojirushi. When I got to the office after walking through freezing temperatures and snow, the coffee was too hot,” wrote Laura Perciasepe in her review of this Japanese mug . “I put an ice cube in it like a philistine.”

But according to tea consultant Sara Shacket , its most impressive quality is that it’s completely airtight. “It really doesn’t leak,” she says. “I’ve used it during many commutes on the subway, thrown in my bag, and was never worried. Same if I was hiking on a trip. It could be upside-down and it wouldn’t leak.” Cookbook author and recipe developer Carla Lalli Music , who owns multiple Zojirushi models, echoes this sentiment, saying, “It has the most bustproof cap in the biz.” Ilana Glazer likes her so much, she brings it onstage, in large part because it’s “so sleek in its design and so quick to open and close.”

Best travel mug with a handle

Volume: 10 to 24 ounces | Lid type: Slide lid | How to clean: Dishwasher safe

If you prefer a mug with a handle, I recommend this Yeti option. Steven Sadoff, founder of New York City’s Ground Support , has many travel mugs (including the MiiR and the Fellow above), but he finds the handle on this one particularly convenient when he’s driving because even though it doesn’t fit in a cup holder, he can easily grab it and sip with control. “It makes for a pretty comfortable drinking experience,” he says, “especially as you get close to the end of your coffee.” The same applies when he meets friends for a coffee outside because “you can gesticulate wildly without spilling.” Aside from the handle, he appreciates that the mug seals incredibly tightly, keeps liquid hot for hours, and is dishwasher safe. Rhiannon Giddens is another fan , saying that Yeti bottles keep liquid “hot or cold for a millennia.”

Best less expensive travel mug with a handle

Volume: 8 to 20 ounces | Lid type: Slide lid | How to clean: Hand-wash recommended

MiiR also makes a sweet travel mug that mimics an actual handled mug, and it also came recommended by multiple experts. Em Orendorff, former manager at Intelligentsia Coffee , likes it because “it’s shaped just like the mugs we use in the café (short and wide with a great handle), so it’s a breeze for baristas to make your drink in it as well as easy to clean and to drink out of.” Caleb Chauncey, former barista at East Pole Coffee Co. in Atlanta, likes that its insulated interior keeps drinks warm or cold for long periods of time, and it keeps a consistent temperature on the outside too. “It won’t burn your hand if you have a hot beverage inside, and it won’t sweat when you have a cold one,” he says. To me, it seems like the perfect camping companion. It’s also worth noting that it comes in the largest range of sizes of any of the mugs we’ve listed.

Best travel mug with a replaceable lid

Hydro Flask Stainless Steel Wide Mouth Bottle

Volume: 12 to 20 ounces | Lid type: Twist-off lid or sip lid | How to clean: Dishwasher safe

Hydro Flask is another go-to for water (in fact, I named it our best-overall bottle). Here, the Flex Sip lid makes it especially easy to use on the go, keeping your coffee contained as you drink. Plus you can dangle the mug with one finger from the looped handle. If you already own a Hydro Flask, you can buy the lid separately and just replace your old one. The company says it’s dishwasher safe, but handwashing is recommended — though my boyfriend and I have been putting our own Hydro Flasks in the dishwasher for months now, and there hasn’t been any damage.

Best no-leak travel mug

Volume: 12 and 17 ounces | Lid type: Screw top double lid | How to clean: Handwash recommended

This tumbler has an extra-secure double-lid system to prevent leaks. You take both lids off to fill the bottle, then twist in the first one that has a few holes around the perimeter to sip from, and then add the fully closed screw top over that. Strategist writer Jeremy Rellosa loves this feature, he says, because there are no small flip-up or sliding parts that can open by accident. Once, he had to stuff it into his backpack while traveling and thought he was going to open it to find coffee stains on his clothes , but everything inside stayed clean and dry. Plus, “the actual lid where you drink from and makes contact with your lips never touches the exterior of your bag, or wherever you’re stashing it,” Rellosa says. Julia Shaw, director of marketing at NYC’s Devoción Coffee , is another fan. She says the bottle keeps liquid hot or cold for a long time and has an “elegant” aesthetic appeal.

Best travel mug with open hole lid

Volume: 8.5 and 12 ounces | Lid type: Sip lid | How to clean: Dishwasher safe

Kinto’s To-Go Tumbler has a very small but always-open sip hole, which means it’s best suited for when you’re sitting at a desk or on a walk holding the tumbler in your hand. This means your drink will stay hot for about an hour and cold for several hours, but it’s not going to retain its temperature all day long. That said, it’s still a favorite of a couple of our experts. For Haley Boyd , a designer and sustainability enthusiast, this is mostly because of the aesthetic. “It’s an attractive, simple shape in a solid color without a huge logo, which is surprisingly hard to find,” she says. But for Noah McKeown, general manager at Go Get Em Tiger in Los Angeles, who uses his nearly every day, it’s more than just looks. “I like the small-hole sip lid,” he says. “I think the flow-out of it is really nice. It never spills, but you still get a lot of the coffee aromatics out of it.”

Best customizable travel mug

Volume: 12 and 16 ounces | Lid type: Button lid or straw lid | How to clean: Dishwasher safe

Not only does this ceramic-lined mug hit the mark on functionality, but it allows you to customize way beyond size. You choose between a lid with a button-release or a built-in straw and then pick from a bunch of pretty, muted tones, either making it monochrome or designing it so that the body, lid, and button are all different colors.

It’s super effective, too. I tested a button-release version: While you unscrew the lid fully to fill the vessel, you press down on a circle flush with the top that opens another much smaller hole to sip from. This releases a slow and steady stream of liquid when you tip the mug back. Even when I was walking around with it, I never had to readjust how I was holding or maneuvering it, and no amount of turning it upside down or jostling led to any leaking. And the temperature retention (for both hot and cold drinks) is great — my coffee stays hot for about four hours, and last summer, I could hear ice clinking around after that same amount of time when I was out and about on a hot day.

Best glass travel mug for brewing tea

Volume: 7 ounces | Lid type: Twist-off lid | How to clean: Dishwasher safe

Often, tea-brewing tumblers have a metal insert that’s filled with tea leaves and steeped in water. That means that once the appropriate amount of time has passed, you either have to remove the strainer — which can be impractical, if you’re on the go — or just leave the leaves inside, which can cause your drink to turn bitter. But not with this tumbler. Daniela Titiun, tea sommelier and author of Tea Cachai , tried many models before landing on the Oneisall, which she says has “the smartest system.” It functions by dividing the vessel in half with a filter. One side houses the leaves; the other, the water. This allows you to turn the bottle upside down to infuse and then right side up when you’re ready to unscrew and sip. (There’s a helpful video on the product page.) While the glass means this mug is non-insulating, the double walls help retain heat for about an hour, and at only seven ounces, it should be easy to finish by then. Plus, as Titiun notes, you can easily re-brew for a second time with the same leaves.

Best stainless-steel travel mug for brewing tea

Volume: 16 ounces | Lid type: Sip lid | How to clean: Hand-wash recommended

Like the model above, this travel mug brews tea without an infuser sitting in your water — but instead of the flip method, it has a more traditional tea press that you push down once the steep time is over (similar to a French press ). The grip is comfortable, so I often take it with me on late-afternoon walks, and the twist-off lid is extremely tight. It hasn’t ever spilled, even when jostled in my tote bag . There are small sip holes around the perimeter of the top of the infuser so you can drink from any angle, all while the flow of liquid is slow and controlled. Finally, because of the stainless-steel insulation, it stays at temperature for hours; when I brew it before I go upstairs for the evening, it’s still hot when I drink from it before bed.

Some more travel vessels we’ve written about

Our experts

• Haley Boyd , designer and sustainability enthusiast • Maxine Builder , Strategist editor • Caleb Chauncey, former barista at East Pole Coffee Co. • Ryan Fisher, director of coffee and roasting at GoodBoyBob Coffee • Joanna Lareau, coffee manager at Stumptown • Noah McKeown, general manager at Go Get Em Tiger • Jerad Morrison, co-founder and co-CEO of Sightglass Coffee • Carla Lalli Music , cookbook author and recipe developer • Em Orendorff, former manager at Intelligentsia Coffee • Michael Phillips, director of content and copy at Blue Bottle • Will Pratt, founder and owner of Tandem Coffee Roasters • Jeremy Rellosa , Strategist writer • Steven Sadoff, founder of New York City’s Ground Support • Samya Said, former barista training manager at Fairgrounds Coffee & Tea • Sara Shacket , tea consultant • Julia Shaw, director of marketing at Devoción Coffee • Daniela Titiun, tea sommelier and writer of Tea Cachai

Update on June 17, 2024: Updated prices and checked stock for all products.

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The Best Travel Coffee Mugs, Whether You Walk, Ride, or Drive

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

We take our recommendation for the best travel coffee mugs very seriously. The working world (ours anyway) runs on caffeine, and for many coffee drinkers, that need has to be satisfied on the go. So a good travel coffee mug—one that’s easy to hold, doesn't leak, and keeps hot coffee hot and iced coffee cold—is a must.

Zojirushi Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Mug

Image may contain: Steel, Bottle, and Shaker

Brumate Nav

Yeti Rambler 10-Ounce Tumbler with Magslide Lid

To find the best travel mugs available right now, we tested more than 20 popular and top-rated options in a variety of shapes and sizes. Below, you’ll find our top picks for commuters of all kinds, followed by the details of how we tested and what we looked for. To learn the pros and cons of all the other mugs we tested, keep reading.

The best travel coffee mug to toss in your bag: Zojirushi

Of all the travel mugs we tested, there are only a few we’d feel comfortable tossing into a bag with our laptop or favorite book, and of them all, this one was the absolute best at keeping our coffee hot. After five hours the hot coffee we poured in was almost too hot to drink.

That excellent heat retention is due to the Zojirushi’s vacuum-insulated, double-walled stainless steel. Though it sounds like a beast, this travel mug is actually relatively lightweight and has a super-slim design that fits perfectly in your hand or bag. It also looks really nice, which is a definite plus for a mug you'll be carting around everywhere.

And you never have to worry about coffee spilling inside your bag or briefcase because the spout cap has a pretty serious sliding lock on the top that, when engaged, makes it impossible to open or spill. Shake, rattle, roll this thing—it's not going to leak any hot drinks on you or whatever else you’re carrying. The lid also comes apart for easy hand washing.

The Zojirushi travel tumbler isn’t dishwasher-safe, which is true of many vacuum-insulated vessels. This was the slimmest travel mug we tested (the opening of all three sizes is just 1⅝ inch) so if you want to clean it with friction, you’ll need a soft bottle bottle brush . That kind of cleaning shouldn’t be necessary often since the inside has a non-stick coating. We weren’t able to find any kind of documentation on what that coating actually is but it probably is nothing to worry about as the issues with nonstick cookware are around exposing it to direct, high heat or scratching it with metal utensils, neither of which are likely in a coffee cup. The super-slim design also means this mug may rattle around in a car cup holder, and the 20-ounce size is too tall to fit under our Nespresso VertuoPlus spout (you’d likely run into the same issue with other single-serve coffee makers ). Finally, sipping from the Zojirushi is slightly more awkward to drink from than many of the other mugs we tried, but it’s a small price to pay for such incredible heat retention and the peace of mind that comes with having a truly leak-free travel mug to use for hot drinks on the go.

Dishwasher safe: No Fits in car cup holder: Yes Leakproof: Yes, very Sizes available: 12 ounces , 16 ounces , 20 ounces Warranty: 5 years

This price represents the 12-ounce size. Click through for more options.

The best dishwasher safe travel coffee mug to toss in your bag: Brumate

If you want a spill-proof, leak-proof travel mug that you can also stick in the dishwasher at the end of the day, we recommend the Brumate Nav. This tapered, tumbler-style mug is just as secure as the Zojirushi, though the “BevLock” lid uses a slider to lock a flip-top spout cover into place. And even when it’s not locked, this mug won’t leak; the lock just provides an extra layer of security in case the flip-top were to catch on something strong.

We accidentally turned our testing up to eleven one morning when we dropped this mug—full of piping hot coffee—while trying to shuffle small kids out the door. The lid was closed, but not locked, and we didn’t lose a single drop or burn any toddlers.

The insulated stainless steel body retains heat well (though not as well as the Zojirushi) and we appreciate that the BPA-free clear plastic lid allows us to look inside the cup.

The Brumate doesn’t retain heat nearly as well as the Zojirushi, but if you consume your coffee within an hour or two, it’s more than sufficient. The product description says it will keep hot drinks hot for three hours, but we only experience that kind of heat retention if the mug is full, and stays that way, for the entire three hours. We’d also love to see this mug in a 16-ounce size.

Dishwasher safe: Yes Fits in car cup holder: Yes Leakproof: Yes Sizes available: 12 ounces , 22 ounces , and 32 ounces Warranty: Limited lifetime

This price represents the 22-ounce size. Click through for more options.

The best travel coffee mug for the car: Yeti Rambler with Magslide Lid

If you like to take your coffee in the car, you might not need a truly leak-proof mug. But you still need something to prevent sloshing and splashing when you inevitably encounter a pothole or other rough road. And, of course, a travel mug for the car must be able to keep your coffee hot even on brutally-cold mornings.

Yeti’s tumbler-style Rambler mug meets all of our requirements for a car-friendly coffee mug, and then some. The double-wall vacuum insulation keeps your drink hot for hours, the slim base fits comfortably in a car cup holder, and the Magslide spout cover is really easy to open with one hand while driving (it’s easiest if you slide it open while it’s still in the cup holder).

This mug is also incredibly easy to clean as all three parts are dishwasher safe. The little magnetic slider stays securely put until you pop it off from the underside of the lid.

Aside from the fact that it’s not leak-proof, there’s not much we don’t love about this mug. But some coffee drinkers may find the size options limiting. The 10-ounce is perfect for an 8-ounce pour-over, a small latte, or a couple shots of espresso, but the next size up is 20-ounces and that may feel too big if you just want to commute with a cup of coffee. We’d love to see this mug offered in a 14-ounce or 16-ounce size, too.

Dishwasher safe: Yes Fits in car cup holder: Yes Leakproof: No Sizes available: 10 ounces , 20 ounces , 30 ounces Warranty: 5 years

This price represents the 10-ounce size. Click through for more options.

How we tested travel coffee mugs

For weeks we conducted unofficial testing, adding these mugs to our regular coffee-vessel rotation. When it came time for the official testing, we filled all of the mugs with piping hot water and let them sit on our desks for five hours. We then sipped from each to determine if they had retained heat. Next, we put the containers through a stress test, shaking them and tipping them up and down to see if anything leaked. Finally, we took some brisk walks to mimic the frantic conditions of a morning commute, coffee mug in hand. We did not preheat the mugs by filling them with hot water first—we figured the typical user would not do this and we wanted to see how well each mug retained heat without this step.

The Zojirushi is the only insulated vessel we’ve tested that (just barely) fits into the ridiculously slim side pocket of a standard Fjallraven Kanken backpack.

What we looked for

Obviously, a travel mug needs to be spill-proof, but mugs that will travel in a bag also need to be completely leak proof. To test the seal on each mug, we filled them with hot coffee, closed the lids according to the manufacturer’s directions, and shook them vigorously while turned upside down.

One of the most important considerations was temperature retention, so we looked at how well the mug kept coffee hot over the course of a few hours. We lined up the mugs and tasted them side by side after five hours to see which one was the hottest.

If a mug was marketed as leak-proof, we looked at how hard or easy it was to engage its leak-free function. Mugs that are too hard to seal are more likely to malfunction when you’re running out the door in a hurry.

We didn't want a travel coffee mug that was too heavy or unwieldy, as this would make it more difficult to carry around while commuting. We also considered how much you had to maneuver your mouth while drinking.

If a mug wasn’t listed as dishwasher safe, we looked at how easy it was to get all parts—including the nooks and crannies of the lid—thoroughly clean with hand washing .

Yes, these mugs are utilitarian vessels meant for keeping hot beverages hot and cold beverages cold, but let’s not pretend looks don’t matter. These are accessories as much as they are tools.

Personal preference dictates what size coffee cup you’ll need, and if you make yourself an 8-ounce latte every morning, a 20-ounce travel mug is going to be too big. So we looked for mugs that offered a range of sizes—including mugs big enough for those who do like to chug 24 ounces of coffee on the way to work.

For car commuters, a base that’s too wide is a deal breaker. So we looked at whether or not these mugs were slim enough to fit into standard car cup holders.

Other travel coffee mugs we tested

We love this bigger Yeti Rambler mug for most of the reasons we loved our top pick for the car, and it even has a handle and a more leak-resistant (though not leak-proof) lid. But the smallest size is 20-ounces and it’s just big enough that it’s not guaranteed to fit in every car cup holder. Plus, unless you’re planning to hit the road with an entire French press-worth of coffee, a 20- or 30-ounce capacity is overkill for your morning commute.

Dishwasher safe: Yes Fits in car cup holder: Some Leakproof: No Sizes available: 20 ounces , 30 ounces

Yeti Rambler Travel Mug with Stronghold Lid

Yeti's most mug-shaped Rambler mug has the best size selection of all of the Rambler mugs and the two smaller sizes (10 ounces and 14 ounces) are stackable. But because it's mug-shaped, it won't fit in a car cup holder. And because it has the Magslider lid, it's not leak proof, either. While this one is generally good for camping, the handle is pretty basic and not very comfortable to hold—especially if the 24-ounce size is full of hot coffee.

Dishwasher safe: Yes Fits in car cup holder: No Leakproof: No Sizes available: 10 ounces, 14 ounces, 24 ounces

Yeti Rambler 24-Ounce Mug

With the addition of the Hotshot lid, Yeti’s versatile, durable insulated Rambler water bottle becomes a (mostly) leak-proof travel mug for coffee, tea, and other hot or cold drinks. The Hotshot lid, when twisted to the open position, allows you to drink from any spot along the rim. We say it’s “mostly” leak-proof though, because if it’s not closed tightly enough, it is possible to shake some drops out of this mug when turned upside down—and we don’t love that it allows for that kind of user error. You can also buy the Hotshot cap separately , which is a great way to get even more out of a Yeti Rambler bottle you already own. Well, as long as you make sure to close it really well.

Dishwasher safe: Yes Fits in car cup holder: Most Leakproof: Mostly Sizes available: 12 ounces , 18 ounces

Yeti Rambler with Hotshot Cap

Brumate haș a series of leak-proof coffee mugs with handles called Toddy and these mugs have nearly all the same features we love about the Nav. But the reasonably-sized option ( 16 ounces ) is too wide to fit into any cupholder. The two larger sizes ( 22 ounces and 32 ounces ) have tapered bottoms and actually do fit into many cup holders, but most coffee drinkers will find they're otherwise just too big, in general.

Dishwasher safe: Yes Fits in car cup holder: Some sizes Leakproof: Yes Sizes available: 6 ounces , 22 ounces , 32 ounces

Brumate Toddy

Klean Kanteen is best known for its lightweight stainless steel reusable water bottles (and for tripping up our spell check every damn time) but the brand also makes a very nice double-wall, vacuum-insulated stainless steel travel tumbler. In fact, it’s so nice it’s almost perfect. This mug has excellent heat retention, and the powder-coated body is durable, dishwasher safe, and covered by Klean Kanteen’s lifetime warranty. The tumbler’s wide mouth (wide for Klean Kanteen, anyway) is big enough to fit most ice cubes, and the bottle itself is slender enough to fit most cup holders. Unfortunately, you need to use two hands to open the leak-proof lid, which isn’t always conducive to drinking hot coffee while on the go.

Dishwasher safe: Yes Fits in car cup holder: Yes Leakproof: Yes Sizes available: 12 ounces , 16 ounces , 20 ounces

Klean Kanteen Wide Vacuum Insulated Water Bottle

Klean Kanteen

We’re generally big fans of Oxo gear but the Oxo Good Grips travel mug we previously tested always leaked a little when tipped upside down. In 2023, we tested a newer model, which has what the brand calls a leak-proof “SimplyClean” lid. The mug comes in an array of pretty colors, all of the parts are dishwasher safe, and we found the lid to be truly leak free when properly assembled. However, the engineering required to get such a good seal is… a lot. Disassembling the lid for cleaning and reassembling it are each three-step processes—and the steps are so unintuitive that instructions, arrows, and numbers are actually embossed in various spots all over the three separate lid components (four if you count the removable gasket). After a few tries, it’s pretty easy to get used to how it all goes together, but coming from a brand that makes such user-friendly products, this leak-proof lid is more complicated than it needs to be. It’s also a little too easy to accidentally remove the entire lid when trying to open the spout.

Dishwasher safe: Yes Fits in car cup holder: Yes Leakproof: Yes Sizes available: 16 ounces , 20 ounces

OXO Good Grips Travel Coffee Mug With Leakproof SimplyClean Lid

We like that the short Hydro Flask coffee mug feels like a traditional mug, and this is the only “travel” mug we tested that comes in a 6-ounce size. Like all of Hydro Flask’s insulated products, this mug has great temperature retention and it’s also very durable thanks to solid construction. But because it doesn’t have a leak-proof lid or fit into a car cup holder, it’s definitely more of a “coffee on the front porch” mug or “hot toddy around the campfire” mug than an actual commuting mug. Another drawback? Unlike the brand’s powder-coated water bottles, Hydro Flask mugs are not powder-coated and therefore are not dishwasher safe .

Dishwasher safe: No Fits in car cup holder : No Leakproof: No Sizes available: 6 ounces , 12 ounces , 24 ounces

Hydro Flask Mug

This 16-ounce stainless steel vacuum-insulated travel mug from Thermos is good, and most people would probably be content using it, but there's also nothing remarkable about it. It didn't keep our coffee hot nearly as long as the Zojirushi and though it has a leak-proof lid, it doesn't lock like the Brumate does. It’s also only available in one size (16 ounces). That said, the underside of the lid does have a built-in hook for tea bags and loose-leaf tea infusers, so if you're a tea drinker who likes to take your hot tea on the go, you’ll like that feature.

Dishwasher safe: Yes Fits in car cup holder : Yes Leakproof: Yes Sizes available: 16 ounces

Thermos Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Travel Tumbler

When we first tested the Fellow Carter mug, we tried the Move model —a gorgeous ceramic-lined thermal mug that does a great job of keeping hot drinks hot. Unfortunately, the twist-off lid required the use of both hands, which kept the Fellow Carter from taking a top spot. When we retested travel mugs in 2023, we were thrilled to find that Fellow had recently released a new model of the Carter mug with a slide-lock lid (the lid can also be purchased separately if you already own a Carter mug). The smooth sliding mechanism makes it easy to open and close the angled lid with one hand, and though it doesn’t actually lock like the Zojirushi does, it is leak-proof when closed. But the angle of the new lid means our testers’ noses got smashed up against it every time we took a drink, and because of a lip around the inside of the body, it’s hard to get every last drop of coffee out of this mug. Additionally, the ceramic-coated stainless steel interior is supposed to keep this mug from holding onto smells, but we found that after just one use, it was nearly impossible to get the coffee smell out the lid —so this isn’t a tumbler we’d want to use interchangeably as a coffee cup and a water cup.

Dishwasher safe: No Fits in car cup holder: Yes Leakproof: Yes Sizes available: 12 ounces, 16 ounces

Fellow Carter Slide Travel Coffee Mug

We wanted to love this beautiful powder-coated stainless steel tumbler from Kinto, a Japanese housewares brand. And for the most part, we did. The carry handle on the smartly-constructed top can be removed, revealing a thin circular opening that ensures controlled sipping. Liquid doesn’t pour out too quickly (no scalded tongue or ice cubes in the face) and when tightly sealed, it doesn’t leak. You can also remove the entire top of the mug, which makes pouring easy and makes the travel mug easy to clean. However, it’s impossible to open this mug one-handed. That, combined with its high price tag, kept it out of our top picks.

Dishwasher safe: No Fits in car cup holder: Yes Leakproof: Yes Sizes available: 17 ounces

Kinto Day Off Stainless Steel Tumbler

The MiiR Insulated Travel Tumbler got a lot of oohs and aahs during the unboxing phase of our test. It's sleek, bright, and incredibly comfortable to hold. And when you buy a mug, the brand gifts a portion of revenue to a charity project that's trackable via a code on the bottom of the mug. Hot drinks stay piping hot in this mug, thanks to what the brand calls “Thermo 3D Double Wall Vacuum Insulation Technology.” The locking flip lid is super-secure, too. Unfortunately, the way it’s designed makes it impossible to get the lid completely out of the way when drinking, which resulted in little spots of coffee on our testers’ noses with every single sip.

Dishwasher safe: No Fits in car cup holder: Yes Leakproof: Yes Sizes available: 12 ounces

MiiR Insulated Travel Tumbler

S’well’s water bottles have a cult-like following so we were excited to try the brand’s sleek and simple vacuum-insulated travel tumbler. It did a good job keeping our coffee warm for a couple hours, but it wasn’t noticeably better than most of the other mugs we tried. The stainless-steel and BPA-free plastic lid is actually leak-proof thanks to an airtight flip-top spout cover. However, it flips easily enough we’d be worried about it catching on something in a bag and opening up by accident. Also, as with the Miir above, our testers’ noses got pressed into the piece that flips back while drinking—especially as we got toward the bottom of our hot and cold drinks. This design flaw is less annoying on this mug than it is on the Miir, but it’s annoying nonetheless.

Dishwasher safe: No Fits in car cup holder: Yes Leakproof: Yes Sizes available: 16 oz

Sip by Swell Stainless Steel Travel Mug

We can't help but love this vintage-inspired Stanley travel tumbler—but definitely not for coffee. It does a good job of keeping hot drinks hot, but after weeks of testing, we will only ever use it for ice water because following every single sip, a significant amount of whatever liquid is inside accumulates on the top of the supposedly leak-proof trigger-activated spout cover. When that liquid is coffee, you risk leaving little coffee stains everywhere you go. The slim design is really nice to hold and this tumbler fits in every cup holder we tried, but it’s kind of annoying to have to hold down the trigger the entire time you’re drinking.

Dishwasher safe: Yes Fits in car cup holder: Yes Leakproof: No Sizes available: 16 ounces , 20 ounces

Stanley Classic One Hand Vacuum Mug

Ace Hardware

This vacuum-insulated stainless steel travel mug from Ello looks like the kind of old-school speckled enamelware you'd find in your grandparents' house (that’s a good thing). More importantly, it holds heat well and doesn’t leak, though we wouldn’t want to toss it into a bag with any electronics or white clothes. It’s slender enough to fit in some (but not all) car cup holders—and unlike most of the insulated travel tumblers we tested, it has a handle. Technically, this mug is dishwasher safe, but the brand recommends hand-washing, and we’d want to do that anyway since the inside of the handle is lined with cork. There’s also no way to clean with friction under the sliding spout cover. Still, for less than $20, this mug is a good budget pick, especially if you want a cute, leak-proof insulated mug with a handle. But price is often indicative of quality, and while we have yet to encounter any problems, customer reviews indicate issues with long-term durability, and upon closer inspection, we realized we could probably snap off the handle with very little effort. (Intentional damage would not be covered by Ello’s limited lifetime warranty , but accidental breakage might be.) If you want something that will hold up to everyday use, consider investing in something that’s more solidly constructed.

Dishwasher safe: Yes (top rack only, hand wash recommended) Fits in car cup holder: Maybe Leakproof: Yes Sizes available: 18 ounces

Ello Campy Vacuum Insulated Travel Mug

Like the Ello Campy (above), the Ello Cole is a budget-friendly, vacuum-insulated, stainless steel tumbler with a leak-proof sliding spout cover. It holds heat well and all of the parts are top-rack dishwasher safe, though hand-washing the body is recommended. The Cole also has a cork accent, though on this mug, it’s a “built-in coaster,” which seems rather pointless since a well-insulated mug shouldn’t sweat. While we enjoyed testing this mug, we also worry about long-term durability after reading customer reviews—and the fact that there’s no way to deep clean under the slider lid is concerning, too.

Dishwasher safe: Yes Fits in car cup holder: Yes Leakproof: Yes Sizes available: 16 ounces

Ello Cole Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle

The West Loop mug with Contigo’s leak-proof Autoseal lid is very leak-proof, thanks to a lock switch on the top. But even after unlocking the sip lid, you still have to push pretty hard on the autoseal button on the side of the lid to open it enough to get a good swig. In theory, it’s a good system, but when you just want to take a drink of coffee, it’s pretty annoying, especially because the button isn’t very responsive; it often feels like you’re not pushing it hard enough. We also had a really hard time getting the coffee smell out of the lid, even after just one use.

Dishwasher safe: Lid only, top rack Fits in car cup holder: Most Leakproof: Yes Sizes available: 16 ounces , 20 ounces , 24 ounces

Contigo Stainless Steel Vacuum-Insulated Travel Mug

The Contigo Autoseal Transit Mug has some nice features that set it apart from the West Loop. There’s a permanently-affixed non-slip silicone textured sleeve and a silicone pad on the bottom, too. But it has Contigo’s Autoseal lid, and though the Transit mug’s push-button mechanism is slightly different from the lid on West Loop (and locks and unlocks by twisting the lid), it’s equally annoying to have to hold down a button as you drink.

Dishwasher safe: Lid only, top rack Fits in car cup holder: Most Leakproof: Yes Sizes available: 16 ounces

Contigo Autoseal Transit Stainless Steel Travel Mug

Our testers were divided on this collapsible silicone travel “mug.” It’s really more of a coffee cup to travel with than an actual travel mug, as it’s not insulated and the flip-top lid is more leak-resistant than leak-proof. But if you want something that takes up very little space when not in use, this is a decent option. Simply push down the cup from the top and it becomes about the size of a can of tuna. It also comes in lots of pretty colors and all of the parts are super easy to clean in the dishwasher. On the other hand, keeping track of all those parts (especially the support ring) can be kind of annoying.

Dishwasher safe: Yes Fits in car cup holder: Yes Leakproof: No Sizes available: 12 ounces , 16 ounces , 24 ounces

Stojo Collapsible Travel Cup With Straw

The takeaway

If you want a travel mug that will keep your coffee piping hot (or your cold brew cold) for hours, the Zojirushi stainless steel mug has the best heat retention capabilities of any mug we tested. It’s also completely leak-proof so you can toss it in your bag without worry. The Brumate Nav , while not as great at retaining heat as the Zojirushi, has an equally-secure lid and the added benefit of being dishwasher-safe. For car commuters, we recommend the tumbler-style Yeti Rambler with the Magslide lid . Though not leak-proof, this dishwasher-safe, vacuum-insulated mug is pretty great at preventing spills while also keeping your morning coffee easily accessible—even while you keep your eyes on the road.

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The Best Travel Mug

By Trey French and Anna Perling

Hot drinks are a daily staple for many, and just as important as the beverage is the travel mug that keeps it warm while you’re on the go.

After a decade of testing travel mugs, we still recommend the Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug for most people.

It keeps drinks hot for hours, and its locking lid stays securely closed, even when you toss the mug into a bag. We also have another option, which fits better in most cup holders, for use while you’re driving.

Everything we recommend

Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug

The best travel mug.

This mug offers the best heat retention, plus one-handed usability and a locking, leakproof lid, which makes it especially useful if you carry your mug in a bag or backpack.

Buying Options

Stanley Classic Trigger-Action Travel Mug (16 ounces)

A wider mug for drivers.

This wider mug fit securely in our testers’ cup holders, and its spill-proof lid design is good for rough roads. It doesn’t retain heat as well as the Zojirushi mug—a fact that some people might actually appreciate.

OXO Good Grips Water Bottle Cleaning Set

For cleaning your mug.

This bottle-cleaning set has a skinny straw brush and a looped detail-cleaning brush, which are all you need to keep your travel mug squeaky clean.

The 16-ounce Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug keeps beverages hot for hours, even in cold environments. It has a well-designed exterior, an easy-to-clean nonstick Teflon interior, and a foolproof lid-locking mechanism that you can operate with one hand.

The mug is lightweight and slim, but it may not fit snugly in some cup holders. However, thanks to its locking lid, we were comfortable carrying it around in a bag, without worrying about leaks.

This Zojirushi model is pricey for a travel mug, but this is the mug we trust most not to spill in a bag, and it’s hard to put a price on that. (Actually, that would be about the price of a new bag, laptop, phone, and whatever else happened to be in there at the time.)

It’s also available in a 20-ounce version .

Like other Zojirushi products, it comes with a five-year warranty.

The 16-ounce Stanley Classic Trigger-Action Travel Mug is wider and fits better in most car cup holders than the Zojirushi mug. The lid has an auto-sealing button that prevents spills, and when you drink, it won’t block your view of the road ahead.

Although this Stanley model may not keep drinks as hot as the Zojirushi mug, some people might prefer such results—we’ve heard many complaints over the years of the Zojirushi mug keeping drinks too hot.

Both the mug and the lid are dishwasher safe, but the lid has fewer parts than that of our top pick, so it is easier to disassemble and hand-wash if you prefer to clean it that way.

And let’s not forget that these things need cleaning regularly. That’s why we also have a bottle-brush recommendation for when you need to clean out the gunk .

The research

Why you should trust us, who this is for, how we picked and tested, our pick: zojirushi sm-sf stainless steel mug (16 ounces), also great: stanley classic trigger-action travel mug (16 ounces), also great: oxo good grips water bottle cleaning set, other good travel mugs, the competition.

We’ve been testing travel mugs since 2013. Previous versions of this guide were written and researched by Séamus Bellamy and Anna Perling.

In 2023, staff writer Trey French wrote the latest version this guide. He covers travel and outdoor gear, including thermoses , ice cleats , and thermal underwear . He gained an appreciation of high-performing insulated drinkware while spring camping in Colorado when the temperatures dropped below freezing.

In addition to conducting our own tests, we’ve done the following:

We spoke to engineers and industry professionals about mug design, ideal coffee and tea drinking temperatures, and the best way to find out how long coffee will really stay good in a travel mug.
We watched a mass of online videos on what other professional and consumer reviewers had to say about travel mugs.

Travel mugs, as their name implies, are for people who want to take beverages on the go. Compared with paper or Styrofoam cups, a good travel mug offers better insulation and safeguards against leaks or spills. In addition, you can save money in the long run and reduce your environmental impact by using a travel mug.

Tumblers, thermoses, and insulated water bottles are all close cousins to the travel mug but have some important differences:

Tumblers have sipping ports that don’t seal as tightly or securely as on travel mugs . They also have wider mouths for adding ice cubes. Many also have straws for sipping cold beverages.
Thermoses usually lack the slim size and lid-design features that make travel mugs portable and convenient. With a thermos, instead of popping open a lid to take a sip, you need to unscrew the cap and pour liquid into an open cup to drink.
Insulated water bottles are geared toward keeping drinks cold and don’t have sipping ports like travel mugs do. Instead, they often have screw-top lids that require two hands to open and close, or they have sport caps, which aren’t great for hot drinks.

Here’s what we prioritized when deciding which travel mugs to test:

Vacuum-insulated: All of the mugs we consider are double-walled and vacuum-insulated .

Capable of retaining heat all day: We look for mugs that claim to keep hot beverages drinkably warm for at least eight hours.

Made of stainless steel: Stainless steel is more durable than glass or ceramic and retains heat better than plastic. It’s also the best material for vacuum insulation and therefore heat retention.

Leakproof and spill-proof: A leakproof seal keeps a closed lid from leaking if the mug jostles. A spill-proof seal guards against spills should you drop the mug or knock it over; such seals typically incorporate a push button, like the one found on the Stanley Classic Trigger-Action.

Easy to use: A good mug should be easy to both open and close, as well as to lock and unlock, with one hand. It should also be easy to disassemble for cleaning. We look for mugs that advertise these features or have reviews indicating that they are easy to use.

Between 12 and 20 ounces in capacity: We’ve concluded that 16 ounces is the optimal capacity for a travel mug, as it delays the need for a refill while remaining portable and easy to hold. Some people prefer wider mugs that don’t rattle in cup holders, while others like slimmer mugs that take up less space in backpacks or bags. We test both styles.

After considering the everyday wear and tear that a travel mug might go through in real-world scenarios, we devised tests to mimic those scenarios:

Leak and spill tests: We test mugs for leaky seals by shaking them upside down, dropping them, and carrying them in bags.

Drop test: We drop each mug three times from a height of 4 feet onto asphalt.

Insulation test: We fill each mug with boiling water and then measure how quickly the water cools over eight hours, checking every hour.

Ease of cleaning: We wash each mug, following instructions; we also take apart their lids and wash those. We check for lingering smells and to see if the finish on the mug is harmed.

Cup holder compatibility: We test the mugs in cup holders of varying sizes (2.75, 3.5, and 3.75 inches in diameter).

A blue Zojirushi SM-SF Stainless Steel Mug.

The 16-ounce Zojirushi SM-SF Stainless Steel Mug is the best travel mug for keeping drinks hot for long periods of time. This mug also comes in a 20-ounce size. (The SM-SF is the current model; these model designations often change from year to year, but the mugs themselves stay the same.)

It kept our drinks the hottest. According to the Specialty Coffee Association of America, the best temperature range for coffee is 145 to 155 degrees Fahrenheit. After sitting for eight hours in the Zojirushi mug in a 72-degree room, our water measured 158 degrees—hotter than in any other mug we tested. That translates to hot coffee over a full workday. (If you’re opening the mug more frequently than once an hour, however, it might cool a bit faster.)

It won’t leak. It has sturdy, leakproof seals and a simple locking mechanism. Just close the lid, switch the lock into position, and you’re guaranteed that the top won’t pop open when you don’t want it to—when you’re carrying the mug in a bag, for instance.

It’s easy enough to keep clean. The nonstick interior helps to prevent odors and stains, though the mug’s instructions do warn against storing milk or fruit juices in the mug. (If you prefer drinking from a vessel that doesn’t have a nonstick coating, you might consider the Zojirushi SM-KHE , which has an electro-polished stainless steel interior.) The narrow girth makes it hard to get a sponge inside, but using a bottle brush circumvents that problem. You can disassemble the plastic lid to clean out any gunk that might be lodged in hard-to-reach places, although the small plastic and silicone parts can be difficult to get on and off the lid.

It’s durable. Though this mug developed a few scuffs in our drop tests, it acquired no more than the other mugs we tried, some of which fared far worse. Zojirushi backs the vacuum insulation of its stainless steel mugs with a five-year limited warranty, and the company sells individual replacement parts online .

It’s simple. The Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug has an attractive design that’s minimalist yet eye-catching in its simplicity. The 20-ounce version comes in only one color (navy), but our pick, the 16-ounce version, comes in three (navy, pale pink, mint blue).

How the Zojirushi mug has held up

The Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug might be the single most commonly owned and used product among Wirecutter staffers; it has traveled in many crowded bags, backpacks, and purses without any problems. One staff member did report that after eight years of use, hers finally developed a leak. Another colleague says that their mug has survived drops onto cement (once from a third-floor balcony) without suffering more than a dent.

Zojirushi specifies hand-washing only, but we know of several mugs that have survived accidental trips through the dishwasher without any noticeable decrease in performance, though the external paint has flaked as a result.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The Zojirushi mug is sometimes too good at insulating. We’ve found that if we pour fresh coffee directly into the mug, the liquid can stay scalding hot for hours. To prevent burning your mouth, let your beverage cool a little before closing the lid.

It’s not cup holder friendly. This model, which is more narrow than a typical travel mug, did not fit snugly in our testers’ car cup holders. If you prefer a travel mug with a larger circumference, check out our also-great pick.

It isn’t spill-proof. Though the SM-SF is leakproof, it isn’t spill-proof like our also-great pick; the design lacks an automatic seal to prevent liquid from spilling if you drop the mug while you’re drinking.

A white Stanley Classic Trigger-Action Travel Mug.

The 16-ounce Stanley Classic Trigger-Action Travel Mug is our recommendation for use in a car, as it’s a great spill-proof mug that keeps drinks hot and fits in a cup holder.

It’s designed for drivers. Wider than the Zojirushi mug, this Stanley model fit more securely in our testers’ car cup holders. The top of the mug is narrower than the base, though, to help reduce heat loss through the lid. (Experts told us that the lid is where a double-walled mug loses the most heat.) And the design has no pop-up lid to bump your nose or block your eyes while you’re drinking.

A close-up of the cap of a white Stanley Classic Trigger-Action Travel Mug.

It’s spill-proof, unlike the Zojirushi mug. You do need to hold down a button to keep the sipping port open to drink from the mug, which may be frustrating to some people. However, this design prevents spills—whether from rough roads, say, or if you accidentally knock the mug over while reaching for it—since the mug closes automatically. Other mugs we tested, such as the Contigo Autoseal Transit and West Loop (both former runners-up), had similar buttons, but the button on the Classic Trigger-Action was easier to press and hold. Unlike the Zojirushi model, this mug has no lock to secure its lid, but it never leaked in our tests.

It’s tough. This mug endured our drop tests, sporting only light scuffing on the plastic lid and minor dents at the side of the base of its body. Like Zojirushi’s five-year warranty, Stanley’s lifetime warranty covers only manufacturer defects, not damage to mug components due to accidents or wear. Should you damage the lid or simply lose it, you can buy a replacement lid .

It’s dishwasher safe. Both the mug body and the lid can go in the dishwasher. The lid has some hard-to-reach nooks and crannies, so be sure to disassemble it for the best cleaning results. Stanley’s lid has fewer pieces than Zojirushi’s lid and is easier to take apart.

You have more color choices. If you care about colors, the Classic Trigger-Action comes in many—about a dozen at last count. This mug also comes in a 20-ounce size .

It doesn’t keep drinks hot as long as our top pick does. The Classic Trigger-Action can’t keep your beverages quite as hot for quite as long as our top pick can, but that might be a plus for those who complain that the Zojirushi mug keeps drinks too hot. When we boiled water and let it sit in this Stanley mug, the water took only three hours to cool to 158 degrees (whereas water in the Zojirushi mug took eight hours to reach that temperature). After eight hours, the water in the Classic Trigger-Action measured 132 degrees—26 degrees cooler than the water in the Zojirushi mug. If you drink your beverages quickly or don’t want to wait for them to cool down before sealing your mug, the Classic Trigger-Action may be a better option for you.

The OXO Good Grips Water Bottle Cleaning Set is the best bottle-cleaning set. It comes with a large bottle brush, a skinny straw brush, and a looped detail-cleaning brush, all kept together on a handy ring so you won’t lose any of the parts. The set is dishwasher safe, and we found that it works well for anyone looking to remove gunk from travel mugs and other hard-to-clean items.

If you want a mug with a locking lid for about half the price of our top pick: Consider the GSI Microlite 500 Flip , which keeps liquids almost as hot as the Zojirushi mug and has a similar one-handed flip top with a lock.

However, when we dropped this GSI mug to the ground when the lid was unlocked, the lid popped open and spilled coffee everywhere—and the exact same thing happened when we dropped it a second time. Eventually, we dropped the mug enough, accidentally, to break the lid; GSI does sell replacement lids.

This mug, which has a large sipping port, also has a higher flow rate than our picks, and may require more careful sipping when the beverage is really hot.

If the Zojirushi mug is out of stock: You might look into the MiiR 360 Traveler , which in our tests kept drinks almost as hot and resisted denting just as well as our top pick. When it’s unlocked, its sipping port allows you to drink from anywhere on the lid’s circumference. We decided not to make it a pick because we struggled to decipher whether the sipping port was open or closed—which in turn led to spills. Unlike some twist-to-open 360-degree ports, the MiiR 360 Traveler’s lid has a push button for operation that forms the center of the lid, and at a glance, it looks nearly the same whether closed or open.

The mug is also available in a flip-top version called the Flip Traveler , but we’ve found flip-top lids prone to breaking during our drop tests. The mug bodies for the 360 Traveler and the Flip Traveler are the same, and the lids are interchangeable, in case you buy one and then decide that you’d like to try the other.

We’ve considered and evaluated several other Zojirushi travel mugs throughout our testing. Here’s a breakdown:

Zojirushi SM-WR : Almost identical to the SM-SF series, this version has an integrated gasket, which reduces the total pieces to clean. We like it almost as much as our top pick. However, it dispenses a little faster than the SM-SF, which is good for cold drinks but can be too much for really hot drinks.
Zojirushi SM-YAE : This 16-ounce mug costs a little more than our main pick. It comes with an electro-polished interior, like the Zojirushi SM-KHE, but has a shape that’s stouter than other Zojirushi mugs and short enough to fit under the spout of a single-cup brewing machine. In our tests, however, it fell short of our picks in insulating performance: After eight hours, the water temperature had dropped to 100 degrees, 58 degrees cooler than the water in our top pick.
Zojirushi SM-SHE : We were reluctant to test this mug due to persistent stock issues. Zojirushi sent us one to try out anyway, but it broke during our drop test.
Zojirushi SM-JHE : We opted not to test this mug because it has a wide-mouth, screw-off lid.
Zojirushi SM-JTE : We also elected not to test this model, which has a tea-leaf filter, due to its screw-off lid.

The JoeVeo Temperfect Javabliss 16 Travel Mug brings a scalding drink down to a drinkable temperature and holds it there by using a third layer in its wall to capture excess heat and then release it over time. It isn’t leakproof or spill-proof, though.

The 17-ounce Kinto Travel Tumbler insulates well—so well that it was the third-best contender at insulating in our tests behind the Zojirushi SM-SF and GSI Microlite 500 Flip. Drinking from it requires fully removing the lid, though, and finding a place to put the lid.

After dismissing previous iterations of the Hydro Flask travel mug, we tested the 20-ounce Hydro Flask Coffee Cup with Flex Sip Lid , and it was a clear improvement over older models. It kept drinks hot for about a half day, and it resisted denting better than about half of the other tested mugs. The lid requires two hands to open and close, however, so it can be tough to open while you’re distracted, and it has a tendency to “burp” a small amount of liquid when you rotate the lid from closed to open.

The 16-ounce OXO Good Grips Thermal Mug with SimplyClean Lid resembles—and insulates about as well as—the Hydro Flask mug we tested, keeping drinks hot for a half day. It also shares that model’s flaws, requiring two hands to open and close, and burping some liquid.

The Klean Kanteen Insulated Wide Mouth Water Bottle was a previous runner-up in this guide, as well as a former insulated water bottle pick, but we found that the lid occasionally leaked when we left the bottle on its side overnight.

The 18-ounce Purist Mover with Scope Lid insulates nearly as well as our picks and has a 360-degree sip lid, which lets you drink from any side of the mug. It requires two hands to open and close, though.

We broke the flip-top lid of the 20-ounce Welly Traveler , as well as the glued-on product-label plate on the bottom of the mug, the first time we dropped it.

The 12-ounce Ketiee Travel Mug is cheaper than most mugs we looked at, and we wondered what we’d get for the price. It kept drinks hot for about two hours during our tests, scoring near the bottom. Our main complaint is that the molding process left a pointy knob on our test unit, right above the drinking port, that pressed into our testers’ noses. Also, the product page states that it’s spill-proof—and we found that it wasn’t, whether the flip-top lid was open or closed.

The battery-powered Ember Travel Mug 2 promises to keep your beverage at a specific temperature (up to 145 degrees) for three hours—if you remember to charge it. Without the battery, it scored at the bottom on our insulation test; we also managed to break its inner seal during our drop test. Although we like the standard Ember Mug 2 (read more in our mug warmers guide ), we can’t recommend this even more expensive sibling.

The Contigo Autoseal West Loop Travel Mug was one of our previous runners-up. Like the Stanley Classic Trigger-Action , it has a button that you need to push before you can drink. The West Loop didn’t hold up as well in our drop tests as the Stanley model did, and we found its vertical push button harder to use than the one on our current also-great pick.

This article was edited by Ria Misra and Christine Ryan.

Hongbin Bill Ma, director, Center of Thermal Management at the University of Missouri , phone interview , September 22, 2017

Michael Dickey, professor of chemical engineering at North Carolina State University , phone interview , September 26, 2017

Meet your guides

Trey French

Trey French is a staff writer at Wirecutter covering outdoors gear. A trail runner, backcountry skier, and long-distance backpacker, he has reviewed gear for Treeline Review and advised wilderness travelers on lightweight backcountry equipment at Katabatic Gear. He resides in California’s Eastern Sierra, where scenic desktop backgrounds are born.

Anna Perling

Anna Perling is a former staff writer covering kitchen gear at Wirecutter. During her time at Wirecutter, she reported on various topics including sports bras, board games, and light bulbs. Previously she wrote food and lifestyle pieces for Saveur and Kinfolk magazines. Anna is a mentor at Girls Write Now and a member of the Online News Association.

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The Camelbak Podium is affordable, lightweight, and perfect for packing.

Our Favorite Mugs

by Jackie Reeve

Our Wirecutter home team is passionate about the vessels they drink them out of. Here are the mugs we can’t get enough of.

A collection of different types of water bottles laid flat on a surface.

How to Clean a Travel Mug or Water Bottle

Don’t want your coffee to taste like yesterday’s brew? Give your travel mug a good deep clean—and do the same for your insulated water bottle, too!

Two photos of the Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug in illustrated polaroids.

We’ve Recommended This Travel Mug for a Decade. It’s Still Going Strong.

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Our longtime favorite travel mug keeps drinks piping hot, and the nifty locking lid makes it virtually spill-proof.

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

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The Best Travel Mugs to Keep Drinks Hot or Cold

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Best Overall Hydro Flask Coffee Mug With Flex Sip Lid (16 Ounce) Read more

A Good Wide-Mouth Bottle Klean Kanteen TKWide Insulated Mug (16 Ounce) Read more

Hand holding up a blue mug with silver rim in front of an open door with a lawn in the distance

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.

Power up with unlimited access to WIRED . Get best-in-class reporting that's too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year. Includes unlimited digital access and exclusive subscriber-only content. Subscribe Today .

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.

a Beast stainless steel travel mug next to it's packaging

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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What to Buy
Glassware & Drinkware

The Best Travel Mugs for Hot or Cold Sips on the Go

Easier on your wallet and the environment

In This Article

Our Top Picks

How We Tested Travel Mugs

What to Look For

Types of Travel Mugs

About our testers, why trust the spruce eats.

The Spruce Eats / Derek Rose

Whether you drink coffee, iced tea , or water, a travel mug is a handy accessory that keeps you caffeinated or hydrated on the go. Owning a travel mug can also save money (no more need to stop at a coffee shop) and cut down on paper and plastic waste. Some people have a few different travel mugs for various occasions, like an extra-durable one for hiking and a cupholder-friendly option for driving to work. No matter where you're headed, we have a travel mug for you below, all of which we've tested ourselves and can recommend firsthand.

To help you make an informed buying decision, we tested more than a dozen of the most popular travel mugs on the market today. Every travel mug was tested for a minimum of one week, and some of them have been used by our staff members for several years. To review the travel mugs, our writers evaluated key areas, including size, design, insulation, and value, and then provided additional insights about what we liked and disliked about each mug.

We Observed:

How easy the mugs were to clean: We made notes about how rigorous the cleaning process was for each travel mug. Some mugs were dishwasher-safe or only had a couple of parts to clean; others had multiple parts or lids so small that they were difficult to clean by hand.
How durable the mugs were: Our testers gauged the durability of each mug by traveling with them and putting them in bags if they were leakproof. Some testers have owned mugs on this list for numerous years and, as a result, gave long-term durability insights.
If any liquids leaked from the mugs: If a mug was labeled as leakproof, our testers shook it upside down over the sink to see if the claims were accurate.
Design: Our testers rated each travel mug's design on a one-to-five scale. Factors that led to higher design scores included functionality, durability, and a stylish aesthetic.
Insulation: After using a thermometer and stopwatch to measure drink temperature, we graded each mug on its degree of insulation.
Value: Finally, we compared the performance of every travel mug to its retail price. Items that lived up to or outperformed their price received higher value-for-money ratings.

Best Overall

Contigo west loop vacuum insulated travel mug.

Effective autolock and anti-spill lid

Can be locked and unlocked with one hand

Keeps drinks hot/cold for hours

A little wide for smaller hands

Plastic lid seems prone to breakage

If you’re looking for a solid, leak-proof travel mug that will keep your coffee hot for up to seven hours, look no further. The Contigo mug is my number one pick for many reasons, the first of which is the “Autoseal” lid. Unlike other travel mugs that have a sliding lid, which is prone to leaks, the Contigo lid has a push button that opens the vacuum seal when you’re ready to drink and closes again when you release the button. (This means you can also use it with one hand.) I was able to carry it around in a bag all day without any leakage. Just keep in mind that this means the lid isn’t interchangeable with any of your other travel mugs.

In addition to hot drinks like coffee or tea , this vacuum-insulated stainless steel mug will keep drinks cold for up to 18 hours depending on whether you buy the 12- or 20-ounce version. You can also choose between seven different colors, so everyone in the family can keep their mug straight.

One of the few drawbacks is that the mug is fairly difficult to clean. If you’re washing the Contigo by hand, be prepared for a bit of an inconvenience as it comes with very specific washing instructions. The lid is dishwasher-safe, but the bottle itself is hand wash only.

Material: Stainless steel | Capacity: 10, 16, 20, or 24 ounces | Dimensions: 3 x 9 inches (20-ounce model)

The Spruce Eats / Tamara Staples

The Spruce Eats / Suzie Dundas

Stanley Classic Travel Mug

Highly durable

Great for commuters

Lid is hard to clean

Faint plastic smell first few uses

Stanley is a century-old name known for its array of durable mugs, thermoses, and more. In fact, the company patented all-steel vacuum flasks in 1913. That top-grade technology is bottled into the sleek and simple design of the Classic Trigger-Action Travel Mug today. You can purchase the item in three sizes—12, 16, and 20 ounces—as well as five different colors.

We tested the 16-ounce model firsthand and confirmed that it lives up to the brand's claims about temperature retention. Hot coffee stayed warm and drinkable for seven hours, cold coffee lasted 10 hours without ice, and ice water remained refreshing for more than 30 hours. With that in mind, temperature retention varies slightly depending on the size of the mug you buy.

We were pleasantly surprised that the trigger-action lid is completely leakproof. No water escaped even after we shook it upside down over the sink. It's rare to find a mug with a lid as convenient as this one that is also safe to throw in a bag or backpack. It's excellent for hiking, and because it fits in cupholders, it's viable for commuters, too.

We've also used this mug frequently over four years and it shows no signs of slowing down. The item is backed by Stanley's lifetime guarantee. The company claims the bottle can withstand everything from a 4,000-foot drop to a windchill of -70 degrees Fahrenheit. The best part? This lifelong companion is affordably priced, making it one of the top value-for-money options on the market.

Material: Stainless steel | Capacity: 12, 16, or 20 ounces | Dimensions: 2.9 x 8.9 inches (16-ounce model)

Best for Hot or Cold

Zojirushi stainless steel mug.

Easy-to-hold design

Fits in most cupholders

Excellent heat retention

Locking mechanism prevents leaks

Hand wash only, many pieces to clean

While most of the mugs on our list work well for hot or cold beverages, they are generally better at one or the other—but that’s not the case with this mug from Zojirushi. It retains drink temperature for at least six hours, no matter if you take your coffee hot or iced. Our experience with the mug was even better than the company advertises: Coffee was warm enough to drink nearly 12 hours after brewing.

Available in 12 and 16 ounces, the Zojirushi mug also wins points for design and easy drinking. The flip-top cap not only stops the mug from leaking, it also keeps the drinking spout protected and clean. The cap includes a lock to keep it from coming undone in your bag, as well.

Cleaning this model is a bit harder than some of the others (a specially designed bottle-cleaning brush is recommended). Several different pieces need to be cleaned thoroughly to avoid staining and mildew buildup. The plastic sipping piece and rubber gasket on the lid can be popped out easily and cleaned separately, though.

Material: Stainless steel | Capacity: 12 or 16 ounces | Dimensions: 2.625 x 2.875 x 9.125 inches (16-ounce model)

Best High-Tech

Ember travel mug 2.

Touchscreen display

Battery lasts up to three hours

360-degree leak-proof lid

Only 12-ounce capacity

Just like many other travel mugs, the sleek Ember Travel Mug² will keep your drink hot throughout your morning commute, but it stands out by using smart technology and a high-tech design. This second iteration of the Ember Travel Mug is lighter and more streamlined than its predecessor, mainly because instead of a manual dial, it features a touch-sensitive control panel.

The mug is "smart" because you can use the panel to control and set its temperature or link the mug to the Ember app via your smartphone. The app essentially serves as a temperature gauge for the mug, notifying you when the set temperature has been reached. This is a nice feature because it eliminates the possibility of burning your mouth.

The Ember Travel Mug²'s best design feature is the lid: It only needs a push to open, is leak-proof, and lets you sip from any side of the mug. Furthermore, the mug's design is ergonomic. It's wider at the top than the bottom and is coated with a matte finish, making it easy to grip and comfortable to hold. We wish it held more—12 ounces isn't a lot for many coffee drinkers—and we don't love the high price point, but you are getting a high-tech product so the cost makes sense.

Material: Stainless steel | Capacity: 12 ounces | Dimensions: 3.14 x 7.9 inches

The Spruce Eats / Russell Kilgore

The Spruce Eats / Cheyenne Elwell

Best Budget

Copco acadia travel mug.

Safe in both microwave and dishwasher

Colorful grip

Fits in cupholders

Can stack inside each other

Prone to staining

Hole in lid can't be closed

This 16-ounce travel mug works for both hot coffee, iced coffee, and cold brew , and it comes at a budget price. It's designed with a double-wall construction to keep drinks at their temperature longer than a non-insulated cup; however, it’s not made for all-day temperature regulation like some stainless steel mugs. We found hot coffee to be lukewarm just two hours after brewing. The good news is that the mug is microwave-safe, so you can easily reheat drinks should they cool off.

Another advantage of this mug is how easy it is to clean. It's dishwasher-safe, and the lid opening is large enough to clean the inside by hand should you choose to do so. The lid doesn't have a cover, however, so you can’t toss the mug in your bag. Another downside is that the interior is prone to staining. We have owned the mug for nearly four years and it still works like new, but the coffee stains set in after roughly a year.

The cup portion is white, but you can choose from a variety of colored bands, so you always know which one is yours. The bands also serve as coffee collars to protect your hands from scorching temperatures while adding extra grip. There's nothing fancy to this mug, but it's dependable.

Material: BPA-free plastic | Capacity: 16 ounces | Dimensions: 3.66 x 6.78 inches

Best With Straw

Bubba envy insulated tumbler.

No sweating

Lid seals tightly

Fits in car cupholders

Keeps drinks cold or hot

Can't close hole on lid

Hand wash only

Prefer iced coffee ? Then a travel mug that has a straw might suit your palette more. This model fits in most cup holders and can keep your drink cold for up to 12 hours. You can use the removable plastic straw with the Tritan lid or not, depending on your preference. The one design flaw, however, is that there is no way to completely seal the lid since the hole doesn't include a cover or flap.

The cup is made of stainless steel, so it will repel stains and odors, meaning your lemonade won't taste like yesterday's coffee. The mug even has a lifetime guarantee, so you know it will last. If you’re looking for a durable travel mug that’s designed to hold both hot and cold beverages, the 24-ounce Bubba Envy Insulated Stainless Steel Tumbler is a solid option at a price you can afford. While the mug is large and doesn't have a handle, it's surprisingly easy to hold because of indents that circle the cup.

Material: Stainless steel | Capacity: 18, 24, or 32 ounces | Dimensions: 3.62 x 3.93 x 10.54 inches (24-ounce model)

The Spruce Eats / Rebekah Joan

Best Handled

Thermos stainless king travel mug.

Comfortable to hold

Doesn’t fit in all car cup holders

Thanks to the vacuum insulation of most travel mugs, a handle is no longer really a necessity to keep your hand dry from condensation or to prevent it from getting burned, but if you prefer to drink from a handled mug, this version from Thermos is the right pick for you.

Available in five different colors, this 16-ounce mug will keep beverages hot for up to five hours or cold for up to nine hours thanks to the double-wall stainless steel construction. The lid has a “DrinkLock” seal, which opens when you press the lever to the left or right. During testing, there were no spills and coffee stayed hot for longer (even on chilly days). The one drawback (if you even consider it one) is that this mug must be washed by hand.

Tea drinkers will also want to consider this mug since it has a built-in tea hook that accommodates most tea infusers and makes it easy to remove them from the mug. It comes with a five-year limited warranty in case there is an issue.

Material: Stainless steel | Capacity: 16 ounces | Dimensions: 3.3 x 4.9 x 7.8 inches

The Spruce Eats / Rebekah Joan

Best Design

S'well traveler mug.

Multiple sizes and many colors

Great temperature retention

Price varies, can be expensive

Lid isn't ideal for commuting

The S’well Stainless Steel Traveler Mug is inarguably one of the best-designed travel mugs on the market today. Thanks to S’well’s high-end, triple-wall technology, you can rest assured that your drinks will maintain their ideal temperature for hours on end. It performed exceedingly well when we tested it. Coffee stayed hot for 12 hours and, after adding refrigerated coffee without ice, it was still cold 30 hours later.

This mug topped others in the design category because it is cupholder-friendly and available in 17 different color options as well as three sizes: 12, 16, and 20 ounces. The Traveler is completely leakproof and can be trusted in your bag or backpack. Just keep in mind that the lid can't be unscrewed with one hand, so you'll need both hands free if sipping on the go. Also, it's not dishwasher-safe, so to clean it, you can either put a drop of dish soap in and rinse with hot water or use a long bottle brush.

Material: Stainless steel | Capacity: 12, 16, or 20 ounces | Dimensions: 3.3 x 9.3 inches

Best for Easy Cleaning

Yeti rambler 20 oz tumbler.

Dishwasher safe

Magnetic lid slides easily

Multiple color options

Not leakproof

The Yeti Rambler comes in three sizes: 10, 20, and 30 ounces. Some travel mugs are too small for a hand to fit inside or have multiple parts to clean. That's not the case with the Rambler. We appreciate that we can reach every nook and cranny of the mug with a sponge. The Rambler is also dishwasher safe when you're not in the mood to wash it by hand.

We've used the mug for more than two years and it's still going strong. We take it in the car a lot because it fits in cupholders and can be sipped with one hand. There's a toggle on the lid, which Yeti calls a Magslider, that's effortless to open with your thumb. One of the only downsides is that the lid isn't leakproof, so we don't throw it in our hiking backpack or messenger bag.

Like most Yeti products, the Rambler effectively keeps drinks hot for around 10 hours or cold for close to 20. It's also sold in more than 10 colors from neutrals to vibrant hues, so you can find one that suits your style.

Material: Stainless steel | Capacity: 10, 20, or 30 ounces | Dimensions: 3.5 x 6.6 inches

The Spruce Eats / Suzie Dundas

Best Large Capacity

Bubba classic insulated desk mug.

Budget price

Lightweight despite size

Too big for cupholders

Lid has a hole you can't close

This 52-ounce mug is what you'll want to take to the pool, beach, or camping since it holds enough water for several hours. It’s also great for office workers who don’t want to keep running to the water cooler to refill smaller bottles. Of course, the drawback with a mug of this size is that it won’t fit in your cupholder, so this pick is better for non-drive time.

For those who intend to drink hot beverages out of this mug, it doesn't quite have the heat retention that the brand claims. When filled more than halfway full with hot coffee, it was lukewarm less than three hours later. The mug did perform better when tested with cold drinks, however. With refrigerated coffee poured into the mug without ice (as the amount of ice may vary for customers), the coffee was still cold 12 hours later. Another testing observation to note is that the lid opening seemed a little wide, and it was easy to spill when drinking.

As an added bonus, the Bubba 52-Ounce Desk Mug is incredibly durable and can handle being dropped or tossed around in the trunk of your car. The wide, comfort-grip handle feels very sturdy, too.

Material: Stainless steel | Capacity: 34 or 52 ounces | Dimensions: 7 x 10 inches

Final Verdict

We highly recommend the Contigo Autoseal West Loop because its sleek, durable, and easy to sip on the go thanks to its button-activated lid. As an alternative, the Stanley Classic Trigger-Action Travel Mug is similar in price and quality, and it performed well in our testing process. You can't go wrong with either one.

Other Options We Tested

Yeti Rambler Mug : Yeti makes a number of reliable travel mugs—not to mention the brand's beloved coolers—but the Rambler mug has too many shortcomings for us to recommend it, starting with its poor insulative properties. The hot coffee we brewed lost temperature rapidly in the mug and, because it's made with stainless steel, it couldn't be reheated in the microwave. Additionally, the lid is not leakproof, which is a feature that's easy to find in a number of other travel mugs out there.
Ello Campy Travel Mug : The Ello Campy Mug is a stylish, large-capacity option that many customers may enjoy, especially those into the outdoors. While it doesn't have any major defects, it didn't quite make the cut for this list. We found that the paint can chip easily and that it's tricky to clean. On top of that, it's too large to fit in many car cupholders.

What to Look for in a Travel Mug

It doesn’t matter if you’re drinking coffee , tea, or water—every sip from your travel mug should be smooth and easy. That’s why it’s important to figure out the lid style that best suits you. Some of the top options include flip lids, thumb-sliding lids, push-button lids, twist lids, and straw lids. Each one has its own advantages and disadvantages. Customers who prioritize durability or preventing spills, for instance, should choose a more secure style, like a twist lid. Others who want to seamlessly drink from their mug while on the move may prefer a lid that can be opened with one hand. Luckily, lid style does not affect price, so every option should be on the table when you start looking for a travel mug. Many brands also sell lids individually so that users can have multiple options at their disposal.

Temperature Retention

All too often we take a sip of coffee and find it’s gone lukewarm. A reliable travel mug can thwart that dreaded, flavorless middle zone and keep your coffee at the ideal temperature for hours, no matter if it’s hot or iced. Vacuum-insulated mugs, which are typically made from stainless steel, offer the best performance when it comes to temperature retention, while plastic and silicone are the least effective materials. When buying, think about the type of coffee you drink most often (hot or iced) as some mugs are better designed for one or the other.

The length of time that a mug keeps drinks hot or cold is often listed in its product details, but keep in mind that this figure is often based on the item being preheated or precooled before use. We also asked Graham Nearn of the Stanley brand what temperature range the company defines as "hot" and "cold." He told us that when Stanley says a drink stays hot for a certain amount of time, the liquid must be between 140 to 203 degrees; for a drink to be considered cold, it has to fall between 39 and 50 degrees.

Travel coffee mugs come in a variety of sizes. The average capacity is around 16 ounces, though the range extends far on either side of that. Some are no bigger than a regular at-home coffee mug; others are large enough to keep you caffeinated the entire day. Brands often manufacture the same mug in multiple sizes, so if a specific one catches your eye, you can likely find it in a size you love. Customers interested in larger mugs should see if it is microwave-safe or able to retain heat well; otherwise, they may be sipping a lot of cold coffee. Finally, for those who plan on taking their mug in the car, check out customer reviews or product details to ascertain if a mug can fit in your cupholders.

While most travel mugs are made from stainless steel, options are far from limited when it comes to material. Other possibilities include plastic, glass, silicone, ceramic, and bamboo. This choice naturally affects a mug’s aesthetic, as well as larger factors like price, durability, how the item is cleaned, how long it retains heat, and whether condensation appears on the outside. What factors are most important to you? If you want a budget-priced mug that can go in the microwave, plastic is likely the best material for you. If durability and heat retention are higher priorities, you may want to stick with the stainless steel route. Also keep in mind the downsides that certain materials have. Plastic mugs, for instance, can stain and retain coffee odors, while some stainless steel mugs may unfavorably alter the flavor of your coffee.

If you sift through a list of travel mugs, you will likely come across the phrase "18/8 stainless steel." This denotes a type of stainless steel made from 18 percent chromium and 8 percent nickel. Graham Nearn of the Stanley brand says 18/8 stainless steel is often used for drinkware because it's "food-grade, durable, and resistant to corrosion."

Leak-Proof vs. Spill-Proof

Whether walking to class, embarking on a long hike, or heading out for the daily commute, it’s easier to transport a mug if it can be kept inside a bag; that’s where leak-proof travel mugs come in handy. They prevent even the slightest drop from escaping into your bag, no matter what. Make sure to read customer reviews beforehand, however, as some items advertised as leak-proof may not actually be up to the task. There is also a difference between leak-proof and spill-proof. Mugs labeled as spill-proof only prevent major spills from occurring; they are not safe to store in bags since they can still leak.

Taking a travel mug’s design into consideration involves two different paths. First, you can think about the item’s shape or silhouette. Do you want a mug with a handle? Or one thin enough to slide into a bag or backpack? Second, design also involves the many colors and patterns found on the outside of a mug. There is an array of options, from fun and playful to chic and striking, that can convey your personality with every sip.

Not only are most travel mugs affordable, but they also help customers save money by cutting down on daily trips to the coffee shop. The only type likely to break the bank are electric travel mugs. Other than that, budget picks are widely available both in-store and online. Some mugs cost as little as a bag of coffee beans. Size does generally impact price, however, as larger mugs tend to cost more than smaller ones, even if they are the same model. Expect plastic mugs to be the cheapest option, while glass, stainless steel, and ceramic are all slightly more expensive.

When picturing a travel coffee mug, most envision a tall, tapered item similar to a reusable water bottle, but there are actually many options designed to look exactly like the mugs we use every day at home. Items in this category provide the feel and comfort of a regular coffee mug but with added heat retention and the luxury to take your joe on the go. Because they are smaller in capacity than most travel mugs (usually around 12 ounces), they are also slightly more affordable. Unfortunately, coffee-mug-style travel mugs aren’t leak-proof and don’t fit in cupholders because of their handles.

Portable Coffee Maker

Truly defining on-the-go coffee, there is a category for travel mugs that additionally function as portable brewing devices. They allow users to make coffee and drink it all from the same bottle. This is certainly a less common variety, but it’s still worth consideration, especially for frequent travelers and campers. The majority of portable coffee makers work like French presses. Aptly named “travel presses,” they immerse coffee grounds in water and then push them to the bottom of the mug via a built-in plunger. The second most common type of portable coffee maker utilizes a pour-over brewing method instead.

Well known for their smooth exterior, tumblers are the most popular subcategory of travel mugs. They never have a handle and the body usually tapers to a narrow base, both of which make them cupholder friendly. Tumblers can be used for both hot and cold beverages, but they are especially popular for iced coffee. Many have straw lids for easy sipping. Customers may be familiar with tumblers in other types of drinkware, as they are also used for cocktails, iced tea, lemonade, and general home use.

What is a vacuum-insulated mug?

The phrase “vacuum-insulated” pops up all over the place when searching for travel mugs. It’s also commonly used with another phrase: "double-walled." Both labels denote that a travel mug is built with two different layers, an inner wall and outer wall, and that the space between the layers is partially evacuated of air, creating a vacuum. This design allows drinks to retain their temperature for a longer period of time because they are less exposed to the outside air.

Can I make my travel mug retain temperature longer?

We all want the most out of our products, and this one small tip goes a long way: preheat or pre-cool your travel mug before use. Taking a few extra minutes to let hot or cold water sit in your mug will prime the material for better temperature retention. You can pour hot water from the tap or even boil it for an added boost of heat, all while your coffee is brewing.

How do I clean my travel mug?

Before cleaning, consult the product details or instruction guide to see if the item is dishwasher-safe. This is a common benefit of glass and plastic travel mugs but not stainless steel. If your mug isn’t dishwasher-safe, don’t worry. Cleaning is still quite easy. A simple daily cleaning only requires scrubbing with dish soap and a sponge or gentle brush. Avoid using steel wool brushes and harsh household cleaners on stainless steel mugs. For a more thorough job, allow a solution of vinegar and baking soda to soak inside the mug for several minutes, then rinse and clean with dish soap before using.

Can I add milk to my coffee if it’s in a travel mug?

Most brands advise against putting milk or creamer in thermoses unless it's for a brief amount of time. Bacteria can develop when dairy products are stored at warm temperatures, especially if the travel mug isn't properly cleaned. Graham Nearn of the Stanley brand echoed this thought, telling us: "We don’t recommend putting milk or dairy products in Stanley vacuum bottles or food jars for extended periods of time, as bacteria growth can occur at certain temperatures."

Cheyenne Elwell is a freelance writer specializing in food and coffee. Her work has appeared in Business Insider, Insider, MSN, and her coffee blog BakedBrewedBeautiful.com.
Suzie Dundas is a freelance writer and editor based in Lake Tahoe, California. Along with The Spruce Eats, her writing has appeared in Forbes, Fodor's, SkyLife Magazine, and Outdoor Sports Guide.
Rebekah Joan is a writer and blogger located in Northwestern Pennsylvania. She has written for The Spruce Eats since 2019.
Derek Rose has been The Spruce Eats' coffee and tea expert since 2019. His other work has appeared in Forbes, SPY, and Angi.

This piece was written by Derek Rose , the coffee and tea expert for The Spruce Eats. He researches a variety of coffee products, from measuring scoops to commercial espresso machines, and interviews field experts for their insight. He has owned or tested a number of the items on this list, including the Stanley Classic Trigger-Action Travel Mug , the Copco Insulated Travel Mug , the S'Well Traveler Mug , and the Bubba 52-Ounce Insulated Desk Mug .

Graham Nearn , the Senior Vice President of Product Creation & Design for PMI Worldwide, was interviewed for this piece. He oversees the Stanley brand, which has manufactured vacuum flasks and more since 1913.

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What to Buy

The Best Travel Coffee Mugs, According to Our Tests

We tested more than 25 top-rated picks to find the best spill-proof, stylish, and durable mugs.

In This Article

Our Top Picks

How We Tested Travel Coffee Mugs

Our favorite travel coffee mug, factors to consider, other travel coffee mugs we tested, our expertise.

Food & Wine / Will Dickey

There’s nothing like sipping a freshly brewed coffee from your favorite espresso machine or cold brew coffee maker first thing in the morning — if you have the luxury to savor that cup before your day gets busy. For those of us with little to no time to spare, a travel coffee mug is essential. You may not be able to drink your coffee while relaxing in your favorite local coffee shop, but you will have super-hot or ice-cold coffee to fuel your day.

The problem is finding the best travel coffee mug that keeps the flavor of your go-to coffee intact without any metallic aftertaste. Paper and plastic cups don’t come close to the efficiency, sustainability, and temperature control a durable travel coffee mug offers. We tested more than 25 travel coffee mugs, paying close attention to insulation, design, and size. We also spoke to some die-hard coffee drinkers to get their expert opinions on the best travel coffee mugs, from ceramic mugs to stainless steel tumblers. Read on to discover our editor-tested and approved picks.

Best Overall

Yeti rambler 20 oz tumbler.

At 20 ounces, it’s large enough to hold enough coffee or other beverages to last all day long, with tough insulation to keep the temperature just right.

Be careful: the MagSlider lid isn’t leakproof.

Durability, size, and next-level insulation characterize the Yeti Rambler Tumbler. It can handle all environments, from your office to your car, pool chair, or camping tent. Made from kitchen-grade, rust-resistant stainless steel with double-wall vacuum insulation, your beverage will remain at the exact temperature you desire (whether hot or cold) for hours.

The Rambler can take a tumble with its hardy construction, and the exterior won’t chip or fade from years of use. However, during an upside-down leak test, we noted that the mug dripped a bit, so they wouldn’t leave it loose in a bag. The magnet on the MagSlider Lid adds an extra layer of protection to keep heat or cold from escaping.

During testing, we also noted the Rambler’s long-lasting cool insulation, staying under 40°F for about 10 hours. It won’t sweat either, and if you spend a decent amount of time in the car, you can rest easy knowing it fits in most cup holders. (We've also weighed in on the Stanley vs. Yeti debate , if you're curious!) Once you’re done for the day, you can throw it in the dishwasher to be ready for tomorrow.

Volume: 20 ounces | Lid type: Twist-on, twist-off lid | Dishwasher safe: Yes

Food & Wine / Will Dickey

Ello Campy Travel Mug

This mug is a great size, features a stylish design, offers stellar hot and cold insulation, and is truly leakproof — all for under $20.

While the lid is dishwasher-safe, the body should be hand-washed.

Some of the coolest travel tumblers around, Ello products have great heat retention to keep things piping hot for hours. We especially love the Campy Stainless Steel Mug, which is great for traveling because it didn't leak a single drop during testing. It also performed very well for cold insulation, with under-40° temperatures that lasted for more than 10 hours.

Pair those marks with the mug’s stylish design and comfortable cork handle, and you’ve got a perfect formula for an all-around great mug. Hikes, commutes, working from home or at the office, picnics — we can't envision a scenario where this mug wouldn't be useful. And under $20, it can't be beaten for value.

Volume: 18 ounces | Lid type: Twist-on, twist-off lid | Dishwasher-safe: Lid is dishwasher-safe, body is not

Food & Wine / Fran Sales

Best Leakproof

Contigo autoseal west loop vacuum.

This mug kept drinks insulated for nearly two days, outperforming competing options.

You might want to pass if you're only looking for a travel mug that's good for cold beverages.

Contigo's leak-proof mug is ideal for anyone who takes their beverages on the go, especially hot drinks. It fits in cup holders, it keeps drinks insulated for hours, and it's easy to use with just one hand if you're driving or holding something in the other.

We loved this mug’s Autoseal feature, where the snap seal top pops open with the click of a button. It can even help you avoid spilling your drink. Functionally, it’s comfortable to hold, with a center groove that lends itself nicely to wrapping your hand around. The downside is there’s no handle or a texture to boost grip, though the color coating on the outside provides a light layer of non-slip.

Volume: 20 ounces | Lid type: Pop-off lid | Dishwasher-safe: Lid is dishwasher-safe, body is not

Food & Wine / Bailey Fink

Best Wide Travel Mug

Fellow carter everywhere mug.

This mug feels high-end and offers incredible insulation abilities, keeping drinks hot for hours.

Since it doesn't fit in a cup holder, this is not a good option if you like to sip while you drive.

For a reliable and secure travel mug with exceptional insulation abilities, we recommend the Fellow Carter Everywhere Travel Mug. During our tests, we noted that the lid screwed on and off easily, creating a tight seal when shut — meaning no liquid was spilled when the mug was placed upside-down, on its side, or even shaken.

Insulation-wise, this mug performed very well with both cold and hot liquids. For cold drinks, the ice didn't melt at all the following day. For hot drinks, the temperature dropped very slowly. Plus, the ceramic interior helped their drinks taste better and ensured the mug didn’t absorb residual odors after washing. Our only qualm was the overall size of this mug, as its wide base does not fit in standard car cupholders. If you're looking for a slimmer model, we highly recommend the Fellow Carter Move Mug , which comes in three sizes: 8, 12, and 16 ounces. We've tested the 12-ounce option and love it so much that bring it with us whenever we travel.

Volume: 16 ounces | Lid type: Twist-on, twist-off lid | Dishwasher-safe: No

Food & Wine / Bridget Degnan

Best Splurge

Kinto day off tumbler.

It provides excellent hot and cold insulation, is leakproof, and seals incredibly well, thanks to its twist-on cap.

This mug is not dishwasher-safe.

This high-end travel mug looks as good as it functions. It aced our usability and leakproof tests: It has a screw-on cap that ensures every drop of liquid stays in the mug (although we noted that you need to make sure you screw on both pieces very well or else they will leak). The kinto's slim body is comfortable to hold. We enjoyed drinking from the circular opening of the mug, which allowed us to sip from any angle, though we noted that the flow was a bit fast.

The cap keeps the mouth area covered, so no need to worry about it coming into contact with germs as it rolls around inside your bag. Plus, it's versatile enough to use for either coffee or water, as it keeps both hot and cold drinks at your desired temperature for long periods. While this tumbler is on the pricier side, if you want an aesthetically pleasing travel mug that works, we say this one is worth it. The compact size, exceptional insulation, and smart, leakproof lid design make this an all-around standout.

Volume: 17 ounces | Lid type: Twist-on, twist-off lid | Dishwasher-safe: No

Best for Car Travel

Bubba envy insulated tumbler.

This is the ideal iced or hot drink container for the car.

This mug is not leakproof.

If you’re looking for a reliable, extra-large travel mug, the Bubba Straw Envy Vacuum-Insulated Stainless Steel Tumbler might be your best bet. The removable straw is nice for iced coffee, and the size is ideal for a car cup holder. The mug is spill-proof in that if you knock it over, the lid won't pop off — but the liquid will come out of the mug. While it's comfortable to hold, the lack of leak protection will certainly make a mess even if it's tipped, let alone knocked over or turned upside down. It should remain upright in your hand or a cup holder only.

Despite that, this mug has incredible insulation and keeps liquid cold for nearly two days. The hot water remained hot for more than three hours and even kept warm until the following day, at 22 hours. We found the insulation abilities of this mug to be surprisingly unmatched, performing better than mugs twice or three times the price. We even poured an iced coffee to drive down to the beach one morning, and on the drive home, the remaining coffee was still ice-cold. Case in point: This is the ideal iced or hot drink container for the car.

Volume: 24 ounces | Lid type: Pop-off lid | Dishwasher-safe: No

Food & Wine / Megan Soll

Best Insulated

Hydro flask wide mouth flex sip lid bottle.

We gave this tumbler a perfect score across all four categories, including size, design, insulation, and value.

It’s difficult to open this mug with one hand.

Another great name in insulated and no-sweating drinkware tech, the Hydro Flask All Around Tumbler earned a perfect score. This large mug can carry hot or cold coffee or tea in any environment for extended periods — and looks good in the process. Made from stainless steel, it’s comfortable to hold, while the wide mouth facilitates easy access to add liquids and ice. On the go, the handle and exterior texture make it simple to grip.

The lid can be sealed completely by twisting to prevent leakage, and it even has a red color marking inside to easily indicate if it’s fully closed. During testing, we noted that the lid’s super-tight seal never leaked, despite placing the mug upside-down and on its side. Given its sleek design and high performance, we recommend this mug for any type of liquid, hot or cold.

We tested 27 popular, top-rated travel coffee mugs via an initial 4-week testing period and through long-term testing to collect further insights from editors after months of continued use.

For 4 weeks, we provided feedback on each travel coffee mug’s sealing capabilities, cold insulation performance, hot insulation performance, and ease of cleaning. In addition to its general design observations, we also paid close attention to insulation, size, and value.
In our long-term testing, we paid attention to each mug's durability and ability to withstand daily bumps, scratches, and dishwashing cycles. We also observed any changes in each travel coffee mug's design, observing how well the thermos kept our coffee hot or cold or any changes in the effectiveness of the leak-proof or spill-proof seal over time.
Overall, we evaluated each mug based on how often we reached for it in our daily lives and if we'd recommend it over others we've tested.

Thanks to its durability, size, and next-level insulation, the Yeti Rambler earned the top spot on our list of best travel coffee mugs. During testing, we found the Yeti to work great in virtually any environment, keeping our beverage at the exact desired temperature for up to 10 hours.

Travel coffee mugs are usually made of either metal or ceramic, with tight-fitting lids, and some can be vacuum insulated. Your choice of material should take into account how you intend to use the mug, how long you need your coffee to stay hot, and how you drink out of it.

Choosing the right size of travel mug is about more than just how much coffee you want it to contain. If you need it to fit in your car’s cup holder, for example, or slide easily into a bag or backpack for a train commute. In general, you want a travel mug that will be easy to transport and contain enough volume of coffee to keep you satiated.

Lids are either designed as “drink-thru” or have to be removed to access the contents. Drink-thru lids are easier to navigate on the go but are not as good at keeping heat from dissipating. If you need a mug just to get hot coffee from one place to another without needing to drink it en route, a sealed lid with no drink-thru access will work best for retaining heat. If you do need to sip on the go, look for a lid with an easy slide or flip access that still protects from spills, rather than one that has a permanent opening.

Leak-Proof vs. Spill-Proof

Leak-proof travel mugs are designed to not allow any liquid to release when properly closed and sealed. These are ideal for mugs that you might need to toss into a bag or backpack during your commute. Spill-proof mugs are designed to mitigate a mess when accidentally knocked over during use. Some companies may use the language interchangeably, but in general, Leak-Proof will usually be slightly more secure than just spill-proof.

Care and Cleaning

Many travel mugs are not dishwasher safe, especially some that are vacuum insulated. Be sure to check the packaging to determine the best way to care for them. Regardless, travel mugs should be at least rinsed out after each use, even between cups, to keep them fresh, and preferably fully cleaned once a day to prevent mold and mildew. Remember that even if your mug is dishwasher safe, the dishwasher won’t remove tough stains and strong odors. For that, you’ll want to use baking soda and water and give it more of a scrub.

Frequently Asked Questions

“This is a vessel with two layers (or walls), one inside and one outside,” says Jessica Easto, author of Craft Coffee: A Manual . “In between is a layer of space, which even air has been sucked out of (that's what a vacuum is). Heat moves very slowly through the air, and it moves even more slowly through this "vacuumed" space because there are very few molecules in that space. Since heat transfer happens so slowly, your coffee stays hotter for longer.”

This will depend on your travel mug, says Easto. “A vacuum-insulated travel mug can keep coffee hot for several hours. Different brands promise different times.” If you need your coffee just to get you through your commute, you may not need the top-of-the-line mugs, but if you want that coffee hot all day, investing in a good vacuum-insulated mug or bottle will be the way to go.

Up to a point, says Easto. “The best performers of any material will be vacuum insulated.” Having said that, ceramic is a good material for retaining heat, and lids help to prevent fast cooling, so if you only need your coffee to stay hot for a short amount of time, they work fine.

Use a stiff brush or rough-sided sponge to remove the oils left behind by coffee (and any dairy or oat milk you've added). Baking soda and vinegar are the best bet for neutralizing aromas; soap is often difficult to thoroughly rinse out, and you can get lingering unwanted aromas and flavors. Put a half cup of vinegar and a teaspoon of regular dish soap in the travel mug, fill the rest with hot water, let it soak for a few hours, and then rinse it out thoroughly.

For the lid and rubber gasket (if needed), take the gasket off, and wash it with regular dishwashing liquid on a soft sponge. You can use the same sponge to clean the lid. Finally, rinse the mug and let it air dry.

Strong Contenders

Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug ($29 at Amazon)

Although the Zojirushi performed well in our leak tests and kept both hot and cold beverages at the right temperature, we didn't love the overall design of this travel coffee mug. Since this mug is narrow yet tall, we found it difficult to hand wash and dry.

S'well Stainless Steel Traveler ($35 at Amazon)

We liked the vacuum insulation of the S'well Stainless Steel Traveler and noted that it formed a perfectly airtight seal to keep our beverages cold for up to 30 hours. However, we wish this travel coffee mug had a grippy exterior, a looped handle, or another more travel-friendly design feature, as it was slippery to grab and go.

THERMOS Travel Coffee Mug with Snap Flip Lid ($30 at Amazon)

We noted that this mug does not leak at all, even when knocked around on the countertop. Though it fits in standard car cupholders, the bulky handle of this thermos makes it awkward to easily grab and sip while driving, so we would have preferred not to have a handle at all.

MiiR Insulated Travel Tumbler with Locking Flip Lid ($34 at Amazon)

We liked the overall design, insulation, and size of the MiiR Insulated Travel Tumbler. However, we found a design flaw with the locking flip lid, as we found it difficult to take a sip without splashing coffee especially while commuting.

RTIC Outdoors Travel Mug ($35 at RTIC)

This travel mug performed well in our leak and insulation tests, but we didn't love the somewhat bulky handle and we found it difficult to quickly unscrew the lid for cleaning or refilling.

What Didn’t Make the List

In our tests, a few travel coffee mugs did not meet our expectations in terms of design, performance, and insulation. Some models like the Klean Kanteen Wide Recycled Insulated Mug leaked and spilled during our tests. We were disappointed by the performance of the Ember Stainless Steel Temperature Control Travel Mug and found that the smart controls took some time to get used to, and even then were ultimately awkward to use.

Clarissa Buch Zilberman is an acclaimed food writer with nearly a decade of experience. She has written for Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, Travel & Leisure, and more. For this piece, she used editor-tested insights and her research on top-rated travel coffee mugs.

The Best Leak-Proof Travel Mugs for Taking Hot (and Cold) Drinks on the Go

The 18 Best LeakProof Travel Mugs for Taking Hot Drinks on the Go

Whether you're embarking on your morning commute or headed on an East Coast road trip , you should have one of the best travel mugs in hand. Finding one you like means you can skip the routine stop at the coffee shop (or at least say no to the disposable cup), cut back on single-use plastics, and keep your drinks at an ideal temperature (with some, for hours and hours at a time). Ahead, we've rounded up Condé Nast Traveler editors' personal favorites—from brands like Hydro Flask, Yeti, Corksicle, Stanley, and more. With insulated, leak-proof, and easy-to-carry options in the mix, there's a mug in here ready for a spot in your cup holder or tote bag .

This gallery has been updated with new information since its original publish date.

All products and listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you purchase something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Hydro Flask All Around Tumbler

The 20-ounce version of Hydro Flask’s All Around Tumbler has been my go-to lately, both at home and on the commute to work. It keeps coffee warm for a few hours, so if I’m sipping slowly I don’t have to bother with reheating it, and does its job in keeping iced coffee cool, too. It has the type of lid that you can push back and forth to open or close, and the opening is wide enough to easily fit a reusable straw. I don’t drive, but the mug's size seems very cupholder-friendly, too! — Madison Flager, senior commerce editor

Stanley Classic Trigger Action travel mug

Stanley makes the best classic mugs (the company has been around since 1913 after all). The brand is known for its iconic insulated steel thermoses, which promise hours-long insulation for hot drinks and durability for wherever you’re taking your beverage— hiking , camping , thrown in the back of your car on a road trip , you name it. The original green color has a delightfully retro vibe as well. — Megan Spurrell, senior editor

Stojo collapsible travel cup, 16-ounce

The main reason I adore my collapsible Stojo cup is its clever design that makes it incredibly easy to carry around. I’m not kidding when I say that when folded down, my 16-ounce cup turns into a disc that fits into my jacket pocket. It’s also light enough to drop into a travel backpack or a sling bag when you go hiking. I use mine for everything from coffees and smoothies, and when dry, for snacks and berries. Don’t expect an insulated mug with this one: It keeps a beverage warm (or cool) for long enough for you to drink it, but isn’t a double-walled metal cup. However, it has helped me cut down on a ton of waste when traveling, and might I add is cute-looking, too. — Arati Menon, global digital director

Read a full review of the Stojo cup.

Stanley Aerolight Transit bottle

The AeroLight Transit bottle has become my new favorite mug to use on my morning commute to work. My tea is still piping hot even after my hour-long train ride. I keep it in my tote bag—along with my laptop and phone—and it never leaks. I've flipped this one completely upside down and nothing spills out, making it a reliable option to travel with. It's one-third lighter than Stanley's typical stainless steel, so it doesn't feel heavy in my bag either. I also appreciate how slim the bottle is—it's so easy to carry around. — Meaghan Kenny, associate commerce editor

Yeti Rambler stackable mug

When I'm traveling, the most essential ritual I preserve is my morning coffee. While I love nearly all of the Yeti drinkware options, this mug is perfect for coffee—both for its manageable 10-ounce size, as well as the side handle, which makes this especially easy when I'm on a road trip or a train. (This mug has come with me on camping trips in the Shenandoah Valley and Delaware Water Gap, on a road trip through the Appalachian Highlands, and a long drive between D.C. and New York City .) A fair word of warning though: The airtight lid and insulation work almost too well—coffee stays hot a long time, so I recommend you get it close to your ideal temperature before pouring it in. —Corina Quinn, former city guides director

Snow Peak Milk bottle

This is one of those gifts I have become deeply attached to—it was given to me about a year ago, when I was getting really into camping and the chic outdoor brand Snow Peak, and it’s since become a staple in my house. It has a beautifully minimalist design, is small enough to feel really portable (as in, it’s not a pain to have to tote home once it’s empty), and it never leaks. It’s no bargain, but given how much I use and love it, I think the math sort of works out in the end. — M.S .

Zojirushi stainless steel mug

“This mug is my favorite one ever because the lid has a lock feature that makes it completely leak-free. I can throw this in a travel tote and not worry about coffee dribbling all over. Plus the stainless steel interior keeps coffee extra hot for hours, but it doesn't burn your hands. In addition to my commute on the subway, I've taken this little wonder on train rides to upstate New York , and I've never spilled a drop.” —Jessica Puckett, senior editor, transportation and travel news

Hydro Flask 20 oz Coffee with Flex Sip Lid

Another option from Hydro Flask worth noting is the 20-ounce bottle with a Flex Slip lid. It's large enough that I can bring plenty of iced coffee with me on the go, but it's still cupholder-friendly—very important for road trips. The double-wall vaccum insulation keeps cold drinks cold for up to 24 hours and hot drinks hot for up to 12. The carry-handle makes it easy to hold on long walks and the leak-proof lid is easy to open and close. I love the color options, especially this new purple shade. —M.K.

Martina Thornhill Okay cup

It’s not hyperbole to state that I’ve tried the lion’s share of travel mugs on the market. I drink a ton of coffee and I travel and drive a lot. I hate the way metal mugs make coffee taste—it’s so much better out of a ceramic mug. The Okay Cup from Portland, Oregon –based ceramicist Marina Thornhill is gorgeous, doesn’t leak, and doesn’t make your coffee taste like mud. It’s pricey, but a better long-term deal than always dumping the coffee you put in another mug and don’t actually drink. It’s constantly selling out, so put your name on the pre-order list—it’s worth the wait. —Rebecca Misner, senior features editor

Kinto travel tumbler

If you’re a tea drinker like me or like your travel mugs to keep your hot drinks piping hot, be warned: this insulated mug gets me every time, keeping my teas at steaming, roof-of-mouth-burning temperatures for what feels like an impossibly long time. (And that’s a good thing in my book.) I prefer the matte exterior over the stainless steel for its added grip. I use it to commute with my tea (it doesn’t leak!) and on extra-long winter walks because I know it’ll stay warm the entire time. —Meredith Carey, former travel bookings editor

Yeti Rambler lowball

This mug is a thing in my house. My partner received one as a Christmas gift , only to find it missing every morning—truth be told, after I stole it once to use for hot coffee on my morning subway commute, I couldn’t go back to any other thermos. I personally love that this mug doesn’t have a handle, because it’s so insulated it never burns my hands, yet the coffee inside stays piping hot, and its shape is nice and easy to hold. When I’m done enjoying my hot drink on the go, it takes the least space possible in my bag , where it usually clangs around for the rest of the day until I make my way home (or back to wherever I’m staying). —M.S.

Corkcicle classic tumbler

This Corkcicle tumbler keeps my coffee hot on my subway commute, and is secure enough to sneak a couple of sips while standing on a crowded, moving train. There’s also something joyful about pouring my freshly brewed coffee into a pink vessel—how could I not be cheerful toting this cute mug around the office? Most often this mug has been my subway companion, though I have used it for road trips and early morning flights that require a caffeine boost before boarding. —Katie Henwood, former senior SEO manager

Miir Climate+ Tumbler

Lately when I want a compact option that won't take up much space in my backpack or tote after it's empty, I've been reaching for this sleek stainless steel tumbler from Miir. It's shatter proof, so I don't worry about dropping it or getting any dents. For an extra charge, you can even personalize it, making it a great gift for any traveler in your life. —M.K.

Image may contain Coffee Cup Cup Bottle and Shaker

Hydro Flask stainless steel travel mug

This Hydro Flask mug checks all the boxes: It's BPA-free and dishwasher-safe, has a leak-proof lid, carrying handle, and no-sweat matte finish, and comes with a lifetime warranty. You can use it as a thermos, a water bottle , or a coffee cup. Hydro Flask also has matching slings that let you carry your travel tumbler hands-free, helpful when biking, hiking, or just dashing through the airport. — Kristi Kellogg, contributor

OtterBox Elevation wine tumbler

Technically this is a wine tumbler, but more often, I use it for iced coffee. It keeps my caffeine cold, fits the extra-large ice cube I put into the bottom, and doesn’t leave rings on tables when I set it down. Plus, like all things OtterBox, it’s sturdy—I don’t have to worry about dinging or denting it when I inevitably drop or knock it over. Its smaller size means it’s also carry-on and backpack friendly. —M.F.

Hay Sowden travel cup

I don’t think there’s a chicer travel mug than this colorful one from Hay, which comes in pink, green, or gray, all with contrasting, two-toned lids. It puts all other thermoses to shame when it comes to design—but it’s also totally functional, with an insulated stainless steel exterior that keeps drinks hot for up to 12 hours and cold for an impressive 24 hours. —M.C.

W&P Porter mug

This mug hits all the right marks: The silicone sleeve makes it easy to grip and quiet when placed down on a surface; the mouthpiece on the lid is easy to slide open and close; and it’s safe to put in the dishwasher and microwave. Plus, it just looks nicer than the rest of my logo-clad travel mugs. Most often I use it to sip coffee on my morning commute, but I have also brought it on longer train rides to D.C. and on flights as a vessel for oatmeal. —M.F.

Simple Modern travel coffee mug

One of my favorite reusable water bottles is from Simple Modern, so I had high hopes for its travel mug and it certainly did not disappoint. This stainless steel mug keeps my hot beverages hot for four hours and my iced coffee cold for up to 16 hours, so it's great for day trips and using at the office. It's dishwasher safe and the handle makes sipping on the go easy. The under $20 price tag is nice, too. —M.K.

The 8 Best Travel Mugs for Caffeinating on the Go

We got our hands on several popular travel mugs to find out if they’re worth the hype. These are our favorites among those we tested.

Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. Why Trust Us?

These durable, portable mugs are typically made of stainless steel, with built-in insulation so your last sip of coffee is as warm (or as cold) as the first. Their lids are designed to prevent splashing or spills, so you can throw the travel mug in a backpack or slide it in a car’s front console without worrying about a potential mess.

Many of the best travel mugs we recommend are ideal for camping or hiking in addition to everyday carrying. Most are dishwasher-safe or stack for easy storage, and won’t set you back more than $30. Considering they’re reusable and maintain your drink’s temperature, they’re worth considering even if your daily commute it from the kitchen to your home office. Whether you’re keeping warm by the campfire or sipping tea on the train, wrap your hands around one of these editor-tested travel mugs.

The Best Travel Mugs

Best Overall: Yeti Rambler Stackable Mug
Best Value: CamelBak Horizon Tumbler
Best Leakproof Lid: Hydro Flask Stainless Steel Reusable Water Bottle
Best Coffee Maker Combo: Espro P0 Ultralight Single Serve French Coffee Press
Best Exterior Insulation: Hydro Flask Insulated Travel Portable Coffee Tumbler

What to Consider

Most of the travel mugs on this list are made with stainless steel. Steel is great for long-term durability, holding up well to drops, scratches, and continuous washing. Flavors and odors don’t stick to steel either. Once you finish your drink and rinse out the mug, you won’t taste your last cup of tea lingering in the background for the rest of the day.

Some stainless steel mugs have a slight metallic taste to them. If you’ve got sensitive tastebuds, consider a mug with a ceramic coating on the inside. This replicates the neutral flavor profile of a classic mug you use for coffee at home.

Travel mugs are typically insulated to keep your drink hot or cold for the duration of your trip. Most have double-wall construction, with two layers of metal inside and out. The pocket of air in between prevents temperature transfer, so even if you’re drinking piping hot coffee, your hand doesn’t feel a thing.

Many of the travel mugs we recommend come in multiple sizes, usually from six ounce to 24 ounces or more to double as your water bottle. Despite large capacity, most are designed to fit into a car cupholder or the side pocket of a backpack.

Additional Features

Some travel mugs come with handles while others do not. Handles on a mug are great for holding them while on a walk or hike as well as for storage. Instead of packing your mug into your backpack where it takes up valuable storage space, clip it on by the handle. Travel mugs with handles typically don’t fit easily in a cupholder. This is a major drawback for commuters who want a coffee cup for their drive to work.

Travel mugs almost always come with lids, but these vary in quality. Some prevent splashes and major spills by simply covering the top of the mug. They press on and often have a thin rubber ring around the perimeter to help keep them on the mug, though they won’t be completely sealed. So if you drop your mug, liquid is bound to spill out.

Other travel mugs come with thicker, screw-on lids that completely seal your drink inside. These protect your drink from spilling when they are dropped, but are typically much larger than a press-on lid and are more tedious to clean.

How We Tested

Each travel mug we tested was evaluated based on their performance in every day situations from morning commutes to walking outdoors. We paid close attention to heat retention, drink flavor, splashes or spills with the lid on, and ease of cleaning. Each travel mug was dropped several times from standing height to ensure durability. For those with press-on lids, we also paid attention to how securely the lids stayed on during a drop.

For mugs we didn’t personally test out, we compared key specs such as size, material, and insulation. We also researched across multiple online publications and read through customer reviews.

YETI Rambler Stackable Mug

This travel mug from Yeti impressed us with its durability, convenience, and practicality. The stainless steel construction holds up well against drops, and the double-wall insulation kept my coffee hot for hours.

The bottom of the mug is slightly thinner than the rest of the body. Because of this, the mug stacks perfectly into other Yeti mugs for easy storage when not in use.

The press-on lid isn’t completely leakproof, but it does come with a slider to cover the mouth hole when you aren’t drinking. While this won’t prevent a leak if you drop your mug, it certainly keep coffee from splashing out as you walk.

The slightly larger than average 14-ounce capacity was a small but noticeable detail for anyone who likes a full cup of joe, creamer, and sugar. The 12-ounce mugs require the slightest sacrifice while this Yeti gives you all the space you need.

CamelBak Horizon Tumbler

Without the classic mug handle, this tumbler from CamelBak is built for the commute. While a handle is great for walking and hiking, this travel mug fits into your car cupholder without the cumbersome handle getting in the way.

The travel mug also has a silicone based which provides a solid base that keeps the mug steady when in motion. Like most of the travel mugs on this list, the CamelBak is make of stainless steel.

However, the steel is powder-coated so when you take a sip of your tea, you taste the tea, not the metallic lingering flavor of your cup.

Hydro Flask Stainless Steel Reusable Water Bottle

If you want a leakproof container for your coffee, this tumbler from Hydro Flask is your answer. The screw-on lid has a twisting top that seals the bottle closed when you aren’t sipping. Twist it open to grab a sip, twist it closed, and your bottle won’t leak even if it’s dropped on the ground.

Both the lid and body are dishwasher-safe, so don’t worry about scrubbing coffee stains out of the crevices and corners of the relatively tall bottle.

While it doesn’t have a handle, this travel mug comes with a carrying strap on the top of the lid. Combined with the leakproof lid, you can hook the bottle to the outside of your backpack filled to the brim and not lose a drop.

Espro P0 Ultralight Single Serve French Coffee Press

Make your coffee fresh and take it to go with this portable French press from Espro. With double filter design, all the grit and sediment from your coffee grounds is kept at bay, so your fresh cup is as smooth as any you could make at home.

Unscrew the leakproof lid and you’ll have hot coffee to sip all day long. The French press feature also works well for tea. Simply swap out your coffee grounds for loose leaf tea, and the mechanism is just as effective.

Instead of carrying along a cup of drip coffee from my house, I get fresh pressed coffee that's smoother, and frankly, tastier than anything my regular machine can make. I love it so much that I sometimes use the Espro at home just for its double-filter press.

Hydro Flask Insulated Travel Portable Coffee Tumbler

Another option from Hydro Flask, this travel mug gives you the the same sensation as your favorite mug at home. Instead of grasping your hands around the cold metallic exterior of many other travel mugs, the Hydro Flask has a soft to the touch coating.

While it won’t warm up your hands like a ceramic mug, it won’t cool them down, like other travel mugs. For all the cold mornings by the campgrounds, the last thing you want to do is wrap your hands around a frigid metal mug.

The travel mug also comes with a press-on lid with a slider for the mouth opening. It leaks if you drop it, but it keeps the coffee from splashing around as you walk.

Fellow Carter Everywhere Travel Mug

Coupled with a ceramic-coated interior to stave off any odors, tastes, or smells from the cup, this Carter mug is great for getting that home-mug experience even if you can’t be at home. The wide opening also lets you brew coffee straight into the mug using a pour-over coffee maker or an Aeropress while camping or hiking.

The twist-locking lid of this reusable cup is leakproof to ensure no messes occur in transit and the double-wall insulation keeps your coffee hot for hours.

It doesn’t fit into a standard cupholder and the wide mouth may be hard to sip while driving or on the subway, but if you need something to transport coffee, this ensures it’s hot (and not all over your bag) when you arrive at your destination.

Zojirushi Stainless Travel Mug

For heat retention that lasts all day, the travel mug from Zojirushi is built to handle it. The double-wall insulation keeps the heat, while the variable sizes mean the mug can double as a thermos for soup too.

The leakproof lid has a flip top that locks in place, keeping liquids secure when closed. The lid also disassembles into four different pieces, so you can better clean each part of it and prevent mold buildup.

The interior of the mug has a nonstick coating that prevents residue from caking up the corners of the bottle. All you need to clean it out is some soapy water and a dish brush.

Klean Kanteen Insulated Camp Mug

Made out of 90 percent recycled steel, this travel mug from Klean Kanteen offers the same insulation as other options on our list but with a much smaller environmental impact. The recently climate neutral company created the mug using post-consumer recycled steel, meaning it would have otherwise entered a landfill.

Beyond this, the mug comes with a unique design etched into the side. The mountains and forestry on the side of the mug add help the mug stand out among its otherwise neutral-colored contemporaries.

The press-on lid is perfect for reducing splashes, but the open mouth does leave something to be desired. While it minimizes coffee splashes, expect a few drops to slip out on a bumpy commute.

Tom Price is an Associate Editor of Reviews for Popular Mechanics, and also contributes to Runner's World, and Bicycling . He has previously covered product reviews, startup news, and even professional wrestling. In his free time, he enjoys watching pretentious TV, low-brow movies, and exercising for beauty, not health. If you are interested in exploring more of his work, check out his website .

Danny Perez is a Commerce Editor for Popular Mechanics with a focus on men's style, gear, and home goods. Recently, he was coordinator of partnership content at another product journalism outlet. Prior to that, he was a buyer for an independent men's shop in Houston, Texas, where he learned all about what makes great products great. He enjoys thrifting for 90s Broadway tees and vintage pajama sets. His spare time is occupied by watching movies and running to impress strangers on Strava.

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The 16 Best Travel Mugs to Keep Drinks Hot or Cold on the Move

Good travel mugs are leakproof, durable and stylish. The best ones go even further.

By Hayley Helms and Jack Seemer

Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

Travel mugs deserve due diligence. You might be tempted to grab whatever mug you see on sale, only to realize later that it leaks or has terrible thermal properties.

Good travel mugs are simple to use, leakproof, durable and stylish. The best ones also fit easily in a cupholder (with some exceptions) and keep your coffee hot or cold for hours on end. These picks do all that and more.

Every product is independently selected. Learn more about our testing methods.

Best Overall Travel Mug

Hydro Flask Wide Mouth Flex Sip Lid Travel Mug

Fits in standard cupholder
Dishwasher-safe
Large variety of color options
Lifetime warranty
No extra bells or whistles
$25 at Amazon $35 (29% off)

Hydro Flask’s double-wall, vacuum-insulated, stainless steel water bottles are known to keep beverages cold or hot all day long, and the same goes for its coffee mugs.

The Wide Mouth Mug keeps cold drinks chilled for a whopping 24 hours, and hot drinks hot for 12 hours. The variety of colors and sizes Hydro Flask offers is wide, the flexible carry handle is comfortable to grip and makes it easy to strap to any pack and the lifetime warranty is sweet.

Best Upgrade Travel Mug

YETI Rambler 20 Ounce Tumbler

Sturdy design
Dishwashe-safe
$35 at Amazon

Yeti is pretty firmly ensconced as the cooler king . No big surprise then that the company makes some pretty damn good mugs, as well.

This double-wall vacuum-insulated option keeps your beverage as hot or cold as you like while also looking good and standing up to the elements. The no-muss Magslider lid makes it even more travel friendly.

Best Budget Travel Mug

RTIC Travel Coffee Mug

Top-tier insulation
Comes in multiple sizes
Hand-wash only
$23 at Amazon

Rtic makes top-of-the-line coolers , so it’s understandable the brand also crushes the hot beverage game — with style to spare.

Double-wall vacuum insulation keeps each sip toasty, and the 16-ounce capacity ensures there will be plenty such sips.

Brand to Watch

SMMT Outdoor Serpa Tumbler

Easy to clean
Doesn't fit cupholders
$42 at SMMT Outdoor

Created by former Nike execs and located in Park City, Utah, SMMT Outdoor specializes in elevating outdoor gear, and its Serpa Tumbler is no exception.

The leak-proof lid separates into two components — the durable plastic sipping lid and a magnetic base, which doubles as a coaster when sipping lid-free.

The Serpa can hold 16 ounces, and it is shorter and stouter than other insulated mugs. It doesn’t fit in car cupholders (which is a shame) but it’s chic design and ability to keep drinks at their optimal temperatures will probably inspire you to have it in-hand, anyway.

Best Large Travel Mug

Stanley Quencher H2.0 FlowState Tumbler

Large handle makes carrying easy
Compatible with all cup holders
Heavy when full
$45 at Amazon

Thanks to TikTok, Stanley’s humble Quencher has gone from standard issue to red-hot over the last couple years. If you’re seeing one in practically everyone’s hand, it’s not just the effect of social media: the bottle is that good.

The 40-ounce capacity with cup holder compatibility is spill-proof, easy to drink out of thanks to its reusable straw and easy to grip thanks to its extra-large handle. It’s easy to clean since it’s dishwasher safe, and it comes in a variety of colors.

And, yes, it keeps your drinks at just the temp you want — four hours for warm drinks, and 11 hours for cold beverages.

Innovative Lid Design

Miir 360 Traveler

Sleek and sophisticated design
Pricey per ounce
Only available in smaller sizes
$28 at Miir

If you’re constantly on-the-go, sometimes it can be a pain to take the time to sip out of one tiny little opening in your travel mug lid. You want options! And Miir offers them with its 360 Traveler.

The unique pop-up design of the lid allows for sipping anywhere around the rim — no thinking required. It’s spill proof, sleek and easy to use.

The lid can be a little annoying to clean, but that’s not anything new in the world of insulated mugs and bottles.

Most Versatile Design

Camelbak Products MultiBev Water Bottle & Travel Cup – Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel – Black – 22oz bottle & 16oz cup

CamelBak MultiBev Water Bottle & Travel Cup

Easy to share beverages
Can also store dry goods
Too tall for daily use
$40 at Amazon $52 (23% off)

If you’re looking for a travel mug that can do more — and are willing to shell out for it — CamelBak’s Red Dot Design Award-winning innovation is your play.

The insulated 22-ounce bottle features a removable, lidded 16-once cup you can use to reduce waste at a coffee shop, stash snacks and even use to share some of your precious rocket fuel with a friend, if you’re feeling generous.

Best Travel Mug for Long Journeys

Ember Travel Mug 2

Keeps drinks at a specific temperature for three hours
Not for cold drinks
Requires setup
$120 at Amazon

If you’re the type to let your coffee or tea go cold, just to microwave it and let it go cold again, then the Ember 2 should be on your radar.

Yes, other insulated mugs and bottles can keep your favorite drink semi-hot for up to six hours. But Ember’s keeps your coffee, tea or other hot beverage at the same exact temperature for three hours.

Classic Travel Mug

Ello Campy Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Mug

Comfortable handle
White lid stains easily
$18 at Amazon

If you love to get outdoors, this backcountry-inspired travel mug looks just like the ceramic mugs that used to be everyone’s go-to for camping.

The sliding leak-proof lid keeps things hot and secure for up to five hours. We recommend pairing this mug with some easy-to-make camp coffee like Kuju’s pour-over grounds or Alpine Start’s instant coffee.

Best Travel Tumbler

CamelBak Horizon 10 Ounce Rocks Tumbler

Fits easily in your hand or pack
Non-slip silicone base
Won't hold a standard 12-ounce can of beer
$16 at Amazon $19 (16% off)

Camelbak’s small-but-mighty 10 ounce tumbler is perfect for keeping drinks — alcoholic or not — chilled and ready for sipping at a moment’s notice.

The double-walled insulated stainless steel is powder-coated for a sweat-free finish: use this for your afternoon cocktail this weekend, and you won’t get those annoying drops rolling off every time you raise your glass to take a refreshing sip.

CamelBak’s non-slip silicone pad on the base keeps things upright and steady, and its tumbler-style lid slides open into three different positions, so you can find the flow that works for you.

Best Travel Mug for Bike Rides

Velo Canteen

Fits standard bottle cages
Only holds 13.5 ounces
$45 at Velo

For the cyclist that enjoys a quality brew but doesn’t want to pour it into plastic — or simply refined riders that want a beautiful, functional bottle to complement their kit — it doesn’t get much better than Velo’s Stainless Steel Canteen.

It fits in a standard cage, works on and off the bike and double-walled stainless steel keeps warm drinks warm for hours on end.

Best Snap-Lid Design

zojirushi 16 ounce stainless steel vacuum insulated mug

Zojirushi Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Mug

Comes in two-dozen colorways
Multiple sizes available
Cold retention is short
$26 at Amazon

Offered in two-dozen attractive hues, Zojirushi mugs are renowned for their quality. This one keeps beverages hot for up to six hours, and there’s a five-year warranty on the heat retention, so you’re essentially getting five years of steaming java in one purchase.

Best Travel Mug for Iced Coffee

Klean Kanteen Insulated TKWide 16 oz Travel Mug

Some of the best thermal retention on the market
Appearance is pretty plain
$33 at Amazon

This vacuum-insulated bottle gives you loads of liquid refreshment options. But simply using the included leak-proof Café Cap and carrying handle, you can tote hot coffee for an impressive 14 hours — or iced coffee for a mind-blowing 47.

An Aesthetically Pleasing Design

Swell Teakwood Traveler

Triple-layer vacuum insulation
Comes in three sizes
Not real wood
$40.00 at swell.com

The 16-ounce version of this distinctive-looking option will keep your coffee steaming for a a generous 12 hours thanks to stainless steel and triple-walled insulation.

If the wood finish isn’t your style, there are several other colors and patterns to peruse.

An Old-School Design

Stanley Classic Trigger-Action Travel Mug

Lid can open with one hand
Classic stylng
May be too old-school for some
$25 at Dick's Sporting Goods

Stanley’s been at it for more than a century, with consistent quality you can trust.

This mug combines timeless good looks with reliable 18/8 Stainless Steel and double-wall vacuum insulation to ensure hours of toasty joe.

It’s easy to drink while driving, too, thanks to the push-button lid you can trigger with your thumb.

Best Travel Mug for Tea

Thermos Stainless King Vacuum-Insulated Travel Tumbler

Has thousands of positive reviews
Built-in tea hook
Not the most durable design
$22 at Amazon $28 (21% off)

This fan-favorite has over 8,000 Amazon ratings and a 4.6-star average. The vacuum insulation will keep coffee or tea hot for up to five hours, while the built-in tea hook handily suspends tea bags and most loose leaf infusers.

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12 best reusable coffee cups and travel mugs that aren’t adding to landfill

Swap to these leak-proof, insulated and collapsible cups, for a more sustainable brew, article bookmarked.

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Recycling single-use cups isn’t straightforward, which is where reusable options come in

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The world runs on coffee, but that daily caffeine fix comes at a cost. A staggering 2.5 billion single-use coffee cups end up in landfill every year, which is bad news for the planet. While technically recyclable, the mix of paper and plastic in most disposable cups makes the process tricky.

Lowelle Bryan, a specialist at WRAP (The Waste and Resources Action Programme) explains that a lot of cups are made with paper that’s lined with plastic. The paper and plastic lining can’t be easily separated at a recycling mill, so, these cups need to go to a specialist recycling facility via dedicated cup recycling points .

That’s where the best reusable coffee cups come in. Not only do they offer a sustainable alternative to single-use cups, they also elevate your coffee ritual. Imagine ditching flimsy, heat-sucking disposables for a stylish, sturdy cup that keeps your brew hotter for longer. As well as feeling better about your enviromental impact, a reusable coffee cup can also save you money. Many coffee shops offer discounts for bringing your own cup, so, your reusable travel mug will pay for itself over time.

With this in mind, it’s best to choose a coffee cup you’ll actually want to use everyday, so make sure it will hold the size of coffee you usually order and consider whether you’ll benefit from an insulated coffee design – these tend to be leak-proof, so there’s no risk of your latte damaging your stuff during the morning commute.

We’ve tried and tested the best reusable coffee cups, from budget buys to chic designs, so you’re bound to find something to suit your taste and help you get your daily caffeine fix.

13 best reusable water bottles that will help you ditch plastic for good

Forget Stanley, Frank Green’s stylish water bottles are the real hydration champion

16 best flasks and travel mugs that will keep drinks hot (or cold) for hours

18 best coffee machines for 2024, tried and tested for barista-worthy drinks

How we tested the best reusable coffee cups

We test all of our products in everyday settings to replicate how you will be using them. Products are rated on several criteria and, while these can vary depending on the type of product being tested, we take into consideration everything from performance to value to design and usability.

We put a range of reusable coffee cups to the test

For this review, first and foremost, we prioritised practicality. We filled the cups with hot drinks and assessed them on quality and functionality, considering how comfortable they were to hold, and whether they kept our drinks hot. Any leak-proof claims were also put to the test in our bags and we even shook the cups vigorously, just to be sure. Any other environmental considerations such as recycled materials didn’t go unnoticed.

The best reusable coffee cups for 2024 are:

Best reusable coffee cup overall – Circular&Co. reusable coffee cup: £15.95, Circularandco.com
Best budget reusable coffee cup – Ecoffee Cup Waicara: £11.95, Ecoffeecup.com
Best collapsible reusable coffee cup – Stojo cup: £18.99, Amazon.co.uk
Best reusable coffee cup for keeping drinks hot – Frank Green ceramic reusable cup: £26.99, Frankgreen.com
Best glass reusable coffee cup – Keep cup: £23.95, Keepcup.com

Circular&Co. reusable coffee cup

Best : Reusable coffee cup overall
Sizes : 340ml, 455ml
Material : Recycled paper and plastic cups, plastic
Dishwasher-safe : Yes
Leak-proof : Yes
Puts old single-use coffee cups to good use
Feels built to last

The clue is in the name with Circular&Co. Tackling waste on more than one front, the brand takes single-use coffee cups and recycles them into reusable ones. Paper cups are shredded and mixed with recycled plastic from plastic cups and lids. When you no longer need the cup, it can be 100 per cent recycled, to close the circle.

Another huge plus is you can sip from all the way around the lid – just press it down and you’re away, then pop it back up to close the seal. This does make quite a loud clicking noise, however, the leak-proof lid didn’t let out a drop while the cup was at the bottom of our tote bag. Plus, if you love a bigger brew, the 12oz size we tested is ideal.

The brand says its cups will last a decade, which is a big claim. We can’t say whether this is true for us just yet, but the cup certainly feels robust enough for a lot of daily use. Plus, replacement parts are available, to help it last as long as possible.

Ecoffee Cup Waicara

Best : Budget reusable coffee cup
Sizes : 240ml, 350ml, 400ml
Materials : PLA, silicone
Dishwasher safe : Yes
Leak-proof : No
Simple design
Great value for money

While you could choose your Ecoffee cup in a groovy pattern, we love it in monochrome. It’s simple, and actually looks similar to a typical single-use coffee cup, but you can choose it in a range of colours, from pastels to hot pink. We went all-white, but the brand says the material can stain over time, so a darker colour may be better with a view to long-term use.

The cup is made with a pure biopolymer, an alternative to traditional plastic, which the brand says has a lower carbon footprint. This is teamed with a rubbery-feel silicone lid and sleeve, all of which feels nice and sturdy. We did notice the sleeve feels quite hot when the cup is full of piping hot coffee, but the little flap on the lid did a really good job of keeping drinks from splashing out of the mouthpiece during some energetic walking. For not much more than a tenner, the value for money offered by this cup is super.

Ocean Bottle tumbler

Best : For collecting plastic waste
Sizes : 350ml
Material : 90 per cent recycled stainless steel
Dishwasher-safe : Yes, eco wash is recommended
Looks great
Incorporates recycled materials
Your purchase goes towards the collection of plastic waste
Double wall vacuum-insulated

A cup that looks good and does good, there’s so much we love about this slick little number from Ocean Bottle. What’s particularly cool is, when you buy one Ocean Bottle’s tumblers, mugs or water bottles (which we also really love), the equivalent of 1,000 plastic bottles will be collected from areas hit especially hard by plastic pollution. Even the tumbler is made with 90 per cent recycled stainless steel. It also looks really neat in the silver colourway. We felt very proud handing this over to the barista in our local coffee shop.

The double-wall vacuum-insulation ensures the cup doesn’t feel at all hot in the hand, and it kept our drink hot for four hours. If you’re the kind of commuter who needs to run for the train, keep in mind that the slider across the mouthpiece doesn’t seal, so a tiny little bit of coffee escaped while we were walking with the cup in-hand.

Frank Green ceramic reusable cup

Best : Reusable coffee cup for keeping drinks hot
Sizes : 230ml, 295ml, 355ml, 475ml
Materials : Ceramic-lined stainless steel
Dishwasher-safe : The lid is dishwasher-safe, the base is hand wash only
Keeps drinks hot for four hours
Customisation available
Relatively pricey

With more than 800,000 likes on TikTok, Frank Green is having a moment. We tried the brand’s ceramic-lined stainless steel coffee cup, and it’s as chic as coffee cups come. We love that you can customise the colours of the base, lid and button – you can even opt for a randomised combination of colours generated by the brand. We chose to personalise ours further, with our monogrammed initials, which is a nice additional touch.

The surface of the cup has a slightly matte finish and a premium feel. As the cup features triple-wall vacuum insulation, it did a brilliant job of keeping our coffee hot, even after carrying it around for four hours.

Quick and easy to open and close, with a push-down, pop-up button on the lid, this is a streamlined, leak-proof option for packing on the go. Although it comes with a slightly higher price tag than most of the other cups on our list, it’s a functional, stylish pick – Frank Green is popular for a reason.

Joseph Joseph sipp blue travel mug with hygienic lid

best reusable coffee cup Sipp blue travel mug with hygienic lid

Best : Hygienic reusable coffee cup
Sizes : 340ml, 454ml
Material : Polypropylene, TPR (themoplastic rubber), silicone
Hygienic design feature
Not insulated

You can count on Joseph Joseph for considered design. The matte surface feels high-quality, and secure in the hand, while the shape of the cup is neat, squat and regular, and easy to pack away. At a touch more than a tenner, this is an understated, well-made reusable cup that offers excellent value for money.

We’ll admit we have never considered how hygienic our coffee cup mouthpieces are, but Joseph Joseph has. The flip-top cap on this cup completely covers the mouthpiece when it’s closed – a unique feature among the cups we tested.

As it isn’t insulated, it won’t keep your coffee hot for long but we found it didn’t leak at all, even after it had been on its side in our bag. With its monochrome colourway and smooth, streamined silhouette, it looks really neat, too. There are light green and coral versions available too, if the navy blue colourway we tried doesn’t appeal.

Best : Glass reusable coffee cup
Sizes : 177ml, 227ml, 340ml, 454ml
Material : Glass, cork, plastic
Dishwasher-safe : The cork band is not dishwasher-safe
Customisable
Cork band made from waste wine corks
Lid can be stiff

This Melbourne-born brand creates reusable coffee cups with coffee shop trips and baristas in mind. We love that you can make the cup your own by customising the size and materials, and choosing from a wide range of colours.

We opted for a tempered glass cup with a cork band (which you need, as the glass gets hot), which is made from waste wine corks. While the tempered glass didn’t keep our coffee hot for long, we absolutely love how it looks. Similarly, the thin glass rim is a little touch of luxury we really enjoyed. This is a joy to drink from. The lid does feel quite stiff, and it’s not leak-proof, but we really rate that Keepcup sells replacement parts, so this cup could last you a really long time.

Ember travel mug 2+

Best : Self-heating reusable coffee cup
Sizes : 355ml
Material : Stainless steel interior
Dishwasher-safe : Yes, but only the lid
Keeps drinks hot all day while on the coaster
Battery only lasts for three hours

Ember’s offering is the Goldilocks of travel mugs. Designed to bring your drink to your desired temperature – between 50C and 62.5C – and then keep it there for up to three hours, it’s a brilliant option if you’re very particular about the temperature of your coffee (and can bear the price tag). It automatically turns on when it senses hot liquid, goes into sleep mode when it’s empty, and lets you know when your drink reaches the perfect temperature via the Ember app. Pretty smart.

Changing the temperature of our drink couldn’t be easier. You simply tweak it on the cup’s swanky touch LED display or within the Ember app, where you can also choose or add presets once you know exactly what you like. The leak-proof lid enables you to drink from any angle and doesn’t leak a drop, even when lying horizontally in our bag for hours.

The catch? It needs to be charged on a special charging coaster after only three hours and it’s not insulated either. This means that, once the battery runs out, the cup doesn’t keep drinks hot for very long at all. That being said, we liked that we could keep our drink hot all day if we left it on the coaster, making this well suited to anyone who wants to keep their drink on their desk, rather than taking it on the go all day.

Stojo biggie collapsible coffee cup with lid

Best : Collapsible reusable coffee cup
Sizes : 237ml, 355ml, 473ml
Material : Silicone
Handy collapsible design

Carrying a cup around with you all day can be really annoying, but not with Stojo’s. The brand’s flexible silicone cups are collapsible, leaving more space in your bag for all your other stuff. Brilliant.

The collapsing action is easy to get the hang of, too – just push the top of the cup towards the base. We must admit that filling something flexible like this with hot liquid is, initially, a little weird, but the heat sleeve ensures the cup feels solid and secure. The cup is surprisingly stable, despite being top-heavy.

While the seal on the lid is leak-proof, we did find that liquid dribbles out from the gap between the lid and the cup, so, make sure your cup is completely empty and dry if you want to collpase it and store it on its side in your bag. If you prefer your coffee iced, make sure to go for the larger (16oz) cup, as it comes with a straw.

Stojo’s cup is a great space-saving option, and we’re honestly wondering why there aren’t more collapsible cups out there.

Topl stroll

Best : Reusable coffee cup with a transparent swivel lid
Sizes : 236ml, 354ml
Materials : Stainless steel cup, polypropylene lid
Dishwasher-safe : Lid is dishwasher-safe but the brand recommends you hand wash the cup
Transparent lid
Easy to access your brew
You may see a few drip marks

If you’re someone who likes to take a moment to really appreciate how good your coffee looks, this cup could be the one for you, as the transparent lid enables you to admire your latte art or chocolate-dusted cappuccino.

The cup is designed to fit in most cup-holders but what really stood out about the stroll was the lid. You can drink from any angle, once you’ve opened the cup with a smooth, clockwise swivel of the lid – a speedy way to access your brew.

We noticed drips sometimes form on the rim of the lid, which showed up on the light beige colourway we tried. However, the stroll comes in a decent range of other sophisticated colourways, from black to olive green. It also proved itself as a great leak-proof option, and kept our coffee hot for several hours.

Hydro Flask all around tumbler

Best : Reusable coffee cup for large drinks
Sizes : 354ml, 473ml
Materials : 18/8 pro-grade stainless steel
Large size available
Double-wall vacuum insulated

You can fit a lot of coffee in this cup (we tried the 473ml version). Naturally, this is going to be a great choice for anyone whose usual coffee order is on the larger size. Your super-sized coffee will stay nice and hot, too, owing to the double-wall vacuum insulation, which kept drinks hot for far longer than most of the other cups we tried. Our coffee was still hot after three hours, which is brilliant for something that falls short of an actual flask.

We also like how hard-wearing this cup feels. Made with pro-grade stainless steel and a dishwasher-proof powder coating (which has a matte feel that makes it easier to grip), it also has a good weight to it. This makes it feel like a high-quality piece of drinkware that you will have with you for a long time. Bear in mind this is a weightier option, compared with some other cups.

The press-in lid is another feature we really enjoy, and we found that the sliding mouthpiece did a good job of keeping splashes under control.

Yeti rambler

Best : Stackable reusable coffee cup
Sizes : 237ml, 475ml, 591ml, 887ml
Material : 18/8 Stainless Steel
Great colours available
Double-wall vacuum insulation
Easy to store
Mouthpiece slide isn’t totally sealed

If you want your cup to feel as tough as nails, make it the Yeti rambler. Featuring the brand’s signature premium, utilitarian look, the cup has a matte finish and minimal silver detailing, with the cherry on top being the bold, lively colourways available, from orange to hot pink and blue.

The cup comes with a transparent lid – a nice perk for admirers of latte art – while the magsafe slider opens and closes with a satisfying motion, making it a neat way to access your brew. The double-wall vacuum insulation didn’t disappoint, either, as it kept our drink hot for a couple of hours – long enough to last the morning commute.

If you turn into a household of Yeti-lovers, the stackable design of the cups means they should be convenient to store and pack away.

We tried the 8oz (237ml) version, which may not be large enough to satisfy all caffeine cravings but it will take up less space in your bag.

Caroline Gardener multi stripe travel mug

Best : Colourful reusable coffee cup
Sizes : 400ml
Materials : Plastic, silicone

Colourful, charming and fun, this cup from accessories and gifts brand Caroline Gardener puts us in mind of a seaside scene (think striped deck chairs and beach huts). If you’re not wild about this colour scheme, however, there’s an alternative design featuring pretty florals (£14, Carolinegardner.com ).

The grippy, ribbed finish of the heat-proof sleeve feels nice and secure in the hand. We did notice it felt quite warm when the cup contained very hot liquids, but it shouldn’t be too hot to handle. In terms of materials, while the lid is made from silicone, the cup is a type of plant-based plastic made with renewable resources.

We liked the little seal used to close off the mouthpiece, which works really well, and you can fold it back and secure it when you want to keep the mouthpiece open. It’s worth keeping in mind that the cup does’t feel the most robust, but it’ll certainly make your morning brews a little brighter.

Reusable coffee cups FAQs

Things to look for in a reusable coffee cup .

Beyond capacity and looks, consider material. Insulated cups will keep your drinks hot or cold for longer but if this isn’t a deal-breaker for you, there are glass and flexible designs for when you’re on the move, too. Also consider whether you’ll need a leak-proof cup. If you want to pop your coffee cup in your bag, this will be a must. Finally, think about the lid – some cups come with small mouthpieces, while others feature small or wide water-bottle-style designs instead.

How will using a reusable coffee cup benefit the environment?

The idea of a reusable coffee cup is to use it for as long as possible. Take-away coffee cups are typically made of paper but come with a plastic lining to stop drinks leaking. The paper and plastic need to be separated, which can make it more difficult to recycle the cups. When plastic isn’t recycled, it ends up in landfill, where it can be left to languish and release microplastics into the environment.

Meanwhile, trees need to be cut down to make the paper for single-use cups, impacting ecosystems and resulting in the loss of trees as carbon sinks. Production of huge amounts of single-use cups also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.

The verdict: Reusable coffee cups

What makes the best reusable coffee cup will depend on your priorities. However, we think the Circular & Co coffee cup is a great all-rounder, from its leak-proof lid to its considered materials and handy 360-degree sipping experience. It also keeps drinks hot for longer than your average single-use cup.

Meanwhile, the Ecoffee cup and Joseph Joseph designs offer brilliant value for money, and Frank Green’s ceramic reusable cup is a clear winner when it comes to keeping drinks hot for longer. Then there’s the Ocean Bottle tumbler , which not only looks very smart but helps the brand’s mission to tackle plastic waste pollution, too.

Elevate your caffeine fix with the best coffee machines, tried and tested

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7 Best Travel Mugs of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

We brewed and sipped many cups of coffee to find the best travel mugs for your needs.

Related To:

Our Top Travel Mug Picks

Best overall: yeti rambler 20-ounce travel mug, best budget: contigo vacuum insulated 24-ounce travel mug, best for heavy travel: hydroflask 20-ounce coffee flex-sip wide-mouth bottle, best mug with handle: swig life 18-ounce tumbler with handle, best compact: simple modern kona 16-ounce coffee mug thermos, best for camping: yeti rambler 14-ounce mug, honorable mention: zojirushi insulated 20-ounce mug.

Tested by Layla Khoury-Hanold

Having a go-to travel mug you love in your kitchen cupboard is the wardrobe equivalent of a goes-with-everything jacket. It’s dependable, durable and functional, and it expresses your personal style and lifestyle needs. Toting coffee or tea from home can save you money, whether you’re hustling on your morning commute, out for a morning hike or handling school drop-off. When you do stop for a cuppa, whether it’s at your neighborhood coffee shop or at the airport, a reusable travel mug can also help cut down on plastic and paper cup waste.

Most of us shop for travel mugs online, but we found there’s a lot to be said for being able to hold the mug in your hands and take a sip from it. These are a few things to look for when shopping for travel coffee mugs online while browsing product images, descriptions and manufacturer claims. We broke down a list of our favorite mugs we tested and what to look for the next time you invest in a new travel mug.

Photo by: Layla Khoury-Hanold

Layla Khoury-Hanold

How We Tested

We purchased 10 top-rated travel coffee mugs according to various online sites, reviews and bestseller rankings. We tested travel coffee mugs across a range of price points in a variety of sizes, from 14 ounces to 24 ounces. We also tested models with and without handles and different styles of lids, including thumb-sliding lids, push-button lids and twist lids.

First, we assessed the design and construction of the travel coffee mug. We noted what materials the body and lid were made of and whether the mug felt durable. To assess the mug’s measurements, we noted how many ounces of liquid the mug held and whether it easily fit in a kitchen cabinet. To evaluate the design, we tested to see if the mug fit in a standard-size cup holder and noted whether the lid locked or closed while not in use.

We observed if the mug came with a manual or paperwork to explain how to use the mug. We also noted if there were any assembly instructions or recommended steps prior to first use, such as washing and drying. We also reviewed the care and use instructions to determine if the mug was dishwasher safe and assessed how easy it might be to clean.

We also recorded any special claims, including leak-proof or spill-proof design, how many hours it promised to keep beverages hot for, no-sweat design, shatter-resistant or dent/drop-resistant construction, non-slip silicone base and comfort grip handles. We also noted whether the mug came with a warranty and, if so, how long it lasts and what is covered.

We conducted the food test in two parts, first a boiling water test and then a taste test.

For the boiling water test, we added 12 ounces (the equivalent of two standard cups of brewed coffee) of boiling water to the travel mug and noted the temperature using an instant-read thermometer and recorded the temperature to a tenth of a degree. We then added the lid to the mug and checked the water temperature after 30 minutes, 1 hour, 3 hours, and 6 hours, with the lid on. (Depending on the design of the mug, some mugs required removing the lids to take the water temperature.) If a mug came with a claim to keep water hot for a longer period, such as 9 hours or 12 hours, we tested that too. We also noted each time whether the base of the cup was too hot or cold to handle — all of the mugs were easy to hold throughout the whole test.

For the taste test, we brewed coffee and added the coffee to the travel mug. When the liquid was cool enough, we took a sip through the lid. We noted any strange, metallic or plastic tastes. We waited 30 minutes and tasted the coffee again by sipping it through the lid. Again, we noted any strange or unpleasant flavors.

Here we noted whether any of the parts (mug body or lid parts) were dishwasher-safe. Most of the travel mugs we tested had dishwasher-safe lids, but many of the painted bodies required hand washing. A couple of the most durable models were completely dishwasher-safe. We also noted how easy the mugs were to wash and dry by hand, observing how easily the coffee washed away from the interior of the mug body as well as how easy it was to reach the bottom of the mug. Most manufacturers recommend hand washing parts in warm, soapy water, rinsing and drying thoroughly and then storing the lid and body separately.

This article has been reviewed since its original publish date for accuracy, pricing and availability. We stand by our list of top travel coffee mug picks.

Durable, no-sweat, shatterproof construction
Double-wall vacuum insulation for hot and cold beverages
6-hour heat retention
Magnetized slider-lid prevents spills
Wider mug may be challenging to hold one-handed for those with smaller hands

The YETI Rambler won top marks for its durable 18/8 stainless steel body construction, 6-hour heat retention and ease of cleaning. The manufacturer boasts its shatter-resistant construction and double-wall vacuum insulation and backs it all up with a five-year warranty. It comes in a variety of colors, finished with their proprietary DuraCoat color that also promises a no-sweat design. Both the lid and the body are dishwasher-safe, no matter the color finish. This mug is a little wider than most, making it easy to wash up by hand. Those with smaller hands may find it challenging to drink from the mug one-handed for a prolonged period.

Material Stainless steel
Lid style Slide-lock
Dishwasher-safe Yes

Great value
Rubberized grip for one-handed drinking
Snap-close seal prevents spills
Tall height doesn’t fit in standard cupboard or Keurig
Hand-wash only for mug body (unless unpainted model)
Only keeps liquids hot for 3 hours

This mug packs a lot of value for the cost. It was the least expensive mug we tested but is made from durable stainless steel and BPA-free plastic and has a capacity of 24 ounces or the equivalent of four cups of coffee. We liked the addition of a rubberized grip on the exterior of the mug, making it easy to drink one-handed. It also comes with an easy on-off lid and snap-close seal to prevent spills. Though it claimed to keep liquids hot for 9 hours, we found that it only kept boiling water hot for 3 hours. Because of its height, it doesn’t easily fit in a kitchen cabinet or when using a standard Keurig coffee maker. Only the lid and unpainted body are dishwasher-safe. Painted body models are handwash only, and the narrow opening means you’ll need a long-handled brush to properly reach the bottom of the mug. This model comes with a limited lifetime guarantee.

Material Stainless steel and BPA-free plastic
Lid style Snap-close
Dishwasher-safe Yes; lid and unpainted body only

Kept liquids hot for 6 hours
Flex-strap handle attaches to lid
Easy to disassemble and reassemble lid parts
Higher price tag
Doesn’t fit standing up in standard cupboard or Keurig

This durable travel mug is made from 18/8 professional-grade stainless steel and a BPA- and toxin-free plastic twist-open lid and strap. In testing, it kept liquids hot for 6 hours, a boon for long-haul flights or to take you from school drop-off to pick-up. The manufacturer claims that this model keeps liquids hot for 12 hours, though we noted during testing that by the 12-hour mark the temperature was merely warm. We liked the addition of the flex-strap handle attached to the lid, which makes it easy to transport and comfortable to carry (you could even clip it into a carabiner on a backpack). It comes in a variety of colors, backed by the manufacturer’s color-last coating; you can also customize the design by choosing the color for the cap, strap and bottle. This model is dishwasher-safe, though handwashing is recommended. We liked how easy it was to disassemble and reassemble the numbered lid parts and the rubber gasket slots right in. Because of the design and narrow opening, you’ll need a long-handled brush or sponge to properly reach and clean the interior. Because of its height, it doesn’t fit standing up in a kitchen cupboard or in a standard Keurig coffee maker. Overall, this mug was one of the most expensive models we tested, but its performance matches the price tag and buyers can rest easy knowing it comes with a limited lifetime warranty.

Material Stainless steel and BPA- and toxin-free plastic
Lid style Twist-open

Double-walled, vacuum sealed and copper-plated insulation
Non-slip, scratch-free silicone base
Spill-proof slide-lock lid
Comes in more than 40 colors and patterns

We loved that this travel coffee mug had a more traditional mug-like shape and comfortable handle, which is ideal if you like to feel like you’re drinking out of a real mug. It’s made from 18/8 professional-grade stainless steel, has a sturdy slide-lock plastic lid to prevent spills and a non-slip silicone base that’s also scratch- and noise-free when you put it on a countertop. It boasts triple-insulated technology that includes a double-walled, vacuum sealed and copper-plated insulated mug. It lived up to its promise of keeping liquids hot for 3 hours; even after 6 hours it still registered a warm temperature. Note that you’ll need to wait a minute before putting the lid on the mug, or the lid will pop up likely because of the extra-hot temperature. The mug and lid are dishwasher safe on the top rack but are easy to wash and dry by hand, too. If you need a mug that goes from commute to desk, or a good work-from-home coffee mug that’ll keep your beverage hot all morning, this is your best bet. We like the assortment of more than 40 unique colors and patterns, making this a great gift-giving option, too.

Sleek, contemporary and compact design
Excellent leak-proof protection
Keeps liquids hot for 6 hours
Angled sipping spout for ease of drinking
Hand-wash only
Slim opening makes it hard to clean
Rubber gasket challenging to put back on lid after washing

This mug delivers quality construction, heat-resistant performance and a sleek, contemporary design in one compact mug. It’s made from 18/8 professional-grade stainless steel and feels sturdy yet lightweight. Its double-wall insulation promises to keep drinks at their optimal temperature and prevent condensation. After 6 hours, we noted that the liquid temperature was still very hot. We liked the angled sipping spout, which allows the user to easily control the beverage flow. It has excellent leak-proof protection with a user-friendly twist-on lid and a lockable, push-button cover that snaps closed. Note that the push button is located right under the sip opening, which may be cumbersome if you wear lipstick. This model is hand-wash only; because of the slim opening, it’s challenging to get to the bottom of the mug with a regular sponge. The rubber gasket under the lid easily removes but can be challenging to get back in (make sure you have it right-side up). This model also comes in a variety of colors and designs. It comes with a lifetime warranty. If you’re into doing good while you shop, this company also gives back more than 10% of its profit.

Dishwasher-safe No

Versatile design; can double as serving vessel
Spill-proof, magnetized slider-lock lid
Wide mouth doesn't keep beverages hot for as long

This heavy-duty mug is made from durable, professional-grade 18/8 stainless steel and has a sturdy, proprietary magnet-sliding lid that is smooth to open and close yet spill-proof. The style and design remind us of a classic camping-style mug; in addition to using the mug to sip your morning coffee, it could easily double as a serving vessel for camp fare like baked beans and chili or for ice cream sundaes and cocktails at home. The mug keeps liquids hot for 3 hours with the lid on; because of the wide mouth, it doesn’t retain heat as well as other mugs. The mug and lid are dishwasher safe though the wide opening makes the mug easy to wash and dry by hand. Take extra care when washing the slider-style lid by hand to ensure removal of stains and any buildup, which is particularly important if you take milk products or sweeteners with your coffee or tea. As with other YETI models, this mug is made with a no-sweat design, DuraCoat color and shatter-resistant construction and comes with a 5-year warranty.

Kept liquids hottest the longest during testing
Safety lock on lid prevents spills
Streamlined design

Although this mug wasn’t one of our top picks, if you need to keep your beverage hot for a long period of time, this is your mug. During testing, it kept boiling water the hottest the longest; after 6 hours, the water was still very hot, registering nearly 145 degrees F. The heat retention performance is backed by a 5-year warranty.

Lid style Flip-open

What to Consider Before Buying a Travel Mug

Size: Think about how much you need your travel mug to hold; 12 ounces is the equivalent of two standard cups of brewed coffee or tea. The average travel mug size is 16 ounces. Consider how much storage space you have and check listed measurements against the space between shelves in your kitchen cupboard. We found large mugs didn’t always fit in our cabinets. Finally, double-check product descriptions to see if the mug will fit in a standard-size cup holder or backpack pocket.
Material: Mugs made from 18/8 professional-grade stainless steel tend to be the most durable. Some models have rubberized grips on the body and non-slip silicone finishes on the bottom which can be helpful for rushed mornings. Lids are typically made of plastic; latches or button closures can be made from plastic or metal.
Exterior Finish: Some of the models we tested had both lids and mugs that were dishwasher-safe, but some manufacturers noted that only unpainted models are dishwasher-safe. Look for manufacturer claims touting a durable, long-lasting coat or condensation-free finish.
Lid Style: These can include flip lids, thumb-sliding lids, push-button lids and twist lids. If you need something leak-proof, opt for a twist lid. If you need to be able to operate and drink from your mug one-handed, a flip lid or push-button lid is a good bet. Note that mugs with slider-style lids can be tricky to clean, particularly if you take your beverage with milk products or sweeteners.
Leak-Proof vs. Spill-Proof: If you plan to stash your mug in a bag, look for leak-proof claims and observe the construction. Does it have a twist-lid and/or latch closure or button closure? Do you need to press a button to take a sip? Spill-proof (or splash-resistant) means that it’ll keep liquid from sloshing out but isn’t up to the task of preventing leaks when mugs are stowed in a bag.
Cleaning: In addition to noting whether your favorite mug is dishwasher-safe, you’ll want to note whether the lid parts come apart for thorough cleaning, including rubber gaskets and models with special sealing features. Lids can get moldy and smelly if not cleaned thoroughly. Follow the manufacturer’s care instructions to maximize performance and durability.

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Coffee & Tea

I Tested 15 Travel Mugs to Find the Best Ones for Coffee and Tea

My top picks from Zojirushi, Fellow, and Kinto are hot, hot, hot.

Serious Eats / Irvin Lin

The Winners, at a Glance

What we learned, the criteria: what to look for in a travel mug, our favorite travel mugs, the competition.

Why We're the Experts

Straight to the Point

Our favorite travel mug is from Zojirushi . It keeps coffee and hot beverages warm for a remarkably long time and has a locking flip lid. For coffee and tea enthusiasts, the Fellow Carter Move Mug has a thinner-edged lip that offers a better drinking experience.

After working at a coffee shop right out of college, I stopped drinking caffeine. It was the inevitable result of having way too much of it (post-college, I did not understand moderation) and coming home with my hair, skin, and clothes smelling of it chronically. But years later, after getting married to a coffee enthusiast (some would say snob), I came back to my love of coffee.

Though I now work from home and can savor my coffee slowly out of a mug, my husband often needs to bring his second cup of coffee on the go. Coupled with the extensive camping and road-tripping we do, travel mugs of all sorts have started to accumulate in our kitchen cabinets.

This is all to say: A review of travel mugs is right up my alley. I set out to test 15 of them to see which ones retained heat and cold best, were comfortable and easy to use, didn’t leak, and offered the best drinking experience.

The Best Overall Travel Mug

Zojirushi sm-sc48hm stainless steel vacuum insulated mug.

This travel mug is deceptively lightweight, yet still holds 16 fluid ounces of coffee or tea. It retains heat for a remarkably long time (longer than any other mug I tested). The lid not only opens up with a simple click of a button but also locks shut with a side switch, so you don’t have to worry about it accidentally opening.

The Best Travel Mug for Coffee and Tea Enthusiasts

Fellow carter move mug.

The Fellow Carter Move Mug is designed with coffee enthusiasts in mind. Its heat and cold retention was second only to the Zojirushi and the inner chamber of the mug is ceramic-lined for a neutral flavor. The thin lip of the mug made drinking coffee out of it a pleasure.

Another Good Travel Mug

Kinto day off tumbler.

The Kinto Day Off Tumber is another excellent option for coffee and tea lovers. The top has a looped handle that makes it easy to carry around and the inner lid has a built-in splash guard. It also retains heat and cold for an exceptionally long time.

Note: If a temperature-controlled travel mug is what you're interested in (where you can set and hold the temperature for a prolonged period of time), then the Ember is the one to get. We tested temperature control mugs separately .

Heat Retention Test One (without Lid): I filled each travel mug with 212°F boiling water, then left the lid off. I inserted a ChefAlarm 's probe (our favorite probe thermometer ) and set the alarm to 140°F to see how long it took for the temperature to drop.
Heat Retention Test Two (with Lid): I filled each travel mug with 212°F boiling water, and then placed the lid on. I took temperature readings each hour to see how long it took for it to drop to 140°F.
Cold Retention with Lid: I filled each travel mug with 36°F cold water, and then put the lid back on. I placed the mugs in an oven with the light on, monitoring the temperature of the oven to keep it within 80 to 85°F, to simulate a warm day. I took temperature readings each hour to see how long it took for the water to reach 60°F.
Leak Test: I filled each travel mug with water and placed the lid back on. I vigorously shook the travel mug upside down to see how much it would leak.
Drinking Test: I filled each mug with 12 ounces of freshly brewed coffee , carrying it around the apartment and outside on walks and drinking from it to see how the user experience was.
Cleaning Test: After each test, I thoroughly cleaned the mugs and lids.

Screw Tops Didn’t Leak Like Pop Tops

The travel mugs I tested had two types of lids. One style screwed onto the mug’s body and the other popped on and had a rubber gasket that held the lid in place. The latter were easier to put on, as all you needed to do was push the lid onto the body. However, these mugs all leaked...some worse than others.

Conversely, most of the screw-on lids I tested did not leak much, if at all as long as they were put on properly. The bottom line: Get a travel mug with a screw-on lid and double-check that the lid is properly aligned and seated to avoid leakage.

Drink Buttons Were Annoying

Some lids, like the Contigo West Loop Stainless Steel and Stanley Classic Trigger , require pressing a button to drink from the mug. In theory, this seems like a great idea, as it only requires one hand and could prevent leakage. However, continually pressing a button for extended periods causes hand fatigue, especially if you have mobility or strength issues. This was especially noticeable with the Stanley mug, which had a stronger spring that required more pressure and strength to press.

Lid Design and Drinking Experience

Some lids (like the Camelbak , Yeti Rambler Tumbler , and Yeti Rambler Mug ) featured thick plastic lids with drink holes set slightly back from the edge. Drinking from them felt bulky and cumbersome. Other lids, like the Simple Modern Kona Collection , had a latch right near the opening, hitting my bottom lip as I sipped. My favorite travel mugs had thinner lid edges (like the Zojirushi and Fellow ) or rounder-edged lids (like the Kinto ), which felt more natural and pleasant to drink from. Both the Fellow and the Kinto also allowed you to drink from the mug in any direction.

Heat and Cold Retention

The travel mugs that had the best heat retention also, unsurprisingly, kept liquids cold longer as well. The Zojirushi blew every other mug away on both accounts, taking over 14 hours to drop from 212°F to 140°F and nearly 20 hours for 38°F water to warm up to 60°F. The second-best mug in these tests, the Fellow , took a respectable 10 hours to drop from 212°F to 140°F and 6 hours to go from 38°F to 60°F. The Kinto mug also took 10 hours to drop down to 140°F and 13 hours to get to 60°F. With these three mugs, you could carry around your coffee or tea and it'll stay hot or cold nearly all day.

On the flip side, some of the worse performing mugs, like the Hydro Flask and Corkcicle , dropped temperature alarmingly fast, from 212°F boiling to 140°F in just three hours and 38°F to 60°F in about eight hours. Most folks drink their coffee and tea within a few hours of brewing it, but if you prefer your coffee piping hot or you have a long commute, it’s nice to have a mug that'll go the distance.

Look for a travel mug that has a double-walled, vacuum-sealed body for the best heat and cold retention. Select a travel mug that has a screw-on lid. Pop-on lids are more convenient but leaked. Pick a travel mug that has a rounded or thinner lip for the most pleasant drinking experience.

And, finally, get a travel mug that's suitable for your lifestyle. If you are constantly on the road, look for a mug that's lightweight, easily opens up with just one hand, and fits in your car's cup holder. If you're a long-distance commuter on public transit, find a mug that retains heat exceptionally well and can be safely tossed into a bag.

What we liked : The Zojirushi retained heat and cold for a remarkably long time, longer than any mug I tested. The 212°F boiling water took a little over 14 hours to cool down to 140°F, while cold 36°F water took over 20 hours to warm up to 60°F. The flip-top was easy to use, with a simple button that popped it open. There’s a secondary latch that locks the lid, too.

The mug has a thin plastic lip and the lid comes apart into two pieces, which makes it easier to clean. The inside features a nonstick coating, preventing stains. Best of all, this slim travel mug is incredibly lightweight.

What we didn’t like: The heat retention of the mug is one of its best features. But it also means freshly brewed coffee takes a while to cool down to a drinkable temperature. If you plan on drinking the coffee from the travel mug immediately, make sure to let the coffee cool before pouring it in. Otherwise, you might scald your tongue with each sip.

Also, the opening of this travel mug is narrower than other models. This made it more challenging to clean. (You’ll want a bottle brush for the task.)

Material: Stainless steel with nonstick coating and BPA-free plastic
Dimensions: 2.625 inches diameter; 8.5 inches tall
Dishwasher-safe: No
Stated capacity: 16 fluid ounces
Fits in a car’s cup holder: Yes
Weight: 7 ounces

What we liked : The Fellow Carter Move Mug is great if you prioritize the coffee or tea-drinking experience. The interior chamber of the travel mug is ceramic lined, to help prevent any metallic taste that a cheaper stainless steel model might impart to your coffee or tea. The thin metal edge of the mug feels great on your lips and allows you to drink in whatever direction you pick the mug up from.

The mug features a removable “splash guard” insert that looks a bit like a sink drain. This prevents hot liquid from splashing outwards. The double-walled, vacuum-sealed body retained heat, taking over 10 hours to drop from 212°F to 140°F and 16 hours to rise from 36°F to 60°F.

What we didn’t like: The mug's lid requires you to unscrew it and you need two hands to do so. This also means you have a lid that you need to carry (or put down) when you're drinking. That said, Fellow does sell an optional slide lid (which I did not test).

Material: Stainless steel with ceramic interior coating
Dimensions: 3 inches diameter; 7.25 inches tall
Weight: 12.5 ounces

What we liked : The Kinto is a well-constructed, lightweight mug that retained heat and cold for fairly long, taking nearly 10 hours to cool 212°F boiling water down to 140°F and 13 hours for 36°F water to warm up to 60°F. The mug itself features a two-part top, one that screws onto the body and acts as a splash shield, and one that's a sealing lid with a looped handle.

The first splash shield offers a tapered lip and allows you to drink from all sides of the mug. Like the Fellow, this makes it a pleasure to drink from. The handle on top of the sealing lid is nice for carrying, too.

What we didn’t like: Because the Kinto mug has two parts to the lid that screws onto the body, there is twice the chance of user error where you can misalign the threads and not properly screw on the lid. Like the Fellow, the Kinto lid screws on, which means it requires two hands to remove it. Unlike the Fellow, though, the lid does have a handle, so it's easier to wrap your fingers around it and hold on to it, allowing you to drink with one hand.

Material: 18-8 Stainless steel powder coated, with polypropylene and silicone
Dimensions: 2.75 inches diameter; 9 inches tall
Stated capacity: 16.9 fluid ounces
Weight: 10.5 ounces
Contigo Stainless Steel Vacuum-Insulated Travel Mug : Contigo makes reasonably priced travel mugs and this one does a good job retaining heat and cold. But the shape of the lid and its small opening meant coffee pooled on top of the lid between sips, which caused dribbling and spilling.
Hydro Flask All-Around Stainless Steel Tumbler with Lid : The Hydro Flask travel mug lost heat the quickest of all the mugs I tested, and the pop-on lid leaked.
Yeti Rambler 20-Ounce Tumbler : This Yeti Rambler had a pop-on lid that leaked and didn’t retain heat or cold very well.
MiiR Flip Traveler: This solidly constructed, lightweight mug was easy to use and retained heat and cold better than most of the mugs I tested. Unfortunately, it leaked a bit, no matter how much I tightened or screwed on the lid.
Yeti Rambler 20-Ounce Travel Mug: Unlike the Yeti tumbler we tested, this Yeti mug had a screw-on lid that didn’t leak. It also retained heat and cold for a respectable amount of time. But the thick plastic lid made drinking out of the mug less pleasant than our winners.
Contigo West Loop Stainless Steel Vacuum-Insulated Travel Mug : This Contigo mug did a decent job with retaining heat and cold, but having to hold down a button to drink was tedious.
Simple Modern Travel Coffee Mug : This mug lost heat and cold relatively quickly.
Corkcicle Commuter Cup : Unfortunately, this mug lost heat extremely quickly (in just over three hours).
W&P Porter Insulated Tumbler : I loved the feel of this tumbler and its colorful design. But the insulated tumbler lost heat relatively quickly and leaked terribly when turned upside down.
CamelBak Horizon Tumbler : The Camelbak tumbler did a poor job of retaining heat and cold. It also had a snap-on lid that leaked.
Stanley Classic Trigger Action Travel Mug : The rugged and durable mug felt like what your grandfather probably drank from as he backcountry hiked his way across the Rocky Mountains. It’s built to last a lifetime (and is backed with a lifetime warranty as well). And it did a good job retaining heat and cold. But it's slightly annoying to drink from since you have to push a button to sip. And when you did, the coffee flowed out very slowly.
Simple Modern Insulated Thermo s: This travel mug did a great job retaining heat and cold. But the small lid had a flip-top with a locking latch that protruded fairly high, bumping into my bottom lip.

How do you clean coffee or tea stains off of a stainless steel travel mug?

Sprinkle some baking soda (about one to two teaspoons) into the mug and add water to form a paste. Gently scrub with a damp cloth, soft sponge, or bottle brush. The mildly abrasive baking soda should remove the stains.

How do you maximize the heat and cold retention of a travel mug?

For hot beverages, warm up the inside of the travel mug by pouring hot water (it can from the tap) into the mug, letting it sit for a couple of minutes, and empty the mug. Then, add your coffee or hot beverage. For cold drinks, cool the inside by pouring in water and adding a few ice cubes, swirling the cubes around, then drain it and add the cold beverage.

What size travel mug is best?

For most folks, a 12- or 16-ounce travel mug is sufficient. If you're a hardcore coffee drinker or you travel a longer distance for work, a larger 20-ounce mug might be a better fit.

How do you clean a travel mug lid?

If your travel mug's lid disassembles, take it apart. Then soak the lid in warm, soapy water for 10 to 15 minutes, then scrub and thoroughly rinse.

What is the best travel mug?

After testing, the Zojirushi travel mug came out on top, with a convenient flip-top and excellent insulation. But if you prioritize the coffee-drinking experience, the Fellow Carter Move Mug and Kinto Day-Off Tumbler are also excellent.

What travel mug won't leak?

All of our favorite travel mugs (from Zojirushi, Fellow, and Kinto) are leak-proof. The Zojirushi features a flip-cap that locks, while the other two have screw-on lids that prevent accidental spills.

Why We're the Experts

Irvin Lin is a cookbook author, recipe developer, food writer, photographer, and ceramicist.
He wrote the cookbook Marbled, Swirled, and Layered , which was picked by the New York Times as one of the best baking cookbooks of 2016.
He runs a blog called Eat the Love , where he’s developed, photographed, and written recipes since 2010. Eat the Love was nominated twice for best food blog by the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) in 2016 and 2022.
He has served as a judge for the 2021 IACP Cookbook Awards and served on the executive committee for the 2022 IACP Cookbook Awards. He currently serves on the 2024 Book Awards Committee for the James Beard Foundation.
He’s tested and reviewed hundreds of kitchen items including stand mixers and indoor herb gardens .
For this review, Irvin tested 15 travel mugs, evaluating their insulation, usability, and more to find the best ones.

More Serious Eats Recipes

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The 10 best travel mugs and tumblers for drinks on the go

Woman is hiking in nature, with a backpack and holding a travel mug. The best travel mugs of 2021 include reusable cups, travel coffee mugs, ceramic travel mugs and stainless steel travel mugs from Ember, Contigo, YETI and more.

Whether you’re on vacation or commuting daily, a travel mug can help you stay hydrated (or caffeinated) on the go. Studies say that trading in single-use cups for a reusable one can also benefit the environment. Plus, buying the right one could mean the difference between having a hot drink for hours and settling for lukewarm coffee after just 30 minutes.

SKIP AHEAD: How we picked the best travel mugs | The best travel mugs to shop in 2023 | How to shop for a travel mug

Selected. Our top picks

select These Amazon travel mugs keep your coffee hot all morning long

How we picked the best travel mugs.

To find the best travel mugs, we consulted an expert and prioritized the following criteria based on her advice:

Style/Lid type: We chose a range of different options, including mugs that are best for tea infusion, cup holders, single-serve coffee machines and more. All of the lids are also either leak- or splash-proof — a must according to Sahara Rose De Vore, founder of The Travel Coach Network . “With traveling, there’s a lot of bumps in the road,” she says. “You want something that, when it tips over, it won’t spill right away.”
Materials: A travel mug’s material will determine its durability and how easy it is to clean. De Vore prefers stainless steel mugs because they’re sturdy and don’t require rigorous washing.“I usually don’t find a dishwasher while traveling,” she says.
Temperature Control: The travel mug’s ability to keep drinks hot or cold in transit is one of the most important factors. We chose options that can maintain one temperature for multiple hours, so your drink always tastes fresh.

The best travel mugs to shop in 2023

Never drink a cup of lukewarm anything again — we rounded up the best travel mugs and they include expert-recommended picks, top-rated bestsellers and Select staff favorites.

Best overall: Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug

Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug

This bestselling mug is made to keep your beverages hot or cold for hours through a vacuum-insulated design, according to the brand. The air between the layers of stainless steel is removed, which prevents the temperature from transferring and changing, says Zojirushi — the tight-sealing lid also helps to maintain temperature, and has a safety lock to prevent spills during your commute. Along with its stainless steel exterior, the mug is also made of BPA-free plastic, and is corrosion- and stain-resistant. It’s available in eight colors, including Lavender and Emerald, and top-rated, with a 4.7-star average rating from over 23,810 Amazon reviews.

Volume: 12 oz or 16 oz | Lid type: Sip lid

Best for single-serve coffee machines: Klean Kanteen Rise Mug

Klean Kanteen Rise Mug

This mug keeps drinks hot or cold for hours using a Climate Lock vacuum insulation technology, according to the brand. Select associate updates editor Zoe Malin loves that it’s short enough to fit under her single-serve coffee machine, and how it keeps her coffee hot during morning runs —“when I return to it, my coffee is still piping hot,” she says. She also says the flip and sip lid creates a tight seal with no leakage.

Volume: 14 oz | Lid type : Flip and sip

Best mug with a handle: Brumate Era

Brumate Era

This dishwasher-safe mug has a comfort grip handle and regulates temperature for hot, cold and carbonated beverages, according to the brand. It also has a removable stainless-steel straw, and can keep ice intact for over 24 hours, according to Brumate. De Vore says this mug is “definitely leak-proof”, and that the slim, cup holder-friendly design fits easily into her backpack pockets. It also comes in 12 vibrant colors, including Dark Aura , Blue Agave and Sage .

Volume: 40 oz | Lid type: Straw lid

Best for cup holders: Yeti Rambler Travel Mug

Yeti Rambler Travel Mug

This vacuum-insulated, dishwasher-safe mug is one of Yeti’s bestsellers, and is great for both cold and hot drinks, according to the brand. Malin is a big fan of Yeti, and owns a number of its products, which she says are “pretty indestructible.” “I especially love the Rambler 20-Ounce Travel Mug because it perfectly fits inside car cup holders, which was essential when I was driving to grad school every day,” she says. She also loves the lid — “the mug comes with a sippy-cup style lid that never leaks, and I bought the straw version of the mug for iced coffee.”

Volume: 20 oz | Lid type: Sip lid

Best for tea infusion: Firebelly Stop-Infusion Travel Mug

Firebelly Stop-Infusion Travel Mug

This stainless steel travel mug was designed with tea lovers in mind — once you remove the inner tea press, you can add tea leaves, fill the mug with hot water and steep for your desired amount of time before simply pushing down on the tea press to stop the infusion. It’s 100% leak-proof, and has double-wall vacuum insulation to keep tea hot for hours, along with a tapered lip design, so tea flows evenly from any angle, according to Firebelly. Although not dishwasher-safe, the mug can be easily disassembled for hand washing, and is also available in five colors, including Mer, Saumon, Noir and Foret.

Volume: 16 oz | Lid type: Sip lid

Best for cold beverages: Camelbak Horizon 20-Ounce Straw Tumbler

CamelBak Horizon Tumbler

For those who prefer to sip from a straw, this tumbler has a non-slip base and is vacuum insulated to keep drinks cold for up to 14 hours, according to Camelbak. This is Malin’s favorite mug for cold beverages like iced coffee and smoothies. She’s especially fond of the straw lid —“there’s a little silicone seal around the straw that holds it in place and makes sure liquid does not spill or splash out of it,” she says. She also likes that the mug’s design isn’t bulky, and easy to wrap her hand around.

Volume: 20 oz | Lid type: Straw lid

Best splurge: Ember Travel Mug 2

Ember Travel Mug 2

If you're picky about the temperature of your drinks, it may be worth investing in the Ember Travel Mug 2. Though it’s pricier than the other options on this list, it’s the only one that allows you to control and adjust the heat of your beverage with a built-in touch display and a mobile app. According to the brand, the smart mug can maintain the specific temperature of your drink for up to three hours (it works all day if you keep it on the charger coaster). The Ember Travel Mug is also available with or without Apple’s “Find My” feature, and has a 4.1-star average rating from over 1,790 Amazon shoppers.

Volume: 12 oz | Lid type: Sip lid

Other top-rated travel mugs

Miir insulated coffee cup.

MiiR Insulated Coffee Cup

This highly-rated stainless steel travel cup has double-wall vacuum insulation to prevent condensation and keep the outside of the mug from overheating. The press fit lid is dishwasher-safe and splash-proof, and can also be switched out for other compatible Miir lids, according to the brand. It’s available in eight different hues, including Spark, Cascara and Thousand Hills, and has a 4.6-star average rating from more than 670 Amazon shoppers.

Volume: 8 oz, 12 oz, 16 oz, or 20 oz | Lid type : Slider lid

Ello Campy Vacuum-Insulated Travel Mug

Ello Campy Vacuum Insulated Travel Mug

With a cork-lined handle and sealing slider lid, the Ello Travel Mug more closely resembles a traditional mug. This stainless steel mug is vacuum-sealed to keep beverages hot for up to five hours, and cold for up to 20 hours with ice, according to the brand. All parts of the mug are also BPA-free, and while the mug should be hand washed, the lid is dishwasher-safe. It’s also available in seven glossy colors, like Georgia Peach and Frost.

Volume: 18 oz | Lid type: Slider lid

Hydro Flask 12-Ounce Coffee Mug

This stainless steel mug features Hydro Flask’s signature TempShield insulation, designed to keep beverages hot for up to six hours and cold for up to 24 hours, according to the brand. It's insulated for optimal temperature control and comes with a splash-resistant press-in lid. The mug also has a 4.4-star average rating on Hydro Flask, and must be hand-washed with warm water.

Volume: 12 oz | Lid type: Slider lid

select Make room in your luggage for these travel tech gadgets

How to shop for a travel mug.

When shopping for a travel mug, there are a few important questions to consider:

Is the mug insulated? Insulated travel mugs can keep your drinks hot or cold for much longer periods of time. Most of the top-rated options on the market have stainless steel or glass interiors. Some options are also double-walled (or double-insulated), meaning there is an air pocket between the two layers of insulation to keep liquids hot and prevent the cup from overheating.
Does the mug have a spill-proof lid? Arguably one of the most important features of a travel mug is a leak-proof lid. When you buy a reusable cup, look out for ones with vacuum-sealed lids and screw-on caps.
How big is the mug? When shopping for a travel mug, it’s important to consider how much liquid the mug can hold. If you intend to use your mug in the car, you should also consider the shape and size, and whether it will be able to fit inside a cup holder.
Is the mug dishwasher-safe? Some travel mugs are made with many small, intricate parts that can be difficult to clean around. If you don't want to hand-wash your cup, make sure the one you're buying is dishwasher-safe. Please note that some insulated travel mugs are made with several silicone gaskets, which can be difficult to clean — especially if they aren’t removable.

Meet our expert

At Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.

Sahara Rose De Vore is the Founder and CEO of The Travel Coach Network , where travel coaches can get certified through their ICF-accredited program. Sahara has traveled to 84 countries, is a published author and TEDx speaker, and was named one of 2023’s Most Influential Women in Travel by TravelPulse.

Why trust Select?

Ashley Morris is an associate SEO reporter at NBC Select and a journalist who regularly covers beauty, home and lifestyle. For this story, she interviewed a travel expert for guidance on what to look for when shopping for travel mugs and cups. She also consulted Select staffers for shopping recommendations.

Catch up on Select’s in-depth coverage of personal finance , tech and tools , wellness and more, and follow us on Facebook , Instagram , Twitter and TikTok to stay up to date.

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best travel coffee mugs reusable cup - Luxe Digital

Travel Mugs For Stylish, Secure Sipping On-The-Go

Caffeinated and chic.

by Editorial Team Updated on June 6, 2024

At Luxe Digital, we test and recommend products that we think you will love. If you buy something, we might earn a commission . This supports our team at no extra cost for you.

We all love those moments when we can sit and enjoy our morning coffee in peace. However, we’re busy people. We live life on the go. Whether you’re traveling for work or play, your coffee’s going to need to come with you .

The best coffee mugs for traveling have all of the feel-good benefits of the mugs you have at home…with all of the benefits of being able to safely and securely bring them wherever you want . With these travel tumblers and mugs, you’ll also enjoy eco-conscious benefits.

Whether you’re brewing your coffee at home or toting a reusable cup to your favorite coffee shop, you need to have the best travel mug for your specific lifestyle.

With features like auto locks, triple insulation, and gorgeous, aesthetically-pleasing facades, the world is your oyster when you’re looking for the best travel mugs to keep coffee hot (or ice cold!).

We’ve compiled a definitive ranking of the best travel coffee mugs, so you know precisely what to look for. From chic reusable coffee cups to sturdy stainless steel coffee mugs, you’ll find them all right here .

The best travel coffee mugs

Zojirushi: overall best coffee travel mug.

best travel coffee mugs zojirushi - Luxe Digital

If you’re looking for industry-approved insulation , look no further. Zojirushi makes the same coffee urns that are used in coffee shops worldwide – so you know that the brand’s personal insulated mugs are going to keep your drinks hot or cool for hours on end. And, just as importantly, these mugs can do it while looking sleek and chic.

A powder-coated exterior, an easy-clean nonstick interior, an ultralight body: Nothing about this mug gets in the way of your everyday coffee experience. It’s all there to enhance. The BPA-free plastic lid on this best travel mug to keep coffee hot has a 2-step release process to avoid accidental spills, gushing, or overflowing.

Best of all, the Zojirushi Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Mug simply ensures that your coffee will be the precise temperature you want , even hours later.

Best for : Coffee aficionados who like their drinks piping hot or icy-cool — with no in-between.

S’Well: Best high-end thermal mug

best travel coffee mugs swell - Luxe Digital

If you’re anything like us, your coffee mug is one of your favorite daily accessories. If you’re spending a lot of time using it, you might as well enjoy the process, right?

Turn to S’Well for a bottle that works well and looks good doing it. With triple-layered construction that keeps beverages cold for 24 hours (and hot for 12), your drinks will always be just the way you like them. Each Traveler Mug by S’Well has unique patterns, prints, textures, and colors. You’re sure to find one to perfectly complement your own personal aesthetic .

The seal on these mugs are impeccable, the opening of the mug is wide enough for ice cubes and comfortable sipping, and they’re perfectly sized for most cup holders. They’re also far and away the best travel mug for iced coffee.

Ultimately, when you’re looking for a gorgeous traveler mug to fit into your lifestyle, the S’Well Traveler is the way to go.

Best for : Drinking perfectly-heated-or-iced coffee on the go—in style.

MiiR: Best value stainless steel coffee mug

best travel coffee mugs miir - Luxe Digital

Travel mugs already have the potential to save you a lot of time and money, as you can use them to bring drinks from home instead of stopping at your favorite coffee shop (or stopping for coffee anyway, but having your favorite mug to use instead of a single-use cup). When it comes to value, though, this MiiR Insulated Tumbler really steps up to the task.

This dishwasher-safe, double-wall-insulated mug will give you perfectly-heated (or cooled) beverages without condensation . The hard shell powder coating won’t deteriorate over time. It’ll always look good and feel good to hold while you’re enjoying your morning (or afternoon) coffee.

The lid of the MiiR Insulated Tumbler flips open so you can easily drink your beverage — but locks so you don’t have to worry at all about leaks . With three gorgeous color choices and a low price point, it’s safe to say that this tumbler is definitely worth it.

Best for : Those who appreciate the reliability of a mug that can truly go the distance.

Contigo Transit: Best reusable coffee cup for your car

best travel coffee mugs contigo autoseal - Luxe Digital

When you’re enjoying your morning commute, you need to be alert. This stainless steel mug can provide you the java you need to drive safely and even get your thoughts in order before you park at work, ready to start your day.

This coffee mug does its job as well as you do : it’s sized to fit in most standard car cup holders, it keeps your beverage at the temperature you want it, and it won’t leak or spill if it suddenly tips over, should you need to brake quickly.

Its non-slip grip sleeve makes it easy to sip your coffee with one hand , and it’s got the same non-slip material on its base. This coffee mug won’t be going anywhere unless you want it to!

For a frustration-free car coffee experience, the Contigo Stainless Steel Mug is the right pick.

Best for : A tried-and-true co-pilot for your next road trip.

Trudeau: Best insulated coffee mug for work

best travel coffee mugs trudeau - Luxe Digital

When you’re enjoying your coffee in-office, you need a professional-looking travel coffee mug that’s up to keeping you alert through meetings, deadlines, conferences, and more.

The leak-proof lid of this coffee mug swivels and even pops off so you can have a regular mug drinking experience — without the risk of getting coffee stains all over your tech and your documents. The durable, hand-washable faux-leather accents are a nice touch, as well.

What’s more, the no-frills, industrial vibe of the Trudeau Board Room Mug can literally tell others (and remind yourself) that you mean business.

Best for : A veritable savior for your morning commute (even if that’s just from the kitchen to your living room!

bubba: Best coffee travel mug with straw

best travel coffee mugs bubba - Luxe Digital

The thing about travel coffee mugs is that they almost universally come in sip-friendly models. One of life’s great joys, however, is enjoying an iced coffee through a straw . If you’re missing out on that experience when you use reusable travel mugs, don’t worry.

Enter: The bubba insulated coffee mug. Its easy-clean lid can be used with or without an included plastic straw , which is dishwasher-safe — so you can clean it easily, as well.

With a sleek double-walled body that fits in most cupholders and a sweat-free exterior formulation, this bubba Vacuum-Insulated Mug will be pleasant to use for years to come . (Since it comes with a lifetime guarantee, you’ll be able to use it for that long, too.)

Best for : Those who enjoy sipping through a straw, but want a sustainable way to do so.

YETI: Best coffee mug with handle

best travel coffee mugs yeti - Luxe Digital

Many coffee travel mugs don’t actually look like mugs, when you think about it. For the very thing which defines a mug — an eminently grippable, practical handle to make drinking your coffee kinesthetically pleasing — is often absent from sleek, modern travel cups.

This YETI Rambler Mug is here to change that.

With an impeccably-engineered shape , feel, and insulation system, this travel mug has a low, wide body and a large handle for easy grabbing and pleasant sipping. Even if you’re wearing gloves, this mug will easily fit around your mitts!

The no-sweat dura coat cover ensures that the color of your choice will remain bright and cheery forever. You’ll see no peeling, fading, or scratching with the YETI Rambler . Its ability to keep drinks hot or cold all day long is just as hard-working as its frame : Until the last sip, your beverages will be precisely as you need them, every single time.

Best for : A travel tumbler that can handle literally anything before you.

Contigo Autoseal: Best stainless steel travel tumbler

best travel coffee mugs contigo autoseal vacuum insulated - Luxe Digital

Raise your hand if you’ve ever accidentally knocked your travel mug over to your great chagrin. (Our hands are raised.) This can ruin your day before it even begins. Finding a travel mug that would never, ever do that would be a game-changer.

Introducing: the Contigo Autoseal Travel Mug .

With Contigo’s Autoseal technology, you can be sure that will never happen. (You can also simply toss this travel mug into your bag and be perfectly confident your belongings are safe. It’s that good at what it does.)

Just the push of a button and you can enjoy one-handed drinking of perfectly-heated (or cooled) drinks. The lid opens completely so you can clean it thoroughly — and locks, so you don’t have to worry about a thing .

Absolute peace of mind in a travel coffee mug. That’s what we like to see.

Best for : Those who seek reliability and safety with their coffee mug. No leaks, here.

Swig: Most trendy travel coffee mug

best travel coffee mugs swig - Luxe Digital

When you’re using your coffee mug, you’re walking out and about. You’re at work. You’re strolling through your office. You want that mug to be reflective of who you are …and your personal style.

And, sometimes, you might just want to have a little fun with your accessories. That’s where the Swig Triple Insulated Mug comes in. With countless gorgeous, fun, and trendy designs , this handled mug is one you’ll want to reach for in the morning.

A silicone base keeps this mug completely scratch-free, slip-free, and noise-free . It looks good, and keeps your coffee hot for up to nine hours. When it comes to a coffee mug, what more could you want?

Best for : A gorgeous coffee truly worth of your #ButFirstCoffee ‘grams.

Mora Ceramics: Best ceramic travel mug

best travel coffee mugs mora ceramics - Luxe Digital

If you’d rather steer clear of a mug with an industrial, workaday feel , perhaps it’s time to hit pause.

Named for the Latin word meaning ‘pause’, this ceramic mug by Mora Ceramics is a constant reminder to slow down, take stock, and rest as you go throughout your day.

With an organic, natural feel, the glazed ceramic of this mug is something you’ll enjoy cupping in your hands as you begin your day. However, this mug isn’t all about looks. It incorporates a splash-resistant lid, a double-walled ceramic body with paladin clay, and a base that will slip smoothly into any standard cup holder.

Instead of rushing through your day, take a moment to pause. With the Mora Ceramics Travel Mug , invite calm into your productivity. Your future self will thank you.

Best for : Moments of caffeinated chill among the chaos of busy days.

JOCO: Best glass coffee travel mug

best travel coffee mugs joco - Luxe Digital

An artisan glass travel coffee mug. Does such a thing exist?

As it turns out — yes. The artists behind the JOCO Glass Travel Tumbler precisely formulate these mugs with wide-mouth, comfort-sip designs, steady flow function, and gorgeous clarity . If you want to drink your beverage instead of wearing it, you’ll enjoy the anti-splash ergonomic experience of the lid.

JOCO has made sure that nose-to-lid collisions are minimal with the intuitive shape of the lid; the thermal silicone sleeve keeps your drink hot and the mug touchable ; and — as this mug is 100% plastic-free — it is odor-resistant, oven- and microwave-safe, and very easy to clean.

If you’re looking to eliminate plastic from your life and you like the thought of incorporating a beautiful work of art into your coffee experience, the JOCO Glass Travel Tumbler is the one for you.

Best for : The fans of coffee in a glass who enjoy one-of-a-kind artisan pieces.

Thermos: Best tumbler for coffee

best travel coffee mugs thermos - Luxe Digital

A sleek, fluted style . Unique functional features. And a company name that has literally come to define travel coffee mugs.

Thermos’ Sipp line has been completely re-engineered and redesigned to give you maximum temperature retention. With vacuum insulation and a durable stainless-steel interior and exterior, this thermos is made to be at your side to endure whatever life throws at you .

Thoughtfully crafted with a one-hand push-button drinking operation, a built-in tea hook for tea bags or infusers , and a minimalist, streamlined body that can easily be cleaned in the dishwasher: The Thermos Travel Tumbler brings sophistication to the table encased in a slim, smooth profile.

Best for : Anyone who prefers the simple classiness of pure functionality.

Juro: Best budget travel coffee mug

best travel coffee mugs juro - Luxe Digital

BPA-free, large-capacity, a matte black facade that blends in with any outfit or environment: This travel coffee mug is everything you need out of a basic coffee mug…and it’s available for an extremely economical price.

The Juro Stainless Steel Tumbler keeps cooler drinks cold for a full day, and hot drinks piping hot for six hours. The unique feature of this mug is its lid. When you’re enjoying your coffee, all you need to do is slide the moving part of the lid back and forth. There are no rotating parts to break or line up. There’s a tight clip seal on the lid when you need it to stay put.

Zero worries, reliable insulation, and a lightweight design that holds a lot of coffee . That’s pretty much the dream! This insulated travel coffee mug also comes with a lifetime warranty. All in all, the Juro Stainless Steel Tumbler offers incredible value for a bargain price.

Best for : Those who’d rather keep their coffee and their pocketbook safe from spills.

Buyers guide: Finding the best travel coffee mug for your life

Your life, your daily rituals, the specific needs you have as you move throughout your day: They’re all as delightfully unique as you are . Therefore, the coffee mug that you use to help bring you comfort and energy needs to be special, too . Luckily, there are many different types of mugs, features, and accessories that you can choose from.

We’re here to help make yours an informed choice with this helpful guide. When you’re looking for your ideal travel coffee mug , keep the following features in mind.

The insulation : One of the primary reasons you purchase a travel coffee mug is to keep your drink at an optimal temperature. Make sure that your coffee mug can handle both warm and cool beverages, and that it has enough insulation to keep your drink hot — and your hands safe.

best travel coffee mugs commute luxe digital

The lid : Your travel coffee mug can’t spill — that’s a must. When you’re considering your purchase, keep the anti-spilling tech in mind. Some coffee mugs have locking features on their lids. Others might slide open with the twist of your hand.
The washability : You’ll be drinking from your mug daily, so you’ll need a way to make sure that your cup is freshly clean and safe quite often. If you prefer using a dishwasher, check to make sure that your travel mug is dishwasher safe. If not, just examine it to see if it’s easy-clean or if you’ll need to purchase a special bottle brush to sanitise it.
Sip vs. straw : Think about the way that you like to enjoy your coffee. Would you rather a sipping lid, or would you prefer at least the option of a straw? Remember, you can use your travel coffee mug for hot or cold beverages — and sipping iced coffee through a straw can be simply divine. However, if that’s not a feature you would use, a straw could be just another thing that you have to regularly clean.

best travel coffee mugs joco glass cups luxe digital

Hot vs. cold: If you do plan on using your travel coffee mug for both hot and cool drinks, make sure you purchase one that is engineered for both —there are some that are better for hot drinks, and others that are better for cool ones (that reduce condensation on the exterior surface, for example).
Size: Lastly, pick a coffee mug that has a volume you can work with. The very point of having a travel coffee mug is so you don’t have to refill it too often. Think about your consumption needs and pick one that’s large enough to give you a satisfying amount of your favorite beverage — without it being too bulky for you to comfortably carry it around.

Frequently asked questions about the best travel coffee mugs

The best travel coffee mugs are the ones that you use the most! Think about your daily life and what you need — a handled coffee mug, one with a straw, or one with an airlock lid. The one with features best suiting your life will be the best travel coffee mug for you. (We like the Zojirushi Insulated Mug , however, for just how good it is at regulating temperature!)

The Zojirushi Insulated Mug keeps coffee hot the longest. Zojirushi is used industry-wide for coffeeshop thermal needs, so, if you’re looking for professional-level insulation, that mug is the way to go!

The best thermal mug is the S’well Stainless Steel Traveler . It keeps hot drinks hot and cool drinks chilled for long periods of time…and it has the different color options to ensure that you enjoy your mug as an accessory, too.

Stainless steel coffee mugs are safe when you can be sure that the company is using the right type of stainless steel. If you see that a mug uses food-grade, performance-grade, or medical-grade stainless steel, you can be sure that they’ll be safe to use.

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13 Best Travel Cups for Coffee

Travel Gear
13 Best Travel Cups for…

Don’t let your travel schedule keep you from enjoying your coffee in the best way possible. We know that home mugs aren’t exactly the most portable things in the world. And that’s why you should invest in travel cups for coffee. They’re compact and will keep your precious Java toasty all day long. And if you prefer chilly coffee, you can easily find dozens of the best travel cups for iced coffee out there!

But since there are so many models and brands to consider, you might have some hard time deciding. To help you out a bit, here we’ve come up with a curated list of some of the best coffee cups travel mug around. Hopefully, this can provide great inspiration for your next trip. And without further ado, let’s get started!

How to Choose The Best Travel Cups for Coffee

Finding the best travel cups for coffee isn’t exactly the hardest task in the world. However, it also requires some serious considerations. You see, carrying containers like iced coffee travel cups on the go will have some significant impact on how you pack.

And in order to get the best possible experience, you need to make sure you’re going with the right product. Don’t let your hard-earned money go to waste! So, here’s our version of three important factors to consider when you’re looking for coffee cups travel mug.

Insulation is the first and most important thing to consider when you’re looking for travel cups for coffee. It doesn’t matter whether you prefer to keep your coffee hot or cold, insulation is a key factor. You have to be absolutely sure that the cup or mug you get has the proper insulation. This way it’ll be able to maintain the desired temperature for quite some time.

But if you’re looking for something specific to warm up your coffee, stay right where you are. That’s because we’ve just the right solution. Check out our list of the 13 best-rated coffee mug warmers and you should find what you’re looking for!

Unless you want spilled coffee as soon as you open your suitcase or backpack, get a portable mug with a tight-seal lid. By choosing properly enclosed iced coffee travel cups, you will save yourself the hassle of wet clothes and the hassle of doing laundry on the go. Remember, go with a mug or cup that you can simply toss into the bag.

Cleaning Method

Last but not least, you’ll want the dishwasher-safe coffee cups travel mug. If hand washing is the only way, make sure you get a cup with a simple design. This way, you can clean it thoroughly and easily. For additional tips, you can use a bottle brush or sponge for better results.

How Long Do Travel Mugs Keep Coffee Hot?

Some travel cups for coffee can keep your drink hot for almost six hours. But of course, this will depend entirely on what kind of insulation the mug has. The latest technologies such as double-wall insulation and 3D insulation will help to maintain the desired temperature for a longer time.

Having some trouble deciding which mug to carry? Well, don’t worry. You can always read some great recommendations and tips on our list of the 13 best travel coffee mugs !

Why Do Travel Mugs Make Coffee Taste Bad?

Well, to be exact, this isn’t the case with all travel cups for coffee. However, the newly opened mugs do smell weird. To fix this, make sure you clean them thoroughly. Only after that, you can start pouring drinks and won’t taste any weird hints.

Can Glass Coffee Cups Go in Microwave?

Yes, of course. They’re completely microwave and dishwasher safe. However, you have to be absolutely sure that the cup has neither gold nor silver rims. To be sure, you might want to contact the mug’s manufacturer for further information.

Corkcicle Coffee Mug

Claimed to be ultra-strong, the Corkcicle Coffee Mug is a 16-ounce container with a convenient slider mechanism. With just a single push, you can make sure your drink stays where it’s supposed to be. As for temperature retention, this stainless steel cup is said to be able to keep your coffee toasty for almost three hours. This is possible thanks to its impressive triple insulation design.

Being one of the best travel cups for coffee around, Corkcicle is available in designs and patterns. In case you’re looking for a Christmas gift, the model we’re featuring right now would be great!

What We Love

Convenient sliding mechanism, keep the liquid from spilling everywhere

Ergonomic handle
Patented flat side
Shatterproof
Silicone bottom
Outer layer chips easily

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YETI Rambler Mug

Judging from the design, the YETI Rambler Mug isn’t much different from most iced coffee travel cups. But let us tell you, this 14-ounce glass can do an extremely good job of keeping your drink cold. It also features a tight lid to keep your coffee from spilling over your shirt.

Another thing to love about the YETI Rambler Mug is the handle. It’s well-designed and quite large. Feels so comfortable, even for the widest hands. And just like other products in its category, the Rambler is available in a variety of different colors. But if you’re planning on buying one, please note that the lid tends to collect coffee residue. So, you might need to clean it often.

And speaking of coffee, in order to get the best brew, the secret is starting from how you grind the coffee beans. Therefore, you might want to check out our list of the 13 best manual coffee grinders . Discover some of the best deals to up your brewing game!

Well-designed handle, comfortable for even the widest hands

Made of aluminum
Dishwasher safe
Duracoat color
Double-wall vacuum insulation
The lid needs to be cleaned frequently

Butterfly Meadow Travel Mug

Want something out of the ordinary in your backpack? Then the Butterfly Meadow Thermal Travel Mug would be a remarkable choice. This porcelain cup looks and feels like an actual coffee mug. The only notable difference is that it has a silicone cap. It’s no wonder this 12-ounce container has become one of the most popular coffee cups travel mug around.

Papantoniou, the manufacturer of these beautiful cups, says you can safely put them in the dishwasher. However, for better hygiene, hand washing is preferable. And in case you don’t like birds or butterflies on top of your coffee cup, they also have other exciting designs to choose from.

Looks and feels like a real coffee cup, with the nice addition of a silicone lid

Made of ceramic
Safe for microwave
10-ounce capacity
A matching plate is available
The insulation could be better

Joco Reusable Coffee Mug

For something more on the cute side, go with the Joco Reusable Coffee Mug . This tiny cup features a silicone lid and a matching thermal sleeve. Not only are they pleasing to the eye, they’re also fully functional. And in case you ask, yes. This 12-ounce cup is completely microwave and dishwasher safe. So don’t worry, go ahead and reheat your cup of joe, whenever you want!

And while it may be insignificant, we love the fact that the Joco Reusable Coffee Mug goes with a transparent design. This way, you don’t have to bother opening the lid just to find out how much coffee is left. As for the size, Joco is one of the most compact travel cups for coffee that you can get at this moment. It’s only 4 inches wide and 2.9 inches tall.

Crystal clear design, so you can quickly tell how much coffee is left

Cool design
Lightweight
100 percent plastic-free
Some say it smells like plastic

Copco Apadia Travel Mug

For those who prefer a chilly joe in the morning, Copco Acadia is one of the best travel cups for iced coffee that money can get. Seriously, this 16-ounce mug features double-wall insulation that can maintain temperatures for up to three hours. And in case you want to have some hot coffee, these cups completely microwave safe. Just put them in and let your java reheat in a few minutes!

For the closing mechanism, the Copco Acadia lid uses a fairly straightforward quarter-turn design. It works effectively to prevent unnecessary leaks and spills. Furthermore, this plastic cup has a small hole for drinking. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have its own lid. So when the glass is full, you can’t just throw it in your travel bag.

16-ounce plastic mug with double-wall insulation to maintain temperature

Colorful grip
Fits almost all cup holders
The drinking hole has no cover

MiiR Insulated Cup

The MiiR Insulated Cup is the best choice when you want a stainless steel cup with a comfortable grip. It’s shaped exactly like most coffee cups travel mug. Short and wide with an ergonomic handle. Making any drink is fun with this compact cup, as is drinking from it and cleaning it.

Thanks to its 3D double-wall vacuum insulation, the MiiR Insulated Cup will give you a consistent temperature inside and out. This means you won’t get burnt hands, even when your coffee is freshly brewed. Available in a variety of lovely colors, the MiiR Insulated Cup would also be great for a family trip. Though if you want something cool and elegant, we recommend going with the matte black one.

Wide and short, easy to hold and clean

3D double-wall vacuum insulation
Made of high quality 18/8 medical grade stainless steel
Press-fit lid
100 percent BPA-free
It doesn’t fit into a car cup holder

KeepCup Reusable Coffee Cup

We can’t really talk about the best travel cups for coffee without mentioning the KeepCup Reusable Coffee Cup . These gorgeous little glasses are the work of genius from two of Melbourne’s renowned baristas. They’ve got an impressive reputation, especially among the baristas. As if these awesome cups were designed purely for latte art!

If you’re not a professional barista, don’t worry though. KeepCup is one of the best travel cups for coffee that you can get right now. They’re compact, stylish, and easy to clean. Apart from that, these amazing glasses will keep your latte taste fresh. And compared to most reusable cups, KeepCup is smaller. Perfect for all different espresso machines!

And while we’re on the topic of coffee, did you know that enjoying the best-brewed coffee while in the great outdoors is now possible? It’s all thanks to the presence of portable coffee makers. In case you’re interested in owning one, you can check out our list of the 13 best coffee makers for camping !

Beautiful glass cups that are perfect for keeping your latte fresh

Made of durable tempered glass
Standard barista
Splashproof
Fits comfortably in cup holders
It’s not leak proof

Ember Ceramic Mug

Want your coffee to stay hot, no matter where you go? Then the Ember Ceramic Mug is one of the coffee cups travel mug that is worth considering. They come with programmable temperature regulators, so you can precisely set how toasty you want your Java to be. Most users say that enjoying freshly brewed coffee in the Ember is an excellent way to start the day and boost the mood!

Furthermore, this 10-ounce mug is battery-powered. You’ll get about 1.5 hours of optimal heat before you need to replace them. We also like the mechanics that Ember uses. With a simple twist on the bottom of the cup, you can set the temperature exactly how you want it. It’s straightforward and fun to use!

Stylish 10-ounce cup with programmable temperature regulator

Get a perfect hot drink for up to 80 minutes
App-controlled
Includes a charging coaster and adapter
Hand wash only

Snow Peak Double Wall Cup

For fans of ultralight gear, we can’t recommend the Snow Peak Double Wall Insulated Cup enough. This titanium cup boasts thermal insulation to keep your coffee toasty for hours. And at 4 inches tall and weighing only about 4 ounces, this product gives you a total capacity of 450ml or the equivalent of 15 fluid ounces.

The Snow Peak Double Wall Insulated Cup may not be among the most ideal iced coffee travel cups. But if you like your Java to be toasty all day, this metallic mug will be fantastic. It’s strong, easy to pack, and simple to wash. Unfortunately, Snow Peak doesn’t include a lid. But if you want, you can buy one separately.

Robust construction, made of titanium, keeps your coffee toasty for hours

Easy to pack
450ml capacity
Made of titanium
Simple to clean
Lids available separately

Stojo Silicone Collapsible Cup

Carrying travel cups for coffee is a luxury that not everyone can afford. We mean, with a backpack stuffed with an iPad, charger, laptop, and clothes, who’s willing to add a cup to complicate things even more, right? Well, that’s unless you have a Stojo Silicone Collapsible Cup !

As the name implies, this super-light cup can be compressed to just 2.5 inches thick. Tote a mug around has never been easier! Plus, you can have it in your backpack without adding extra bulk. If that wasn’t enough, this BPA-free product is completely microwaved safe and comes with a free straw.

Easy to tote around and completely microwave safe

Collapsible
Suitable for hot and cold drinks
Designed to last a lifetime
Sustainable
The straw is too thick

Yeti Rambler Tumbler

Yeti isn’t exactly known best for iced coffee travel cups. This Austin-based company has mostly earned a great reputation for their impressive cooler boxes, which have become the standard for fishermen across the United States. But now, you can get Yeti’s fine insulation technology in a coffee mug-sized package!

The Yeti Rambler Tumbler is a 196-inch tall mug with double-wall vacuum insulation. Don’t be surprised if you find your coffee stays toasty until late in the afternoon using this thing! Furthermore, the lid uses a genius sliding magnetic mechanism. So when you need to clean the mug, it comes off relatively easily. Another reason to choose the Yeti Rambler Tumbler is that it fits perfectly in car cup holders. Perfect when you’re planning a road trip!

And if you need something to hold your drink on while on a camping trip, we’ve got just the right solution! You can go and check our list for the 13 best camping mugs .

Come with great insulation technology, fishermen’s standard

Nice packaging
Great details
Fantastic quality
Magnetic and removable slider
It’s a bit pricey

W&P Porter Ceramic Mug

The W&P Porter Ceramic Mug strikes a great balance between design and functionality. It manages to be compact and works well, but also cute and petite at the same time. Put this mug in your closet and we promise, it will be a fascinating piece of decoration!

The version you’re seeing right now has a capacity of about 12 ounces. But for tougher days, you can always go with the 16-ounce model. Both are made from premium food-grade materials, which are durable and completely BPA-free. They also come with a silicone sleeve to prevent friction and spillage. And since these coffee cups travel mug is dishwasher safe, they’re incredibly easy to clean.

Provides a great balance between design and functionality

Made from premium food-grade materials
Come with protective silicone
It’s a little heavier than a regular mug

Thermos Stainless King

The ergonomic handle makes the Thermos Stainless King one of the most portable travel cups for coffee on the market. It also comes in just the right size, comfortably fits in any car cup holder. Furthermore, this stainless steel cup can hold a maximum of two cups worth of liquid. That should be more than enough for your daily dose of caffeine!

To make things even better, the Thermos Stainless King has decent insulation. You can expect your coffee to stay toasty for hours. And thanks to its sliding lock mechanism, there won’t be any stains or leaks. Clean up you say? It should be very easy since this cup has a simple design.

Come with an ergonomic carry handle, easy to tote around

Ultra-durable
Stainless steel interior
Leak-proof Drinklock
16-ounce capacity

Author: John P

As a blogger, I have had the pleasure of exploring some of the most exclusive destinations, indulging in the finest cuisine, accommodations, and experiences that the world has to offer. From the chic streets Paris to the scenic beauty of the Amalfi Coast, readers luxury. my, tips on the most exclusive hotels restaurants, and activities, giving you a glimpse into the world of high-end travel. But luxury travel is not just about extravagance - it's also about immersing yourself in the local culture and experiencing the true essence of a destination. With a passion for art, history, and architecture, I seek out the hidden gems and off-the-beaten-path experiences that make each destination truly unique. So whether you're planning a romantic getaway, a family vacation, or a solo adventure, my blog is your guide to the ultimate European luxury travel experience. Join me on my journey as we explore the best that Europe has to offer, one luxurious destination at a time.

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12 Oz Insulated Coffee Mug to Go with Push Button Lid - Leakproof Reusable Travel Thermos Water Bottle - 304 Food Grade Stainless Steel Tumbler Car Cup for Coffee, Tea - 10 Hours Cold & 4 Hour Hot

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12 Oz Insulated Coffee Mug to Go with Push Button Lid - Leakproof Reusable Travel Thermos Water Bottle - 304 Food Grade Stainless Steel Tumbler Car Cup for Coffee, Tea - 10 Hours Cold & 4 Hour Hot

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About this item.

UNIQUE 5 LAYERS TECHNOLOGY - Vacuum, metal double wall, outer coating and copper plating make up the 5 layers of our new tech to keep cold or hot temperature of a drink for hours.
ANTI-SLIP & LEAKPROOF DESIGN - Push-button lid prevents accidental opening and can be opened with one hand. The special mugs coating prevents the cup from slipping as well.
TASTE & SMELLS FREE, NO RUST - The Peakvil insulated tumblers made of 304 food grade stainless steel, meaning it won’t rust or absorb any smells or change your drink’s taste. After hand washing, the cup will be fresh and ready to use.
TRAVEL FRIENDLY: This tumbler fits cupholders and backpack pockets for commuters and life on-the-go. A go-to for camping, travel, gym, office or home, this thermal coffee mug goes anywhere and everywhere.
USE NOTES - Place the lid flat above the mug. Make sure you screw it on tight to avoid leaking. The coffee cup lid can be closed tightly after two "clicks". Hand wash only, NOT dishwasher or microwave safe. 30-day refund guaranteed for any reason.

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12 oz Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Tumbler - Coffee Travel Mug Spill Proof with Lid - Thermos Cup for Keep Hot/Ice Coffee

From the brand

Explore Peakvil

Experience the ultimate

Peakvil - a young brand passionate about bringing you the perfect cup of coffee wherever you go.

We value building relationships with our customers and providing the best possible experience.

We're all about hot coffee and camping, and our products make it easy to enjoy both.

Welcome to Peakvil, and thanks for joining us on this journey.

Reduce disposable waste

No more disposable plastic bottles or one-use steel cans. Take your part in selecting reusable items.

Accidental opening protection

Providing added peace of mind when you're on the move, no matter how bumpy the ride gets.

Peakvil One Gallon Vacuum Insulated Water Bottle - Large Camping Growler Jug with Carrying Pouch ...

Peakvil Insulated Products

Comfortable one hand use

Perfect for multitasking, allowing you to keep one hand free while enjoying your coffee.

Why do we love what we do?

We are the first customers of Peakvil. We're always on the go while in the town and love the camping life so we create products for people like us.

What makes our products unique?

The attention to detail we put into each design and building relationships with our customers to ensure they have the best possible experience.

What problem are we solving?

We make it easy to enjoy hot coffee and cold drink anywhere, without sacrificing taste or quality. We're also committed to reducing waste by providing reusable drinkware that's durable and long-lasting.

Perfect for Camping

Pack your gallon water bottle on your next camping trip and enjoy the convenience of having plenty of water whenever you need it.

Product Description

The peakvil 360 ml insulated travel coffee mug - delicate lilac.

The Peakvil Travel Coffee Mug comes with a lockable, push-button lid. The tumbler is double-walled, vacuum insulated 18/8 stainless with additional cooper plating keeping your beverage hot or cold for hours. Fits all cup holders and is perfect for your morning commute.

Drink easily with a flick of your finger, and it is splash-proof with a small mouth lid.
The rubber mug sleeve offers a secure and comfortable way to hold the tumbler while the bottom is slip proof.
High-quality insulation duration and size makes it a good choice for traveling, office, car, and other places.
With beautiful colors and a delicate design, it is a wonderful gift for your friends, family members, and so on.

Videos for this product

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Travel Mug Review After Using a Few weeks

Sharon Banks

Video Review of Peakvil 12 oz Insulated Travel Coffee Mug

Peakvil Insulated Travel Mug

#college Graduation Gift Ideas pt.2

Rishika Vinnakota

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Product information, warranty & support, compare with similar items, customer reviews.

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers like the quality, heat resistance and appearance of thermos. They mention it's a great product, it keeps coffee hot and ice and liquids cold. They are also happy with size. However, some customers have mixed opinions on value, durability, ease of cleaning, and leakage.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers like the heat resistance of thermos. For example, they mention it'll keep their coffee hot for at least 3 hours, and it holds temps amazing. Some say it's better than others at keeping stuff colder.

"...- works good in that it does not let a lot come out since this keeps my coffee hot ...." Read more

"I like to linger over my coffee, I like it hot, and this keeps it hot for a very long time ...." Read more

"I need a good travel mug and this one is perfect. Its insulation is superb and it’s very easy to use. The cup is sleek too" Read more

" Great insulation , no leaks. I wanted something that I didn’t have to screw open and this was exactly what I needed...." Read more

Customers are satisfied with the appearance of thermos. For example, they mention it's pretty, has an excellent design, and is functional.

"...Peakvil fit the bill......LOL! I like the simplicity, beautiful , clean white color, press button to open/close and the opening to drink out of -..." Read more

" I love the color and how it’s slim enough to fit in my small hands...." Read more

"...Its insulation is superb and it’s very easy to use. The cup is sleek too" Read more

"...mug is amazing, no leaking at all and so easy to clean, plus it looks great ." Read more

Customers like the size of thermos. They say it's the perfect size, fits in their cup holder, and is slim enough to fit in their small hands. Some say it fits easily under their Keurig by taking off the drip tray.

"...Also, it fits easily under my Keurig by taking off the drip tray...." Read more

" We like the size and ability to fit in car cup holders...." Read more

"I love the color and how it’s slim enough to fit in my small hands...." Read more

"...Coffee remains slightly warm for hours. I love the slim design . It is much easier to hold with my arthritic hands." Read more

Customers are satisfied with the quality of thermos. They mention it's a great product, well designed, and durable. Some say that the cap mechanism is leakproof.

"Got this for my mother and daughter as gifts! Wonderful tumblers ." Read more

" Excellent and great quality " Read more

"...Maybe a lotta bit. But otherwise the cup is great ." Read more

"These are great cups . No leakages! Cleaning is a bit of an issue." Read more

Customers are mixed about the leakage of thermos. Some mention that it doesn't leak at all, is drip proof, and easy to grip. Others say that it incessantly leaks from the lid, built-up condensation leaks, and the open/close button.

"...Yes, if the top isn't put on straight and securely, of course it will leak , just like anything with a loose screw top!..." Read more

"...and the opening to drink out of - works good in that it does not let a lot come out since this keeps my coffee hot...." Read more

" Started leaking around the push button and lid after 4 months." Read more

"...didn’t stay warm as long as other containers, but the lid kept the coffee from spilling ...." Read more

Customers are mixed about the ease of cleaning. Some mention that it's easy to clean, the top comes apart to ensure all parts are clean, and it'll hold liquids cold or hot. Others say that it doesn't come apart so it'd be impossible to clean or even know what's inside. The lid is difficult to clean and it can be a slight pain to clean the kid. It's not very sanitary and it stains pretty easily.

"...It stained pretty easily and was hard to clean ...." Read more

"...This travel mug is amazing, no leaking at all and so easy to clean , plus it looks great." Read more

"...I wish I had known prier to buying/ using this cup its not very sanitary ...." Read more

"...the mechanism that doesn't seem to want to come out and it's grimy in there and gross and I don't know how to wash in there because you can't get..." Read more

Customers are mixed about the durability of thermos. Some mention it's leakproof and durable, while others say the lid cracked after 3 uses along the threads and coffee leaks out. The top comes apart to ensure all parts are clean.

"I like the product the only flaw it has is the inner lid keeps coming unscrew so the button won't work on the outer lid. Keeps my coffee hot though." Read more

"...EASY TO CLEAN. THE TOP COMES APART TO ENSURE ALL PARTS ARE CLEAN." Read more

"...keep your drink warm for a long period of time However the lid does not come apart . The liquids get trapped up in the lid causing mold...." Read more

"...it was great no leaking, but 2 days after return window closed the lid broke and it stuck in the open position" Read more

Customers are mixed about the value of thermos. Some mention it's a great value at $9.95, while others say it'll ruin your clothes, leak, and is not useable for their purposes.

"...It keeps coffee hot for a long time the price great .the color is so awesome.love it.2 weeks n I haven't dropped it yet.my other cups have dings.many..." Read more

"...is a no-go lid and I won't be using it anymore so it was kind of a waste of money ." Read more

"Great coffee mug and keeps coffee warm for many hour. Great value for the price ." Read more

"...Leaked. Disappointed " Read more

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'I'm a Stanley Cup convert, and there are 6 Stanley tumbler dupes on sale for Amazon Prime Day'

Starting from £11

By sitting a Stanley Cup on my desk I'm managing to sip my way through two litres of water a day without having to think about it, and have been keeping hydrated with ease all summer long.

If you fancy picking up one for yourself but can't quite justify spending £45 on a water bottle (we don't blame you) the Amazon Prime Day sale has just entered its second day, and is a perfect time to pick up a Stanley Cup dupe with a discount.

Best Stanley Cup dupes in day 2 of the Amazon Prime Day sale

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My Stanley of choice is the Stanley Quencher H2.0 Flowstate Tumbler, the 1.2 litre behemoth you've likely seen popping up all over your TikTok and Instagram feeds, as it has cemented itself as the it-girl water bottle of choice over the past couple of years.

But what exactly is it about this cup that makes it so special?

The cup has a double-wall vacuum insulation that keeps the contents cold for 11 hours, or up to two days if you add ice. The ergonomic handle makes it comfortable to carry around, and despite its large size it has a narrow base that allows it to slot into most cup holders.

When I've tried to up my water intake by investing in a large water bottle in the past, I've found them a real pain to cart around with me in a way that I just don't with my Stanley. It doesn't hurt that it's easy on the eyes, either, and comes in a huge array of fun colours.

It is expensive though, and that's a big downside. Due to its popularity, a selection of Stanley Cup dupes have popped up on Amazon, a large selection of which are on sale for Prime Day. This means you can pick up an Stanley Cup-inspired tumbler for as low as £11.

Take a look at all the discounted Stanley Cup dupes on Amazon here.

In the mood to shop? You can check out more of our dedicated Prime Day guides below:

Best Prime Day baby deals
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Jessica O’Donnell is Women’s Health UK’s Ecommerce Editor, specialising in testing the latest and greatest launches in beauty , gym wear , fitness , health and nutrition, as well as finding the best deals during sales events such as Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day . Jessica is passionate about helping women choose products that will help them look and feel their best and looks after some of Women’s Health’s most important guides, including the best mattresses for back pain, the best fitness trackers , and the best bikinis for big busts (she’s got range!). Jessica has been a journalist since 2018, and her work can be found in publications such as ELLE Australia , Harper’s Bazaar Australia and Cosmopolitan UK . When she’s off the clock, Jessica can usually be found either nagging her friends to join her for a long run, bragging about her Oura Ring sleep stats, trying out a new Pilates studio or adding to the ever-growing stack of books on her bedside table. You can keep up with Jessica on Instagram @jessicajeanodonnell

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5 Best Small Air Fryers, According to Our Lab Testing

The best small air fryers you can buy for two people or less.

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

Our top picks:

Best Overall Small Air Fryer

Ninja af101 air fryer.

Best Value Small Air Fryer

Cosori small air fryer.

Best Small Air Fryer for One Person

Dash air fryer.

In the Good Housekeeping Institute , we've been testing air fryers since they came out more than a decade ago. We've tested at least 50 in all different forms to see how quickly and evenly they crisp up food without drying it out and how easy they are to use and clean. Our list of the best small air fryers include a combination of our top-tested air fryer brands and small air fryers we use. They're perfect if you're short on space, just want to give air-frying a shot or are using them to cook for one to two people at a time.

After you read through our recommendations, learn more about how we test small air fryers and what to to look for when shopping for one. Also consider reading about our top-tested air fryer toaster ovens that are great to air fry with, multi-functional and space-saving.

Good news: Our pick for the best overall air fryer has a smaller four-quart counterpart. It features many of the same settings as the the Ninja Air Fryer Max XL , which has a five and a half-quart capacity, including Air Fry, Roast, Reheat and Dehydrate. It also has all of the same ease of use components: The control panel is easy to read and use, and the buttons are responsive. Plus, the basket slides in and out smoothly and it's nonstick for easier cleanup.

This AF101 model is shorter than the MAX XL and has a more dishwasher-friendly sized basket. It's quick, like the MAX XL, and makes crispy and nicely browned chicken wings and fries.

Cosori makes great air fryers that are easy to use and don't come with a hefty price tag. We recommended one of their six-quart air fryers for years as our best value pick before it got an upgrade.

This model has a two-quart capacity and many of the same great features of Cosori's larger versions , like a nonstick square basket with removable tray that makes it great for two people and a sleek, intuitive control panel. From our experience with this brand, foods cook evenly and the basket cleans up nicely. From an aesthetic point of view, we like how when the air fryer is off, the buttons are hidden for a more streamlined look in your kitchen.

After years of testing air fryers, this small, two-quart air fryer from Dash still stands out for its cute design and performance. It's a little taller than it looks in pictures, narrow and lightweight with a small, round air fryer basket that can fit about two to three chicken thighs. It comes in fun colors like aqua and a pretty cherry red.

In our tests, it cooked relatively quickly but took a little longer than our top-performing air fryers to make crispy chicken wings. The mechanical controls were easy to use: It uses dials instead of a digital control panel, so all you have to do is keep the temperature at your desired level and turn the timer to turn it on.

One downside is it's a little harder to set a precise temperature and time compared to a digital air fryer. The air fryer tray was also a little hard to clean when food stuck to it, so we recommend using oil as needed.

Cuisinart TOA-26 Compact Airfryer Toaster Oven

Cuisinart's Air Fryer Toaster Oven is our top-tested air fryer toaster oven. It cooks quickly and is one of the only air fryer toaster ovens we tested that can compete with both a standalone air fryer and toaster oven.

This smaller version is a fraction of its size, but holds more than you think! It's deep versus wide and can air fry up to two and half pounds of food, according to the brand's website. In our tests, we were easily able to fit one pound of wings in it with room to spare as well as a pound of fries in a single layer.

It browned both ingredients well and quickly — on 400ºF, wings turned out golden and juicy in 20 minutes, and fries were deeply browned in 15 minutes. A two-inch piece of salmon came out tender and flaky with crisped skin.

Instant 4-in-1, 2-QT Mini Air Fryer

Instant is another air fryer brand that stood out in our air fryer tests for being powerful and easy to use. This small two-quart air fryer has a square nonstick air fryer basket with removable tray and a responsive control panel. The buttons have large lettering and the dial allows for the quick selection of time and temp.

It comes in aqua, black and red. In our regular-sized air fryer tests, two different Instant air fryers, plus the air fryer attachment in their Instant Pots, made crispy wings and fries quickly that were nicely browned. We also liked the square basket that offered more cooking area than the round counterparts, which this small air fryer also features.

How we test small air fryers

When we test products in the Kitchen Appliances Lab, we evaluate their performance and ease of use. We believe that all air fryers should cook quickly, including preheat time, and make food crispy without drying it out.

To assess these features, we first narrowed down our testing to include to air fryers smaller than six quarts, which is the average size of air fryers.

From there, we selected a handful that we didn't have too much experience with and performed the same tests we perform on air fryers and appliances with air fryer functions. We tested wings and frozen fries, and we assessed how quickly they cooked and how well they browned each item.

We also assessed the ease of use functions like how easy the control panel was to use, how easy the baskets were to clean and more.

What to look for when shopping for small air fryers

✔️ Size : Average air fryers have a capacity around six quarts. They can cook food for around four people at a time. The small air fryers on our list have a capacity between two quarts and four quarts. They're great for two people or one person. They take up less counter space as well and we find them easier to clean since the baskets are smaller.

✔️ Style: Like average-sized air fryers, small air fryers come in basket-styles or toaster oven-style. Basket styles allow you to air fry smaller ingredients that benefit from shaking, while toaster oven styles often have trays that offer more cooking surface so you can spread more food out in a single area. More cooking surface allows for more even browning and crispier results. The toaster oven trays are also a little easier to flip food on, since they have shorter walls, and they're typically made of stainless steel versus nonstick like the baskets.

Air fryer toaster ovens also offer more versatile since they're equipped to bake, toast and more, like a standard countertop oven.

✔️ Mechanical vs. digital display: Air fryers with dials versus buttons and a digital display cost less than their counterparts. They work perfectly well, but are often less precise. They also typically offer less bells and whistles like pre-programmed settings, halfway timers that remind you to flip your food and more.

✔️ Settings: Oftentimes when an air fryer offers different settings, it's a way to cook food more easily since they're usually programmed at a recommended temperature and time. Most of the times, these settings are also adjustable. They can be helpful if you're not familiar with air frying, but the more you air fry, the more easy it will be to use the manual function. Sometimes, the settings can control the fan speed, aka making it slower so you can bake, but that's not always clear from the marketing.

Another thing to keep in mind with settings is they often go hand in hand with how low of a temperature an air fryer can cook at or how high. For example, if it has a dehydrate setting, it can often cook as low as 100ºF or less, keep warm is around 200ºF, air fry typically maxes out around 400ºF and roast or broil is usually higher.

What can you fit in a small air fryer?

While the advertised capacity remains relatively the same amongst small air fryers, what you can fit in them varies on the shape and size of the basket itself . Round air fryer baskets offer less cooking area than square air fryer baskets. From our experience with small, two-quart air fryers, you can fit two to three chicken thighs snugly. You can also pile in a pound of fries, though eight ounces yield more consistent results. You can also fit at least a pound of wings, which is about 10 medium-sized wings. Square baskets can fit a little bit more and offer more room to spread ingredients out. The air fryer toaster oven we recommend can fit up to two and a half pounds of food, according to the brand. The packaging often offers a good idea of how much food you can fit, but we recommend referring to the user guide for recommended amounts.

Are air fryers healthy?

Air fryers are often considered healthy because they require the use of significantly less oil to cook than many other cooking methods. Oil helps food brown and adds flavor, so we often use a small amount on items that are fresh and not processed. Overall, they can be used to cook healthier recipes , especially if you choose to air fry whole foods, veggies, lean proteins and more.

We love using them to cook root veggies like potatoes and sweet potatoes, cruciferous veggies like broccoli and even Brussels sprouts, chicken, pork chops, salmon and more. They can even be used to make desserts like apple crisp.

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

Nicole Papantoniou is the director of the Good Housekeeping Kitchen Appliances Lab where she oversees all content and testing related to cooking tools, gadgets and appliances. She has been testing air fryers since before they made their way to the U.S. market. She's the lead air fryer tester at Good Housekeeping and has tested all sorts, including basket-style air fryers, oven style air fryers and air fryer toaster oven styles, as well as air fryers built into ovens, microwaves and more. She has developed recipes for them and uses them often at home.

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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10 Best Coffee Shops in St. Petersburg, FL 2023
Restaurants
Best Places in St. Petersburg

Jul 20, 2023

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Rated 5 stars 5 / 5 ( 10 Reviewers )
Spectacular
Your Rating
Best Places in St. Petersburg , Coffee
July 20, 2023
Haley Haman

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Written by Haley Haman

Over 5 years ago, I left my hometown in Illinois and made my way down to sunny Florida. I’m always bouncing around to the latest hot new restaurants and hidden gems in St. Pete. After years of experiencing the food scene and over 100 food reviews, I have become a go-to gal for restaurant and bar recommendations for friends and tourists alike.

I recently started my own business as a social media marketing manager and photographer at Sunny Social where my passions collide. I’m building an evolving company, a thriving portfolio of food photography and reviews with St. Petersburg Foodies, and a beautiful life!

Likes: Bottomless mimosas and trying new food (okay, that ones obvious!).

View all posts by: Haley Haman

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Solid grounds - The pick of St. Petersburg's coffee shops

Traditionally, it wasn't coffee but tea (and vodka, obviously) that kept Russia's social wheels greased and its great creative minds invigorated. Nowadays, however, you won't have to go far in St. Petersburg to find a great cup of coffee.

It took a while for the coffee revolution to reach St. Petersburg, with the first Starbucks arriving in the city less than a decade ago, and only a handful of specialty coffee shops plying their trade at the time.

In the past few years, however, coffee has really arrived in the city, with innovative baristas, enthusiastic bloggers, and ardent amateur aficionados all contributing to a rich local culture that offers plenty for the visitor to explore and discover. The result is a host of varied and vibrant local coffee bars, our favorites among which are listed below.

Selected coffee shops:

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13 Things To Do In Saint Petersburg | Russia’s Most Beautiful City

By Author Christian L.

Posted on Published: January 17, 2021 - Last updated: September 11, 2021

Categories Europe , Destinations , Russia

Once known as Leningrad and before that Petrograd, Saint Petersburg, Russia, is the country’s second-largest city. Set next to the Neva River, close to the Baltic Sea, this city is home to over 5 million people.

It’s the world’s northernmost city, founded by Peter the Great and named after Saint Peter the apostle. Once home to the Tsars of Russia, it is today known as the country’s cultural capital.

With iconic sights such as Hermitage Museum, Nevsky Prospect, Peterhof Palace, and so much more, it has a fascinating heritage ripe for exploration. Without further ado, let’s dive into the 13 best things to do in St. Petersburg.

Visit Saint Petersburg, Europe´s most beautiful city

Top Things to do in St. Petersburg, Russia

St. Petersburg, Europe, has grown into one of the top tourist destinations on the continent. Although it might get very cold in winter, there are still plenty of things to do – and the summers are absolutely perfect! Saint Petersburg is one of the prettiest cities in all of Europe .

Keep reading for some of my favorite choices.

1. Visit The World Famous Hermitage Museum

Saint Petersburg,St.Petersburg,russia,Hermitage Museum,russia

One of the city’s most popular attractions (with over 3 million items in its esteemed collection), State Hermitage Museum showcases everything from fine art to ancient artifacts.

Even if you don’t plan on entering inside, the exterior is an architectural gem in itself. The columns are all in white with green/gold facades that can be viewed from the river or Palace Square.

If you’re visiting St. Petersburg, Russia, your trip would not be complete without stopping past this world-famous landmark. It’s also a great activity to do no matter what time of year you are visiting – and a perfect way to escape those cold Russian winter days.

There are six buildings in the museum complex in total. Five of which – Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage, New Hermitage, and Hermitage Theatre – can be accessed by the public.

Within, you’ll be treated to Egyptian collections, artifacts dating from ancient Mesopotamia, and classical Greek jewelry, pottery, and sculptures. This is any historical culture lover’s dream.

Keep exploring, and you will find collections of prehistoric relics from the Palaeolithic era to the Iron Ages, European fine arts, Impressionist works, Catherine the Great’s personal collections, and so much more.

In fact, you’ll need an entire day or possibly longer to explore this incredible museum complex. If you only have limited time in St. Petersburg, be sure to add this museum to your itinerary! There are also guided tours available if you want a more educational experience.

Did you know? The Hermitage Museum is the world’s second-largest art museum.

2. Take in a Performance at Mariinsky Theatre

The Neoclassical Mariinsky Theatre is home to Russia’s revered opera and ballet companies.

The theatre – named after the wife of Tsar Alexandra II, Empress Maria Alexandrovna – has been here since 1860 when it was known as the Kirov Theatre.

This magnificent building, since it opened, has hosted stage performances and premieres from Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky and famous ballets such as Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker.

Today, in addition to hosting live performances, the theatre has its own record label, which focuses on releasing music by Russian composers Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, and Rachmaninov.

If you enjoy the arts and are going to be in St. Petersburg for several days, book tickets to see a world-class performance – you won’t be disappointed.

3. See Jewelled Eggs at the Faberge Museum

The House of Faberge was founded in St. Petersburg in 1842 by Gustav Faberge. Originally a jeweler, he became famous for designing jewel-encrusted eggs for the Tsars of Russia and is arguably the most famous goldsmith of the modern era.

Today, you can view these iconic collection pieces in the Faberge Museum. It showcases 4,000 items in total, including Faberge Easter eggs, jewelry, silverware, home decor, and fantasy-themed objects.

The incredible jeweled eggs are famous all over the world, and there are several museums dedicated to them. But if you want to learn about Gustav Faberge, his family, and how it all began, this is the museum to visit. You can purchase a ticket in person or online.

4. Spend an Hour Canal Cruising

St. Petersburg is built on 42 islands, and once upon a time (before bridges were constructed), cruising was the only way to navigate the city.

On a Golden Ring boat tour, you’ll see some of St. Petersburg’s iconic sights along the Kryukov Canal, including St. Nicholas Cathedral, Saint Isaac’s Cathedral, and the Mariinsky theatre.

Saint Isaac's Cathedral in central Saint Petersburg.

You’ll dip beneath the famous colored bridges on Neva River whilst enjoying views of Peter and Paul Fortress, Vasilyevsky Island, and the Summer Garden. This is truly one of the most breathtaking ways to take in all the beauty that St. Petersburg has to offer.

This tour also only takes around an hour, so you’ll have plenty of time to revisit your favorite spots throughout the day!

5. Discover Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

One of St. Petersburg’s architectural masterpieces is the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood.

This former Russian Orthodox Church was completed in 1907 and is built in Baroque, Neoclassical, and Russian Revival design. It is one of the city’s main attractions, with ornate domes, intricate frescoes, and 7,500 square meters of mosaics inside.

If you don’t wish to enter, you can gain incredible views from Griboedov Canal. But if you do venture inside, you’ll be rewarded with interior frescoes and mosaic works depicting biblical scenes and figures created by celebrated Russian artists of the time.

The Church of the Saviour of Blood is built on the spot where Emperor Alexander 2 was assassinated in 1881 – hence the name. So, not only will you be able to appreciate the fine architectural designs, but also explore an important part of Russian history.

6. Take a Rooftop Walk-in St. Petersburg

If you have viewed the city from canals and rivers, try it from the rooftops! You can take a guided rooftop walk in the city, seeing streets and skylines from an elevated perspective.

One particular tour to highlight is the Official Rooftops Excursion of St. Petersburg. Just a few minutes from Nevsky Prospect, these sites offer vistas of Fontanka River and Trinity Cathedral – and that’s just the first roof.

The second roof boasts views of St. Petersburg’s old center, St. Isaac’s Cathedral, Kazan Cathedral, and the Church on Spilled Blood.

This is a truly incredible way to see the city in all its glory, plus the tour provides you with binoculars so you can see everything in great detail.

7. Admire Nevsky Prospect’s Magnificent Architecture

The main street of St. Petersburg is Nevsky Prospect. Begin at the intersection at Stroganov Palace before venturing to Kazan Cathedral. While you walk, take in the monuments dedicated to Catherine the Great and browse goods at The Passage – Nevsky Avenue’s premier department store.

This store was quite the trailblazer. It opened its doors in the late 1840s and was one of the first buildings in Russia to use gas for lighting. Then, in 1900, an electric station was installed on an underground floor.

Once you’ve finished shopping and enjoyed a fresh cup of coffee, continue to the Russian National Library – the oldest public library in Russia – and Alexandrinsky Theatre (which was built for the Imperial troupe of Petersburg).

8. Visit the Island of Peter and Paul Fortress

Peter and Paul Fortress saint petersburg

Set on an island connected by bridges, Peter and Paul Fortress is instantly recognizable from its needle spire, which dominates the skyline. The fortress was originally built to defend the maritime city from Swedish invaders.

However, Peter the Great defeated the opposition before it was even completed! It has since served as a military center and prison for political dissenters and, latterly, as a museum.

Inside the vast complex, you can see Peter and Paul Cathedral, visit the resting place of the Romanovs, and watch military processions or the firing of the noon-day gun.

It’s a great day trip for anyone interested in Russian, maritime or military history. There are also plenty of group walking tours available.

9. Sample Russian Vodka in a Ryumochnye

A visit to Russia wouldn’t be complete without sampling the local drink – vodka, and the best place to do this is in a Ryumochnye. This is a specific style of 19th-century Russian drinking house that not only offers some of Russia’s best vodka but also a short history lesson.

You could call it a bar, but it’s more than that – most mainstream Ryumochnye have a definite Soviet vibe and are places for working men to kick back and enjoy vodka with their buddies.

Beverages come in bottles or shot form, and some places offer self-service and snacks.

If that sounds too hardcore for your taste, there are updated versions of Ryumochnye in the city, like Mayak in St. Petersburg, where you can gain a similar experience.

10. Enjoy local Saint Petersburg Craft Beer

Although most people think of vodka when visiting Russia, you can also enjoy some of the best craft beer in Saint Petersburg . Russia’s second-largest city has an exciting, rapidly growing craft beer scene, in part due to its history and geography.

Historically, the Russian empire was influenced by Northern Europe, and the Dutch & English beer-drinking culture eventually made its way here. Today, Saint Petersburg is home to a growing number of modern microbreweries, cool taprooms, and stylish bars.

Saint Petersburg is also home to Stepan Razin Brewery, the oldest brewery in Russia (now, of course, owned by Heiniken). It opened in 1795, but today the building is known as the Saint Petersburg Beer Museum, showcasing the history of beer in Russia and the Soviet Union.

Russia’s largest and most popular brewery, Baltika, is also located in Saint Petersburg, and it’s possible to take a tour of their huge brewery.

11. See the Majestic Catherine Palace

A stately palace of blue and gold, Catherine’s Palace is located 26 kilometers south of St. Petersburg. Named after the wife of Peter the Great, this place was originally a two-story modest building commissioned in 1717.

The exterior, which stretches for one kilometer in circumference, is surrounded by woodlands, lawns, gilded balconies, and reliefs. However, the interiors are even more impressive.

With great halls, a white dining room, an amber room, and more. It’s the perfect place to step back into history and discover what life was like as a Russian aristocracy.

12. Explore Peterhof Palace

If you’re going to visit Catherine Palace, you should tour Peterhof too. It’s a 40-minute drive away, but you can even take a hydrofoil speed boat from right behind the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg center.

Sitting close to the Baltic Sea, Peterhof Palace was constructed by Peter the Great to be Russia’s version of Versailles. The opulent residence surrounded by sculptures, fountains, and tiered staircases leading to the grand entrance evokes mystery and the history of a bygone era.

Inside it is lavishly decorated with dazzling chandeliers, one-of-a-kind artworks and beautiful ceiling frescoes.

On a guided tour, you can learn more about the palace’s history. Discover the Throne Room, Portrait Hall and Peter the Great’s Oak Study. You’ll see dining rooms set for dinner, grand ballrooms where dancing and gatherings would take place, and décor which defies time.

The palace offers great insight into his life and legacy, and if you are interested in history, art and interior design, you’ll love it.

Want to know more about Peterhof?

13. Spend a Day by the Finnish Border at Vyborg

Just over an hour from central Saint Petersburg by train is the city of Vyborg. It sits on the Gulf of Finland and was first settled back in the 12th century. The city has been occupied by Finnish and German forces and suffered extensive damage during the Second World War. However, it has since been rebuilt.

It’s a charming center to wander around, with narrow cobbled streets, a medieval castle, and Finnish art nouveau structures sprinkled throughout. An easy day trip from St. Petersburg, it can also serve as a stop-off point if you’re crossing into Finland to continue your adventure.

Want to know more about Saint Petersburg?

Where is St. Petersburg | Is St. Petersburg in Europe?

If you want to know “Where is Saint Petersburg?”, you’ve come to the right place. Beautiful St. Petersburg is located in northern Russia. Russia is a massive country, so it is no surprise that many people want to know “Is Saint Petersburg in Europe?”. The answer is yes.

How to Get to Saint Petersburg

The maritime city is well linked to Europe by air, sea, rail and road. Depending on where you’re traveling from and the rest of your itinerary, you can use one of the following ways to arrive at St. Petersburg.

You can fly into Saint Petersburg through Pulkovo International Airport. There are around 1,100 international flights a week and 1,200 domestic flights operating in and out of the local airport.

Although many flights from European cities to Saint Petersburg are direct, you may have to change flights if flying from further afield.

It’s also possible to travel to St. Petersburg by train. The most popular (and most frequent) routes operate from Moscow, Helsinki, and Tallinn. However, there are options to travel from other areas in central Europe, central Asia, and eastern Europe by rail.

There is a central bus station in Saint Petersburg, with services to and from Moscow, Pskov, Novgorod, Vilnius, Riga , Tallinn and Helsinki. Some of these journeys can be long and arduous.

Therefore, thorough research and choosing the right bus company is important.

Baltic Sea Cruises also operate to St. Petersburg as part of a larger itinerary, and St. Peter Line Ferry sails from Helsinki in Finland and Tallinn in Estonia.

Exploring Saint Petersburg, Russia

Saint Petersburg is the 5th most populous city in Europe and also a leading tourist destination. Although people sometimes forget about Russia, this city is breathtakingly beautiful and provides plenty of cultural and historical attractions.

Now that you know where to go, I hope you have an amazing time in Russia’s most beautiful city.

Friday 19th of January 2018

Thank you! So great review about our St. Petersburg!

What to do in St. Petersburg in 1 day - Probe around the Globe

Thursday 11th of May 2017

[…] more about the beauty of St. Petersburg from the Unusual […]

Friday 17th of June 2016

Which hostel did you stay at? I am potentially thinking of going to Russia for World Cup 2018 after my World Cup trip to Brazil two years ago. Saint Petersburg is one of the host cities, and so I am very interested in learning more about this city and recommendations from fellow travellers who have been.

Christian L.

I stayed at Soul Kitchen Junior, and I will go so far and say its by far the best hostel I have ever stayed at!! Anywhere in the world, no other hostels even get close to it:)

The 50 best coffee shops and best cafes in St. Petersburg

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St. Petersburg throughout the year

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Get inspired for your trip to St. Petersburg with our curated itineraries that are jam-packed with popular attractions everyday! Check them out here:

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3. See Jewelled Eggs at the Faberge Museum. The House of Faberge was founded in St. Petersburg in 1842 by Gustav Faberge. Originally a jeweler, he became famous for designing jewel-encrusted eggs for the Tsars of Russia and is arguably the most famous goldsmith of the modern era.
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Best travel coffee mugs in 2024 — tested and rated

Best budget and durable

1. MiiR Flip Traveler

2. Stanley Classic Trigger Action Travel Mug

3. Hydro Flask Coffee with Flex Sip Lid

4. THERMOS Stainless King Vacuum-Insulated Travel Mug

5. Yeti Rambler

6. Ember Temperature Control Travel Mug

7. Teabloom

8. bioGo 16 oz Reusable Coffee Cups

9. Contigo West Loop Stainless Steel Vacuum-Insulated Travel Mug

10. Ello Campy Vacuum Insulated Travel Mug

11. Ello Jane Ceramic Travel Mug

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What we looked for

Other travel coffee mugs we tested

The takeaway

More of the best gear we've ever tried

The Best Travel Mug

Everything we recommend

Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug

Buying Options

Stanley Classic Trigger-Action Travel Mug (16 ounces)

OXO Good Grips Water Bottle Cleaning Set

The research

How the Zojirushi mug has held up

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Meet your guides

Further reading

This Inexpensive Water Bottle Is Meant for Cyclists, But It’s Great for Travelers, Too

Our Favorite Mugs

How to Clean a Travel Mug or Water Bottle

We’ve Recommended This Travel Mug for a Decade. It’s Still Going Strong.

The Best Travel Mugs to Keep Drinks Hot or Cold

Best Overall Hydro Flask Coffee Mug With Flex Sip Lid (16 Ounce) Read more

A Good Wide-Mouth Bottle Klean Kanteen TKWide Insulated Mug (16 Ounce) Read more

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

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

A Note on Lead Soldering

Best Overall

A Good Wide-Mouth Bottle

A Great Mug

Camp Classic

For Coffee Purists

A Classy Paper Cup Replacement

Honorable Mentions

Avoid These Travel Mugs

WIRED COUPONS

The Best Travel Mugs for Hot or Cold Sips on the Go

How We Tested Travel Mugs

Types of Travel Mugs