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She's also written for Outside and Gear Patrol. TripSavvy's editorial guidelines Updated on 01/03/23 Share Pin Email We independently research, test, review, and recommend the best products—learn more about our process. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission. Amazon A reliable travel mug is as essential to a go-go-go life as, well, the coffee that fuels you through it. Whether you commute to work regularly, travel on the weekends, or just like to take your morning brew on your morning dog walk, finding a great travel mug is a valuable companion. But the best travel mug is surprisingly nuanced—you want one that's easy to drink out of, convenient to hold, spill-proof or leakproof, and keeps your hot or iced drinks at your preferred temperature. Well, we've found it. Our group of testers ran dozens of leading travel mugs through rigorous tests to narrow in on which you could rely on. The Hydro Flask Stainless Steel Coffee Travel Mug came out on top, thanks to its unique twist cap that's easy to sip out of when open and leakproof when closed, and its ability to keep drinks cold or hot for hours on end. If you're looking for a different kind of travel mug, fret not. Here are the nine best travel mugs our testing found are worth your money, The Rundown Best Overall: Hydro Flask Stainless Steel Coffee Travel Mug at Amazon Jump to Review Best Budget: Ello Campy Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Travel Mug at Amazon Jump to Review Most Durable: Yeti Rambler 20-Oz. Travel Mug at Amazon Jump to Review Best Insulated: Kinto Double-Walled Insulated Travel Tumbler at Food52 Jump to Review Best for Packing: Contigo West Loop Vacuum Insulated Travel Mug at Amazon Jump to Review Most Compact: Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug at Amazon Jump to Review Best Leakproof: S'well Traveler Mug at Amazon Jump to Review Best for Work: Kinto Travel Tumbler at Amazon Jump to Review Best Value: Simple Modern Insulated Thermos Travel Coffee Mug with Snap Flip Lid at Amazon Jump to Review Table of contents Expand Our Picks How We Tested What To Look For FAQ Why Trust TripSavvy Best Overall Hydro Flask Stainless Steel Coffee Travel Mug 5 Amazon View On Amazon View On Dick's View On Basspro.com What We Like Comfortable to hold Textured handle for grip Leakproof and dishwasher safe Stays hot and cold What We Don't Like The lid can be tricky to put back together after washing We put all coffee mugs on this list, and Hydro Flask’s Stainless Steel Coffee Travel Mug passed each one with flying colors, proving to be everything one would want in a travel mug. The mug holds 12, 16, or 20 ounces of liquid but, no matter the size, is comfortable to hold and still fits in a cup holder. The carrying strap has a slightly textured grip to maintain contact if your hands are otherwise full. The lid is also incredibly well-designed and easy to twist open or close, even wearing gloves. When closed, you’ll see red under the mouthpiece, which is excellent verification that it’s completely sealed—and this design proved to be entirely leakproof, according to our testing. Unscrew the cap, and the stainless steel mug has a wide mouth, which lets you easily get ice into the mug or fish a teabag out. In our tests, this bottle kept ice water cold for 36 hours and boiling water piping hot for four hours (still warm at 120 degrees F after 12 hours). Also, at both extremes, the bottle still felt comfortable to touch. This mug is relatively easy to clean thanks to its wide mouth. The lid comes apart into three sections, all of which are dishwasher-friendly. However, the lid can be tricky to put back together if you don’t remember the correct order. Price at time of publication: $35 Dimensions: 2.9 x 10.75 inches | Weight: 13.12 ounces | Capacity: 20 ounces | Materials: Steel | Dishwasher Safe: Yes TripSavvy / Derek Rose Best Budget Ello Campy Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Travel Mug 4.8 Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Elloproducts.com What We Like Retains hot and cold temperature Comfortable cork handle It fits in a cup holder Leakproof What We Don't Like Heavy For under $20, this mug is an unbelievable value. For starters, it’s a great size at 18 ounces. We love that this mug has a traditional coffee cup handle, making it easy to hold (and comfortable, with a cork lining), but also, the handle is positioned toward the top, so the mug still fits in a cup holder. The lid slides closed, and our tests proved it reliably leakproof. In our heat and cold retention test, we found that this mug successfully kept water cold for 11 hours and hot for 4.5 hours, all while the outside of the mug stayed at room temperature. The mug comes in eight colors and has a lovely matte finish. Our tester also found the Ello Campy Mug to be dishwasher safe, easy to clean, and an excellent value for such a low price. Price at time of publication: $19 Dimensions: 4.4 x 6.9 inches | Weight: 17.6 ounces | Capacity: 18 ounces | Materials: Stainless Steel | Dishwasher Safe: Yes TripSavvy / Fran Sales Most Durable Yeti Rambler 20-Oz. Travel Mug 4.5 YETI View On Amazon View On Dick's View On Acmetools.com What We Like Large capacity The lid won't accidentally slide open Rugged aesthetic What We Don't Like Expensive Heavy Not entirely leakproof Like everything Yeti makes, its Rambler Travel Mug will withstand pretty much whatever you can dream of putting it through. Crafted from kitchen-grade stainless steel, which is puncture and rust-resistant, you shouldn't have issues if you leave your mug on your truck's tailgate a lot during sporting games or camping. It has a massive capacity (20 ounces) but a great hand-hold cupped around the bottom of the mug or with fingers looped through the handle. The design helps this mug still fit in some cup holders. We love Yeti's signature Stronghold Lid, which twists on and then utilizes a dual-slider magnet that you must press down before opening. Our tester found this feature made it much more secure and not prone to opening by accident. The twist-on design and magnetic slide create a leak-resistant seal, which our testing confirmed was pretty reliable but not totally leakproof when the mug was entirely upside down. It's also worth noting that during testing, we found it took a bit of effort to twist it off to clean or fill it. Most of all, the Yeti Rambler Travel Mug kept water super cold for 8 hours and then hot for 11 hours. The main downside to this mug is the high price and the fact that the mug isn't entirely leakproof. But this is an excellent choice if you're just looking for a commuter coffee mug that'll withstand the test of time, this is a great choice. Price at time of publication: $38 Dimensions: 4.8 x 7.4 inches | Weight: 19.2 ounces | Capacity: 20 ounces | Materials: Stainless Steel | Dishwasher Safe: Yes TripSavvy / Tamara Staples Best Insulated Kinto Double-Walled Insulated Travel Tumbler 4.5 Kinto View On Food52 What We Like Stays cold for 57+ hours and hot for 5.5 hours Beautiful design Seven colorways What We Don't Like Hand wash only Have to unscrew the lid to drink Expensive At first glance, one of this water bottle's biggest sells is its beautiful aesthetic. The modern design comes in seven eye-catching colorways, a slightly textured surface, and the perfect size to cup your hand around. Bonus: The top handle makes it convenient to carry. It's also very well designed, with two layers to unscrew for max seal, which our testing confirmed keeps it from leaking. Between this and the slender shape, this mug is also great for sliding into a bag while running errands or traveling. But this beautiful design also performs: The Kinto Insulated Travel Tumbler had the best cold and heat retention of any bottle we tested. It still had ice after 16 hours and kept water chilled in the low 50s for at least 57 hours. Meanwhile, it maintained hot water for 5 hours and 30 minutes. All the while, our tester found the bottle still felt room temperature on the outside. While our tester did find it mildly inconvenient to unscrew the cap completely every time they wanted to drink, the wide-mouth circular design makes this mug easy to drink from any angle. This mug is expensive at nearly $40, but its performance in our tests makes it a good value for someone who wants a more aesthetic, functional mug. Price at time of publication: $38 Dimensions: Not listed | Weight: Not listed | Capacity: 17 ounces | Materials: Stainless steel with powder coating, polypropylene, and silicone | Dishwasher Safe: No TripSavvy / Taysha Murtaugh Best for Packing Contigo Autoseal West Loop Vacuum Insulated Travel Mug 4.5 Amazon View On Amazon View On Wayfair What We Like Large capacity in a slender design Leakproof Retains heat It fits in a cup holder What We Don't Like The mug body is handwash only Not ideal for cold beverages This classic-looking travel mug features a sleek and slender design that's easy to store or slide into a bag yet still holds a whopping 20 ounces of liquid. The lid twists off and on for easy refilling and utilizes a patented Autoseal technology designed to prevent spills. You just press the button on the front to open the small spout on top, then sip and reseal. And our testing found that this mug, indeed, doesn't leak even when turned entirely upside down. This is a great travel mug for people who take their hot beverages on the go. It fits in cup holders and is effortless to use with one hand if you're driving or holding something in the other. However, this mug isn't ideal for drinking water or anything iced. Our testing found it was excellent at retaining cold temperatures, keeping water cold for over 24 hours. But the bottle's stainless steel construction makes the outside pretty cold to the touch for the first few hours of ice water, our tester reported. Plus, the small spout makes it difficult to gulp fast like you might want for water. That said, it did keep hot drinks insulated for 2.5 hours, and the outside stayed at room temperature. Because the lid is all one piece and dishwasher safe, it's straightforward to clean and doesn't come with any frustrations of putting pieces back together. Note: The body of the mug is not dishwasher safe, so that needs to be hand-washed. Price at time of publication: $30 Dimensions: 3.66 x 8.97 inches | Weight: 5.92 ounces | Capacity: 20 ounces | Materials: Stainless Steel | Dishwasher Safe: No TripSavvy / Tamara Staples Most Compact Zojirushi 12-Oz. Stainless Steel Mug 4.3 Amazon View On Amazon What We Like Compact Lightweight Leakproof Locking feature on the cap What We Don't Like Handwash only The Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug has a slim and lightweight design (it weighs less than 9 ounces), making it comfortable to hold and travel with. Made from stainless steel, our tester reported it also has a nice grippy texture on the outside to keep it from slipping from their hands. It also features a cap with two layers of protection, ideal for traveling: It pops open with the press of a button, and when you close it, you can slide a tab over to lock it. Our tester really liked this double layer of sealing—the lock was easy to toggle with one hand and kept the bottle from leaking any liquid when turned upside down during testing, and the lock design meant they wouldn’t accidentally pop the cap open in transit. The Zojirushi Travel Mug did a great job maintaining water temperature, keeping drinks cold for nearly two days and hot for at least 5 hours, after which they reported it was still steaming. Price at time of publication: $29 Dimensions: 2.75 x 9.13 inches | Weight: 8.9 ounces | Capacity: 16 ounces | Materials: Stainless Steel | Dishwasher Safe: No Best Leakproof S'well Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Traveler Mug 4.3 Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Nordstrom What We Liike Ergonomic design Incredibly reliable seal Great temperature retention What We Don't Like Handwash only This stainless steel S'well travel mug is unique, with a pear shape that makes for a comfortable handhold right at the neck and narrowness that still fits in a cup holder. The low-profile lid screws on smoothly and passed our spill tests, as there were no leaks when placing the mug horizontally or upside down. While it's a little annoying to have to completely unscrew it just to take a sip, our tester found it was easy to take on and off, and moreover, the seal on this was so reliable that they very well could've thrown it across the room and it wouldn't have leaked. (We don't recommend that.) It features triple-layered, vacuum-insulated construction, which is probably why our testing found this bottle still had ice in the water after 30 hours, remained at a burning 160 degrees F after 4.5 hours, and was still warm after 12 hours. This mug has to be hand-washed, but its wide mouth makes it easy to get inside with a sponge. We also love the versatility of this travel mug—since it opens like a container and retains temperature so well, you could also use it for smoothies or yogurt parfaits. Price at time of publication: $35 Dimensions: 3.3 x 8.2 inches | Weight: 12.7 ounces | Capacity: 16 fluid ounces | Materials: Stainless Steel | Dishwasher Safe: No TripSavvy / Janelle Jones Best for Work Kinto Travel Tumbler Amazon View On Amazon View On Food52 View On Kinto-usa.com What We Like Muted colorways Sleek design Leakproof Retains temperature It fits in a cup holder or bike water bottle holder What We Don't Like Handwash only Multiple parts to clean No handle This sleekly-designed travel mug looks nice with its neutral colorways and matte finish. It has a dual cap system, one wider for easy filling and cleaning and then a more narrow cap that you can unscrew for easy drinking. Our testing found that this bottle didn’t leak while lying on its side, upside down, or tossed into a work bag. It also retained its temperature exceptionally well, taking 57 hours for cold water to warm and 5.5 hours to come down from a full boil. We love that this mug will not only fit in a cup holder but also in a bike’s water bottle holder if you bike commute to work. The one downside of this mug is that it’s handwash only and has three parts to wash, plus two gaskets in the cap, which are essential to keeping it leakproof, so you definitely don’t want to lose those in cleaning. Price at time of publication: $46 Dimensions: 2.8 x 6.7 inches | Weight: Not listed | Capacity: 12 fluid ounces | Materials: Polypropylene, Stainless Steel, Silicone | Dishwasher Safe: Yes Best Value Simple Modern Insulated Thermos Travel Coffee Mug with Snap Flip Lid Amazon View On Amazon What We Like Affordable Leakproof Insulates well Easy to open What We Don't Like Handwash only This affordable mug is compact enough to fit in a cup holder and rocks a flip-top lid that can be deployed and enclosed with just one hand—ideal while driving. Considering it’s so budget-friendly at $19, we were pleased to find during our testing that it insulates very well, keeping liquids cold for 48 hours and hot for 5 hours, and it doesn’t leak when flipped upside down. The downside is it’s not dishwasher safe, but our tester reported it’s pretty easy to clean since there are only two parts. It comes in a ton of colorways with expressive and understated designs. Price at time of publication: $19 Dimensions: 2.7 x 7.1 inches | Weight: 7.3 ounces | Capacity: 16 fluid ounces | Materials: Stainless Steel | Dishwasher Safe: No TripSavvy / Taysha Murtaugh How We Tested To determine which products are actually the best travel mugs, our group of editors and content team members put 26 different cups through a series of tests. Those tests included: laying a full mug on its side with the lid closed to check for leaks, filling the mug with ice water and using a thermometer to check the temperature every 30 minutes, filling the mug with hot water and using a thermometer to check the temperature every 30 minutes, leaving coffee inside overnight to see if it stains, and washing each mug according to the manufacturer's instructions to determine how easy or difficult it is to clean. Our testers specifically looked for the following: How much liquid can the travel mug hold? How comfortable is the mug to hold with or without the handle? Does the mug fit into a standard cup holder? Is the lid functional and easy to use? Even with winter gloves on? Does it seal completely? Are there any special features that make the mug better or worse? What to Look for in the Best Travel Mugs Cup Holder Compatibility Travel mugs should be able to go with you everywhere, and for most people, you’ll use that mug for coffee or tea on a drive. It can be a pain if your mug is too big or has a poorly-positioned handle that prevents it from fitting in a standard cup holder. The standard cup holder is 3 inches in diameter, so look for a mug with a bottom of 3 inches or less. Handle Whether you want a travel mug with a handle or without is a personal preference. The benefits of a handle are that it can be easier to hold on the go for some, and it's helpful if the mug's walls get hot. Within the handles category, you can choose from a traditional side handle, which is excellent for secure sipping, or an over-the-top handle, which is comfortable to carry while walking around. However, some handles can obstruct a mug's ability to fit in a cup holder or just be plain bulky to store once empty. Materials Stainless steel or aluminum are the best material for travel mugs since they both insulate well, retain hot and cold temperatures, and are easy to clean. Ideally, you want a travel mug with some kind of heat-repelling outer material (e.g., silicone) so the mug doesn’t feel hot in your hands. Glass will retain heat decently but feel hot to the touch and can break easily while you’re traveling, so they’re a bit risky. Reusable plastic is an affordable and lightweight option for material, but it can absorb odors and flavors like coffee. Other features Look for a travel mug with a wide mouth, so it’s easy to fill and reach inside to clean. Also, consider what kind of lid works best for you. Some mugs have lids you must screw off entirely to drink from, which some people may like, while others will find this step annoying. If you’re using the mug primarily in the car or while moving, you may prefer one where the cap flips open or a button opens an otherwise secure mouthpiece to sip from. The downside of this design is it’s difficult to tell if your drink is cool enough yet and, therefore, easy to burn your tongue. Lastly, you ideally want a completely leakproof travel mug. If you’re just looking for a mug to sip your coffee from in the car, leak-resistant is generally fine. But if you’ll be moving with the travel mug at all—walking around the city, running errands in stores—or want to close it tight to sip from later, you want to make sure the mug is fully leakproof. Frequently Asked Questions What makes a mug a travel mug? A travel mug should be convenient to use on the go. That means it’s comfortable to hold in your hand, has a lid to at least prevent liquid from spilling out but, more ideally, a leakproof lid, and can retain a hot or cold temperature for an appropriate amount of time. Ideally, travel mugs also fit into a cup holder and are easy to store in a bag, depending on if you’re traveling or commuting with it. What makes travel mugs stay hot for so long? Insulation. Travel mugs are designed with multiple layers of insulation which helps prevent the outside air from changing the temperature of the liquid inside. How do you clean a travel mug? Some travel mugs are dishwasher safe, but many are handwash only. For the latter, wash with soap and warm water. Why Trust TripSavvy Rachael Schultz has been a health, wellness, and outdoor adventure writer for nearly a decade and a gear editor for five years. She has extensive knowledge of differentiating a high-quality, reliable product that supports the buyer’s needs and is also worth your money. Additionally, she’s spent a lot of time traveling, from flying internationally to living on the road for months at a time. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Share Pin Email Tell us why! 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