Hydro Flask Wide Mouth with Straw Review

The Hydro Flask Wide Mouth with Straw earned the top spot this year because it scored in the top tier across the board. It wasn't the most insulated, but it was a close second. The easy-to-use straw cap made it our favorite bottle to carry around, and the quality materials kept the taste clean. It's virtually leak-proof and fits in our cup holders. If you're looking for a bottle to go between the house, office, and gym that will also do well in your pack on a day hike, then read on to learn more.

Performance Comparison

Closure

The Hydro Flask Wide Mouth has several options for caps. We chose the straw lid with finger carry ring (vs. a flex strap). The pop-up straw has a catch that makes it flip up with the twitch of a finger and has a small vent in the center that allows for uninterrupted flow. The lid twists off with one full rotation, making it relatively easy to open and fill. It's quick and effortless to hydrate with the straw lid.

This bottle passed all of our leakage tests with flying colors. On neither the controlled test, where we left bottles closed on their side for a day to test whether the blue-dyed water leaked out, nor during field testing did we experience any leakage from this well-sealed container. The only minor issue that we found was when you close the lid while sipping, some water gets caught in the cap portion of the straw and dribbles out. With some adjustment and a pause before closing, we were able to easily remedy this. Also, it will leak if the straw is flipped up, so just make sure to close it before tossing it in your bag.

Insulation

The Hydro Flask Wide Mouth is well-insulated. The vacuum-sealed walls are thin, but that doesn't discount their efficacy. We filled this bottle with ice water in the morning and still had ice floating around in the afternoon even though the bottle was sitting in the sun. There were times when the exterior was hot to the touch, and we thought for sure we'd be sipping hot water. Yet there wasn't a single time during testing when we found that the water had warmed too much within the Hydro Flask.

You'll need to bust out the thermometer to really tell the difference between this bottle and the top scorers on the insulation test. After six hours of sitting under the California sun, the top five bottles were all within four degrees of each other, and among them was our all-around champ. If you're curious about the stats, the water within the Hydro Flask started at 65 degrees F and ended up at 77 degrees after six hours on an 80-degree day. While that may seem fairly warm, some of the uninsulated bottles in our lineup reached 120 F!

Taste

Although it wasn't the most impressive contender in terms of taste, the water from this vessel almost always tasted clean. The only time when we noticed a bit of taint was following the hot water test when we filled the bottles with 100-degree water and let them sit to see if we could taste chemical leaching. Our tester is super sensitive to such flavors, and it was barely discernible.

Generally, glass is the most inert material in terms of taste. Metal tends to hold onto flavors, and this vessel is no different. Thus, it's best to stick with water in this container. Our testers found that it holds onto flavor, notably drink mixes, and coffee, even after washing with warm soapy water. With the lower-quality plastic straw, it's best to avoid hot liquids anyhow. If you're planning to use it for other than water, consider that the flavors may linger.

Ergonomics

In terms of ease of use, it doesn't get much better than the Hydro Flask with Straw. This bottle is slender and easy to grip. The finger carry loop makes it easy to carry with one finger. It also fits in every water bottle holder that we tried. As we mentioned, the straw flips up with the flick of a finger and has a good flow rate. The inner plastic straw detaches if you prefer, but then you have to tip up to sip, and the vent doesn't function quite as well (there's more resistance).

We never felt restricted in our hydration, except perhaps in the overall volume. It only holds 24 oz, so we had to fill it more frequently than some of the larger bottles. The twist-off lid required a bit more wrist twisting than some of the other bottles, but the finger loop actually allowed us to twirl it off relatively easily. At the end of the day, it was one of the easiest bottles to use. After a while, we were able to hydrate thoughtlessly with this bottle by our side.

Material Quality

The container is made from high-quality 18/8 stainless steel, and the outside is powder coated, which gives it a clean and attractive finish. We tossed this bottle around and didn't get any scuffing on the container. We did scuff up the rim of the lid a bit, but it didn't affect performance. The lid is hard, BPA-free plastic, and has a rubber gasket that ensures a good seal. The hinge on the flip straw seems solid, and we saw no wear during our testing. It even has a little plastic finger that keeps the vent plugged when the straw is flipped down. The whole thing is dishwasher-safe.

The only thing that we felt could use improvement in terms of quality is the plastic straw. It's thin and has questionable durability, and is undoubtedly from where the plastic taste stemmed during the hot water test. To be fair, Hydro Flask does not recommend this lid for hot liquids. If you really want to push that boundary, then we recommend removing the straw. Once again, it didn't receive the highest score in this category, but it was at the top of the pack. This is a solid bottle backed by a lifetime warranty in case anything does happen.

Should You Buy the Hydro Flask Wide Mouth with Straw?

This bottle is a great all-around choice for daily use. It's a near-perfect companion for keeping hydrated in the home, office, or gym. It's even suitable for day hikes, but not our first choice for backcountry travel. With the lower volume, it requires more frequent fill-ups. It's also not a great choice if you want to use hot liquids or drink mixes. If water is your liquid of choice and you want it to stay cool throughout the day, then this bottle is your best bud.

What Other Water Bottle Should You Consider?