It’s a cultural thing, but not many of us in the US enjoy glugging any beverage at room temperature. Steaming hot or icy cold, sure, but once a drink has been left out too long, it starts to approach that dreaded 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Thankfully, you can fight against lukewarm drinks with a double- or triple-walled, vacuum-insulated container. Then every road trip, beach blast, and long day in the office will at least be accompanied by a constant supply of beverages at just the right temperature.
From coffee to ice water to tea to beer, we’ve been sipping and swigging all our drinkables from the best insulated beverage containers we could find. Below are our top picks for vacuum-insulated, multipurpose coffee and beverage mugs. They will all do a stellar job of keeping your joe piping hot—or ice-cold.
Updated June 2022: We’ve added the Yeti Rambler Colster, Miir Climate+, and Purist Mover.
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Photograph: Miir
Best Overall
Miir Flip Traveler (16 Ounce)
Miir makes one of my (Matt’s) favorite stainless-steel water bottles, and its insulated travel tumbler doesn’t disappoint. The Miir has a tough powder coating with a flip-top lid that is absolutely leak-proof. I couldn’t get one drop of liquid to escape, no matter what I did to this tumbler. It’s narrow enough to fit any cupholder or backpack bottle holder, and it feels tough enough to survive years of abuse.
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Photograph: Amazon
Runner-Up
Klean Kanteen TKWide Insulated Mug (16 Ounce)
Narrow openings are fine for water, in my opinion, but for hot beverages I like having a wider gap so I can take a big gulp. You’re less likely to burn your mouth on hot drinks when you can slurp, too. The TKWide’s Cafe Cap is like drinking from a regular to-go coffee cup, rather than a water bottle.
All the colors have matte powder-coated finishes, which are more scratch-resistant than the brand’s smooth powder-coated finishes. That said, I haven’t found them to be as tough as Hydro Flask’s powder coating (see below), and the uncoated stainless steel ring on the bottom of the mug is pretty easy to scuff up.
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Photograph: Yeti
The Most Brawny
Yeti Rambler Stackable Pints (16 Ounce)
These are my (Adrienne’s) new favorite everyday vacuum pints. They come in a set of two, and they stack for easy storage in your cupboard. The matte exterior is pleasant to hold, and the clear, sealed lid lets you see how much fluid is in the cup before you pour it all down the front of your shirt. (You can also swap it out for a straw lid or Yeti’s lid with a sliding magnetic closure.) It keeps coffee hot for the several hours I need to drink it before re-upping. Most importantly, it’s dishwasher-friendly, so you’re not constantly soaping up at the sink.
