5 of the Best Travel Mugs You Can Buy

The last thing you need is a cold cup of coffee on a crisp winter day. It’s almost as bad as a warm sip of water on a hot day.

Most of us have experienced one — or both — of these disappointments. Fortunately, the right travel mug keeps hot drinks hot, and cold beverages cold.

Now, Consumer Reports has unveiled ratings for travel mugs. Surprisingly, the most popular brands aren’t necessarily the best.

Bernie Deitrick, CR’s test engineer in charge of evaluating travel mugs, told the publication:

“One of the most interesting findings in our testing was that some of the really well-known brands, including Yeti and Starbucks, fell short of the competition. In certain cases, we’d find that the mug would be beautifully designed and styled but would have something like a flimsy plastic lid that would allow the heat to escape, or liquid to spill.”

While each of the 10 tested mugs keeps drinks hot for at least a few hours, some are better at remaining leak-proof, while others fit slim cup holders better than others. You can find the details at the Consumer Reports website.

Here are the travel mugs that received scores of at least 4 out of 5 across the board according to CR testing:

• Zojirushi, 16 ounces
• Thermos Stainless King, 16 ounces
• Takeya Traveller, 17 ounces
• Ello Campy, 16 ounces
• Yeti Rambler, 20 ounces

The Zojirushi and Ello models received more perfect scores than any of the other mugs tested.

CR says the former stood out for keeping drinks hot for “an astonishing 13 ½ hours — 6 hours longer than the closest competitor.” The mug also has an easy-to-clean screw-on cap, and can be opened with one hand. Its slim design makes it fit well in a variety of cup holders.

More great travel products

A great travel mug isn’t the only product you need when hitting the open road. For example, while the right travel mug can keep you from spilling coffee in the car, your shampoo still might leak out and make a mess of your luggage or car interior.

Fortunately, the Zoadle Travel Bottles Set for Liquids can save you from this fate. As we have reported:

“These reusable, TSA-approved, BPA-free travel containers come in a set of five wide-mouthed bottles of varying colors and sizes for toiletries, sunscreen or body wash.”

For these and other products — including a collapsible water bottle if space is at a premium — check out “18 Travel Products That Save You Time and Money.”