If there’s one thing WIRED staffers love almost as much as tech gear, it’s caffeine. We take our coffee so seriously that we don't suffer fools when it comes to travel mugs. Through painstaking testing that's yielded spilled lattes, lukewarm brews, and dented thermoses, WIRED testers have pinpointed the very best travel mugs available. Whether you need a sturdy option that can survive the chaos of an NYC morning commute or a self-heating tumbler for all-day sipping, consider yourself covered.
Want more help leveling up your morning brew? Be sure to check out our guides to the Best Coffee Subscriptions, Best Coffee Grinders, Best Espresso Machines, Best French Presses, Best Portable Coffee Makers, Best AeroPress Coffee Makers, and How to Make Better Coffee at Home.
Updated November 2026: We've added the BrüMate Strova and Ember Tumbler 2, and information on what to look for in a travel mug. We've also updated links and prices throughout.
Amazon (16-ounce)
Hydro Flask (16-ounce)
The Hydro Flask Coffee with Flex Sip Lid is my go-to travel mug. It’s low-maintenance and built like a tank, making it a forgiving choice for the clumsiest of sippers. The brand's powder coating can handle clammy hands, and the 16-ounce tumbler fits into most car cup holders.
It's also a multipurpose mug that isn't limited to housing just your steaming morning brew. Because Hydro Flask wide-mouth lids are conveniently interchangeable, you can swap in a straw lid for cold beverages (or anything else you'd like to drink). And if you purchase the travel mug directly from Hydro Flask, you can get it engraved with text or a graphic, in addition to picking from the 10-plus available color options.
Amazon (12-Ounce)
Imagine sitting by a campfire under the stars, sipping hot cocoa, then waking up at sunrise to a cup of coffee by the lake. A handleless mug just doesn't do that scene justice. Hydro Flask's travel coffee mug brings that camp aesthetic to life. It also just feels great to hold in any setting—including for morning dog walks or while you get yourself ready for your day at home. The slider lid keeps out curious bugs and helps to slow the release of heat, but it’s not leakproof.
I also appreciate the mug's stainless steel rim that's smooth to sip from sans lid. Just note that it’s not TPU powder-coated like most Hydro Flask bottles, so it's a bit less grippy and you’ll have to hand wash it.
Dick's Sporting Goods (20 ounces)
Target (20 ounces)
Amazon (12 ounces)
Amazon (20 ounces)
Owala (20 ounces)
Owala (12 ounces)
If you’re a fan of the Owala FreeSip’s spout, then the lightweight SmoothSip Slider will not disappoint. Its triple-layer insulation helps to keep drinks hot for around six hours or cold for 24. The slider lid works fine for everyday use and didn't leak when I flipped it upside down. But I still wouldn’t toss it into a bag because of how easy it is to unlock. Alongside being available in fun colors, Owala also releases limited-edition designs you can shop. Also notable is that Owala bottles are lead-, BPA-, and phthalate-free.
After an unfortunate entanglement with a coffee mug and my computer, there was a period of time when the only bar where everybody knew my name was the Genius Bar. Now, lid security is my top priority for any liquid I tote around. For that singular concern, BrüMate's cupholder-friendly Strova gets a W from me. The brand claims its patented BevLock lid is fully leakproof, and after putting the mug through its paces—flipping, shaking, and dropping it—before I even considered placing it in my purse to intermingle with my water-sensitive electronics, I came to trust the promise: I couldn't make a single drop of coffee slip through the closed-mouthpiece edges or perimeter of the lid. Further, the mug's ceramic-lined interior both protects the temperature and taste of whatever you're drinking, and it comes in more than a dozen colors and designs any aesthete would be happy to show off.
The compromise you'll have to make is that the Strova is a bit awkward to sip. The mouth opening is quite small, running in a thin, tight line, like an expressionless face, as opposed to larger, easier-to-sip options that might conjure more of an open-mouthed cackle. The construction means you have to tip the mug up past your nose to sip when it's half full or less. This may look a bit aggro while you're drinking, but it’s frankly a small price to pay for confidently avoiding spillage. —Alexis Berger
A long morning commute can be a slog. Add in successive underwhelming sips of tepid coffee, and you're less and less likely to walk into work bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. For owners of the Ember Tumbler 2, that vignette is mere fiction. This travel tumbler, from the brand that normalized spendy warming mugs, holds a generous 16 ounces, fits into a car cupholder, and—most importantly—keeps your beverage hot. It claims to have a battery life of three-plus hours, but I noticed my brew losing its steam after about two. You can control the temperature on the tumbler itself by pressing a button on the bottom that toggles between five heat levels, or you can choose a precise temp via the Bluetooth-connected app. But if you're driving, you'll probably just want to default to the hottest temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit before you depart.
The Tumbler 2's slim profile is easy to pick up with one hand while you keep the other firmly on the steering wheel. Do keep the tumbler upright in that cupholder when you're not sipping, though. It dripped when I flipped it upside down, even with the sipping lid's slider closed, so I certainly wouldn't throw it into a purse or computer bag. (The tumbler also comes with a screw-off, top-handle lid, which is less leaky, but also less useful.) Drips aside, the drinking experience is nice, with the lid's smooth texture and curved lip allowing for easy, natural sips.
If cupholder compatibility isn't your priority, you might consider the new 16-ounce Ember Mug 3 ($160), the first edition of the brand's classic line that's available in this larger capacity. It's not formally a travel mug, but it does come with a sipping lid that helps your drink stay warm longer, making it a nice option for the work-from-home crowd. Both the Mug 3 and Tumbler 2 are conveniently top-rack dishwasher safe. —Alexis Berger
Fellow (12 ounce)
Amazon (16 ounce)
Shop (20oz Travel Mug with Handle)
Fellow nailed it with the Carter Move. This sleek mug has a ceramic-coated interior that doesn't hold scent or taste, meaning your matcha today won’t taste like yesterday’s coffee. A 270-degree twist locks the lid effectively; I’ve tossed it in my bag without a second thought and have never experienced annoying leaks or regrettable spills. The included splash guard keeps ice cubes from smacking your teeth and protects against drips and splatters while you walk and drive. Fellow also drops limited-edition colors and sometimes releases design collaborations with artists. The mug fits into most car cup holders and is conveniently compatible with the Cold Lid + Straw ($12) and the Carry Lid ($12), allowing flexibility in how you drink and tote it.
The Carter Move fits most standard drippers but isn’t compatible with the AeroPress Coffee Maker or Prismo AeroPress Attachment. If that's a deal-breaker, you might consider the Carter Wide ($30), a great alternative to the Move that works with most manual coffee brewers. In that case, you'll have to compromise on a splash guard, which I really like in the Move.
For less than $25, the Ello Campy delivers a nostalgic charm, harking back to the enameled camp cups that ooze 20th-century Americana. The Campy isn’t enameled—just painted to look like it—but it pulls off the effect well. The cork-lined handle stays cool even when piping-hot brew fills the mug, while the vacuum insulation retains your drink’s heat. The screw-on plastic lid is designed to avoid heat conduction, and the mug also features a sliding lever for sipping. It’s not spill-proof, but if you hold it upright, it should keep its contents contained. However, it doesn't fit into cupholders, which may be a deal-breaker for drivers, and the paint is likely to chip off with wear.
Some travel mugs are perfectly good enough—just not as great as the top picks above.
KeepCup 12-ounce Coffee Cup for $31: This double-walled, insulated mug aims to replicate (and replace) paper cups from coffee shops. It's a solid option if you're looking for a glass cup (the rubber grip is plastic, though). That said, it’s not the best at preserving the temperature of your drink, and the lid is a tad wobbly.
Oxo Good Grips Thermal Mug for $29: WIRED reviewed this bottle in 2022, and it earned high marks for 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 $23+: REI's stainless steel cup is decent enough, but it doesn't particularly stand out in the wider category of travel mugs. Our tester 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 $40: In addition to having a lid lock that's effective for avoiding accidental spillage, the mug is also a great option for temperature control: A reviewer once left tea in it for 18 hours (unintentionally) and discovered the drink was still hot when she finally opened the lid. 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.
They can't all be winners. These two cups fell short compared to our favorites.
Greens Steel Beast 20-Ounce Insulated Tumbler for $23: The Beast Tumbler has more than 81,000 positive reviews on Amazon, but the rubber seal around the lid easily comes out of place. That meant it leaked like a sieve.
Toaks Titanium Double Wall 450-Milliliter Cup for $40: More often than not, we at WIRED champion Toaks gear as an affordable source of titanium camp cookware. But this mug costs $12 more than the Hydro Flask pick above, and has a rougher finish.
What to Know About Lead Soldering
Since WIRED editors began testing reusable water bottles and travel mugs, we've discovered that some brands use lead soldering to seal their insulated bottles. While exposure is unlikely (you'd have to drop or damage the bottle or mug to detach the lead pellet), we still believe it's an unnecessary risk, especially since many of our top choices use safer sealing methods. We've removed mugs from brands that have admitted to using lead in their products.
What to Look for in a Travel Mug
There's no shortage of travel mugs available to buy. Narrowing down the best options for you depends on your priorities and how a given mug can satisfy them. Here are key considerations for selecting a great travel mug:
I’ve been running on caffeine since I was 12 (sorry, Mom and Dad) because I took middle school way too seriously. Fifteen years later, caffeine is basically part of my personality, and I’ve been unofficially testing travel mugs for most of my life.
To officially test the mugs in this guide, I, along with other editors, drank both coffee and tea at piping-hot and ice-cold extremes, rating heat retention and taste, ensuring no picks have any hint of metallic notes. Shape and design matter, too: How comfortable is it to hold a given mug? Does it fit into a car cup holder? Does it offer additional features worth considering? I aggressively shook the mugs that promised to be leakproof and dropped those that claimed to be durable from about 4 feet high onto both wood and concrete surfaces to evaluate how well they held up. Finally, travel mugs can be a pain to scrub, so I factored in ease of cleaning.
Simply put, I need a travel mug that pulls its weight. If it didn't keep my coffee warm, my bag dry, and make my life a little easier, it didn’t make the list.
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Source: Wired
