After 3 Years of Testing 5 Top Brands, I Think This is The Best Water Bottle on the Market!

We found the best water bottle brand on the market after 3 years of testing. And the winner is…

Drink up! 💦

We’re sharing the best water bottle brand for adults and kids. Find out which one had the best durability after 3 years of testing.

From spendy bottles like YETI and Hydro Flask to less than $8 finds at Walmart. My family and I have been using these water bottle brands daily and are sharing important things to consider when choosing the best water bottle brand for you.

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1. YETI Rambler Bottle is the most heavy-duty bottle money can buy and continues to outlast every water bottle after 3 years of testing. 

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In year 3 of our testing, I switched my favorite water bottle brand from Hydro Flask to YETI due to its unrivaled durability. Proof that YETI is one of the biggest Hydro Flask competitors. This YETI was the biggest and most expensive water bottle brand we tested with a 36-ounce capacity and a $50 price tag. GULP! 😳 However there are more affordable options on the market the smaller you go.

Over the last 3 years, my partner has taken this water bottle to work and has lugged it around on various hiking trips and outdoor adventures.

Despite its high cost, it was more than worth the cost since it still looks nearly new 3 years later! 👏🏻

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One thing that set the design of the YETI rambler apart is the stainless steel bottom. Every other water bottle brand we tested had a coating completely covering the bottle and no matter how durable, every single one chipped and scratched eventually. Our YETI only has minimal surface scratches and dents that are barely noticeable! I’ve really got to give it to YETI because they truly thought of everything from the design to the durability! 👏🏻

Speaking of design, they even changed their standard insulated bottles since I purchased mine to now come with their innovative chugging cap. This cap gives you a splash-free drinking experience and is much easier to sip from especially when you have your water bottle loaded up with ice. However, I do still favor their MagDock Cap which has the same spout, but is magnetic too!

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2. The Takeya Water Bottle has proven to be the best kid-friendly water bottle on the market.

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The screw-top is by far the easiest one to open and close out of all the best water bottle brands we tested. I’ve heard teachers prefer kids to bring straw lid water bottles to school, but after trying the kid’s Hydro Flask straw-lid bottles and experiencing backpack leaks, the Tayeka proved to be a better HydroFlask alternative.

There’s zero fussing with the Takeya lid to get it back on with a great seal and it’s simple enough to open and close my daughter could do it when she was in Kindergarten. Even better, it’s easier to clean than straw lids too! 🙌🏼

Not only is this water bottle a favorite in our home, but it was also voted the most versatile water bottle on market by Healthline and The New York Times Wirecutter! 🤩

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The ergonomic handle is another huge bonus about the Takeya water bottle and it has proven to be very durable over the last three years. As an adult, I can comfortably fit two fingers in the handle to carry it around, it can easily clip to any keychain or carabiner, and it makes it easy to pull it out of a backpack side pocket.

Every Takeya stainless steel water bottle comes with a silicone sleeve bottom which protects the bottles from dents and scratches. It’s also a great feature if your kiddo plans to take this best water bottle brand to school because it will be less disruptive to the class and it has a better chance of staying put and not sliding around on a desk.

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Recently my daughter has preferred using her Taekya without a silicone bottom so it slides in and out of her backpack more easily. However, despite nixing it, I’m incredibly impressed with the minimal dents and scratches it has after 3 years of daily use! 🤯

It’s the best YETI water bottle alternative if you’re looking for a more budget-friendly option since it has stood the test of time and many outdoor adventures too.

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3. Hydro Flask Wide Mouth Bottle is great for aesthetics but lacks long-term durability when comparing YETI vs Hydro Flask.

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There’s no denying that Hydro Flask is one of the most popular water bottle choices for basically anyone nowadays. For many consumers, it’s a tough choice when it comes to Hydro Flask vs YETI as they’re the top two most well-known brands on the water bottle market.

However, if you’re just as concerned with aesthetics as performance, then Hydro Flask is your answer! Even New York Mag agrees it’s the best choice overall. 🙌🏼

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While this bottle is also a top performer, the simple and sleek design is what initially won me over. Plus, maintenance is a breeze since they’re also dishwasher friendly. Hydro Flask water bottles excel in keeping drinks hot or cold just like YETI and for the first two years of my testing, Hydro Flask was my top pick overall. 🙌🏼

However, I’ve noticed in year three that mine has slowly accumulated more chips and dents as our family adventures continue.

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Another point to add, I take mine out of the house the least out of everyone in our house since I work from home and the rest of the family leaves the house with theirs daily. On top of that, I can’t help but wonder if the quality of stainless steel has degraded over the years. About a year and a half ago I bought each of my older boys a Hydro Flask water bottle and they’re already showing many signs of wear and tear. Granted they’re rougher with their bottles during sports seasons, but the overall condition of all our bottles is what made YETI water bottles take the top spot in our year 3 of testing.

Nonetheless, if you don’t mind replacing a water bottle after a few years or toting one around with some signs of use, then it’s still one of the best water bottle brand choices.

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4. The Ozark Trail Water Bottle is a great YETI water bottle alternative if you’re on a tight budget but it didn’t make our year three of testing. 

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Ozark Trail is a tough competitor priced under $8 or even under $5 per water bottle when you buy a pack of two! 😱 This insulated water bottle may be cheap, but there’s nothing cheap about its awesome performance. It’s a great option if you’re looking for a budget-friendly water bottle.

In fact, I actually found Ozark Trail kept ice frozen for the longest time out of all of the water bottles I tested!

I placed 6 whole ice cubes in each bottle and checked them every 2 hours for 8 hours straight. What I discovered is that Ozark Trail dominated in the ice challenge with almost 6 whole cubes still intact and barely any melting. Impressive! 👏🏻

However, what’s not impressive is that the bottle chipped and dented much easier than even the Hydro Flask bottles so within two years it was a bottle we ditched from our collection. On top of that, the screw-top lid wasn’t kid-friendly at all – even for my older two boys. 👎🏼

The design of the Ozark Trail bottles has also changed in the last three years.

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The Ozark Trail brand underwent numerous design changes after being sued by YETI in recent years. In an effort to not completely rip off the design of the YETI water bottles, you’ll notice they look pretty different now. However, I noticed the new designs have a “new and improved” stainless steel bottom that resembles one of my favorite features of the YETI water bottles. 🤣

What’s funnier is that the new design overall seems to resemble Hydro Flask with its similar shape and easy-to-carry handle. The design changes may not be such a bad thing after all. 🤩

*Note that the new designs have not been thoroughly tested by our team, but we expect the performance to be nearly the same given the many 5-star reviews. 

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Check out my Hip sidekick, Lina’s, deeper dive in comparing the Ozark Trail bottle up against Hydro Flask if you’re considering this budget-0friendly buy.

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5. Thermoflask Water Bottle gives you some bang for your buck but didn’t last more than a year in our home and it’s now more expensive. 

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I was shocked to see the recent pricing on Thermoflask bottles. 🤯 My 18-ounce water bottle, available on Amazon, has gone up by 3 whole dollars so they’re definitely not nearly as affordable as they were when I began testing these bottles three years ago. Nonetheless, they do give you some bang for your buck with all the extra features they include! With each bottle, you’ll get a screw top lid and a straw lid with two straws so they’re a great option if you’re looking for versatility.

On top of that, they have nearly 40,000 5-star reviews on Amazon so despite any negatives I share, plenty of other owners are raving about this best water bottle brand!

The biggest downfall of the Thermoflask water bottle is the lids. Neither of the included lids is adjustable and they’re not very ergonomic since they’re in a fixed position. This also means it may take up additional space in your cabinet so they’re definitely some drawbacks to consider when buying the best water bottle for you.

After a couple of years, this water bottle also had significant chipping all over even with the recommended handwashing so it didn’t make our third year of water bottle testing.

Overall, when it comes to Thermoflask vs YETI, we know which one we’d choose. 😉

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BONUS TIP: If you’re buying a handwash-only bottle or prefer to handwash your bottles buy this innovative brush and nothing else.

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I did a lot of research on bottle brushes and when I came across the Swell S’ip Cleaning Brush I knew my search for the perfect brush was over.

It’s long enough to reach into any bottle for easy cleaning and I love the stainless handle so you can assure that it’s going to be durable enough to last a long time. (I’ve had mine for over three years now!) Most importantly, it’s designed to stand on its own which makes it a more sanitary and cleaner choice as well. 🙌🏻

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I shared how I store my water bottles at home to take up the least amount of space.

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