Nothing beats a steamy hot drink on a chilly winter day. If you want your favorite liquids to stay piping hot all day long, check out our roundup of the best thermoses of 2024.
Whether you’re heading out for a day of hunting, ice fishing, or enjoying the solitude of a winter trail, a warm cup of coffee or a hot lunch can make even the coldest of days feel enjoyable. High-quality insulated food and drink containers can reliably maintain the temperature of their contents for hours on end. The perfect thermos will vary from person to person, but they all have overlapping qualities that make them the ideal piece of outdoor gear.
In our search for the best thermoses on the market, we considered all types: from old-school tacklebox classics to modern drink movers for folks on the go. We narrowed it down to the best-of-the-best according to durability, leakproofness, heat retention, features, and overall capacity. And before we were through with it all, we pit each thermos against the other in our temperature retention test: scrutinizing manufacturers’ claims and finding out for ourselves which mug would keep our coffee piping hot for the longest — and pass our ‘ideal coffee temperature’ standard.
Our experts have toted close to 15 different thermoses over 3 years, taking them out everywhere from early-morning salmon excursions in the Puget Sound to elk hunts in the high country of Colorado, and have settled on these as the best of the best. Scroll through to see all of our recommended thermoses for any autumn morning. We’ve also compiled an in-depth buyer’s guide and FAQ to break down just what makes a good thermos tick. And finally, use our specs chart to go apples to apples on your next thermos.
Editor’s Note: We updated this guide on January 22, 2024, to update our testing practices and introduce our ‘ideal coffee temperature’ standard — a 136-degree make-or-break barometer of a thermos’ ability to keep our brew toasty warm.
Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose a Thermos
Looking for your next thermos, you’ll likely want to ask yourself a few questions. Are you looking to have a day’s worth of coffee for the whole crew, or maybe just a swig of warm tea at the end of a hike? Do you need your thermos to be compact to fit into a school lunchbox or backpack?
Then, consider if you’ll need the features of a full-fledged thermos, or if you might be well suited with a bottle that’ll keep drinks both hot and cold. Bottles with integrated cups and handles like the Stanley Classic Legendary Bottle are born-and-bred thermoses, while the Hydro Flask Standard Mouth Bottle could easily be used for both.
Note that this is a constantly changing list and that as new thermoses come out we’ll test and add them if we think they made the cut. If you’re looking for a water bottle, check out our lineup of the best insulated water bottles. There’s a thermos for every kind of adventure; (photo/Nick Belcaster)
Determining your thermos capacity needs comes down to two factors: the intended activity and if you’re sharing.
If you’re heading out for a day of ice fishing, lugging out a Stanley classic will be no issue, but if you’re embarking on an ultralight backpacking trek, a heavy metal thermos may not even make the cut.
Consider how much you usually drink or eat and if it will fit inside the thermos container. Then decide if it’s just for you or if you’re packing lunch or coffee for you and your partner. If you have multiple people sharing a thermos, then a larger capacity is ideal. However, if one cup of coffee is all you need, something closer to theCamelBak MultiBev will suffice. The
The insulating capabilities of a thermos are what makes them so useful. Most on the market today will utilize vacuum insulation, but some may also use foam insulation. Vacuum insulation tends to work better than foam, making it the standard for quality thermos brands.
In our in-house temperature testing, we found that there’s a reason your grandpa loved his Stanley so much. The Stanley Forge Thermal Bottle only fell 50 degrees over a full 24 hours — down to 160 degrees F. That’s still too hot to drink quickly! Close behind were the Thermos Stainless King as well as the Zojirushi Stainless Mug SM-TA48. The double-wall vacuum construction is what keeps your beverages toasty after a long hike or day of fishing; (photo/Nick Belcaster)
Vacuum insulation uses a double layer of material to create a space between the walls. This gap of air (the vacuum) is what prevents heat from escaping or entering. While vacuum insulation has become the gold standard in thermos technology, the nature of the double-walled construction creates extra weight.
Though this may not be an issue for fishing or casual hiking, vacuum-insulated thermoses are not very practical for backpacking, climbing, or other activities that require prolonged carrying. The two welterweights of our testing: the Stanley Titanium Travel Mug and the Zojirushi Stainless Mug SM-TA48; (photo/Nick Belcaster)
Most of us bring our thermoses outdoors, so they need to be able to take a beating. Top-quality thermoses are constructed using stainless steel of some kind for the body. A stainless steel body is harder to break, especially in cold conditions.
Many thermoses also have an additional coating to ensure that they’re well-protected. Be mindful of the handle and lid when considering durability as well. Some thermos lids have stainless steel exteriors, and the air-pressure lid is plastic because it isn’t directly exposed unless opened.
Some other designs have all-plastic lids, and this is usually the first part of the thermos to fail. If it does come with a plastic lid, double-check the warranty or if replacement parts are available if something breaks.
Another aspect of the lid to consider is the seal and how you drink out of the thermos. If you have a food-specific thermos, consider how easy it is to pour from the opening as well.
Traditional thermos designs, like the Stanley Classic, have two lids: one air-locking lid on the inside and an exterior lid that doubles as a cup. These dual-lid designs are almost always leakproof, especially because both lids have a rubber seal of some kind. Having a secure lid design is necessary when carrying around a thermos of hot water or coffee — not only to prevent spilling in a bag but also for your safety. The deep integrated cup of the
Other thermos lids, like that of the Contigo Travel Mug, are more like a travel coffee container lid. They should have a rubber seal and a variation of Contigo’s SnapSeal to cover the drinking spout. These lids will vary from company to company, but be sure to pay special attention to how well the lid seals, especially if you intend to use it backpacking.
If you’re only using the thermos as a food container, look at the opening of the lid or top of the thermos to see how easy it will be to pour. The wider the mouth, the harder it will be to precisely pour. However, a wide mouth can make it easier to eat directly from the thermos. It’s easy sipping on the Contigo Travel Mug with the SnapSeal lid; (photo/Nick Belcaster)
When a thermos is meant for drinking, the lid construction determines how easy it is not to spill on yourself with every sip. Silicone lids usually create a decent seal but can be challenging to drink from. Plastic lids with a sipping hole or straw are usually the go-to for most nontraditional thermos lids.
Extra Features & Accessories
Extra features like a lid that doubles as a cup, an optimized handle design and grip, or a built-in spoon add a bit of versatility to a thermos. These aren’t necessarily aspects of the thermos that make or break its functionality, but they can add that little extra piece that makes your life easier or a little more comfortable when enjoying coffee on a cold winter morning. Food-oriented thermoses like the
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FAQ
What is the longest a thermos stays hot?
What is the longest warm thermos?
How long will liquids stay hot in a thermos?
Which flask keeps hot longest?
How long does a Stanley insulated thermos last?
Most models, like the Stanley Legendary Classic Bottle, Stanley Classic Insulated Thermos, the Stanley Adventure To Go, and both Zojirushi thermoses performed very similarly. They all maintained at least 170ºF after eight hours, which is hot enough to burn most people’s tongues. Every model performed well in the cold retention test.
Does thermos keep liquids hot or cold?
Thermos’s patented vacuum insulation keeps liquids hot or cold for 24 hours, and the bottles are designed to keep the exterior temperature lower, making them easy to hold. This also prevents the bottle from sweating when holding cold liquids in the summer months.
How long does a thermos keep a drink hot?
Again, the only two thermoses in the review that hit the 24-hour hot mark are the Stanley Thermos or the Thermos Stainless King. Both of these will keep your drinks hot for the longest amount of time compared to the rest of them. Ever opened your thermos to drink a hot cup of coffee to find it’s lukewarm?
What is the best classic thermos?
If you’re looking for a classic thermos with great performance, the Stanley Legendary Classic Bottle fits the bill. It kept liquids hot and cold and had a durable construction that held up against dings and drops.