Here at the Strategist, we like to think of ourselves as crazy (in the good way) about the stuff we buy (like pillows), but as much as we’d like to, we can’t try everything. Which is why we have People’s Choice, in which we find the best-reviewed (that’s four-to-five-star reviews and lots of ‘em) products and single out the most convincing. Here, the best water bottles — we’ve reviewed one of our favorites before — on Amazon, according to the people (note that reviews have been edited for length and clarity). In case you’re wondering, these are all BPA-free.
Coldest Water Bottle
The Coldest Water Bottle Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Hydro Travel Mug
“I’ve never written a review before, but I had to make this my first one. This water bottle is EXACTLY what it advertises itself to be. It’s amazing! I filled it with water and ice at 8 a.m., and at 8 p.m., it’s still freezing cold, without being in the fridge or freezer at all. It’s been with me in room temperature the whole day, and I accidentally spilled it on myself and thought it was the ice-bucket challenge all over again.”
Shop Now: $25 at Amazon
Insulating Water Bottle
Hydro Flask Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle
“Whew! It will keep coffee hot, hot, hot! I am not “lava lips,” and my coffee was undrinkable even an hour later. I had to drop a couple of ice cubes in there to make it bearable. That being said, it didn’t get close to cold before I could finish my cup. The coating on the bottle is heavily scratch-resistant. I cringed when I dropped it for the first time onto concrete. Barely noticeable now. Easy to clean.”
Shop Now: From $45 at Amazon
Water Bottle With Straw
Hydracentials Stainless Vacuum Insulated Water Bottle with Straw
“My husband got this water bottle for me for my 40th birthday. First of all, let me say that we are a HUGE water family of six athletes. We paid a ton of money for a water system because we ALL drink so much water. I just looked in my cabinet and counted 14 water bottles from Under Armour, Contigo, Camelback, and Thermos … NONE of these worked well for us for longer than a month. The bottles sweat, didn’t stay cold, were hard to hold, didn’t fit our beverage holders in the car, and worst of all, the mouth pieces stopped performing. Enter Hydracentials: The bottle is sleek, BPA-free, doesn’t sweat, STAYS COLD, doesn’t leak, is easy to handle (even for my 7-year-old’s tiny hands), fits our car beverage holders, and the mouthpiece performs amazingly well and is easy to clean. I can not say enough fabulous things about this water bottle. The true testament is that we are all trashing the other water bottles (which NONE of the mouthpieces work properly), and are all ordering one of these.”
Shop Now: $18 at Amazon
Sleek Water Bottle
MIRA Insulated Leakproof Water Bottle
“I bought this bottle for my boys after they asked to have a S’well bottle like mine. I couldn’t fathom spending the money on S’well bottles for two young boys. I came across the Mira bottle and figured I’d give it a shot, being that two Mira bottles were just over the price of one S’well bottle. We have now had them for about three months, and they have been put to great use. Minus all the different designs the S’well bottles have, they are identical in appearance and performance. Their Mira bottles have actually outperformed me and my husband’s S’well bottles as far as appearance. Them being little boys, their bottles have been dropped multiple times, used as props when playing, and left outside, and there is not even a dent on the bottle or scratch on the paint. Whereas our S’well bottles’ paint is chipped and flaking all over, and they are not too much older and are taken much better care of. The next bottle I purchase for myself will be the Mira bottle. Very happy with this find and purchase!”
Shop Now: From $13 at Amazon
Affordable Water Bottle
Nalgene Tritan Mouth
“We live in the desert of Arizona, and for months, we can have high temperatures in the hundreds, and lows in the 90s. We used to go through a lot of disposable water bottles from the store — two to three cases a week. We were looking to find a way to keep the convenience of water bottles without throwing away so much plastic, when we purchased the first of our Nalgene bottles. We now own about 30 of the bottles in different shapes and colors and sizes. We fill them up with our water purifier next to the sink. The water tastes just as good or better than bottled water. These bottles don’t hold “smells” like we’ve encountered with other bottles. The 16-ounce is the most popular in our household, however, we do have a few 32-ounce-size bottles, too, and they are handy for times when more water is going to be needed.”
Shop Now: $10 at Amazon
Glass Water Bottle
Soma Glass Water Bottle
“The first day this bottle arrived, my 3-year-old accidentally knocked it off the counter onto our wood floor. I cringed and braced my entire body for the impact, which I was sure would be too much for this glass bottle. I fully expected it to shatter, but to my pleasant surprise, it didn’t have so much as a crack to be seen! So right out the starting gate, I was pretty impressed. The rubber really does act as a nonslip grip, as well as helps with shock resistance to the glass itself, but it doesn’t come off (at least that I could tell) for washing. I was a bit leery of putting the bottle in the dishwasher as directed because of this; who wants condensation to ruin their water bottle, after all? I’m happy to report that after several washes, there is no unwanted condensation between the rubber and the glass. The only area water can get under is on the bottom, but the hole is large enough that water can dry. You really have to be careful to read the directions about the cap, though, or you’ll regret it. The cap is NOT dishwasher safe.”
Shop Now: $22 at Amazon
Large-Capacity Water Bottle
Klean Kanteen Classic Vacuum Insulated
“I’m a big Klean Kanteen fan and am really trying to step up my water intake, so I ordered the 64-ounce, insulated bottle and LOVE IT! It’s everything I was hoping for. I fill it up with ice, which stays intact all day long, and then fill the rest with water, and that gives me plenty of drinking water for one day. I’m the type of person who needs my water to be by my side, if I’m going to remember to drink it, so this option gives me a full dose of cold water without needing any refills. It’s a large water bottle, obviously, since it’s almost two liters, and I’ve gotten a lot of comments on it’s enormous size, but I don’t mind. It’s perfect for my needs. It does fit the normal Klean Kanteen sports cap, but since the bottle is so large, I felt odd using it as a sports water bottle, so I bought a metal straw and keep it inside the bottle at all times. That feels much more appropriate for this bottle size, and my 2-year-old can drink from it then, too. Highly recommended. Thanks, Klean Kanteen!”
Shop Now: From $20 at Amazon
Fruit-Infusion Water Bottle
Water Bottle Infusers by BFit
“Drinking enough water has always been a challenge for me. I love the infuser, so that I can add fruit to it to help with the flavoring. I have actually started to enjoy getting the bottle ready in the morning to take to work because there are so many combinations I can put together! I love that I don’t have to worry about it breaking, if I accidentally tip or drop it! Great product, and I greatly appreciate that it is BPA-free!”
Shop Now: $11 at Amazon
This fruit-infusing water bottle is unavailable, but there is another highly-reviewed version here for $13.
Push-Lid-Design Water Bottle
Travel Kuppe Insulated Stainless Water Bottle
“Excellent quality. Superstrong design. I love the textured coating that keeps the bottle from slipping out of my hand. There was no insert to indicate the best way to clean it, or if it is dishwasher safe, but I suggest hand-washing because of the outside coating and O-rings in the cap. The bottle is supposed to hold 20 ounces, but I think it holds more. Keeps my drink cold and keeps ice for over 48 hours, probably longer. The best part is the push-button design. Push down to open; push again to pop up closed. This one-handed operation is perfect for when driving!”
Shop Now: $20 at Amazon
This push-button stainless water bottle is sold out, but Under Armour makes a similar style. Contigo also makes a highly-reviewed plastic push-button water bottle.
Kids’ Water Bottle
Nalgene Tritan Grip-n-Gulp
“I keep trying to transition my older toddler to a “big person” or “normal” cup, but she keeps giving me reasons not to, such as giving her lunch a bath in it, or turning it upside down to see where the water might go. So when I purged some of my sippy cups because they were wearing down, I decided to transition over to these water bottles instead. They both use them regularly, and I am a huge fan. They don’t seem to leak, and they hold a large amount of fluid, which is good for longer trips out of the house. I don’t fill it all the way for my younger girl because it gets pretty heavy for her, and I can totally see her dropping it on her face while drinking because she’s a klutz. The entire bottle is three pieces: the cup, the valve, and the lid. Each of the pieces can go in the dishwasher. The valve is a simple clear-plastic piece, and the water passes through the valve right to the holes in the lid. There don’t appear to be any hidden spaces where water could get trapped or mold could grow, so these seem pretty solid. They’ve held up well in the dishwasher, and I’ve washed them about 40 times now, give or take. They’ve stood up well to dropping from the high chair, too. I will be sticking to buying these going forward. Also, did I mention it says, ‘Made in the USA?’”
Shop Now: $10 at Amazon
Water Bottle With Interchangeable Lids
Liquid Savvy 32 oz Insulated Water Bottle with 3 lids
“First, this bottle is insulated, so it keeps my water ice-cold for literally an entire day. (Have you ever gone to take a sip out of your large plastic water bottle as the day wears on, and it’s warm or even hot? It’s terrible!) No longer an issue with Liquid Savvy. Second, again due to the insulation, this bottle doesn’t get “sweaty.” No more coming back to your desk to find an important document, or cord, or phone (or anything for that matter) sitting in a pool of water left from condensation on your water bottle. Third, this bottle comes with three different types of interchangeable lids. AWESOME! I particularly like the lid with the sip-top, so I don’t have to unscrew the top each time I want to have a drink.”
Shop Now: $20 at Amazon
