Honorable Mentions
We’ve run through many travel mugs, and not all of them are winners. These are a few we like, just not as much as the ones above.
KeepCup 12oz Coffee Cup for $28: This double-walled, insulated mug is meant to replicate (and replace) paper coffee shop cups. This is a solid option if you’re looking for a glass cup (the rubber grip is plastic, though). That said, it’s not the best for preserving your coffee’s temperature, and the lid is a tad wobbly.
Oxo Good Grips Thermal Mug for $33: We reviewed this bottle in 2022 and appreciated its sturdy build and dishwasher-friendliness, but since it’s older it now fluctuates in and out of stock.
REI Co-op Camp Mug for $16: REI’s stainless steel cup is a decent mug that doesn’t particularly stand out. Giordano says the exterior coating was tough enough to show no scratches, even after knocking it over a few times outside.
Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug for $22: The lid locks to avoid accidental spillage, and editor Adrienne So once left tea in it for 18 hours (unintentionally) and discovered it was still hot when she opened it. The downside is that the cover has three separate parts—a mouthpiece, a gasket, and a lid—that are deeply ridged and annoying to clean.
Avoid These Travel Mugs
They can’t all be winners. As mentioned above, we excluded brands that use lead. These are two additional cups that just fell short in comparison to our favorites.
Greens Steel Beast 20-Ounce Insulated Tumbler for $21: The Beast Tumbler has over 78,000 positive reviews on Amazon, but we found the rubber seal around the lid easily comes out of place. That meant it leaked like a sieve.
Toaks Titanium Double Wall 450ML Cup for $40: More often than not, we champion Toaks gear as an affordable source of titanium camp cookware. But this mug is $12 more than the Hydro Flask mug we recommend above, and its finishing is rougher.
