Owala FreeSip Tumbler Review

Owala’s FreeSip bottles, available in various colorways, have made a huge splash on the market. Their eye-catching aesthetic may be enough to persuade plenty of people, but the nifty sip-or-swig spout design really seals the deal for us. This one-two combo of good looks and clever functionality makes them stand out. Yet, Owala doesn’t seem content with just a handful of designs.

That brings us to the Owala FreeSip Tumbler. Like other FreeSip bottles, it comes in a range of colorways and features the sip-or-swig spout design that we’ve enjoyed so far. The difference? This tumbler has a mug-style handle and a huge handle to make drinking even easier. Plus, its sheer 40-ounce size is just begging to be filled with your favorite beverage. Do those make it a good travel bottle, though? Let’s find out.

The Rundown

Like most insulated bottles, the FreeSip Tumbler has a stainless steel body with the usual powder-coated paint job outside to give it that Owala flair. As with most food-grade gear we test, the standard reassurances apply here, too, such as being BPA, lead, and phthalate-free. In terms of durability, though, scratches and scuffs are also still the norm. The twist is that the relatively bright and cheerful colorways do a surprisingly good job of hiding very light scratches; arguably, the most common type of damage insulated bottles receive.

Two weeks of testing have turned up mostly cosmetic damage, with no impact on functionality. In case you’re curious, we’ve also not seen paint damage bad enough to expose the stainless steel body, a pain point plenty of insulated bottles suffer from (i.e., very thin layers of paint).

The mug-style handle prominently sticks out the side of the bottle. It is entirely made out of plastic but sufficiently thick to make it feel sturdy for the job. The inner side is appropriately curved to match your hand’s grip, and so, too, is the outer side concave-shaped so you can rest your thumb comfortably. That said, Owala made it so that the entire outer side of the handle is entirely concave. The result is that we couldn’t really get comfy holding the handle.

The lid design has changed significantly from the original FreeSip bottle. Instead of a handle doubling as a lock for the spring-loaded release button, there is now a lever for that purpose. It’s located just behind the lid, and you switch it from right to left to lock and unlock, respectively.

As mentioned, the spout combines two drinking holes to accommodate both sipping and swigging. The smaller hole is connected to a detachable internal straw, letting you sip, while the larger hole is just a free-flow spout. It’s a simple yet clever setup that we like. Yes, it is kind of weird at first, especially when you’re taking a swig and get that sensation that your drink is coming from separate holes, but it’s something we got used to fast.

Since the bottle has a wide shape around the top, cleaning is a breeze. If not for the bottle’s depth, you could realistically clean it with a regular sponge. But, alas, you’ll still have to use a bottle brush to reach the bottom. Meanwhile, the lid only breaks down into two parts: the straw and the rest of the lid. Scrubbing the nooks and crannies around the gasket is tricky but not much more than other insulated bottles, so we’ve no complaints.

Packability

A 40-ounce bottle is large, whichever way you slice it, and the FreeSip Tumbler is no exception. Of course, that doesn’t mean Owala didn’t try any slimming techniques. For one thing, they made sure to taper the bottle’s lower half. Some might overlook this as a simple aesthetic choice, but it’s a solid attempt to ensure the bottle can fit in as many cup holders as possible.

As for backpack bottle pockets, fitment is a lot spottier. It’s not just the FreeSip Tumbler’s size that makes this tricky but also its large handle. While car cup holders are relatively shallow, backpack water bottle pockets are comparatively deeper. Consequently, the handle almost always butts into the sides of water bottle pockets.

Quick Comparison

​​Two travel mugs came to mind while testing the FreeSip Tumbler: the Stanley Quencher H2.0 Flowstate Tumbler and the BruMate Era 40 oz. The former is 1.44 lbs (0.02 lbs heavier than the FreeSip Tumbler), and the latter is 1.62 lbs. That said, at these capacities, weight may be the least of your pressing concerns. In fact, all three bottles are what we’d call road trip mugs, the kind best suited to your car’s cup holders rather than a bag’s water bottle pockets.

Both bottles feature a straw for you to drink from, but the downside is that they’re always exposed, unlike the FreeSip Tumbler. But a straw that sticks out has a more “natural” feel compared to the FreeSip Tumbler’s stubby spout. So, if you’re more into that, you’ll be happy to know that the Brumate Era has a locking mechanism, while the Stanley Quencher has a slightly larger handle—take your pick which advantage is more useful for you.