Clever Hiker: Best Water Bottles

Water bottles. We all use them, but many of us don’t really put much thought into it. We just use whatever vessel is laying around. If you’re still sipping from that banged up old bottle you've had for a decade, it’s probably time for an upgrade.

We’ve used dozens of different water bottles over the years - everything from heavy duty insulated bottles for everyday use to large-capacity soft bottles for long water carries in the desert and everything in between. In this guide, we’ll use our experience to help you easily find the best water bottle for you.

Quick Recommendations

Check out this quick list of our favorite water bottles, or continue scrolling to see our full list with in-depth reviews.

  • Best water bottle overall: Hydro Flask Wide Mouth / Hydro Flask Standard Mouth
  • Most durable insulated water bottle: YETI Rambler
  • Best non-insulated budget bottle for everyday use: Nalgene Wide Mouth
  • Best glass water bottle with at an affordable price: Yomious Glass
  • Best collapsible water bottle for backpacking & travel: HydraPak Flux
  • Best budget insulated water bottle: GSI MicroLite 720
  • Ergonomic water bottle that helps keep track of daily hydration: Thermos Intak
  • Ultralight, packable & affordable soft bottle: Platypus DuoLock SoftBottle
  • Best water bottle for ultralight backpacking: Glaceau Smartwater
  • Insulated water bottle that comes with accessories: Takeya Actives Insulated
  • Best filter bottle: Lifestraw Go Filter
  • Unique water bottle with smart collapsible design: Que Collapsible
  • Ultralight & packable water storage for backpacking: Platypus Platy Bottle

Read more details on each of these water bottles, written here.

LAST UPDATED

February 4, 2025

Written by
Photo thumbnail Blog Author

Clever Hiker

Media Mentions from Clever Hiker

CleverHiker.com is a website dedicated to providing knowledge, skills, and gear recommendations for lightweight backpacking adventures. We make tutorial videos, gear reviews, and in-depth trip guides to make backpacking easier for everyone.

We're Dave and Annie, the gear nerds behind Cleverhiker.com. Dave is a thru-hiker, Eagle Scout, and nature nut who's trekked every continent on the planet. Annie is a "retired" teacher who swapped out the classroom for wilderness adventures. We built CleverHiker.com to help share our backpacking knowledge, inspire people to get outdoors, and help conserve our wild spaces.

Explore More Content

Media Mentions

Whether for gardening, mowing or warm evenings outside, we found Sawyer Products 20% Picaridin Insect Repellent to be an excellent choice in every setting.

Health
Media Mentions from Health

Media Mentions

The efficacy of DEET without harsh chemicals. Sawyer Picardin Insect Repellent is our go-to skin protection against mosquitos and ticks. We prefer the lotion to the spray-on, which lasts 8-14 hours.

Adventure Alan
Media Mentions from Adventure Alan

Media Mentions

We recommend this lotion from Sawyer for its effectiveness, thorough application, and easily transportable bottle.

Real Simple
Media Mentions from Real Simple