7 of the best reusable water bottles for Earth Day

Stay hydrated and save the planet at the same time.
By Rudie Obias  on 
All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.

Overview

Budget pick

Nalgene

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Best for cold drinks

Hydro Flask

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Best for every situation

YETI Rambler

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Best for camping and international travel

LifeStraw Go

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Supports eco-friendly initiatives

Healthy Human Water Bottle

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Best plastic water bottle

CamelBak Chute

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Best for travel

Nomader

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See 3 More

We all use them: Single-use plastic bottles are readily available and inexpensive to buy, so it's easy to see why so many people drink water from them all the time. In fact, the entire world goes through about 1.2 million plastic bottles a minute, with only less than 9% of them finding their way into recycling bins after use. That's not to mention how Americans alone use half a billion plastic drinking straws every single day, and the world uses 500 billion plastic cups every year.

The end result of all this inexpensive convenience is a floating island of plastic in the Pacific Ocean that's estimated to be three times the size of France. Clearly, drinking bottled water is a nasty habit that has to stop, so why not break the cycle and get a reusable water bottle instead? Bottles can also be used for other drinks like iced coffee, saving even more plastic — in the form of cups, lids, and straws.

Not only are reusable water bottles better for the environment, but they're also cheaper in the long run than continuously buying bottled water again and again. After all, water out of the tap is free.

Most bottling companies simply tap into the municipal water supply, triple-filter it, bottle it, and then sell it to you. It's like paying for clean and fresh drinking water twice over. In addition, municipal water is sometimes safer to drink than bottled water because government agencies regulate the water more closely and more often than some private bottling companies do.

We've rounded up a few of our favorites to suit every (water) drinker. Do yourself and the environment a favor this month in particular, and get a reusable water bottle. The Earth will thank you and so will your wallet.

If you're looking for an inexpensive all-purpose water bottle, then Nalgene is for you. The company boasts that they are "the original... trailblazers" of reusable water bottles and it's easy to see why. Since the 1970s, Nalgene has been making durable and leakproof bottles that are reusable, lightweight, dishwasher-safe, BPA-free, and completely iconic (also, possibly older than you).

Each water bottle is made from Eastman Tritan, which is a sustainable and smart alternative to disposable single-use bottles. The wide-mouth bottle is easy to clean and is big enough for ice cubes, and also has printed measurements to track your water intake throughout the day. The water bottles are also very affordable, with a price point of just $15. If you want something basic that will get you through the day, Nalgene's 32-ounce water bottle is a smart choice.

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The Hydro Flask is easily one of the best water bottles on the market. It has a wide mouth that is large enough for ice cubes and an attached lid handle. It comes in tons of different sizes depending on your needs, from portable 12-ounce options to hefty gallon jugs.

This reusable water bottle is made with vacuum-insulated stainless steel that's durable and doubled-walled, which means it has a long hold time for liquids; six hours for hot beverages and a whopping 24 hours for cold ones. The bottle is also coated in powder and premium TempShield insulation for grippiness and condensation prevention for those ice-cold refreshments.

The Hydro Flask fits standard cupholders in vehicles and bike bottle racks and is BPA-free and phthalate-free (so you'll never have to worry about drinking harmful chemicals). It's dishwasher-safe to boot, for those of us who are lazy and don't want to hand-scrub our bottles.  Many Hydroflasks also come with a silicone base attachment, to prevent scraping countertops or loud bangs when you set them down. Note that prices depend on the size you choose — bigger sizes tend to be more expensive.

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black water bottle with a big handle on a kitchen counter behind a white tiled wall

YETI Rambler

Best for every situation

Designed to be tough enough for camping and hiking, the YETI Rambler is also strong enough for everyday use like for commuting and workouts. The water bottle is elite, with a kitchen-grade stainless steel body that won't puncture or rust, and is double-wall insulated to keep both hot and cold drinks at temperature for long periods of time. It's also dishwasher-safe and promises no cracking, fading, or peeling after use.

If you need a good everyday reusable water bottle that can stand up to almost any weather condition, the YETI Rambler is your pick. Not only does the bottle have an ergonomic handle for easy carry, but it also has plenty of lid options to choose from (our personal favorite is the straw lid). And because the lid opening is wide, it makes refilling with ice really easy. Note that prices vary based on size, starting at around $30 for a kids' 12-ounce bottle and going up to $130 for the giant gallon jug.

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Aside from its eye-catching, distinctive design and unique exteriors (coming in colorways such as wood grain, marble, and animal print), the S'well water bottle is one of the best inexpensive water bottles out there. Priced at $35, it's not a huge splurge, and you'll look cute while you drink from it.

This leak-proof bottle is vacuum-insulated and triple-walled, so it can keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold for very long periods of time — an estimated 12 and 24 hours respectively. In addition, since it's made from stainless steel, the S'well is durable, so you don't have to worry about dropping it or tossing it willy-nilly into your bag.

The water bottle features a twist lid with a small mouth. Sorry, ice cube fans (the frozen liquid, not the rapper/actor), this bottle's mouth isn't large enough for bigger cubes (and you'll have to insert the cubes one at a time instead of just chucking a handful in like you might with a Hydro Flask). S'well favors simplicity over features, so flip-top or straw lids are not options here. Although this water bottle is BPA-free, it's not dishwasher safe like others on this list.

Prices start at $19.90 for the tiny nine-ounce size and go up to $45 for select colors of the 25-ounce version.

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Blue water bottle

LifeStraw Go

Best for camping and international travel

Camping is fun if you have a source of clean water around you at all times, but what if you're in the middle of nowhere with only a questionable water supply? Enter the LifeStraw Go. This is a unique water bottle filter combo that provides safe drinking water without the use of chemicals, iodine, or batteries.

Here's how it works: Collect water from rivers, streams, or public water sources, and screw on its lid with the LifeStraw Go attached. And that's it. Though it'll still look murky in the bottle, the straw (which is really a microfiltration membrane) will ensure that the water that comes through it is actually clear, clean, and safe to drink. (If you're still skeptical, take a sip and then spit to see that it's really clear water.)

The two-stage activated carbon filter at the top of the straw removes some 99.9% of waterborne protozoan parasites, such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium, and 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria like E-Coli and can filter up to 1,000 liters or 264 gallons of water before it needs to be replaced. Both the bottle and straw are also BPA-free.

To cap it off, with every purchase of a LifeStraw product, a school child in need gets safe drinking water for a school year.

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White marbled water bottle with black top and carabiner, next to cardboard box

Healthy Human Water Bottle

Supports eco-friendly initiatives

Using a water bottle rather than drinking from disposable plastic bottles already reduces your carbon footprint. But if that isn't enough of an environmental impact for you, every purchase of a Healthy Human water bottle also means that the brand will recycle 80 plastic bottles (aka 2.2 lbs of ocean waste) as part of their Recycle and Recover program.

Plus, the bottle itself is pretty sick. They're well-insulated with a Temp-Max double-walled vacuum design that promises to keep cold beverages cold for 24 hours and hot beverages hot for 12 hours (and scaldingly hot for six hours). They also have a sweat-free exterior, so you don't have to worry about condensation from your iced drinks getting your bag wet. The food-grade stainless steel interior is great for not retaining (or imparting) smells or tastes, so even if you fill it with fruit-infused water once, your drinks won't forever be tasting like strawberries.

The Healthy Human bottle comes in 25 different colors and four different sizes, so there's really something for everyone. And did we mention it comes with a carabiner, a woven gift bag, a sticker, and a hydration guide?

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grey water bottle

CamelBak Chute

Best plastic water bottle

If you're looking for an inexpensive yet durable and reusable water bottle, look no further than the easy-to-use CamelBak Chute. For less than $20, the CamelBak Chute is a lightweight option with a wide mouth for easy fill-up and drinking. 

While the water bottle is made from crack-resistant Tritan plastic (which is BPA-free and dishwasher-safe) it's as durable and tough as bottles made from stainless steel (but costs a fraction of what they do.) Don't worry, just because it's made from plastic, doesn't mean you'll get that funky plastic taste when drinking from it.

The water bottle's attached lid comes with a handled straw that makes it much easier to drink from because the water pours out at a faster rate than traditional wide-mouth openings. Simply put, you'll drink more water without the effort. The lid also has an included clip and hook so you can clip it to your pack when hiking or racing through the airport.

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Any frequent traveler knows that keeping things compact is key. Don't get bogged down with needless items and accessories when adopting minimalism is the easiest and fastest way to get you through busy airports and bustling train stations. This collapsible water bottle from Nomader will take the place of a traditional water bottle while only taking up half as much space.

The Nomader is leakproof and durable, with a soft BPA-free silicone body that's twistable and foldable to keep in any small space (even a pocket). It features a twist lid with a wide mouth for ice cubes and/or fruit and a handy carrying loop for easy and comfortable portability. 

The bottle is also dishwasher-safe and can handle hot and cold drinks alike, unlike some plastic options. When it's empty, it conveniently rolls up so it's out of the way. This is seriously useful and comes in handy for traveling light and compact.

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Topics Health Outdoors

How we tested

We hands-on tested the Hydroflask and Yeti by using them at the gym, at home, and on the go for up to a week. The remaining water bottles were found via extensive online research and scouring user reviews. We made sure to include water bottles with varying price points and features.

While testing, here are some of the things we looked out for:

Capacity and material: We compared the water bottles based on size and construction. We noted bottles that are heavy, lightweight, or have smaller-than-average capacities.

Insulation: Did the water bottle keep drinks hot or cold for extended periods of time? Of the bottles we tested, we noted how long hot and cold drinks lasted in them.

Style and accessibility: Because water bottles stay with you wherever you go, we took style into account, as well as how easy it is to drink from.


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