What we love: A small detail, but the mostly clear lids are a nice touch, so you can see how much liquid is left inside. And making that even easier is the white ceramic (rather than metallic) lining. The bottom of the cup features a silicone foot, giving this mug a little extra grip to avoid accidental spills. It comes in tons of colors, and all are dishwasher safe. We tested the 20-ounce Essential Tumbler as that’s plenty big for coffee, but it also comes in 30- and 40-ounce sizes. And as part of its Essential line, RTIC makes a pint tumbler, a lowball tumbler, and a coffee mug, all utilizing the same flip lids. They may just leave you saying, “Yeti, who?”
What we’d leave: Our only qualms were very nitpicky: The inset spout hole is a little too deeply inset, and it feels like every sip is a leap of faith. Plus, the fact that the part of the lid flap you push up to open sticks out far enough that it could accidentally come dislodged doesn’t give us that “toss it in your bag” confidence. And darn it if Zojirushi hasn’t set the bar almost impossibly high when it comes to heat retention. The RTIC Essential was satisfactory after five hours, but diminished thereafter. We didn’t think this was too big a deal, as we rarely need to hold onto coffee that long. It would be nice to have a longer warranty than 90 days, but the affordability of these tumblers’ replacement.
How we tested travel mugs
In addition to toting these mugs along as our everyday coffee cups, we pitted each head-to-head in a five-hour test to determine heat retention of freshly poured hot liquid into the containers, which were not preheated. (Some manufacturer instructions advise that preheating your cup with hot water before you pour in your drink will offer better heat retention, a step we assumed most users wouldn’t bother doing.) We also closed each mug and tipped them upside-down to check their leakproof status, as well as shaking, walking, and commuting with them to see how they fared on the go.
What makes a good travel coffee cup?
The ideal travel mug can be tossed into a commuter bag, purse, or backpack without worrying about it leaking, so a good seal was a must. Ideally, the mug would also be as spill-proof as possible when tipped, even with the lid open.
It has good heat retention
The better a mug held the temperature of whatever was initially poured into it, the better it fared in our results. While some of the other carafe-style mugs we tested might seal and hold onto heat a bit better than a tumbler-style, factors like ease of drinking also played a role in overall performance.
Does the locking or closing mechanism work without much effort or thought? Is the mug easy to hold in one hand and carry on the move? How awkward was the spout or opening for drinking? Can the cup be cleaned with a quick scrub, and does the lid have too many moving parts or hidden crevices where gunk can build up?
Yes, looks matter. While it might not be the most important factor, we wouldn’t give as high of marks to a less aesthetically pleasing mug that does the same job as something sleeker but is more worthy of showing off on your desk. While most of the stainless steel travel mugs we tried function similarly when it comes to insulation, sometimes over-designed products have unintended quirks.
This might seem like a no-brainer, but in the age of giant water jugs all over WaterTok and hefty vacuum-insulated stainless steel tumblers, you do indeed need to test whether a travel mug (or water bottle, for that matter) will fit whatever vehicle you’re travelling in, whether on your daily commute or a long road trip. And while slimmer might seem better and more universal, small diameter carafes jostle around when you hit bumpy terrain, so a secure cupholder fit is worth considering.
Other travel coffee cups we tested and liked
Yeti Rambler with Magslider Lid
People love their stainless steel Yeti mugs, and there’s a good reason for that: They’re a well-built, affordable option that comes in a bunch of fun colors and swappable list styles. We think the Magslider lid by Yeti is a great option if you are mostly keeping your drink in a cupholder or on your desk, as its lid slides open and snaps shut easily; however, it is by no means leakproof, which is why it doesn’t take the top spot when compared to the Owala. The entire thing is dishwasher safe, so we’d also consider it a strong runner-up to the Brümate, too.
Yeti Rambler Travel Mug with Stronghold Lid
YETI Rambler 20 oz Travel Mug with Stronghold Lid
If water or cold beverages are your primary concern, then we also like this handled mug version of the Rambler for the same reasons we like the Magslider Rambler, with the added benefit that the Stronghold lid is slightly more leak-resistant (but not as leakproof as the Owala or Brümate). The high-set handle and tapered bottom keep this large mug cupholder-friendly, too. But you’re stuck with only 20- and 30-ounce options, so it’s probably not going to be the top pick for pour-over and espresso machine users.
RTIC Road Trip Travel Mug
RTIC Road Trip Travel Mug
Of the two RTIC products we tested in the latest update, this slim, handled mug quickly became my favorite. Its high-set handle and narrow base fit perfectly in cupholders and backpacks without hogging space. Like the RTIC Essential Tumbler, it has a clear leakproof lid, ceramic interior, dishwasher-safe design, and excellent heat retention. The 20-ounce size (also available in 16 ounces) works equally well for hot or cold drinks. The only drawback is the recessed drinking spout, which takes some getting used to. Still, between its thoughtful design and the option to customize from 19 colors, it’s a solid and stylish everyday mug.
Zojirushi GoCafe Insulated Mug
Zojirushi GoCafe Insulated Mug
The GoCafe is Zojirushi’s updated take on its beloved bottle-style tumbler, introduced as a new product line rather than a replacement. It kept our coffee hot all day in testing and now comes in cool ombre colors with a more sustainable build. The leakproof, locking lid is now constructed with fewer pieces and less plastic than the original tumbler. This simpler design and larger opening make cleaning the interior a breeze. Instead of nonstick, the interior uses a polished “Slicksteel” finish that resists buildup. The only drawbacks: its wider base won’t fit every cupholder, and the smallest size is 16 ounces, versus the OG Zojirushi’s 12-ounce option. We think 16 ounces is actually a great mid-range coffee mug size, but you may only want one cup of coffee, so the fact that you can still get the OG Zojirushi in a 12-ounce option tipped the scales.
Zojirushi Travel Mug
Take everything we love about the Zojirushi and turn it into a travel tumbler, and you get this cup that feels a little more like it’s meant for drinking coffee rather than containing it like a thermos. The good thing about Zojirushi’s substantial flip tops is that they are super effective at sealing shut. The bad is that they’re substantial, which means they kind of get in the way of drinking. For example, we took this mug on a test drive and were a little leery about how much it blocked our view while taking a sip. Personally, we just preferred the less obtrusive Owala or Brümate, or even the RTICs as more streamlined options. But like its more carafe-y counterparts, the Zojirushi Tumbler held onto heat incredibly well—though by the numbers not as well as the bottles.
Yeti Rambler Mug
YETI Rambler 14 oz Stackable Mug
When it comes to capacity, Yeti’s Rambler Mug collection does offer the more coffee-friendly array of options, with 10-, 14-, and 24-ounce sizes. The downside is that none are cupholder compatible, and all come with the Magslider lid, which isn’t ideal, especially when the leaking liquid is extremely hot coffee. The handle wasn’t the most ergonomic either, but if you’re camping, hanging out at the beach, or using one of these on your desk, they’re great at being mugs without looking like giant water jugs.
Yeti Rambler with Hotshot Cap
Yeti Rambler with Hotshot Cap, 18 Oz.
Yeti’s Hotshot Cap essentially turns its water bottles into hot beverage-ready travel mugs. The lid can be twisted to an open or closed position, and then you can drink from any part of the rim. When sealed tight, this makes it the most leakproof of the Yeti mugs we tested. But similar to the Miir 360, it leaves too much room for human error when relying on that seal to keep the contents of a backpack protected from drops and spills. Yeti bottles are also not designed as universally cupholder compatible, but with this one, you may get lucky.
Stanley AeroLight Transit Bottle
Stanley Aerolight Transit Bottle
This bottle-style tumbler may come closest to Zojirushi, with its excellent heat insulation and leakproof, flip-up lid that snaps securely in place. However, the lid is difficult to open without using two hands, and it can also get in the way of your nose when sipping. Cleaning is a little trickier; it took us a while to figure out that the locking mechanism pops out, not as separate pieces, but enough to get a thorough cleaning inside your dishwasher. (Unlike the Zojirushi, it’s dishwasher safe, so while not as completely immune to leaks and drips, it’s a trade-off worth considering.)
Brümate Müv
BrüMate Müv – 25 Oz. Mug
Take everything we liked about the Brümate Nav, add a handle, and you get the Müv. It shares the same features but also comes in a smaller 15-ounce size, which we found more convenient for a single cup of coffee, though it didn’t hold heat quite as well as the larger versions. The handle makes the smaller size less cupholder-friendly, but the taller Müv models should fit just fine. One detail we grew to appreciate is the lid: instead of a screw-on system, it clicks into eight notches around the rim, letting you rotate the sipping spout to your preferred angle. It’s handy for both right- and left-handed users, or anyone who doesn’t sip straight on. Like the Nav, most (but not all) colors are dishwasher safe, so just double-check the listing if that matters to you.
Klean Kanteen Rise
Compact and attractive, the Rise is a solid tumbler with decent heat retention—satisfactory for five hours, less so after ten. And that’s fine enough, because this mug isn’t necessarily for the long-haul drinking experience. The splash-proof lid isn’t leakproof, and the protruding latch could get knocked open in a bag, but it’s fine for desktop or home use. However, if you prefer a more open-mouthed sip (as weird as it feels to type that out), then you’ll appreciate that the Rise’s lid flips up to reveal a semicircular opening. The curve where your lip meets the lid has a smooth, rounded contour and doesn’t allow for too much dribbling, something we tend to experience with fully open-top containers and bottles. The iced coffee experience was particularly nice, as I was able to occasionally crunch on an ice cube, something you can’t get from a lid with a teeny tiny opening. The Rise collection also includes a 26-ounce tumbler, plus a lowball and a handled mug. With few moving parts, easy cleaning (it’s dishwasher safe), and cool color options, put this one in the “solid desk mug” category.
Simple Modern Voyager Tumbler and Voyager Signature Tumbler
Simple Modern Voyager Signature Tumbler
If you do a general Google or Amazon search for travel coffee cups, you’ll probably see Simple Modern pop up in your results, which is why we were compelled to test them. Available in dozens of colors and three sizes (12, 16, 20 ounces), they offer two lid types: a clear flip lid with a straw or a 360º pop-up lid. Both are leakproof, cupholder-friendly, and comfortable to hold. The flip lid works well, but it can unlatch if caught, and its vent nub poked our nose while drinking. The 360º lid clearly signals when it’s open but feels abrupt on the lip and, like most push-down lids, isn’t bag-safe. Heat retention was mid-range—good for the first five hours, less so over the long haul. Still, they’re affordable, customizable, and practical picks.
Travel mugs we don’t recommend
Like the Stanley AeroLight, we have very few negative things to say about Klean Kanteen’s double-walled mug. It has a truly leakproof cap, along with the ability to fully dissemble it. It’s dishwasher safe, and carries a lifetime warranty. But we found the lid mechanism, like the AeroLight, required two hands to open, making it less than ideal for sipping on the go.
For sheer design aesthetics, we wanted to love this slim and compact mug with its minimalist push-button top that takes up nearly the entire lid, leaving just a sippable crevice all the way around. The only issue we had is that, due to its monochrome, minimalist design, it was difficult to tell if the lid was in the open or closed position. When absent-mindedly tossing your cup into your bag, this can spell disaster. The lid doesn’t disassemble in a way that satisfies our desire for thoroughly cleaned parts, though it is completely dishwasher safe. And we also found that, unlike the Stanley AeroLight, the Miir would often hold onto a few residual drops of coffee after closing, so while it was leakproof when closed, it wasn’t drip-free.
Similar to the 360, the flip-top lid creates a reliably leakproof seal, and the container itself is great at keeping coffee hot. The main issue we had was, like the Stanley AeroLight and Fellow Carter Slide, the lid gets in the way when drinking and, because the underside comes into contact with your coffee, sometimes leaves a little drop on your nose, too.
Considering its price, we expected more from this bottle which, in its own way, tries to do a lot. It comes with three lids: one for sipping hot liquids and one for storing hot liquids, plus a re-freezable lid for chilling a 12-ounce beverage. It’s lightweight but still has fantastic heat retention; however, the lids leak. Our test included leaving sealed tumblers upside-down for 30 minutes, and every single one left a puddle on the counter.
Given its reputation for quality, user-friendly products, we expected (and got) a quality, leakproof, and dishwasher-safe mug from Oxo. What we didn’t get was a very user-friendly lid, which, while it does come apart completely for thorough cleaning, requires some clunky and convoluted reassembly steps. There are other dishwasher-safe tumblers on this list with lids that are much easier to use.
We like the range of colors and sizes (as small as 6 ounces) and the traditional coffee cup feel of this mug, but it lacks cupholder compatibility in any of its sizes and only sports a splash-proof lid that doesn’t seal completely. Plus, unlike some of Hydro Flask’s other containers, these are not dishwasher safe.
If we’re grading purely on looks, this streamlined thermal mug with a ceramic-lined interior and one-handed sliding lid (that’s also leakproof) is stunning. As a hot drink container, it certainly delivers on keeping coffee warm; however, we found its unique lid design kept smooshing against our noses when drinking from it, and we found there was always residual coffee left in the cup that just couldn’t be tipped out with the lid on. While the container portion of the mug didn’t hold onto stains and smells, we found the lid did smell like coffee after cleaning. If you’re switching up what liquids you’re putting inside, this may be an unwelcome problem.
Unlike the Slide, consider this to be more of a coffee transporter than a travel mug. You can drink from its open-mouth design, which includes a removable splash guard (we liken the experience to sipping from a soda can). But the screw-on lid requires two hands to open and close, making it less than ideal for taking quick sips while driving. With its open design, if you hit a speed bump, coffee splashes out every time. In its defense, with the lid on tight, this kept coffee satisfyingly hot for nearly 24 hours. So, if you’re taking your cup to-go but not drinking it until you get to your destination, this could be a winner.
This is another beautiful travel mug that does the job of keeping drinks hot and preventing leaks when fully sealed shut. We also liked that the two-piece lid—a sipping portion and a separate handled cap—comes off from the base for easy pouring into the container. However, the Japanese houseware brand’s form can’t overcome its functionality issues as an on-the-go mug, which include two-handed operation to open, and having to hang onto the cap in your spare hand while you drink.
If affordability in a car commuter cup is your main goal, there’s a lot to like about Thermos’ mug with its high-set handle (retaining cupholder compatibility) and respectable heat retention. Plus, it’s got a rubber base to absorb accidental nudges, a possible issue due to its slightly top-heavy design. But the sliding lock lid is nowhere near leakproof; it just keeps coffee from fully splashing out when closed. Overall, the mug is durable and dishwasher safe. It’s not perfect but it’s practical.
We love the old-school, speckled enamelware aesthetic of this mug, which holds heat well and is generally leakproof (but not commuter bag approved). The cork-lined handle has a nice feel, though it may dissuade you from cleaning it in the dishwasher which, while not recommended by the manufacturer, is possible. But a scan through reviews from longer-term users found durability issues cited often enough that we wouldn’t recommend this one for daily wear and tear.
We like a brand that keeps things relatively crunchy, and this cork-banded glass cup offers an elegant version of that. However it’s not insulated, so it loses heat too quickly compared to the competition, while also feeling hot anywhere but the cork grip. Plus, it leaks, so it’s really more of a desk or office cup than something we’d want to take on a walk.
If you’re really tight on space and want to be able to crush your coffee cup down to about the size of a can of tuna when not in use, then this is the mug for you. OK, so it’s more of a cup you would have in your bag for an “in case of” situation than it is a daily commuter cup. It does work for coffee, but it’s not insulated, so don’t expect leisurely sips to still be warm hours later. Our main gripe is with the number of parts this cup comes with and must be kept track of in order to use it.
First, we should acknowledge that the main benefit of this Aeropress mug is that you can, indeed, fit the parts of a travel Aeropress Go Plus system inside, including a screw-on bottom that keeps your filters nice and dry. It’s essentially an accessory first and a travel mug second. That said, it performs decently as a 16-ounce travel cup, though its heat retention lags behind competitors. The splash-resistant magnetic sliding lid feels less premium than we’d expect from Aeropress, but it works fine for casual use. If you’re already an Aeropress fan, this tumbler makes brewing and drinking on the go simple. As a solo purchase, it’s serviceable but not exceptional.
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