The best travel coffee mugs in 2024, tried and tested
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As a full-time travel writer, former van-lifer and self-proclaimed road trip queen, I can attest to the importance of having a functional, durable travel coffee mug to help you stay caffeinated on everything from early morning ski jaunts to cross-country driving days. It also helps if that same mug is versatile enough to serve as a leak-proof thermos to shove into your backpack for frigid winter hikes and chilly sunset picnics.
To find the absolute best travel mugs, we created an unbiased test rubric that incorporated top features like locking lids, carabiner clips and dishwasher compatibility, along with performance evaluations to assess each mug’s durability, leak proofing and insulation. The result? A thorough evaluation of the best travel coffee mugs on the market today. After all our tests, one clearly stood out above the rest as an essential piece of travel gear.
Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug
Best travel coffee mug
This stainless steel travel mug was the best at insulating hot drinks for long periods and showed the least wear and tear on our durability tests. It’s also blessedly leak-proof, with a lid lock you can trust in your purse or backpack.
Best travel coffee mug: Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug
$30 at Amazon
After perusing loads of online reviews and websites touting the amazing performance of Zojirushi’s Stainless Steel Mug, I was eager to get one in my hands for testing, especially since one of my best friends has been a massive fan of the brand’s famously high-tech rice cooker.
If you’ve used that rice cooker, it might not be a surprise that the Zojirushi mug came out on top in nearly all of our tests. It’s incredibly easy to use and drink out of, it kept boiling water the hottest and was super durable to boot. Unless you’re pinching pennies, there really isn’t any reason to buy any other travel mug than the Zojirushi.
Despite instructions that aren’t helpful unless you can read Japanese, the mug itself was straightforward and easy to use. A trigger button opened the vessel for easy drinking and a simple finger-switch on its lid locked the button, should I decide to toss it into my bag. It was one of the easiest mugs we tested to open and drink from, with a lock and button that you can operate with just one hand — critical for those who want to drink from their mug in the car. Plus, commuters will love the fact that all sizes of the Zojirushi mug — 12, 16 and 20 ounces — fit in a cup holder.
Where this mug truly excelled above the pack, however, was in its superior performance in our standardized tests. We filled the 16-ounce Zojirushi with 8 ounces of boiling water, then used a cooking thermometer to test the liquid’s temperature every 30 minutes for 5 hours. Compared to the other mugs on our list, the Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Mug out-performed our next-best insulator (Miir’s Flip Traveler) by 13 degrees Fahrenheit, sporting a steamy ending temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit after 5 hours.
I like to joke that the Zojirushi was almost too good at its job when I tested it in real-life settings, sipping my morning coffee as I answered emails or drove to my local ski hill because my beverages were kept piping hot for so long that it was tricky to drink them comfortably (I should note here that I’m a bit of a temperature baby when it comes to hot drinks). If this sounds like you, too, consider popping in a couple of ice cubes to get the temperature just right before hitting the road. Because of its ability to keep drinks hotter than anything else we could find in stores today, this would make an excellent mug to toss into your backpack for a warm drink in the middle of a chilly hike or to set on your desk and sip leisurely throughout the morning — especially since it has an ultra-leak-proof locking lid.
To test if any of the coffee mugs leaked, we vigorously shook them upside-down for 10 seconds. The Zojirushi was one of only a few mugs we tested (the others were the Miir 360 Traveler, Camelbak Forge Flow, Purist, Contigo and Momsiv) that didn’t leak a single drop during the test. This mug also showed the least damage in our durability tests, sporting exactly zero scrapes and nicks after being dropped onto a hard surface three times from a height of six feet and being scuffed against a rock wall.
The main downsides to this mug are that it’s hand wash only (though it held up well when I tossed it into my dishwasher for a single, sterilizing cleanse) and that its $30 price tag was on the higher end of our list. Unlike many of the mugs we tested, which feature dishwasher-safe lids, all components of the Zojirushi should be hand cleaned with detergent and a sponge or cloth, which can be a bit annoying, because its lid has a few moving parts to disassemble. If price is the main determining factor for you, check out Momsiv’s 12-Ounce Travel Mug, which performed well in our temperature, leak and durability tests, but comes in at a fraction of the price at only $15.
If you’re seeking a fabulous cold-weather gift for a loved one or simply want the best-of-the-best travel mug that’ll keep your hot drinks warm for hours on end without ever leaking, we heartily recommend Zojirushi’s Stainless Steel Mug. Not only did it outperform the competition when it came to long-lasting insulation and durability, but it was also awesomely leak-proof and came in loads of fun colorways so that you can showcase your unique style when toting it around town.
Everything you need to know about travel coffee mugs
Of course, the top feature when it comes to travel coffee mugs is insulation, aka how long it can actually keep your beverage hot. These days, most top-of-the-line mugs are made with BPA-free plastic and stainless steel, to give users a safe and sterile drinking experience. Some are also equipped with vacuum insulation, which refers to the evacuated layer of air between the cup’s two insulating layers. Vacuum insulation helps keep the inner liquids hot, while ensuring that the outer layer (which touches your hand) does not sweat or heat up and burn you.
Depending on how you plan to use your travel coffee mug, looking for features like leak-proofing and carabiner loops is likely a good idea. Many of the mugs on the market today have a simple twisting top, which did not perform as well in our leak tests as the products with a finger-release locking component. If you know you’ll be tossing your mug into a gym bag or briefcase before heading out in the morning, a fully-locking lid will serve you well. Plus, a carabiner clip makes attaching a drinking vessel to the outside of your bag or backpack a cinch.
Features like being dishwasher-safe versus hand wash only are also key before you plop down a pile of cash on a mug that’s annoying to sterilize. Because of their lid designs, some of the travel mugs on our list (like the Zojirushi) were more difficult to clean than others that were listed as fully dishwasher safe (like the Hydro Flask, which also performed well). Many of the mugs we tested offered dishwasher-safe lids and hand-wash cups, which helps alleviate some of the cleaning stress.
Lastly, price and warranty are notable when selecting a travel coffee mug. Unsurprisingly, most of the top-performing brands on the market also offer more comprehensive warranty coverage against manufacturer’s defects. While we were testing, we created a special category where we noted down the length and specifications of each warranty listed. Hydro Flask, Owala, Klean Kanteen, Miir and Camelbak all sported lifetime guarantees.
How we tested
Our editorial team came up with an extensive, multi-question rubric, complete with controlled at-home tests and in-the-field daily use cases to suss out the most durable, well-designed and intuitive travel coffee mugs for sale in 2024.
We put a special focus on the mugs’ design, insulation, durability, leakproofing, price and product warranty, then ranked them all based on their respective scores in each category. I also personally schlepped these mugs around at work and in the car for a month, assessing which ones were easiest to use while on the go.
Here are the specific experiments and testing rubric categories we used to assess the 11 travel coffee mugs that we researched for this article.
Design
Volume: We assessed different volumes available for each of the coffee mugs tested.
Functionality: We took note of any special features (like locking mechanisms, buttons, and carabiner clips) on each of the mugs.
Colors: We counted the number of colors and patterns available for each of the mugs we tested.
Installation and setup
Setup: We took apart and put back together every mug and assessed the ease of using each mug out of the box.
Packaging: We noted the way each mug was packaged and if the packaging seemed wasteful or if the mug was difficult to unbox and set up.
Durability
Abrasion scrape test: We took each mug outside to a rock wall and scuffed it 10 times to assess the durability of its paint or metal finish.
Drop test: Every coffee mug was dropped three times onto a hard surface from a height of six feet. Afterward, we noted if the mug was dented or scuffed.
Design check: We evaluated each of the travel coffee mugs’ lid designs to assess if there were complicated buttons or latches that could degrade over time.
Performance
Temperature testing: 8 ounces of boiling water was poured into each of the 11 mugs we tested. Over the course of five hours, we used a food thermometer to check the water’s temperature every thirty minutes and wrote it down.
Leak test: We filled each of the coffee mugs with 8 ounces of water, sealed it tight, flipped it upside-down over the sink and shook it vigorously for 10 seconds, noting if any drops of water leaked out.
Daily use: Over the course of a month, each coffee mug was used multiple times at my work desk, home and car settings to assess its ease of use across multiple locations and its cupholder-friendliness.
Cleaning
Dishwasher test: We read the online manual for each mug to see if it was dishwasher safe and noted down the results. We also ran each mug through the dishwasher once (even if it wasn’t listed as the recommended cleaning method) to see how they held up, in case a deeper cleaning/sanitation is sometimes necessary for the user.
Design check: We made notes about each mug’s lid and cup design, noting down if there were odd flaps or moving parts that might be difficult to clean.
Warranty and price
Online cost: We looked at the listed online cost of every travel coffee mug we tested and scored it relative to its competitors.
Warranty: We scoured each product’s website for warranty information and wrote down how many years are included for each and what that warranty covers.
Other travel coffee mugs we tested
Hydro Flask 16-Ounce Coffee with Flex Sip Lid
From $20 at Amazon or $33 at Hydro Flask
The other top performer in all of our tests was Hydro Flask’s stellar 16-Ounce Coffee with Flex Sip Lid. Though it couldn’t keep its 8 ounces of boiling water hot quite as long as the Zojirushi, and it showed a small dent after our drop test, this mug is extra easy to clean because it’s fully dishwasher safe, unlike most on our list. It also boasts a lifetime warranty (the Zojirushi only has a five-year) and comes from a company with excellent customer service.
Momsiv 12-Ounce Travel Mug
$15 at Amazon
If all you want is a wallet-friendly travel mug that doesn’t leak and insulates your drinks well for a couple of hours, the Momsiv 12-Ounce Travel Mug is a pretty great choice. No, it didn’t perform anywhere near the Zojirushi after housing a cup of boiling water for five hours, but it was awesomely leak-proof and decently durable. Unlike the other mugs we tested, Momsiv’s design also sported an extra-grippy, textured section around the cup, perfect for those delicate moments in the car or at the computer when a hot spill could mean disaster. Sadly, this little beauty is hand-wash only, but at an affordable price of $15, we hardly minded the added effort.
Stanley Classic Trigger-Action Travel Mug
$25 at Stanley
Though it’s listed as a top performer on many other review sites, we weren’t very impressed with Stanley’s Classic Trigger-Action Travel Mug. Not only is its design a bit clunky and utilitarian, but it also sports a wide trigger button that must be pressed down to allow liquid to flow out of the top spout. In our trials, this button wasn’t great for people with smaller hands and could get stuck partially pressed, causing surprise leaks. All this aside, the Stanley did keep beverages warm better than most on our list.
Owala SmoothSip Coffee Tumbler
$25 at Owala
Sure, it’s not a fully locking travel coffee mug, but we’re huge fans of Owala’s water bottles, so we decided to throw this newer tumbler into the mix. It comes in adorable colorways and boasts a sleek, grip-friendly design, but because its mouth opening doesn’t fully close, it didn’t keep drinks hot as long as its competitors, nor was it fully leak-proof.
Miir Flip Traveler
$28 at Miir
Miir’s line of coffee mugs boasted sleek, modern designs and was awesome at insulating hot liquids for many hours, but the Flip Traveler leaked a few drops in our shake test, putting it farther down on the list. We also found the flip top to be tough to open without wrenching it free with two hands. For the $28 price tag, you might as well just pony up the extra two bucks and grab a Zojirushi.
Miir 360 Traveler
$28 at Miir
Personally, I’m a huge fan of Miir’s unique 360 Traveler’s design, which allows users to sip a warm beverage from any angle. This made it awesome for in-car use and casual deskside sipping. However, it didn’t keep boiling water hot as long as our overall winner, and it showed small scuffs and a dent after our durability test. It’s a great hand-wash mug, but for $28, the Zojirushi came out ahead.
Camelbak Forge Flow 16-Ounce Travel Mug
$30 at Camelbak
We found this travel mug to be a cool idea that was executed poorly, unfortunately. Like the Stanley Trigger-Action, users must first press a button to get the lid’s spout to open up, but this button was narrower and disappeared into a plastic housing that made it tricky to keep it depressed while sipping. Its carabiner loop felt clunky and protruded at an odd angle, making belt-clipping a no-go. While it was awesomely durable, for its $30 price tag, we’d have to recommend the Zojirushi over Camelbak’s foray into the mug world.
Purist Maker Mug with Scope Top
$38 at REI
Even though it had the highest price tag of every vessel we tested, I loved the Purist Maker Mug for its chic design, great insulation and solid leak-proofing. Like the 360 Traveler by Miir, this lid allows users to drink from any angle, which is ideal for in-car use. Though we tested the 10-ounce model for this guide, I would recommend sizing up, as my caffeine addiction tends to want more than a small cup of Joe in the mornings. Ultimately, the Purist’s high price tag and shorter warranty kept it from winning in our tests.
Kleen Kanteen TKWide Insulated Coffee Tumbler
$33 at Klean Kanteen
While I loved that this mug was fully dishwasher safe and boasted a lifetime warranty, it scored in the bottom half of the pack in our five-hour temperature test and leaked more than a few drops of water when we flipped it upside-down and shook it for ten seconds. Combined, these two metrics disqualified the Klean Kanteen from our winner’s circle.
Contigo West Loop Travel Mug
$23 at Amazon
It was easy to see why Contigo’s West Loop Travel Mug is such a hit among the thousands of Amazon users who’ve given it a great review — it’s affordable, durable and insulates decently well. However, I found its press-down button to unlock the lid’s spout to be pretty unintuitive in daily use, and it didn’t score well enough on our insulation test to warrant its $23 price tag, especially when the Stanley Trigger-Action and Miir 360 Traveler are also under $30.
Note: The prices above reflect the retailers' listed price at the time of publication.
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