The Best Water Bottles in Canada of 2022

The last time we tested the best water bottles, the only thing that hindered Brita’s plastic sports model was its lack of insulation. Plastic may be inexpensive and lightweight, but it doesn’t hold a candle to stainless steel when it comes to keeping water cold. So now that Brita’s a contender in the metal world as well, they’ve won out over our previous favourites from Hydro Flask and Yeti, taking the top spot.

For starters, Brita Stainless Steel Filtering Water Bottle meets every parameter of the type of features we look for in a water bottle, including good capacity. At 20-ounces (591 ml) it’s not overly bulky, but still carries enough that you won’t need to source multiple refills throughout the day. A wide mouth easily accommodates ice cubes, a slim build allows it to fit in car coffee holders or the pockets of bags, and a securely locking lid guards against accidents or spills. That the lid is topped with a loop, making it easy to carry is the icing on the cake.

We love that it opens with a one-handed push of a button, and is affixed with a straw, so there’s no danger of the contents of the bottle embarrassing you by rushing out of the mouth and landing straight in your lap. And then there’s the fact that the body is stainless steel (the lid is still BPA-free plastic). That premium insulation means that water stays cold up to 24-hours straight.

This is true of a majority of bottles we tried, but it’s hard to beat Brita on taste. The straw is fitted with a filter, which means you can fill this up with tap water and it will reduce chlorine and will keep the odour and flavour of your water pure for up to two months (or 15 litres of water worth of use). Not too shabby for a wallet-friendly priced water bottle.

From a company well known for the durability and insulation of its coolers, sporting gear, and apparel, there’s a reason the impenetrable Yeti Rambler scores top marks for premier water bottles amongst outdoor enthusiasts. The reusable water bottle topped all the tests we threw at it, placing it as a serious contender for the best water bottle.

This insulated water bottle is made from kitchen-grade stainless steel that’s puncture, dent, and rust-resistant. And it has a simple, cylindrical design free of unnecessary small parts, that are liable to get lost or break off (the cap even has magnetic docks, which keep it securely attached to the lid). Double-walled insulation keeps the outside from getting hot or cold to the touch, or slippery with condensation, and allowed it to hold its own during temperature tests. Whether left in a hot car or kept on a bedside table overnight, water stored in the Rambler remained icicle cold; a good indicator of its usefulness during hiking or camping trips.

A leak-proof, easy to grip, three-finger cap adds to its outdoor appeal, as does a generous, 26-ounce (769 ml) capacity—enough to accommodate three lemonades, four mint juleps, or one long chug of water, according to the company. It also has an especially wide mouth, which facilitates sipping and cleaning (if you’re not trekking through forests and fields, it’s also dishwasher safe).

On the other hand, the factors that make the Rambler ideal for sporty activities knock it down a peg in terms of everyday use, which is why we didn't name this our best overall. The large size and robust materials make it undeniably heavy, quite bulky, not easy to hold, and difficult to slip in car holders or bags (although Yeti makes smaller options that might be a bit easier to handle).

There’s a reason Hydro Flask has so many fans; it’s portable, versatile, durable, and well designed. Its patented double-wall vacuum enables the bottle to keep cold drinks cold, hot drinks hot, and prevents condensation from forming on the outside, keeping it slip-free, and safe to store in bags alongside papers and laptops.

What we especially liked about this model is the wider mouth, which is easy to drink from and allows you to cram it with ice cubes. And if you want to make sipping more streamlined, you have the option to fit it with a straw or flip-top lid. Another benefit is that it fits many third-party water filters. That said, while it’s often a caveat with stainless steel, the bottle didn’t transmit any funky flavours to our drinking water.

Klean Kanteen’s Climate Lock insulation keeps water cold for up to two days (extra credit: it can be used for hot beverages, too). A powder coat guards against slipperiness and condensation, and like the Hydro Flask, the Kanteen can fit different in-brand caps, from the leak-proof loop cap, which can be hooked on a bag with a D-ring, to the quick-twist cafe cap, allowing it to become a casual to-go mug.

Tired of tipping your water bottle at awkward angles in order to take a sip? The sporty, durable CamelBak Eddy was designed with that recurring issue in mind and comes equipped with a straw you can flip with one hand, as well as a bite valve that provides faster flow. It has decent temperature retention for a plastic bottle, is dishwasher safe, and comes with a lifetime guarantee, making it a cost-effective purchase. It’s forged from BPA-free materials, which is always a positive, and though we detected a slight flavour in the water, it wasn’t overtly present or offensive.

This collapsible bottle is all about portability. Made from dishwasher-safe BPA-free 3-ply material, it’s both foldable and flexible. And though the mouth isn’t big enough to take in ice cubes, it can be filled with water, frozen, and used throughout the day, or rolled up and stashed. Since it’s not rigid, however, it’s not exactly meant to be propped on a desk, and since there’s no guard against condensation (and being that it’s essentially an ice pack), we’d be wary of storing it with anything you’d hate to get wet.

As is the benefit of glass, water placed in the Lifefactory stayed odour- and flavour-free. Although there’s little in the way of insulation, so don’t bank on it staying chilled long-term. Still, a wide mouth makes it easy to add ice cubes as needed, and a protective silicone sleeve shields your hands against the cold. It also helps with gripping and presents a decent safety net in case the bottle drops. All materials are BPA, BPS and phthalate-free, FDA approved and dishwasher safe, but keep in mind, the glass makes for a heavier than average bottle.

Want to keep track of your water consumption? The venerable Thermos has integrated a rotating meter into the lid of their bottle, which is surprisingly modern and sexy for such an old-school brand. Not only is it comfortable to hold and easy to slip in bags and cup holders (thanks to an ergonomically designed body), and second nature to use (owing to a one-handed push up lid, locking ring and carry loop), it’s also quite a looker, courtesy of impact-resistant co-polyester, in a dark blue, smoke or magenta finish. Knocks against it are that the water warmed to room temperature after about an hour, and had a faint taste.

The slim and streamlined S’well has triple-walled construction—it did a solid job of keeping our beverages cold (and the ability to keep hot beverages hot), even though we were only able to squeeze a few ice chips through the too-narrow mouth. The copper layer helps eliminate condensation, and the trim shape lets it fit seamlessly into cup holders and bags. It only comes with a twist cap, however, making it less than ideal for athletic use, and imparts a slight taste. But do-gooders will appreciate S’well’s partnerships with charities, such as American Forests, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and UNICEF.

If you’re wary of potential toxic leaching from plastics, the lead-free Takeya is a solid option. It’s affordable and surprisingly portable, considering it’s made from weighty glass. Its silicone sleeve offers protection against drips, slips, and drops. However, the water warmed quickly, even though the mouth accommodates standard ice cubes, and you can’t manipulate the cap one-handed, due to its twist-off top.

There are certainly upsides to this impenetrable Kanteen, including superior insulation, a chip-resistant finish, a complete absence of plastic parts, and a stainless steel cap that doubles as a cup. But our primary problems with this pricey bottle was that it just felt way too bulky for everyday use. It also took some doing to unscrew the two-part cap, and the small mouth wasn’t all that easy to fill with ice cubes.

While (even BPA free) plastic can occasionally leach flavours and odours into drinking water, Brita’s in-bottle filter is a bulwark against that. And even when factoring in the cost of replacement filters, this environmentally-conscious option is wallet-friendly as well, as one filter stands in for approximately 300 disposable water bottles—or up to 40 gallons (151 litres) of water—and only requires swapping out once every two months. The Brita’s soft squeeze body and leak-proof easy sip sports top also make it great for using while biking, hiking, or any outdoor activity.

Got money to burn? CrazyCap purports to be the next big thing in portable water filtration. A chargeable cap uses UV light to make water from any source drinkable. Tap the sensor twice for Normal Mode sterilization (from taps and public fountains), or five times for Crazy Mode Sterilization (water from lakes and ponds). It’s intriguing technology, and definitely has its place...while a basic Brita should be enough to take on taps and fountains, it’s a worthy purchase for campers, hikers, or travellers to areas with water impurities.

The fact the cap needs to be charged for hours, however (even though the charge lasts for 7 days), has the potential to hamstring people in situations/areas where water portability is an issue. And the water needs to be transparent and free of debris in order for the light to penetrate, which seems like a difficult ask if we’re talking about lakes and ponds.

If more is more to you when it comes to water, you can’t beat the large capacity Nalgene, which holds 48 ounces (1420 ml) inside of its BPA-free, volume graduation-marked body, with an extra-large mouth for cramming in cubes. But you’ll be lugging around some serious weight and bulk; one that doesn’t fit into your standard cup holder. And besides sheer size, there are no other special features of note: Our water warmed almost instantly, and the twist-off cap with flimsy plastic loop make it a pain to carry, and not exactly effortless to use.

Snugly packaged in a slick, black box, and looking like a flat, plastic flask, the Memobottle is definitely the most eye-popping option on the list. Made from durable, BPA-free plastic, it’s designed to unobtrusively slip into briefcases or laptop bags and takes up a minimum of space in just about any carrying case. Aesthetics aside, though, it doesn’t stand on end, so you have to set it flat.

Also, the rectangular shape is rather awkward to hold. The tiny mouth doesn’t fit cubes or even crushed ice, so the only option is to refrigerate or freeze the bottle. But the sealant disc came loose from the inside of the cap when we tried it. And since there’s no protection against condensation, the frosted bottle will undoubtedly seep—if not leak—on whatever it comes into contact with.