Best flasks: we recommend our favourite insulated drinks receptacles

There are few luxuries that dedicated hikers afford themselves, but an insulated flask is one of them. They go nicely with a hand-operated espresso maker (check out our article on camping gadgets to see what we mean).

We've curated our top-rated insulated drinks flasks to help you choose the right one for your next trek.

What to look for in an insulated drinks flask

Volume: Do you need something to keep a takeaway latte warm, or do you want a day’s worth of cuppas in your pack? Is it just for you, or will you be sharing the contents? These factors, along with how much weight you’re prepared to carry, will decide the volume of liquid you need to fit in your flask.

Weight: Remember, one litre of water weighs one kilogram. A flask will only get heavier when full, so consider the empty weight of the flask and its volume to avoid overburdening yourself.

Drinking method: Some flasks come with a separate cup, while others are intended to be drunk from directly. The latter of these may have different openings, and some will be better suited to cold drinks than hot, lest you risk burning your lips.

Robustness: Most modern flasks are less breakable than the traditional glass insulated models, but some are better than others. If you tend to chuck your pack around with gay abandon, it’s worth making sure you choose a tough one.

Level of insulation: Good insulation comes at a price, both in terms of actual cost and weight. Cheaper, lighter flasks may keep the contents warm for a few hours. But if you want your last sip of the day to be as hot as the first, you may have to spend a little more and tolerate the extra grams.

The best insulated drinks flasks

If all you need is something in which to carry a single serving of hot drink – be that a mug of tea, a takeaway Americano, or a brandy-spiked hot chocolate – the Neverleak is perfect. Best of all, it can be tossed in your pack without fear of leakage thanks to the 3-position lid.

The simplicity of the Microlite flask is what makes it so good. No fancy lids or pouring mechanisms on this remarkably lightweight insulated flask, just a single, reliable stopper that fills the wide-mouth opening. It efficiently holds onto heat and prevents any leaks.

When tea for two is on the cards, this is the perfect solution. Cleverly storing two cups in its lid and with a leakproof easy-pour stopper, the Thermavac will keep its contents hot or cold for over a day and makes sharing an on-the-hill cuppa simple.

Brimming with nostalgia – a Thermos just like your granny used to have – the retro Revival (also available in green and blue tartan) is also a highly practical flask for one. It features a removable mug, a flip-up pourer in its internal stopper, and excellent insulation figures.

This vacuum insulated bottle will keep drinks cool for 24 hours. Combined with its convenient sip cap (although it also has a wide mouth opening for filling and cleaning), it's ideal for cold drinks on the hill.

The V8 is simple, robust, and fairly capacious. We like there are loads of colours (this green being our favourite) and that it'll genuinely keep beverages hot for about 12 hours (cold beverages cold for 24 hours). However, it's mouth isn't as wide as the 360° flask, but it's still fairly easy to clean.

This flask will keep your sauvignon blanc chilled or your mulled merlot hot for hours. It's designed specifically to swallow the contents of a whole wine bottle, but it works equally well for non-alcoholic tipples. We do of course say that if you're taking alcohol on your trek, be sensible and drink responsibly.

A proper traditional beefy flask that, unlike traditional flasks, is almost unbreakable. Big and heavy it may be, but if you need to keep tea on hand for the troops (or your walking buddies) this 1.3-litre bottle will keep its contents hot for up to 40 hours (or cold for six days).

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