Best water bottles 2024 | Tested and reviewed

The iconic Sigg bottle is another stone-cold hiking classic. Made from aluminium (now 100% recycled aluminium created from old high voltage wiring and printing plates), it's one of the lightest bottles money can buy – just 147g.

Developed and produced in Switzerland and climate-neutral since 2022, the Traveller MyPlanet has a BPA-free interior coating that is resistant to fruit acids.

It's also leak-proof and tough; a well-used, well-aged Sigg bottle should bear the scars of its adventures with pride. And when it finally reaches the end of its life, the aluminium can be recycled again.

Lightweight (177g), leak-proof, free from BPA and BPS (types of harmful Bisphenol chemical), and near indestructible, the classic Nalgene bottle has become a hiking staple.

The wide mouth enables rapid gulping, easy cleaning (it's also dishwasher safe) and enables the addition of ice or fruit slices to cool or add taste.

The Sustain is made with materials derived from 50% waste plastic that would otherwise be destined for landfills, offsetting the use of fossil fuels and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. It's available in all the colours of the rainbow and a couple of shades of brown.

At a kilogram per litre, water is weighty; one way to get around that is to filter as you go. The new LifeStraw Peak comes with a soft plastic bottle and compact version of the brand's standard microfilter. The whole lot weighs 110g and rolls away when empty.

Top up from a stream and drink on the go or squeeze the filtered water into another container for cooking or drinking overnight.

The squishy bottle version of the established LifeStraw strips weight but adds versatility, acting as a personal bottle and general use filter.

Perhaps it's a little heavier and less practical than a hydration bladder, but because the Klean Kanteen Classic is made from stainless steel, the water always tastes cool and fresh, like the mountain stream it hopefully came from.

The optional Sports Cap is easy to use on the go and, when mooching around in the summer, you can thread a loop of paracord through the lid, string it over your shoulder and go about your day.

In summary, it's a robust bottle that makes water taste good. We use it in conjunction with a water filter on walks with plenty of water points.

The Grayl 24oz GeoPress Purifier is a portable filter water bottle made to filter a huge array of nasty things that can be found lurking in river water and non-tap water both in the UK and across the world. If you want a filtering water bottle that gives you total peace of mind and is unbelievably easy to use, this is it.

The Grayl filter water bottles use its OnePress system, where you fill the bottle and then press it to engage the filtering system. The replaceable filter works for 300 cycles/150 litres and removes 99.9999% of viruses and bacteria; particulates (including microplastic); and many chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, and heavy metals.

The GeoPress weighs 350g and produces 710ml of clean water per press.

The Chute Mag drink bottle is a functional, durable, and lightweight. It also comes in four volumes (600ml, 750ml, 1000ml, 1400ml) plus a large range of colours.

We like the magnetic cap, which stays out of the way when you're drinking. The Tritan Renew plastic used is very tough, BPA, BPS and BPF-free, while also being 50% recycled.

The Chute Mag can also be used with Camelbak's Eddy+ and Carry caps.

This is a lightweight double-walled stainless steel vacuum flask with a slim, compact design. The wide mouth makes for easy filling and cleaning, and the silicon grab handle means it is easy to pull from the side pocket of a rucksack.

Though it'll keep a brew warm for a couple of hours, it really comes into its own for keeping water ice-cold all day long, making it a top pick for summer hillwalking. 

Despite being an insulated flask, it weighs little more than most normal water bottles. It's supplied with a Lightweight Flex Cap, which also features Honeycomb insulation, but it is also compatible with HydroFlask's Hydro Flip and Wide Mouth Straw lids.

There are many things that make the Yeti Rambler JR a great water bottle for adventurous kids, and the first is that it feels virtually indestructible. Anyone who’s hiked or explored with children knows that they’re masters at destroying water bottles through any means necessary, but from our experience testing the Rambler over the past couple of years they’ve met their match.

The cap has a pop-up straw which is totally leak-resistant so can be stuffed in a pack with no concerns. Plus that pop-up straw is so solid that even the most ferocious little teeth won’t manage to chew through it. And trust us, our testers have tried.

The other main wins are the double-wall vacuum insulation that keeps drinks chilled even when temperatures are soaring (our testing photo above was taken on a Mediterranean beach), and the stainless steel armour that means the bottles can cope with being bashed against rocks without any structural damage.

Probably the only slight gripe is that, because of the thick insulated walls, the 354ml capacity probably doesn’t hold enough water for very long walks. But it’s a small price to pay for this kind of performance.