Regardless of where you wake up, coffee or tea are great ways to ensure you’re ready to take on the day. Sometimes, jetlag gets to you, or you spend too much time on the town the night before; regardless, you don’t want to waste your time traveling.
To drink a warm beverage, you need something to put it in. This list will cover every kind of travel mug imaginable, from models you can take to the backcountry to those that will warm your hands while exploring a new city on mid-winter break. If neither of those is your style, we’ve planned multiple stops in between! Hopefully, at the end of the journey, you’ll be ready to purchase the best travel mug for you.
- Hydro Flask 12 oz Coffee with Flex Sip Lid
- YETI Rambler 12 oz Bottle with HotShot Cap
- Purist Collective Maker 10 oz Mug
- Sea to Summit Passage Insulated Mug
- GSI Outdoors Infinity Backpacker Mug
- Stanley Classic Travel Mug French Press 16 oz
- Zojirushi Stainless Mug (SM-KHE48)
- YETI Rambler 25 oz Straw Mug
- Chilly's Series 2 Coffee Cup
- Snow Peak Kanpai Bottle 350ml
- BruMate Toddy 22oz
Best for: Relaxed Travelers
Why We Like It: The handle makes it easy to take just about anywhere
What You Should Know: The lid doesn’t vent very well
If you are looking for a travel mug that can do it all and then some, look no further than the 12 oz Coffee Mug from Hydro Flask with the Flex Sip Lid. The insulation is stellar, so your drink will stay hot (or cold) all day long. Due to the size of the mug, it isn’t heavy either, so it won’t weigh you down. Plus, the Flex Sip Lid creates a complete seal, so you don’t have to worry about it leaking if your journey takes a walk down the wild side.
We dig the handle on this thing—you can carry the mug with it, attach it to a carabiner, or stow it on a hook in a public bathroom, so you don’t have to set it on the grimy floor.
If you like a giant coffee in the morning, the downfall of this model is that it only holds 12 ounces of liquid. However, if you’re a one-cup kind of person, this might be the best travel
Why We Like It: Keeps your drink hot or cold all day long
What You Should Know: Not enough capacity to hold a day’s worth of drink
When it comes to drinking coffee, we’re all different. Some folks like to guzzle a cup down as soon as they wake up and are set; however, some enjoy sipping all morning long. If you fall into the latter, the YETI Rambler Vacuum Bottle might be your best travel mug.
As far as perks go, the YETI will keep your drink hot or cold all day long, no matter where the road takes you. In addition to stellar temperature control, this mug is durable and looks sleek on the trail or in the office.
When you return from your trip, toss it in the dishwasher and use it again the next day!
Best for: Professional Travelers
Why We Like It: Is lined with glass on the interior to ensure no metallic taste
What You Should Know: At just 10 ounces, it’s smaller than a reguar cup of coffee
If you want your travel mug to look as fancy as the espresso you drink every morning, the Purist Maker Mug might be just what you’re looking for. The exterior is sleek, fits into the palm of your hand, and won’t call extra attention to your caffeine addiction.
However, the most unique design choice is on the interior. This travel mug is crafted from stainless steel, but there’s a thin layer of glass on the interior to ensure the metal doesn’t taint the taste. After all, your coffee should taste just as you want, whether commuting to work or exploring an early morning meat market.
The Scope Top makes sipping easy—unscrew it slightly, take a drink, and tighten it up again. It’s just 10 ounces, which might not work for heavy coffee drinkers.
If you’re getting into coffee and other hot beverages, chances are you’re starting to remember your barista’s name (and so are they with yours). Still, a beefy travel mug might be too much of a commitment at the moment, you think to yourself. Fortunately, the humble and budget Sea to Summit Passage Insulated Mug is an interesting interim pick. Think of it as a step up from those single-use paper cups coffee shops use. Yes, the plasticky build isn’t exactly “aesthetic” or “artisan,” but it is food-safe and robust enough to survive your dishwasher and microwave—we won’t judge if you reheat coffee in the microwave, by the way.
With a capacity of 16 ounces but weighing only 4.1 oz (26.35 grams), its simple design is at least “efficient” in terms of how much beverage it can hold. Insulation isn’t perfect, as heat still permeates through the ribbed plastic. That said, that’s not totally undesirable since it’s only hot enough to gently warm the hands during cold days. There’s also a lid included, though note that the spout doesn’t have a cover, so your coffee can still spill out. It doesn’t screw on, either; simply push it down and it’ll create a liquid-tight seal to prevent your coffee from leaking out of the sides.
Why We Like It- Simple, reusable coffee cup you can hand over to the barista instead of single-use ones
- Doesn’t completely seal even with the lid
Why We Like It: Has an easy to use handle that folds away when not in use
What You Should Know: Not the sleekest design we’ve seen
If you enjoy a rugged adventure now and then, the GSI Outdoors Infinity Backpacker Mug will get your coffee where you need it to go. It comes in at 3.5 ounces and has a spill-resistant topper with a sealable spout.
There’s a cloth insulation sleeve that looks and feels a bit like a drink koozie with an added handle that makes holding onto the mug easy. Or, while in the car, fold the handle down, so it fits into your cupholder. Once you finish your drink, leave the spout open and attach the mug to the exterior of your travel backpack or daypack with a carabiner to dry.
The GSI Outdoors Infinity Backpacker Mug isn’t the most stylish model we’ve come across; however, its ruggedness and modularity give it a leg up in the race for the best travel mug for outdoor adventurers.
The Stanley Classic Travel Mug French Press 16 oz isn’t for those who simply want to pour instant coffee into a travel mug and be on their merry way. No, this is for those who are already into brewing but would like to bottle that experience to get that fix while they’re, say, on a camping trip. Like most Stanley products, this has that heritage built-to-last vibe, which we can attest to. We’ve been using one for a few years now, and it still brews just as well as we first got it. We’re particularly fond of the screw cap that’s satisfying to unscrew and is also tethered to the bottle so you don’t lose track of it.
The only catch is, while this is still technically a travel mug you can drink from, the whole French press design makes the process feel cumbersome. It’s very weighty for a bottle that only holds 16 ounces of fluid, plus you’ll need to prep coffee grounds for it—convenient for coffee brewers, not so much for casual drinkers.
Why We Like It- It’s lasted us years, making it a tough and reliable choice for those who want to brew coffee away from home.
- Still a hassle to clean up coffee grounds after you’re done brewing (not necessarily the mug’s fault, though).
Best for: Full-time Travelers
Why We Like It: Slim profile works for those with smaller hands
What You Should Know: Not dishwasher safe
Many popular mugs are hard to hold if you have smaller hands—especially once you reach the 16-ounce threshold. Folks with small manus might have to choose between the best travel mug and one that fits in their hand, which is a bummer.
Enter the Zojirushi Stainless Mug. This offering is taller than you might expect a 16-ounce mug to be, but it’s thinner around the base, so those with small hands can grab it quickly. That isn’t the only reason we like it, however.
The Zojirushi looks sleek and has a locking lid and gasket to prevent leaks. A plastic mouthpiece helps with pouring, too, although it does tend to dribble a little.
Whether you’re looking for something that fits in your hand or a travel mug with a locking lid, the Zojirushi is an excellent shout.
Those who drink using straws, it’s time we faced an unfortunate reality: Straws make it so easy to drink that we sip it all before the ice has a chance to dilute it, potentially giving us even more to drink. Fortunately, the YETI Rambler 25 oz Straw Mug has surprisingly good insulation that a few ice cubes are usually enough to keep our iced coffee cold. Oh, and it comes with the all-important straw, too, of course. Its tapered shape is also cupholder-friendly while enabling a fairly high-capacity design.
The downside? The cupholder-friendly design also means that the handle is quite small, especially for those with large hands. The small-handed among the Pack Hacker crew could fit four fingers, while the large-handed could only fit three. It’s also worth noting that you can’t use the straw for hot drinks. You’ll have to add on YETI’s MagSlider Lid for that.
Why We Like It- Built-in straw makes drinking cold beverages a whole lot easier
- Straw not designed for hot drinks, unfortunately
Why We Like It: An extraordinarily leak and odor proof design
What You Should Know: Not dishwasher safe
For those who want to take the taste of their favorite coffee with them everywhere—but not the smell or leaks—the Chilly's Series 2 Coffee Cup is a worthy option. It keeps both at bay with a unique locking design.
While ordering, you can pay a little extra to have something engraved into the bottle, so you know which travel mug belongs to you or to give it as a gift to a friend or family member. Or, show off your personality with one of the infinite color or design combinations.
The mug isn’t dishwasher safe, so you must hand wash it. It’s a small price to pay for a travel mug as unique as this one; odds are, your hotel in Paris won’t have a dishwasher anyway!
Why We Like It: Comes with three caps for different use cases
What You Should Know: The insulation works so well it can keep your coffee at a dangerous temperature for a long time
If you like to drink different things in different ways from your travel mug, the Snow Peak Kanpai Bottle is the right option for you. There are three lids, so you can choose the one that best matches the drink you’re sipping or meets the vibe of the day you’re having.
Plus, this bottle utilizes double-wall technology to keep your drink hot or cold and isn’t heavy to weigh you down. The three lids can be a lot to keep track of, and the insulation works so well that your coffee might be hotter than expected. However, when used properly, those aren’t necessarily cons.
Whether you’re crossing the city of the globe, the Snow Peak Kanpai Bottle is an excellent shout for the best travel mug out there.
The BruMate Toddy 22 oz is one of the more interesting travel mug designs because of its lid design. You can screw it in two ways, which is helpfully indicated on the mug itself, so you can orient the spout in either direction relative to the handle. That may not sound super exciting for a lot of people, but we can almost guarantee that left-handed peeps just collectively sat up with their eyes widened with interest.
Other handy features include a magnetic closure that sticks to the lid when you flip it over so it doesn’t smack your lips while you’re drinking. Plus, the bottom has a rubber lining that prevents it from slipping on moist surfaces. We’re also pleased to see that the handle is big despite the body’s tapered design, so our testers with large and small hands alike find it comfortable to carry.
Why We Like It- Ambidextrous design; southpaws rejoice!
- Takes some time to get used to ambidextrous design, even if you are a lefty
So whether you want something rugged for the trail or a mug to traverse the concrete jungle with, we think you’ll find the best travel mug for you somewhere on this list.
