best squeezable travel bottles

13 Best Travel Toiletry Bottles: Editor Tested, Leakproof, & Reusable

By Meaghan Kenny

All products featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Beauty and skincare products like shampoo, moisturizer, and face wash are essential on every packing list , whether you're heading to a hotel or are staying with friends or family. Since buying miniature versions of your favorite products can be expensive—and typically means purchasing a whole lot of single-use plastics—having practical and reliable toiletry travel bottles you can pull out for every trip is a must.

To make sure the reusable bottles we're throwing in our Dopp kit are easy to use and don't leak, we tested out a variety of affordable travel sets to see which ones actually get the job done. Below, you'll find 13 of the best travel toiletry bottles that will protect the contents of your luggage—and all of the creams, soaps, and serums you've shelled out for—and keep you organized on the go. Even better, all of these picks are TSA-friendly in size, so you don't have to worry about any of your favorite products being thrown out at the airport. As an added bonus, many of these travel bottles are available on Amazon Prime, so you can get your hands on them quickly before a last-minute getaway.

How we tested

I scoured the internet to find the most popular travel toiletry bottles—searching a variety of retailers, reading hundreds of reviews, and considering online ratings. After my initial research, I put many reusable toiletry bottles to the test, trying out dozens of options that range in price, size, and design. I've had some of these toiletry bottles for over a year and they've accompanied me on a mix of weeklong vacations in checked luggage and short weekend trips in tightly-packed duffel bags .

Over the last several months, I tested another batch of options: I've filled them with a variety of skincare, hair care, and body products—thick body wash, contact solution, and leave-in conditioner included. I've even left these filled containers upside down overnight to see if there were any unexpected leaks. My findings: There are many great options on the market to choose from and you don't need to break the bank to find the perfect set for you. Below, the best travel toiletry bottles to pack wherever you're headed next .

Our top picks

• Best overall: Tocelffe 18-Pack travel bottles
• Best for easy packing: Cadence The Capsule Flex System
• Best for in-shower products: LiquiSnugs silicone travel bottles
• Best for perfume: Vonovo mini refillable perfume bottles
• Best for contact solution: Cauyuan portable contact lens case

Browse reusable bottles for:

Hair and body wash, cleansers and serums, contact lens care, a variety of products.

This article has been updated with new information since its original publish date.

No matter how organized I try to stay, my bathroom counter at every hotel always becomes cluttered with my many toiletries and hair products . The LiquiSnugs look like your classic silicone travel bottles, but they feature a clever suction cup on the back that allows you to stick them onto any shower wall—freeing up limited counter space. These are great for in-shower products like shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. This set of four bottles features two 3-ounce bottles and two 2-ounce bottles, so you can choose how much product you need depending on the length of your trip. Another smart design feature: Twist the top to adjust the label name so you won't forget what's inside. I've had these for about a year now and I consistently reach for these to pack shampoo and conditioner.

Pros : The unique suction cup design makes them great for shower products.

Cons : These occasionally will fall off shower walls if there's not a little bit of water to keep them in place.

This Amazon bestseller is versatile enough for every type of traveler. The 18-pack from Tocelffe features four silicone bottles of varying size (two 3-ounce bottles and two 2-ounce bottles), four small jars for creams and serums, two spray bottles, two spatulas, a funnel, labels, and a cleaning brush. These all come in a waterproof toiletry bag that you can reuse to carry makeup or tech essentials. In this set, I find myself mostly reaching for the ultra-soft silicone bottles, which are great for products like body wash, face cleanser, and micellar water. Each of these bottles feature three-layer leak-proof tops so you don't have to worry about spills in your bag. Something I love about these bottles is how they can be bent and squeezed easily to get every last bit of product out of them.

Pros: Very affordable, comes in a clear toiletry case, and the bottles' wide opening makes it easy to refill. Cons: The small plastic jars are not as reliable as the silicone bottles in this set.

If you're just looking for a few affordable no-frills travel bottles, these are for you. Available in a variety of colors, the silicone bottles do just what they say they will. They're leakproof, come in a set of four, and are easy to refill and clean. While there’s no bells and whistles, these three-ounce bottles pleasantly surprised me with just how much product they fit compared to some of the other classic silicone bottles we tested, making them an ideal option for a longer vacation. Plus, these have an average of 4.5 stars on Amazon with over 11,000 global reviews.

Pros: Versatility; available in many colorways

Cons : This set doesn't come with labels or a proper toiletry case.

Another solid choice for travelers is this set of four 3-ounce silicone travel bottles. These are squeezable, leakproof, and versatile enough to use for everything from shower products and soaps to sauces and baby food. These reusable bottles are all the same size and each a different color so you can differentiate them. Bonus: This set comes in a transparent toiletry case to keep them all organized in.

Pros : This set is available in a dozen colorways; wide opening makes them easy to refill without needing a funnel. Cons : This set doesn't come with labels.

If you prefer to bring along a bar of soap instead of using what's provided at the hotel, this compact soap box is a great travel companion. Inside, there's a soap mat that absorbs any excess water and prevents the soap from becoming mushy. I've used other plastic soap cases before without a mat and it always leaves a mess. This one features a silicone band that wraps tightly around the box for extra protection, and is about the size of a deck of cards.

Pros : Fits most commonly used soap brands, affordable, and features a simple-to-use design.

Cons : The soap box needs the band to stay secure so be careful not to lose it.

I've been a fan of Cadence's capsules for a few years now. These leakproof, airtight, and watertight magnetic capsules are unlike any other travel bottles I've used and are a true game changer when it comes to packing your own beauty products. The individual capsules magnetically snap together to take up as little space as possible in your Dopp kit and are designed without any right angles or edges, so you get every last bit of product available.

The original .56-ounce individual capsules are great for weekend trips and storing small items like daily vitamins and safety pins. The Capsule Flex System allows you to customize your own bundle with your choice of small , medium , and large sizes, as well as The Extender —an add-on that allows you to increase the size of the bottle when you need more room. This makes it so easy to customize your travel routine, whether you want to pack extra product for longer trips or bring enough body wash for you and your travel buddy. With The Flex System, you can still choose your own label for each capsule (the labels are interchangeable), as well as the color and number of capsules in your bundle.

Pros : It's easy to get every last drop of product inside each capsule and they are so easy to rinse out and reuse. The custom labels can be swapped out depending on what you're packing.

Cons : These are the most expensive option on our list.

I was eager to test out the Ries travel bottles after hearing a lot of buzz about the product and seeing them make their way into retailers like Sephora and Goop. These are a more elevated, aesthetically pleasing take on the classic reusable travel bottles you may have used in the past. Ries prioritized sustainability and design with these essentials: Each bottle is made from recycled plastic and features a large opening at the top, which makes it easy to refill and clean (not to mention, they're dishwasher safe). Travelers can purchases these bottles individually (a 3.4-ounce bottle or a 1.7-ounce bottle) or in a set with both sizes . My favorite thing about these bottles is the airless pump—I feel so glamorous while doing my nighttime skincare routine with these, and it makes it easier to use products like face wash or cleanser on the road. The bottles are pre-labeled (shampoo, conditioner, body, face) and you can twist the top to the side to conceal the opening, so product won't spill out.

Pros : Sustainably made; if you prefer a pump, these are for you.

Cons : On the pricier side; the bottles are a bit bulky and take up a little more room in my makeup bag than most travel-size products I use.

Finally, a solution to my contact lens woes. I can't count the number of times I've stopped into a drugstore to buy a mini bottle of contact lens solution before heading out on a trip, or to pick up rewetting drops because I'm dealing with dry contacts while away from home. This compact case makes cleaning and caring for contacts on the go much easier—it comes with an easy-to-fill reusable dropper that gives me a long weekend's worth of solution, a contact case, and has a mirror to help get them in and out. (I don't like to fly in contacts, so this is particularly handy if I forget to switch to my glasses before leaving home.) It weighs next to nothing, and will fit in all but my smallest handbags, so I've been keeping it on me regularly, not just when traveling. — Madison Flager, senior commerce editor

Pros : It comes with a tiny pair of tweezers to make removing contacts from the case less messy. Cons : The contact solution holder isn't large enough for weeklong trips.

I admit I've also been guilty of buying mini versions of my favorite contact solution. As much as I love reusable toiletry bottles for my skincare and hair products, I've never had anything that felt right for the consistency of my contact solution. I wear daily lenses, meaning I don't need a whole lot of solution with me when I travel, so it is a little frustrating to carry around a bottle that takes up precious space in my Dopp kit. Lately, I've been carrying about the Cauyuan eye glass case which comes with a super small dropper for contact solution. This refillable dropper holds just enough contact solution for weekend trips and shorter vacations and takes up such little space (I've even found myself tossing it in my handbag in case my eyes get a little dry.) This durable case keeps all of my eye care essentials together and protected, with a separate compartment for eye glasses, and another that holds the dropper, tweezers, a contact case, and a mirror.

Pros : All of my eyewear essentials are now in once place and stay organized; the dropper is small enough to fit in a tiny purse. Cons : The compartment for your eye glasses is on the small size—if you have thick or bulky frames, they might not fit.

I've never found a reusable spray bottle for my perfume that I've liked, so I've always relied on buying miniature versions of each of my favorite fragrances. But let's be real—those travel-size perfume bottles are expensive! They're often made of glass, too, making them vulnerable to breaking in your luggage. Enter the Vonovo mini refillable perfume bottles: Each of these holds 0.2 ounces of your favorite scent, more than enough for a long vacation. This set comes with five spray bottles, so you can bring along any of your favorites—or all of them. And they are so easy to use—simply pull off the top of your full-size perfume, press the bottom of the mini bottle on top of it, and keep clicking until its refilled. Each of the bottles have a clear vial inside so you can see how much product you have left. My favorite part: These are so tiny—think the size of a lipstick— meaning I can even bring them with me on a date night when I'm only carrying a small purse .

Pros : Easy to refill and compact enough to fit in even the tiniest of travel bags Cons : These spray bottles wont match the look of your full-size perfume and don't have labels, so you'll have to remember based on the color of the mini bottle you choose. Also, these can be refilled with the same perfume, but I wouldn't recommend reusing them with another scent.

For those with a more rigid skincare or haircare routine, this 16-pack lets you bring along every last product you want—and it all fits into one reusable case. The set comes with four silicone bottles, four jars, two spray bottles, two scoopers, a funnel, and a cleaning brush. The variety means you can pack everything from soap and shampoo to serums and sprays in here, and the cleaning brush makes the bottles easy to clean and re-use. I like this set best for packing my more expensive skincare serums and creams in the small jars that have a scooper to use.

Pros : A variety of types of containers

Cons : The toiletry case the bottles come in isn't the best quality.

The Kitsch Ultimate travel set includes leakproof holders that are compact and lightweight enough to pack in a purse or tote bag . In addition to three flat pouches, this set also comes with two pump bottles, two mini jars, one mini funnel, one mini spatula, and one mini pipette. This set is best for a longer trip—say, a European vacation or a cross-country road trip —as you can store a lot more shampoo, conditioner, and lotions in the pouches without going over any TSA limits (plus, they'll get lighter as you use them).

Pros : The flat pouches are easy to pack and take up less room in a Dopp kit than bulkier bottles.

Cons : The pouches are a little bit harder to refill than bottles with a wide opening.

If you're packing toiletries for your entire family , this 21-pack of travel bottles has you covered. This package comes with four silicone bottles, four cream jars, four toothbrush covers, two spray bottles, two pump bottles, two trowels, a funnel, and labels to keep everything straight. Whether it's a trip to Disney World or multi-generational cruise , this set makes packing for the whole family easy.

Pros : These come with toothbrush covers–a nice travel accessory that none of the other options on our list offers.

Cons : Not ideal for weekend trips or light packers.

The 7 Best Travel Toiletry Bottles of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Avoid spills and score style points with these liquid containers

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TripSavvy / Leticia Almeida

There’s nothing worse than arriving excitedly at your destination to find that your toiletries have spilled all over your suitcase. Or to be the person who holds up the line at security while the TSA agents discard your oversized liquids. Both of these scenarios are easily avoided by investing in a set of appropriately sized, 100 percent leakproof travel toiletry bottles. There are lots of options out there in terms of bottle quantity, size, and design, with the right one for you depending on factors such as how long you’ll be traveling and the complexity of your beauty routine. 

To help you narrow down the choices, our team of travel experts put 14 toiletry bottle sets to the test. Each one was scored for ease of use, quality, design, performance, and value, with average scores used to determine the winners of categories ranging from “best budget” to “most durable.”

Final Verdict

How we tested.

• What to Look For

Why Trust TripSavvy

Best overall, liquisnugs premium leak-proof silicone travel bottles.

• Ease of Use 5 /5
• Quality 5 /5
• Design 5 /5
• Performance 5 /5

Very secure, with no leaks during testing

Stick to vertical surfaces

Easy to stay organized

Lack of variety

The LiquiSnugs Premium Silicone Travel Bottles offer flawless performance at a price so reasonable our tester was shocked by it. The set includes two 2-ounce bottles and two 3-ounce bottles, both of which adhere to TSA carry-on regulations. We liked the flexibility afforded by the two different sizes since there are always products we need more and less of on vacation. We were able to easily fit all four in a quart-sized Ziploc bag simultaneously without placing pressure on any of them. All bottles are made of flexible, food-grade, BPA-free silicone, making them easy to pack and dispense. 

With a dripless valve and bottleneck design, the bottles are advertised as 100 percent leakproof—a claim we can support, with no spillages even after being dropped and thrown around repeatedly during testing. We liked that the bottles’ wide mouths made them simple to fill, empty, and clean as needed. Other highlights include the suction pad on the back of each bottle (great for attaching them to the bathroom wall) and the changeable labels. Options for the latter include shampoo, conditioner, sunscreen, soap, and lotion, enabling you to switch up the uses on each trip. 

Number of Bottles: 4 | Sizes: (2) 2-ounce, (2) 3-ounce | Materials: Silicone

TripSavvy / Tamara Staples

Best Budget

Vitog travel bottles kit.

• Ease of Use 4 /5
• Performance 4.5 /5

Multiple dispensing methods

Comes with several functional extras

Good value for money

Capacity could be larger

Retailing for half the price of our already affordable overall winner, the Vitog Travel Bottles Kit is a no-brainer for budget-conscious buyers. It includes six 1.4-ounce bottles and two 0.4-ounce bottles. The larger ones consist of two pump bottles with a removable clip to prevent accidental deployment, two spray bottles, and two flip-cap bottles. The smaller ones are miniature cream jars. All eight are made from clear PET plastic, which we found durable yet lightweight enough for travel. We also liked that we could easily see how much product was left.

We appreciated the thoughtful inclusion of a pipette, a funnel, and a spatula to help with decanting products from their original containers. They made the bottles relatively easy to fill, although we did experience some spillage when decanting thick body lotion. Nevertheless, there was no leaking or visible wear and tear after our intensive testing process. The set also includes a sheet of labels and a clear plastic toiletry bag. The only real drawback? None of the bottles are particularly big, making this option suitable for short trips only. 

Number of Bottles: 8 | Sizes: (2) 0.4-ounce, (6) 1.4-ounce | Materials: PET plastic

Cadence The Originals Set

• Design 4.5 /5
• Performance 4 /5

Unique design

Performed well throughout testing

Customizable

More of an investment than others

Limited capacity

The Originals from Cadence are small, hexagonal capsules with screw-top lids that connect magnetically together in any shape or configuration you like. Aesthetics are at the forefront of this brand, as you can choose different colors for each capsule as well as printed, switchable, magnetic labels. In fact, they look so cute that you could even buy toiletries in bulk and decant them into these capsules for use at home. Sustainable practices like these are reinforced by the fact that the capsules are made from 20 percent recycled ocean-bound plastic. 

We love that the capsules’ wide mouths and rounded interiors make them effortless to fill, use, and clean. They’re also 100 percent leakproof, waterproof, and airtight, as proven by our testing process. We found them incredibly durable and can’t imagine a scenario that would result in them being punctured or crushed. They are small (each one carries just 0.56 ounces), which could be a drawback. However, a capacity calculator on the brand website suggests you can carry approximately a week’s worth of products, depending on how regularly you use each one. 

Number of Bottles: 6 | Sizes: (6) 0.6-ounce | Materials: Hard plastic

Most Durable

Mrsdry travel bottles.

• Ease of Use 3.5 /5
• Design 4 /5

Soft yet rugged silicone construction

Effective leakproofing

User friendly

No diversity in size or design

If your primary concern when packing liquids in your hand luggage is leaking, you’ll love the Mrsdry Travel Bottles Set. It consists of four 3-ounce bottles, each made of thick silicone that feels ultra-durable, and they stood up perfectly to our squeeze and drop tests. We were particularly impressed with the bottles’ no-drip valves, which successfully prevented leaks. All four bottles use the same shape and dispensing method—a pro for those who want lots of capacity for fewer products, and a drawback for those with a more complex personal care routine. 

Having said that, we did feel that this set is so reasonably priced, there’s nothing to stop you from buying multiple sets if you have more products to pack. Instead of labels, the bottles come in four separate shades to distinguish between them. We also liked that their wide opening makes them easy to fill, even with thicker liquids and gels. And when it comes to cleaning them, the bendable silicone easily accommodates a bottle brush. All colorways include a transparent carry case. 

Number of Bottles: 4 | Sizes: (4) 3-ounce | Materials: Silicone

Best Variety

Morfone 16 pack travel bottles.

• Ease of Use 4.5 /5
• Quality 4.5 /5

Good array of containers

Burly silicone handles rough treatment

Jar lids are weaker than expected

Multicolored style may not suit everyone

The Morfone Travel Bottles Set caters to travelers with an extensive beauty routine. With 10 containers in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and dispensing methods, you can take a broad range of products in just the right quantities for your time away. Options are as follows: two 1-ounce spray bottles, two 3-ounce squeeze bottles, two 2-ounce squeeze bottles, two 1-ounce jars, and two 0.3-ounce jars. We were impressed by the capacity of the largest bottles, which we felt could easily hold at least four washes’ worth of shampoo and conditioner. 

The bottles are made of durable yet flexible food-grade silicone, with wide mouths for easy filling and cleaning. We appreciated the inclusion of two scoopers, a funnel, and a cleaning brush to help with these tasks, as well as a sheet of labels. Most of the containers held up well to our durability tests with no leaks or spills. The only exception was one of the jars, which suffered a broken lid. The set comes in a transparent carry bag and could fit into a quart-sized Ziploc (a TSA requirement) with some skillful maneuvering, although it was tight. 

Number of Bottles: 10 | Sizes: (2) 0.3-ounce, (4) 1-ounce, (2) 2-ounce, (2) 3-ounce | Materials: Silicone

Best for Larger Capacities

Insfit tsa carry-on approved containers.

Great value for money

Well-designed lids

Choice of cute color palettes

Can be finicky with certain products

The INSFIT set is ideal for those who like to keep things simple with only a handful of essential products but also tend to travel for longer and need as much capacity as TSA will allow. It features four identical 3-ounce silicone bottles large enough to hold at least one to two weeks’ worth of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and sunscreen (or similar). The bottles are squeezable, which makes dispensing simple, although we found that thicker lotions and gels were easier to squeeze if the bottle was at least half full.

Other highlights include fully removable caps and wide mouths for mess-free filling and easy cleaning, and three-layered lids that are essentially leakproof. Even during our pressure test, caps remained securely in place, and afterward, the bottles still looked brand new. In fact, we were shocked to find out how affordable this set is given its evident quality. We also liked the stylish, see-through carry bag and the fact that there’s a special place on the caps to stick the included labels so that they adhere properly. 

Best for Backpacking

Matador flatpak toiletry bottle.

Ideal for reducing heft and bulk

Thoughtful design elements

Proved durable during our testing

Difficult to fill with thicker consistencies

Made of waterproof 30D Cordura ripstop nylon with proprietary welded construction, the Matador FlatPak Toiletry Bottles are by far the most technical option on this list. With their flat-pack design and sturdy quality, they’re designed especially for adventures and expeditions where saving on space and weight is a priority . With a capacity of 3 ounces each, they’re five times lighter and 3.5 times more compact than standard silicone bottles, and pliable enough to fit into tight spaces: the ultimate backpacking companion. 

We found them easy to fill with any liquid that was the consistency of shampoo or thinner. Thicker gels and lotions were tricky since the mouth wasn’t as wide as that of standard travel bottles. Still, any mess is easy to clean off the waterproof exterior. They fit easily into a quart-sized Ziploc, and we love the snap hook for attaching to the outside of your backpack for on-the-go use. The loop also features a spot for writing a description of the contents with a permanent marker. As expected, the packs survived all our tests with zero leaks or signs of damage. 

Number of Bottles: 3 | Sizes: (3) 3-ounce | Materials: 30D Cordura ripstop nylon

Our overall favorite was the LiquiSnugs Premium Travel Bottles set. These bottles stood out for their durable, leakproof silicone construction and thoughtful extras including adjustable labels and individual suction pads. For the most budget-friendly option, choose the small yet sturdily versatile Vitog Travel Bottles Kit .

Upon receiving the bottles, our first step was to examine their overall quality and design and note any unique features. Then, we filled at least three of the bottles in the set: one with lotion, one with micellar water, and one with shampoo. For each one, we noted how easy it was to fill without spilling, how easy it was to clean if spillage did occur, and how appropriate each bottle would be for holding different types of liquid. We also tested how easy it was to open the bottle and dispense the product inside. 

Next, we compressed the bottles in our palms to mimic pressure. We shook them, rolled them, squeezed them, and threw them to stimulate rough handling in transit, noting how well they withstood this treatment. Our final test was to put all of the bottles from the set into a quart-sized Ziploc bag, and then inside a toiletry bag. Then, we dropped them from waist height three times, always from different angles, to see whether any breakages or leaks occurred and whether the bottles showed any signs of wear and tear. 

Each set was scored on a scale of one to five for ease of use, quality, design, performance, and value. Average scores were used to determine our category winners.

Other Travel Toiletry Bottles We Tested

GLOBEGEAR Travel Bottles : This nine-piece set features a solid range of containers and tools made of hard plastic that doesn't feel flimsy. We deducted points for the skimpy capacity of the bottles, which would only last a few days or applications (and made filling the bottles difficult), though the affordable price makes this a good option for the infrequent traveler.

Kitsch Travel Containers : Fans of variety will appreciate the range of products included in this compact kit. It won't set you back much and, accordingly, we feel it also won't last long. We like the idea of the flat containers but found them somewhat difficult to fill.

Cosywell Travel Containers : The Cosywell Containers are all the same shape in 10- and 20-milliliter capacities. We found the plastic and silicone jars easy to fill and well-designed, but they're more suited to thick liquids such as gels and creams.

What to Look For in Travel Toiletry Bottles

Durability is key when choosing travel toiletry bottles since containers that are easily punctured or cracked will result in a mess that’s at best inconvenient and at worst potentially expensive or upsetting depending on how much product is wasted and whether any other items in your carry-on are affected. Look for options made out of sturdy hard plastic or thick, flexible silicone, then check user reviews to get an idea of how the construction holds up under real-life travel conditions. If you’re planning an extreme adventure, technical options like the waterproof flat-pack bottles from Matador may be worth the extra expense.

Leakproofness

A bottle doesn’t have to break for leaks to occur—all it takes is a poorly constructed seal or lid. Look for bottles with a triple-layered leakproof cap and jars with a secure screw top. Pump bottles should come with a removable clip that prevents them from being deployed accidentally. Again, user reviews help check how efficient these measures are (it’s easy for a brand to advertise their product as leakproof, even if it’s not). Some brands, like Cadence, actually guarantee the efficacy of their leakproof design. Just in case, we always recommend storing toiletry bottles in a waterproof bag or Ziploc as a second line of defense. 

If you plan on packing your toiletry bottles in your carry-on bag, you must make sure that none of them exceed the TSA-approved limit of 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters). Some sets are made up of identical large bottles of around 3 ounces, giving you the maximum allowable capacity for each of your products. However, because all bottles must fit in a single quart-sized Ziploc bag, this limits the number of bottles to around four. 

If you have more products to pack, you may prefer a set that divides this capacity between a greater number of smaller bottles and containers—especially if you only require some of your liquids in very small quantities. The length of your trip will also dictate how big you need your bottles to be unless you only plan on using your carry-on liquids as a backup in case the full-size versions in your checked luggage get delayed. 

Toiletries can be stored in opaque, translucent, or transparent bottles of any color as long as each individual bottle does not exceed the maximum capacity limit. For carry-on bags, most authorities including TSA set that limit at 3.4 ounces. Liquids can be in their original container or decanted into any container of your choosing (even one that’s labeled incorrectly), as long as these size restrictions are adhered to. 

Most airport authorities—including TSA—rule that bottles containing liquids, aerosols, gels, creams, and pastes cannot exceed 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) if you wish to pack them in your carry-on luggage . In addition, all of these bottles must fit inside a quart-sized Ziploc bag and be screened separately from the rest of your luggage at security. Containers that exceed this limit will not be permitted, even if the volume of the product inside is less than 3.4 ounces (for example, if you have a half-used bottle of conditioner). Note that these restrictions do not apply to checked luggage.

Although toiletry bottles don’t have to be labeled from a legal perspective, many people like to do so to ensure they don’t end up brushing their teeth with expensive moisturizer, or vice versa. Some travel bottles come with waterproof stickers, especially for this purpose, and you can also purchase them separately online. This is a better option than writing on a standard office label by hand since toiletry bottles frequently get wet and ink can run and cause staining or become illegible. Alternatively, a permanent marker applied directly to the bottle could be an option if you’re always going to use the same container for the same product.

Jessica Macdonald is a regular contributor of travel-related commerce articles. She has visited more than 50 countries across six continents and lived out of a backpack for several months on many occasions. As such, she knows firsthand the value of travel bottles that allow you to reach your destination without any spillages. Products featured in this article were chosen according to tests carried out by TripSavvy’s team of travel experts.

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The Very Best Toiletry Bottles

To keep your travel-size liquids organized — and leakproof..

In this article

• Best overall
• Best classic
• Best flat pack
• Best silicone
• Best modular

Surrendering your favorite moisturizer at airport security is no way to begin a vacation. That’s where refillable toiletry bottles come in — not only are they under the TSA-approved 3.5 ounces, they’re leakproof with secure lids you can use over and over again. Of course, not all toiletry bottles are created equal, and if you’ve ever had a shampoo explosion in your carry-on thanks to a flimsy lid, you might be cautious. ( There are always minis , but when you already own full-size versions of your toiletries, that added cost feels redundant.) To find the best toiletry bottles for every kind of traveler, I spoke to frequent fliers and travel experts about the toiletry bottles that won’t lead to travel disasters, then tested out those recommendations for myself alongside my fellow Strategist staffers. While you’re here, we’ve also written guides to the best carry-on luggage and men’s Dopp kits .

What we’re looking for

Number of bottles.

I’ve made a clear note beneath each set of toiletry bottles, as the number of bottles included is different for each product on this list. The higher the number of bottles in a kit means more storage space but also a higher variety of bottle types, too. For example, if you’re someone with a complex skin-care routine , you’ll want a bigger kit with tubs, pump-top bottles, and classic bottles to house all your lotions and sprays. If you’re someone who packs lighter, a smaller kit should be more than enough.

Accessories

They’re designed to keep things clean , but sometimes decanting your products into toiletry bottles can get pretty messy. Luckily, lots of kits come with accessories to make the whole process a little simpler, from funnels for divvying up liquids to spatulas for scooping face cream from one bottle to another (and brushes for keeping your bottles clean). To keep things organized, some kits also come with a transparent bag to keep all of your bottles in one place (and save you from having to squeeze them into a flimsy plastic bag at security).

Maximum capacity

The size of the bottle you’ll want will depend on what you plan to decant into it and how long you’ll be traveling. I’ve included the maximum fluid capacity of each bottle (or of the biggest bottle in each set) so you know how big you can go.

Best toiletry bottles overall

Number of bottles : 17 | Accessories: Funnel, spatula, cleaning brush, plastic bag | Maximum capacity: Three ounces

This comprehensive travel-bottle set includes two 3-ounce silicone bottles, two 2-ounce silicone bottles, two 25-millimeter pump-top bottles, four plastic tubs, two toothbrush covers, a funnel, two spatulas, and a cleaning brush , all inside a transparent plastic case. My fellow Strategist writer Rachael Griffiths has taken it on 11 flights so far with great success. Inside the larger bottles, she’ll squeeze shampoo and conditioner ; cleanser and moisturizer goes inside the smaller bottles. The tubs are for a little smidgen of eye cream , she says, “and I’ll also pour some setting spray into the spray-pump bottles if I’m planning a big night out.” The caps screw on tight and have been consistently leak-free, and she likes how the bottles are made of a clear plastic, so you can easily see how much product you’ve gone through on your trip (and how much you’ve got left to last you). The set also comes recommended by frequent travelers like Simify director Mac Steer and River North Communication CEO Kelly Ferraro, who made the investment after tragically surrendering several luxury face creams to security and hasn’t looked back.

Best (less expensive) toiletry bottles

Number of bottles: 11 | Accessories: Funnel, stopper, spatula | Maximum capacity: 3.04 ounces

I like the price point of these bottles (the 11-piece kit is regularly on sale for less than $10) and that they’re dishwasher-safe. Brittany Allyn, the blogger behind Thirty Waves who documents her travels on TikTok, was initially drawn to them for aesthetic reasons but has found that they’re also “versatile for all my products: shampoo, conditioner, favorite hair product, serum, spray, and three small containers for my other skin-care products.” The kit comes with a mix of pouches, traditional bottles, and capsule-esque mini-jars as well as a funnel, spatula, and pipette to help you fill them up.

Best classic toiletry bottles

Number of bottles: Six | Accessories: Plastic bag | Maximum capacity: Three ounces

I am consistently impressed by Sea to Summit’s travel and outdoor products , which are typically more durable and cleverly designed than those of competing brands. So I wasn’t surprised when Andres Zuleta, the founder of Boutique Japan , recommended them. “I used to use the ones you can get anywhere, at Duane Reade or Target — like, the ones that are colorful and kind of squishy and have a flip-top lid,” Zuleta says. “Honestly, I had problems with those every time. One of them would always leak.” He hasn’t experienced any of that with Sea to Summit bottles. Zuleta describes them as mini Nalgene water bottles because of their tough exterior. “They are airtight,” he adds. “I’ve been using them for two years now and never had an issue.” The pack comes with three three-ounce bottles and three 1.3-ounce bottles, which Zuleta says is plenty. He fills his with hand sanitizer , lotion , jojoba oil, and shower gel and says he always comes home with his bottles at least partially full. He’s a fan of the actual bag it comes with, too. Instead of plastic, it’s made from TPU, a durable, abrasion-resistant material that is a reusable alternative to single-use plastic bags, according to the brand. It’s roomy enough that, in addition to the bottles, Zuleta can fit in some extras, such as his Malin+Goetz deodorant and a travel toothbrush.

Best flat-pack toiletry bottles

Number of bottles: Three | Accessories: None | Maximum capacity: Three ounces

When I asked travel blogger Jessica Ufuoma about good gifts for frequent fliers , she told me about these toiletry bottles from Matador. They’re nylon leakproof packs that can be filled up with all the liquids you’ll need for your trip. Each one holds three ounces, so they’re compliant with TSA requirements. The flat-pack design also makes them more compact than traditional bottles, allowing you to stuff even more into your toiletry bag. In addition to the functionality, Ufuoma likes the look of these pouches. “Their sleek and minimalist designs make for the perfect gift for stylish and savvy travelers,” she says.

Best silicone toiletry bottles

Number of bottles: Three | Accessories: None | Maximum capacity: 3.4 ounces

Even if you’re not flying, reusable toiletry bottles can come in handy. Emily Mandagie, one-half of the couple behind the outdoors-focused website the Mandagies , says she takes these Humangear squeeze bottles on nearly every overnight adventure and recommends them for backpacking and road trips. These silicone bottles come in 3.4-ounce, 2.5-ounce, and 1.7-ounce sizes, and Mandagie loves how versatile they are. “For example, on road trips we will fill them with things like face wash and dish soap, but on backpacking trips we’ll fill them with sunscreen or even condiments for a meal,” she says. They are FDA food safe, she says, so there’s no worries there, and they are also dishwasher safe, making them easy to clean. One trip’s sriracha container can be another’s shampoo bottle.

Best (less expensive) silicone bottles

Number of bottles: Six | Accessories: None | Maximum capacity: 3.04 ounces

Travel blogger Nina Ragusa (known as Where in the World Is Nina? ) has been all over the world with this more affordable silicone set, which she says outperforms Walmart’s own-brand options and is more space efficient, too. “So many other plastic bottles resulted in an explosion of liquid in my toiletry bag,” she says. “They crack and break.” Typically, a harder plastic toiletry bottle will maintain its shape, making it always the same size. “These bottles, though, smoosh down as you use them, eventually getting almost flat,” saving you space in your bag as your trip progresses. “And they quite simply won’t break.”

Best modular travel containers

Number of bottles: Sold individually or in sets of 6 and 12 | Accessories: None | Maximum capacity: 0.56 ounces

Cadence makes stylish, multiuse magnetic containers from ocean-bound plastic. Sold individually, they’re designed to cling to each other, creating what the company calls a “honeycomb.” The lids, each of which gets its own custom label, are also magnetic, which makes them more airtight. I was skeptical about these because of their high price point, but I’m sold after taking them on a couple of international trips last year. First of all, it is way easier to decant product into tubs as opposed to squeezable bottles — no more last-minute messing around with funnels before a flight. The capsules are also incredibly solid in their construction, to the extent that I feel comfortable tossing them into my backpack or suitcase wherever they fit, rather than storing them a separate leakproof toiletry bag that takes up valuable space. Briona Lamback, the founder of Buoyant, adds that they’re small but mighty: “I usually get enough cleanser and moisturizer for a sixish-day trip in each.”

Best (less expensive) modular travel containers

Number of bottles: Sold individually | Accessories: None | Maximum capacity: 2.2 ounces (large petite tube), 1 ounce (large cream container)

If you want to build your own set of refillable toiletry bottles on a budget and can live without cute colors and magnets, I’m also a fan of Muji’s simple plastic travel containers and have used them on many trips. While I’d probably store them in a waterproof toiletry bag just to be safe, I’ve never had leakage issues with these, and there are a number of size options for different lengths of trips. Just note that they don’t come with any accessories for decanting, which can make transferring any particularly gloopy shampoos and conditioners a bit tricky.

Some other travel essentials we’ve written about:

Our experts:

• Brittany Allyn, the blogger behind Thirty Waves • Briona Lamback , the founder of Buoyant • Kelly Ferraro, CEO of River North Communications • Emily Mandagie , one-half of the couple behind the outdoors-focused website the Mandagies • Nina Ragusa , travel blogger • Mac Steer, the owner and director of Simify • Jessica Ufuoma , travel blogger • Andres Zuleta, the founder of Boutique Japan

Additional reporting by Rachael Griffiths .

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Today’s Top Clicked

Best travel bottles 2022. The ultimate guide to the top 10 travel containers for liquids

While there are stricter or more permissive airlines, now all carriers must follow the international safety rules for liquids. We reviewed the best travel-size bottles to make it easy for you to pick the best for your needs. When we travel, we always prefer to have our favorite hair product or face cream.

At the same time, we want to protect the clothes and other travel accessories in our suitcase. This is why it’s important that our 100ml travel bottles don’t leak and are strong enough to bear a long trip.

Leakproof, TSA-approved and BPA-free are only some of the necessary features our top travel size bottles feature, making it a great travel gift idea and a must-have whether you are packing for a family trip . Refer to our detailed guide to the best travel size containers and organize a smooth and carefree trip. To help you easily navigate and compare our best travel bottles buying guide, we have created a comparison table below.

Table of Contents

Dot&Dot leak-proof travel bottles

Dot&Dot leak-proof travel containers are the best travel bottles with clear toiletry bag packaging. These leakproof travel containers are available in 3oz, 2oz and 1.25-ounce bottle sets. They are also TSA-approved. This means you wouldn’t have any problem taking them in your carry-on bag along with your travel luggage scale and other staff.

With three leakproof walls on the lid, Dot&Dot travel containers are the best travel-size bottles for toiletries to protect your personal items from leaks and spills. These bottles are made of FDA-approved 100% BPA-free food-grade silicone to ensure they are food safe.

Our 3-oz travel bottles are also easy to clean and refill thanks to their large openings. These leak-proof travel containers are squeezable/soft, reliable and strong. They are available in many colors and sizes. In order to easily identify the contents of your toiletry containers, each travel squeeze bottle has a pre-printed ID label (shampoo, conditioner, soap, sunscreen, lotion). Overall these are some of the best travel containers for liquids boasting hundreds of high-rated consumer reviews.

Valourgo silicone travel containers

With a clear bag and 3.3 oz TSA-approved travel bottle size, Valourgo are refillable travel bottles for toiletries. Many consider this the best travel bottle package. It consists of four bottles of different colors, a lanyard and a clear bag. Each one of these TSA-approved travel bottles is 5.5″ tall and 2″ wide and has a 3.3oz/98ml capacity.

These clear travel bottles are designed with a hole in one end so that you can hang the bottle on the showerhead or around your neck.

As far as the materials go, the Valourgo leak-proof toiletries travel size bottles are 100% BPA-free. This is why you can store eatable oils in these food-grade silicone bottles. The lanyard dries quickly and makes these refillable shampoo and conditioner containers easy to carry and store.

Another reason why they are the best travel containers for liquids is the soft silicone that allows you to squeeze the very last drop of content. Valourgo leakproof travel bottles also have rotatable labels to allow the user to read what is inside the travel bottle.

A few other features that make these 100ml travel bottles some of the best travel containers for toiletries are the oz numbers embossed on the bottle, triple sealing cap, wide mouth for easy filling, suction cup and no-drip valve. Valourgo leak-proof silicone travel containers are also Amazon’s Choice because they are high-rated by consumers. Bottom line is that these toiletry containers are high-quality and some of the best leak-proof travel bottles that you can find on the market.

Chica and Jo travel-size containers

On the third place in the best travel bottles review, the Chica and Jo 2oz clear empty travel size containers. The package includes a set of 6 TSA-compliant containers and a convenient clear zip-top bag. There is also a pipette included for extracting liquids with these refillable travel bottles.

In terms of material, the Chica and Jo travel containers are BPA-free and FDA approved. Therefore, in these travel-size plastic bottles, you can store your essential oils as well as cosmetic products.

These TSA-approved containers are made in the US and they are flexible so you can easily squeeze. With the cap on, the Chica and Jo travel shampoo bottles are 4″ tall and 1.4″ wide. They are compact and leak-proof which makes them the best travel tubes for liquids for traveling.

This package of travel shampoo containers is also Amazon’s Choice because of consumer top-rated reviews. If you are looking for US-made travel containers, these 2 oz travel bottles are the best refillable shampoo bottles to consider.

LiquiSnugs Leak Proof – Silicone Travel Bottles

LiquiSnugs travel bottle set is one of the best travel containers with 98% consumer 5-star ratings. These toiletry bottles come in white clear color. This makes it easy for the user to see the product inside the bottles. LiquiSnugs package is a set of three travel-size toiletry bottles and a clear toiletry bag. They are 2 three oz travel containers and one 2 oz container. so you won’t have a problem taking them inside the plane with you.

LiquiSnugs silicone travel containers are BPA-free, TSA approved and FDA certified. You can safely store your travel toiletries in them. These travel toiletry bottles feature a triple sealing cap, easily refillable wide mouth, ID window, and suction cup. LiquiSnugs travel liquid bottles are also soft and squeezable and don’t have a drip valve.

They are food-grade silicone bottles with an anti-leak cap to prevent leaks, spills and accidental drops which makes them some of the best leak-proof travel bottles. On these refillable shampoo and conditioner bottles, the capacity is displayed so you won’t be going through any hassle in the airport. These travel-size shampoo bottles are reusable, good quality and definitely some of the best travel bottles for toiletries.

AMMAX TSA-approved toiletries containers

In this in-depth review of the best travel containers for liquids, the AMMAX squeezable travel cosmetic bottles occupy a place for multiple reasons. This package consists of four travel containers for toiletries, each of them of a size of 3 fl. oz perfect for shampoo, cream, or liquids like a face toner or eye makeup remover.

AMMAX TSA-approved travel bottles are 100% guaranteed leak-proof and BPA-free which makes them rank among the best travel containers for liquids. We recommend these top-rated silicone travel bottles due to their variety, quantity and leak-proof quality.

Oursunshine travel bottles

Next in the list of the best travel size containers are the semi-popular Oursunshine travel bottles. The package contains a 4 travel bottle kit in grey and clear colours and two travel jars for creams.

Two of the silicone travel tubes are 5″ tall and 1.3″ wide 3 oz travel bottles. The other two travel-size toiletries containers are 4.1″ tall and 1.3″ wide 2 oz travel containers. The travel jars for cream are 1.1″ tall and 1.3″ wide 10 g travel lotion containers.

Oursunshine travel-size toiletries are in Amazon’s Choice category, which indicates their quality and why they are some of the best travel bottles for toiletries.

These TSA travel bottles are BPA-free and food safe. They don’t have toxin materials and you can use these leak-proof bottles to carry your essential oils, ketchup, salad dressing etc.

Oursunshine leak-proof travel size lotion bottles have triple sealings and cross valves to make sure nothing spills out from the containers inside your luggage. With the wide mouth, these travel lotion containers are easy to refill and wash. This silicone travel bottles package is one of the best travel accessories to carry with you.

Dolovemk luxury travel bottles

In the best travel bottles review, a place is for the luxury travel bottles by Dolovemk. Without a doubt, they are some of the best travel size bottles on the market. These luxury travel bottles for toiletries are TSA approved so you can take them with you on board without any hassle.

The package contains six bottles for essential oils, perfume, serums, fragrance, cream, liquid, cosmetics etc. A zip-top clear toiletry bag is also included with these golden color, luxury travel-size spray bottles. You can easily disassemble these glass travel containers to clean or refill them.

They are also leak-proof and the travel size spray bottles feature a rubber ring all around the head to make sure they don’t leak. As far as the materials of these metallic refillable travel makeup containers go, they are tasteless, safe, durable and also reusable. While they are a few dollars more expensive compared to other bottle travel size products, they have good features and are definitely some of the best travel containers for liquids.

Beveetio travel containers

Beveetio travel shampoo and conditioner bottles are TSA approved. Each of these travel containers comes in different colors and leakproof caps to ensure there is no leakage. To make sure your bottles don’t leak, only fill the plastic travel bottles with 90% of the capacity. This way, you’ll allow room for expansion during the transportation on the airplane.

Beveetio silicon clear plastic travel bottles are flexible so you can squeeze to get every drop of the liquid out. There are five pre-labeled ID windows and also three blank labels for you to easily identify contents in plastic travel containers.

Beveetio package includes 14 leakproof travel containers, all of them lightweight and easy to carry. The package consists of 5 silicone travel bottles of 2.9oz each, 5 containers for creams, 1 spray bottle the size of 2oz, 1 pump bottle of 2oz and 1 clear bag that makes it perfect for air travel.

You can use Beveetio refillable lotion tubes to carry shampoo, conditioner, sunscreen, lotions and body wash. Squeeze and release to get exactly how much you want without globs of excess oozing out. There is also a suction cup on the back of these top travel containers.

Gemice refillable travel bottles for toiletries

Another best travel accessory in Amazon’s Choice Category is the TSA-approved liquid containers by Gemice. This package has 4 3-oz spill-proof travel containers and a transparent quart-sized toiletry bag. These silicon 3.3 oz travel bottles are BPA-free and squeezable. Each travel cream container has a specific color and pre-printed label. You can also change the label if you want a different text on these refillable toiletry bottles.

Another good feature of these empty travel containers is that they are 100% money-back guarantee. So, if you don’t like these top travel lotion bottles, you can always send them back.

The Gemice small plastic bottles for travel are suitable for hair serums, oils, alcohols, salicylic acid, hydrogen peroxide, etc. There is also the capacity embossed on the bottles in case you need to show them at the airport check-in. With hundreds of 5-star ratings, these are some of the best travel jars for creams.

humangear Gotoob+ Silicone Travel Bottle With Locking Cap

Last but not least in the best travel container for liquids review is another package of 3.4 oz bottles for air travel by Humangear Gotoob+. The difference between these travel storage containers and the travel squeeze tube mentioned before is in the design. While both of the mini travel containers packages feature the same quality and materials, they vary in colour and shape.

These travel bottles are with a hole on one end of the container so you can carry them using the lanyard. The package of these travel-size bottles for airplanes includes 4x 3.3oz bottles. These silicone shampoo bottles have the same clear color on the bottle but different colors on the lids.

These empty plastic bottles for travel by Humangear Gotoob+ come in a clear travel toiletry bag which is carry-on approved. These best travel containers for toiletries are made in BPA-free and FDA food-safe silicone and feature a lock to hang on a wall through a hook. Not happy? They come with a lifetime warranty!

Things to know and reasons to use travel containers

To comply with TSA rules

The TSA has specific rules in place and if you don’t comply they will confiscate your pricey cosmetic and oils.

Mini travel bottles occupy less space

A toiletry bottle set takes less space in your bag compared to shampoo or other liquid bottles.

They are leak-proof liquid containers

Unlike other liquid bottles, there is very little chance that the travel size makeup containers leak. All our best travel containers for shampoo, oil and other liquids are leak-proof with multiple sealings in the cap/lid.

TSA’s liquid requirements?

The TSA currently allows liquids in containers 3.4 oz or smaller. Here is what TSA says : “You can bring a quart-sized bag of liquids, gels, aerosols, creams, and pastes in your carry-on bag and through the checkpoint. These are limited to travel-sized containers that are 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less per item.” Note: If you don’t want your liquid/makeup or oil to get confiscated, make sure they are in containers smaller than 3.4oz.

What is PET material?

It’s the food-grade material used in the major bottled water brands. So, if you see the term PET within the best travel bottle reviews, it means it’s safe to store food in those leak-proof travel containers. However, some of these squeezy travel bottles are not designed for food storage. You can use them only as a travel cosmetic container.

What does BPA-free travel bottles mean?

BPA, the short form of BisPhenol A is an industrial chemical that has been used to make certain plastics since the 1960s. According to some research, BPA can seep into food or beverages from containers that are made with it. Exposure to BPA is a concern because of possible health effects. That’s why we picked the BPA-free best travel containers for liquids.

Things to look for in the best travel bottles

• Wide mouth opening for easy refilling and cleaning of the travel bottle set.
• Multiple layers of sealings result in the best leak-proof travel containers.
• While most of TSA approved travel containers have the capacity written on the bottle, some travel liquid containers may not have it. Therefore, it’s better to check and make sure your travel bottles have the capacity number embossed on the bottle.
• Physical dimensions of the travel bottles are important. 5-inch tall is normal for the largest travel containers. Compact and small travel containers for cosmetics take less space.
• It’s easier to see the product in clear travel containers.
• The number of travel bottles and lid/cap options (spray cap and flip cap). Some of the refillable cosmetic bottle packages have multiple bottle sizes and options. You can use one bottle as a travel perfume container while the others for shampoo, lotion, oil etc.
• There are flexible silicone travel bottles, hard plastic travel bottle size for airlines, and glass pump bottles for shampoo.
• You can also look for the small liquid containers that have a pipette for extracting liquids, a spatula to spread or lift the products, and the funnel for easy refilling of airport travel size bottles.

Last Word On Travel Size Toiletry Bottles

While these travel bottles cost as little as $10, they can prevent several unwanted scenarios. Using any of the reviewed leak-proof toiletry bottles in this buying guide, you will be complying with TSA’s liquid rules. That means when you get to the TSA line you are not going to be told your bottles are too large. So, you won’t have to spend extra money to get them shipped or go to the airline counter for your check-in luggage or even worse, throw your favorite shampoo, sunscreen, or expensive essential oils away. Buying the travel-size bottles mentioned above will help you take your liquid on the airplane with peace of mind.

So, you won’t have to spend extra money to get them shipped or go to the airline counter for your check-in luggage or even worse, throw your favorite shampoo, sunscreen, or expensive essential oils away. Buying the travel-size bottles mentioned above will help you take your liquid on the airplane with peace of mind.

They also help you pack efficiently for years to come depending on how often you use them. While using leak-proof travel bottles, it’s also a good idea to keep your liquids in a separate compartment, preferably in your toiletry bag . When using TSA-approved quart-size bags for liquids in the carry-on, make sure they are good quality and leak-proof. Quality bags with a good seal can help to contain any leaks inside your luggage.

I'm Angela Corrias, an Italian journalist, photographer, and travel writer located in the heart of Italy's capital. Welcome to my website, your comprehensive source for your travels and expert guidance for crafting your dream travel experience.

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The 12 best portable travel blenders in 2022, 2 thoughts on “best travel bottles 2022. the ultimate guide to the top 10 travel containers for liquids”.

Hi, your post says “The Vumos small plastic bottles for travel are suitable for hair serums, oils, alcohols, salicylic acid, hydrogen peroxide, etc.: but the link to amazon is to a silicon set that specifically says the apposite. Do they have plastic and silicone? I need them for hair gel and creme, so important to know since I have had leaks in the past. Thanks!

They are leak-proof silicone, as we mention at the beginning of the review. We then call it plastic because silicone is a hybrid between a synthetic rubber and a synthetic plastic polymer so it’s often considered a plastic.

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Buying Guide: Best Silicone Travel Bottles

by Melissa Giroux | Last updated Feb 8, 2023 | Travel Gear , Travel Tips

When you are looking for the best travel shampoo bottles – or containers suitable for liquids like creams or sauces – silicone travel bottles are ideal!

They are soft and flexible, making them durable and much less likely to crack than bottles made from hard plastic.

There is also the added bonus that squeezing travel bottles means you can get out every drop of their contents and avoid waste! 

In this guide, we will help you find the perfect travel silicone bottle set for your needs!

We’ve reviewed sets that offer various size options, styles, and even some with extra useful features.

Whether you are looking for the best travel bottles for weekend getaways, days out, or trips to the gym, you will find the perfect solution here!

Without further ado, let’s get started!

Quick Overview: Best Travel Bottles

Want a quick answer? Below you’ll find the top silicone travel bottles depending on your needs.

• Gravel Travel Bottles : Ideal for light packers
• Gotoob+ : Ideal for those who wish to attach their bottles to something
• Ammax : The easiest to use
• Dot&Dot : Comes with a bag
• LiquiSnugs : Comes in different sizes
• 51Panda : The largest travel set

Gravel Travel Bottles For Liquids

Gravel made the only space-saving silicone bottles we’ve seen! They fit together to take up less space in your toiletry bag. They come in packs of 2 and each fits 3oz of liquid. The cap spins so you can easily label your liquids.

TSA compliant & leakproof…making these a clear choice for anyone looking for a solid set of silicone travel bottles!

Humangear Gotoob+ Silicone Travel Bottle with Locking Cap

There is a good reason why the Gotoob+ is one of the best travel silicone bottles you can buy – and that is because Humangear was the first company to bring out silicone travel containers as an alternative to hard plastic bottles.

The GoToob+ is the latest generation of the original, patented bottle and has some great new features.

While all Gotoobs are made with a food-grade silicone body, a leakproof cap, and a shape that is designed to be as easy as possible to pack, the Gotoob+ has a new opening that is larger than the original.

This makes it easier to both fill and clean. What’s more, it has a patent-pending LoopLock feature. This gives you the attachment point you need if you want to hang the bottles on a hook or attach them to a carabiner.

You can also push the LoopLock over the flip cap, which cuts out any chance of accidentally opening the bottle while it is packed in your bag.

Each Gotoob+ travel silicone bottle holds 2.5 oz and features a textured area on the collar for you to record its contents.

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AMMAX Leak Proof Squeezable Silicone Tubes

This set of four squeezy silicone travel bottles comes in 3 different color combinations – pastels, purples, or black and white. Each travel bottle holds 3 fl oz. They have a 3-layer design, an oval shape, and are TSA approved to pack in your carry-on baggage.

Made from BPA-free food-grade silicone, they are ideal for everything from your toiletries to baby food, with a wide opening that makes them super easy to fill. 

These are some of the best silicone travel bottles on the market, popular because they have been so well designed to prevent leaks!

This, of course, is a priority for bottles you’ll be packing right along with your clothes!

The wide opening is especially useful – whereas some silicone travel containers can be pretty narrow at the top, you can easily use these for thicker fluids, which makes cleaning them a lot easier.

The oval shape is ideal and makes it so easy to squeeze out every drop from the container! Each set comes with a handy zippered bag to pack them in.

Dot&Dot 4 Leak Proof Travel Bottles

With their three leak-proof walls and drip-free dispenser valve, this set includes some of the best travel bottles for liquid, and you can pack them with confidence, knowing that the rest of your luggage will be protected from leaks.

They are soft, flexible, and made from 100% BPA-free food-grade silicone.

This means that while these are perfect travel bottles for shampoo and other toiletries, you can also use them to store food items safely.

Each bottle is a different color for quick identification and has a convenient ID window.

Best of all, this set of squeezy travel bottles is designed to help you clear airport security with ease – they are just the right size to meet carry-on standards and are clearly visible through their quart-sized zippered toiletry bag.

LiquiSnugs  

If you need a high-quality travel silicone bottle that is 100% guaranteed to be leakproof, then this set of three containers from Liquisnugs is just what you’re looking for.

The manufacturers are so confident in their product that they offer a full refund if you have any problems with them – meaning that YOU can feel confident enough to use these travel bottles for shampoo, conditioner, or any other liquids you might need on your trip!

Each set comes with two 3oz bottles and one 2oz bottle, with adjustable labels so you can quickly tell their contents apart.

And a nice little touch that makes these the best travel bottles for trips out of town is that they have suction pads attached, helping you keep them in easy reach in a cramped shower!

TSA-approved, these squeezy travel bottles are made from food-grade, BPA-free silicone, so you can also use them for everything from creams to sauces.

51Panda Leak Proof Silicone Bottles Travel Set

This is the perfect set of travel bottles for shampoo, conditioner, lotions, and other liquids.

Unlike some other sets, this one has six 2oz bottles, allowing you to bring a slightly more comprehensive range of toiletries with you, and each with a different color, making it easy to tell your liquids apart.

The 3-layer anti-leakage cap not only prevents accidental spills but also stops too much liquid flowing out when in use – a common problem when you squeeze travel bottles!

The perfect material for travel bottles, silicone is not only flexible, but it is durable too and resistant to the cracking you sometimes experience with rigid plastic containers.

In a size that is TSA-approved, these useful containers have a wide enough mouth to make filling them easy!

How To Choose A Silicone Travel Bottle

Traveling with liquids can be a real hassle.

Whether you’re trying to bring your favorite shampoo or need a place to store your pre-mixed protein shake, it’s important to have a reliable way of packing liquids. That’s why silicone travel bottles are such a great choice!

They’re lightweight, leakproof, and conform easily to any suitcase or backpack.

Here’s how to choose a silicone travel bottle that’s perfect for you:

• First, consider how much liquid you need to carry with you. If it’s just a few ounces, then smaller bottles are probably your best bet. But if you’re carrying a lot of liquid, then you should look for larger bottles that can hold up to 16 ounces or more.
• Next, look for a bottle with a wide opening and an easy-to-grip design. This makes it easier to fill and clean the bottle.
• Finally, make sure the bottle is made from high-quality silicone. It should be durable enough to withstand the rigors of travel and be safe for use with food and drinks.

By following these tips and our recommendations above, you can find the perfect silicone travel bottle for your next trip.

Final Thoughts On The Best Travel Bottles

Buying silicone travel bottles to take with you on your trip is environmentally friendly and friendly to your bank account, too!

The travel-size varieties of your favorite shampoos and other toiletries tend to be expensive and create additional waste.

A refillable travel silicone bottle designed to meet TSA guidelines is the ideal solution, meaning you can easily pack all the cosmetics you need for your trip.

Learn more about 100 ml bottles for travel .

Are you looking for containers instead? Look at the best soap cases for travel and the best travel containers .

Need more help packing? Read one of the following blog posts:

• Best biodegradable shampoo
• Packing list for Europe
• Packing list for Southeast Asia

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The 10 Best Travel-size Bottles for Your Next Vacation [2023]

Amar Hussain

Senior Content Contributor

781 Published Articles

Countries Visited: 63 U.S. States Visited: 9

Keri Stooksbury

Editor-in-Chief

34 Published Articles 3164 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 47 U.S. States Visited: 28

Things To Consider With Travel-Size Bottles

1. best soft-material labeled bottle set, 2. travel-size bottle set for multiple products, 3. silicone travel bottle set with travel bag, 4. squeezable travel set with unique design, 5. toiletry bottle set for beauty products, 6. simple bpa-free travel-size bottle set, 7. versatile travel bottle set for travel and camping, 8. complete travel set for all essentials, 9. stylish option for perfume, 10. travel-size tube set with sleek design, final thoughts.

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

Whether you plan to travel on a plane or make a camping trip, you can benefit from bringing travel-size bottles. A leakproof travel bottle set can be a lifesaver, especially for delicate liquids like perfume and hygiene products like soap and shampoos.

Not only can you prevent any leaks in your baggage with the right bottles, but you can also reduce the cost of having to buy travel sizes of these products.

Travel-size versions of perfume and care products often cost significantly more, so it makes perfect sense to decant some of your home stash into a travel-size bottle tailored for your trip. Here we look into some of the best options of travel bottle sets to save you time and money.

Before deciding on a specific set of travel bottles to bring along on your road trip or camping trip, consider some of the most important factors. First, your travel set needs to come with a reliable leakproof seal to prevent spillage onto your personal belongings.

The compact size is also crucial, as are the types of care products you wish to pour in. Some options are specifically tailored for perfume, while others can be used for liquid soap, shampoo, and beauty products. Here are some of the main aspects to consider when buying a travel-size bottle.

Appropriate Labels

Of course, you can try to add labels yourself, but it’s much more convenient if the bottles come with premade labels when you buy them . This way, you can always be sure that you know exactly which type of liquid is in which bottle to prevent misuse.

Hot Tip: It’s also handy if the bottles come in different sizes so that you have another method of identifying their contents in a hurry.

Anti-Spillage Seal

Without a doubt, the seal is crucial for travel bottles. You don’t want the contained liquid to spill all over your baggage or equipment. It’s best to go with options that come with firm seals that prevent leaks .

Some brands even allow you to get a refund if some of the liquid leaks on your belongings. It’s best to buy trusted travel-size bottles that are previously tested for leaks.

Multiple Bottles in a Set

Having several distinctive types of travel-size bottles is one of the most important aspects to look for when buying a set. Chances are that you need individual bottles for beauty products, shampoo, perfume, soaps, and other liquids.

With different types of bottles coming from a single set, it gets easier to organize your care products and store them in a toiletry bag.

Compact Size

For carry-on luggage, travel-size bottles will need to adhere to TSA guidelines. Liquids, gels, and aerosols should be in containers no bigger than 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters . These containers must also fit inside a quart-size bag.

The 10 Best Travel-Size Bottle Sets

For a carefree trip, these travel-size bottle sets are the perfect size for flights and offer spill-free adventures.

Dot&Dot Travel Containers for Travel Size Toiletries

If you want a travel bottle set with a lasting design and different labels for conditioner, shampoo, soap, and lotion, among other care products , this is the perfect option. You also get a TSA quart bag for carrying them and 4 bottles that can be selected in different sizes.

Depending on your preference, you can go with 3-, 2-, or 1.25-ounce bottles. Leakproof walls will always keep your belongings protected and prevent any chance of spillage occurring. The silicone valve is only released when you press the body of the bottle, so you won’t have to worry about liquids pouring out of the bottle without your knowledge.

The soft silicone material and colorful design will make this bottle set your travel buddy for many trips to come, and it’s quite simple to clean up and refill for further use. Depending on the exact set you choose, all the bottles come with integrated labels so you won’t mix up the products inside.

What We Like:

• Fun and durable design with integrated labels

What We Don’t Like:

• It doesn’t work well for perfume

Hot Tip: Make sure to check out our guides to the best travel toiletry bags for men and women and the best travel dopp kits .

Kitsch Ultimate Travel Set

If you’re looking for a complete travel bottle set with 11 different bottles, Kitsch Ultimate Travel Set is the one for you. It comes with a wide range of diverse bottles, including a spray bottle for perfume, 2 pump bottles, mini bottles, a pouch, a pipette , and other bottle types.

The stylish bottles are perfect for travelers seeking both fashion and function. This set stays true to its name as the ultimate travel set of compact bottles for diverse care products. It’s highly durable and can be refilled and reused for multiple trips.

Also, the compact size will make all 11 bottles fit into your toiletry bag, while the high build quality and good looks will keep even the most discerning traveler happy.

• Up to 11 different bottles for various care products
• The caps could be more robust

Morfone 16 Pack Travel Bottles Set for Toiletries

Made of food-grade silicone, this soft-material travel set comes with all the mini-bottles you need, with 16 distinctive bottles . It provides great value and includes 2 spray bottles for sun lotion or body spray.

It also includes several 3- and 2-ounce bottles, jars of varying dimensions, 2 scoopers, a clean brush, a label, and a travel bag. You can keep all these items in the bag that comes with the product to keep your essentials in one place while traveling.

With a leakproof and TSA-approved design, this set is perfect for air travel and a wide range of other trips. Thanks to the firm seal, the opening is large enough for you to keep all sorts of liquid in it without any chance of spillage. It’s extremely portable and compact, considering how many containers are included.

• Compact travel set with 16 distinctive bottles
• The design might not be appealing to everyone

INSFIT Portable Travel Bottles Set

These stylish travel-size bottles serve their purpose splendidly in somewhat of a light bulb design. You get a 3-layer leakproof seal that prevents any possibility of spillage. This function is combined with a stylish design and shape that makes it easy to refill and reuse.

The set is made of food-grade silicone, and it’s perfect for care products, including soaps, conditioners, shampoo, and others. Thanks to the large opening with a secure seal, you won’t have to get messy when filling it up.

These leakproof bottles are one of the best options if you wish to remain secure at all times and save your belongings from accidents. It’s also TSA-approved, which makes it perfect for use in your carry-on.

• Comes with a zippered carry case
• Only comes in sets of 4 bottles

Vitog Travel Bottles Kit

Offering 8 travel-size bottles for various care products and a toiletry bag for proper storage, Vitog Travel Bottles Kit is a great option for traveling. It also comes in several colors, so you won’t have any issues finding a set that matches your style.

Aside from the selection of colors, this set is versatile for many other features that it offers. For instance, you get different containers for soap, shampoo, spray products, lotion, cream, body spray, and more.

Along with high usability, there also comes a compact bag for keeping all the bottles together while traveling without consuming too much space.

• Compact size bag with 8 different bottles
• The simple look

Chica and Jo Clear Plastic Travel Bottle Set

If you’re looking for a compact-size solution for your travel necessities, the Chica and Jo travel bottle set is quite convenient. The transparent bottles allow you to see the liquids inside to prevent mixing up your products.

The BPA-free plastic material meets criteria even for food storage , so you won’t have to worry about hygiene. The set comes with 2-ounce bottles in a set of 6 plastic bottles for storing liquids like soap, lotion, and shampoo while traveling.

It’s a simple yet efficient solution, with the only downside being the plain look of the bottles.

• Convenient plastic bottles for trips
• Insufficient for spray products such as perfume

Globegear TSA Approved Travel Bottles for Toiletries Travel Containers

The Globegear travel bottle set is perfect for different types of travel and even for camping while traveling with an RV. It’s one of the best options on the market, considering the versatility of the bottles and the silicone bag that comes with it .

In this set, you get a travel kit, 3-ounce bottles, and a selection of different-sized travel containers for creams. The TSA-approved bottles are even suitable for flights, while the small containers included are a great option for your handbag.

The travel-size bottles included are lightweight and portable, and you can store them in the clear case that’s provided.

• The versatile bottles
• The travel bag is a little too rigid

YICTEK Empty Plastic Travel Bottles Container

A complete storage set for your essentials while traveling, the YICTEK travel kit enables carefree air travel and road trips. You can use the versatility of the bottles to store shampoo, soap, lotions, conditioners, and even perfume .

This set is durable, leakproof, and portable, and it comes with a travel bag for the whole set to fit in.

There are numerous bottle sizes, including 2-, 1.7-, and 1.2-ounce refillable silicone squeeze bottles and plastic containers. There are even several 0.33-ounce jars for cream products and a pipette and spoon with designated labels.

• Labeled bottles coming in several compact sizes
• The complete set might be a bit big some some

VONOVO Perfume Travel Bottles

If you are looking for a stylish design and spray bottles capable of protecting perfume and other spray products, VONOVO travel bottles make a great addition to your travel set.

This set comes with 5 spray containers in different colors and offers compact size and great usability . They are fairly easy to carry and store, and you can count on their capacity to get you through most long weekends.

With a 2-ounce capacity, these high-grade aluminum atomizers are built to last you through many adventures.

• Great for perfume and spray products
• All the bottles are of the same size

Gemice Travel Bottles for Toiletries TSA Approved Travel Size Containers

The stylish design of the Gemice travel bottles is an attractive option for those seeking simplicity. The 3-layer design and no-drip valve make this option great for preventing spills and giving you peace of mind.

The set comes with 4 tubes, all of which have a 3-ounce capacity, and you can choose from a variety of colorways. The food-grade BPA-free silicone ensures your safety and hygiene, and the large opening makes it easy to fill and clean.

• Unique tube shape and design
• It doesn’t feature diverse bottle sizes

With quality BPA-free plastic and food-grade silicone materials, you won’t have to neglect your health or hygiene with these travel-size bottles.

These sets include multiple versatile bottles perfect for traveling, and with compact packaging and anti-leak seals, it’s one less thing to worry about on your next trip.

Frequently Asked Questions

What size do travel bottles come in.

You can usually find 3-ounce and 2-ounce bottles, but it all depends on preference and specific sets since some versatile options also include 0.33-ounce jars and containers for creams and other beauty products.

Are silicone travel bottles better than plastic ones?

You can find BPA-free plastic and food-grade silicone to ensure that the materials of your travel bottles are hygienic and good for your health. Materials are among the most important aspects to consider when buying a travel-size bottle set.

How do travel-size bottles prevent leaks?

You can count on a 3-layer valve and large openings with firm seals to prevent any dripping into your baggage and equipment with travel bottles.

Are travel-size bottles useful for camping?

Travel-size bottle sets make a perfect option for travels of any kind, especially camping trips where you need to save on storage space. These bottles prevent any spillage onto your camping equipment and belongings, making them a great budget solution for keeping short amounts of soap, shampoo, perfume, and other care products by your side.

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About Amar Hussain

Amar is an avid traveler and tester of products. He has spent the last 13 years traveling all 7 continents and has put the products to the test on each of them. He has contributed to publications including Forbes, the Huffington Post, and more.

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• Basic Kitchen Equipment

We Tested 7 Squeeze Bottles to Find the Three Best for Cooking, Sauces, and More

Our favorites are from Tablecraft and Vollrath.

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more .

Serious Eats / Amanda Saurez

The Winners, at a Glance

• Another Good Squeeze Bottle for Thicker Sauces HIC Kitchen Refillable Squeeze Bottle

What Can You Use Squeeze Bottles For?

What we learned, the criteria: what to look for in a squeeze bottle, the best squeeze bottles, the competition.

• Why We're the Experts

Straight to the Point

The Tablecraft 12 oz Clear Heavy Duty Squeeze Bottle was our favorite squeeze bottle. It works especially well with thinner liquids and doesn't leak.

Squeeze bottles are indispensable in restaurant kitchens—and they should be in your home, too. Rather than unscrewing a cap on, say, oil and glugging it into your pan, a squeeze bottle offers more precision in terms of quantity and directing that stream of oil, allowing you to coat the surface and/or sides with ease (a squeeze bottle is one of our must-have wok accessories for this reason). It’s also good for storing and serving homemade sauces and, heck, you can even use it to hold dish soap. 

Given their versatility and overall utility, it’s not surprising that chefs we spoke to have squeeze bottles of all volumes, from nearly dropper-sized to 32-ounce behemoths. To find the best squeeze bottles, we tested seven popular, 12-ounce models (a reasonable size for most home cooks).

The Best Squeeze Bottle for Thin Liquids

Tablecraft clear heavy duty squeeze bottle - 12 oz.

This option from Tablecraft worked really well with thinner liquids (like lemon juice). It’s easy to squeeze, doesn’t leak, and creates a precise, braided (if, albeit, slightly diagonal) stream.

The Best Squeeze Bottle for Thicker Sauces

Vollrath 2812-1344 traex® color-mate™ 12 oz. clear single tip standard squeeze bottle.

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This bottle surprised us! We were not impressed with its performance with thinner liquids and oils, but boy, did it perform with thicker sauces. It was a snap to squeeze—so wrists don’t tire if you're applying decorations repetitively—and a breeze to control. We were able to create pristine squiggles that were not too thin nor too thick.

Another Good Squeeze Bottle for Thicker Sauces

Hic kitchen refillable squeeze bottle.

This affordable set proved itself worthy when it came to dispensing thicker sauces, like mayo; it made it easy to squirt out refined amounts without any added dollops.

• Water Test: To test the squeeze bottles’ ability to direct and squirt a thin liquid, we filled a squeeze bottle with water and squirted two ounces into a measuring cup, noting if the stream was fast and furious, dribbly and slow, or just right. 
• Leakage Test: We shook the bottle filled with water up and down and noted if there was any leaking. 
• Oil Test: To test how the bottle handles a more viscous liquid, we filled each with 1.25 cups of oil mixed with 1.5 teaspoons of turmeric. We squirted two ounces into a measuring cup, noting if it produced an even stream, if it dribbled, etc. 
• Staining Test: We left the remainder of the oil in the bottles for four hours, then emptied and hand-washed them with soap and water and noted any staining or leftover odors. 
• Mayonnaise Test: To test each squeeze bottle’s ability to squirt a thick sauce, we filled each with mayonnaise and squirted a squiggle on bread.
• Cleanup Tests: After nearly every test, we emptied and hand-washed each bottle and noted any residue, staining, or smells.

“Squeeze bottles serve so many different functions,” says Annie O’Hare, chef and founder of Manhattan’s O Cuisine catering. “Mostly they’re for precision. When you’re putting a little dab of sauce or a drop of flavored oil on hundreds of hors d'oeuvres, you can‘t use a spoon, so a squeeze bottle is indispensable. And, obviously, for dessert plating, their tapered nozzles allow you to apply fine details.” 

But that’s not all. O'Hare says they’re also suitable for “cold sauces, as well as for salad dressings, where a quick shake of the bottle emulsifies the vinaigrette before you put it on the salad."

Shaun Hergatt, owner and executive chef at Manhattan’s  Vestry and executive chef at  REN in Brooklyn, agrees. “We use squeeze bottles for sauce and purées, oils and liquids to make sure everything is portioned perfectly,” he says. And while chefs might use squeeze bottles for pristine plating, they are also great for at-home cooks, too: you can fill them with salad dressing, oil, simple syrups for drinks, condiments, homemade fermented hot sauce —you name it, you can squeeze it.

The Size and Trueness of the Nozzle Was Key to Performance

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Not all nozzles are made the same. “You can get a fine point, a wider one, and sometimes you wind up cutting it to your own size,” notes O’Hare. Finer nozzles, like the one on the HIC squeeze bottle and, to a lesser extent, the Tablecraft, are a bonus if you’re doing delicate decorating work with a thicker icing or sauce. 

Those on the opposite side of the spectrum, she says, can be a pain. Wide nozzles might be good for utility jobs, like adding a big squirt of vinaigrette to a salad. But they can undermine portion control, and for more precision work, their stream is harder to control and tends to burp and blurp. This was an issue with the OXO and JapanBargain squeeze bottles. 

The Choice bottle , on the other hand, sported a nozzle that was just wide enough, but not too wide, for a controllable, thick line. But the Vollrath was our favorite for thicker sauces because its line wasn’t too thin or thick.

Three of the bottles—Tablecraft, HIC, and OXO—did not shoot true; their streams flowed slightly to the left. Though that was annoying, as soon as we got used to it, we actually preferred Tablecraft because it was easy to control the flow speed with thinner liquids. It failed entirely, though, with thicker sauces because the nozzle had been imperfectly cut, causing a ragged flow; mayonnaise squirted all over the place! The solution to this, we found, was to push a skewer down through the top of the nozzle to true the opening.

Plastic Thickness Was Also a Factor

“Some bottles are too rigid to work a precise stream. Others are cheap and flimsy,” warns O’Hare. Though we found thinner-walled bottles like the HIC, Vollrath, and Kegworks, easy to squeeze, they were more difficult to clean up when filled with a staining ingredient like turmeric-infused oil. The ochre color tended to stick to the plastic, and we had to scrub harder during cleanup. Moreover, with thinner liquids, they offered little resistance, so the stream was more difficult to control.

On the other hand, thick-walled models like the Choice squeeze bottle took far too much muscle to achieve an accurate stream. We worried that, over time, we’d tax our wrists. Its other problem was its opacity. You want a bottle that is clear plastic so you can check the contents for consistency or deterioration.

Screw Tops and Nozzle Caps Were Problem Areas

A bottle that leaks is a problem—you don't want oil gushing out all over your countertop or mayonnaise exploding everywhere.

Indeed, when we ran our water test, we found that three of the seven bottles—the HIC, Vollrath, and JapanBargain—leaked from their screwtops. That’s why Samuel Kim, senior director of culinary operations for  Baekjeong Korean Barbecue , says, by definition, “good squeeze bottles have very tight-fitting tops.” But Kim isn’t hedging his bets. With squeeze bottles, he says, it’s Murphy’s law, so he’s got an industry tip for you: “We usually line the screw top with plastic wrap to ensure a tight seal.”

Another potential issue is the added feature of the cap that covers the nozzle tip, which gets in the way. The JapanBargain bottle presented this problem, because its cap, attached by a flexible plastic arm that is part of the screw top, flopped over into the stream of liquid. 

The other bottle we tested with an attached cap, the OXO, solved the issue with a hinged mechanism that locked the attached cap in place out of the way of the liquid. But the OXO had a different screw top problem: its top comes in two parts, with a separate nozzle held in place by a screw lid. That simply means more parts to misplace or forget to attach, with the potential for major spills.

Important Squeeze Bottle Safety Tips

Because of the possibility of chemicals leaching from plastic into food, you don't want to put hot liquids into a squeeze bottle (or any plastic in general). Let any liquids cool down before you fill the squeeze bottle. Make sure that the squeeze bottle you're buying is food-grade. These containers are highly regulated by the FDA and are all BPA-free and can be used as storage containers. To avoid spills or air exposure, wrap some foil or plastic wrap around the nozzle if it doesn't have its own cap. 

No matter what you store in them, you don’t want to keep foods in your squeeze bottles for too long, particularly if a sauce is dairy-, egg-, or meat-based. If you have any questions as to how long the food can remain in the container in the fridge, check the USDA’s Foodkeeper app.

The Michigan State University Extension has some more safety tips for squeeze bottles and any other plastic serving and storage containers : do not microwave them; don’t freeze them unless they specifically are made to be freezer-safe; and unless the manufacturer says they are dishwasher-safe, wash your squeeze bottles with warm, soapy water.

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez / Grace Kelly

Our favorite squeeze bottles had lids that didn’t leak, lacked lid caps, had walls that were just the right thickness to handle different viscosities, and extruded liquids straight. Some nozzles were better for thicker liquids and some for thinner ones, but we preferred ones that were on the narrower side, as they were more versatile. 

What we liked: After we got used to its quirky left-leaning stream, we loved the steady, braided stream of thinner liquids that flowed from the Tablecraft. It was quite easy to squeeze, but not too easy that the flow was uncontrollable.

What we didn’t like: The nozzle on this one was imperfectly cut, so the flow, though pretty, hung to the left on thinner liquids, and with thicker liquids, it spurted. The latter problem was easy to fix by truing the nozzle opening with the tip of a skewer. But this just goes to show that a squeeze bottle might need a bit of extra care before you can truly make it your own.

• Dimensions: 2.375 inches x 8.625 inches
• Capacity: 12 ounces
• Materials: BPA-free plastic
• Care instructions: Dishwasher-safe
• Certifications: None

What we liked: We were so pleased with the squiggles and decorative lines we could make with a thicker substance in this squeeze bottle! Liquids came out at just the right speed, with minimum effort, and there were no burps or blurps at all. We’re baking cupcakes just to ice them with this one. 

What we didn’t like: We were not as impressed with this bottle when we tried it with a thinner substance. The liquid leaked out the seam between the nozzle and the bottle, and since the bottle was so thin-walled, we weren’t able to control the flow easily. It did stream well with the turmeric oil, but again, the thin walls posed a problem with cleanup; we found we really needed to scrub them to get them clean of grease and color.

• Dimensions: 7.25 inches x 2.38 inches

What we liked: This bottle excelled with thicker sauces; it was easy to squeeze mayonnaise into delicate, controlled ribbons. It was also easy to clean after we emptied it of its mayo.

What we didn't like: Thinner liquids leaked from the nozzle, which directed the stream rather severely to the left.

• Dimensions: 8.75 x 3 inches
• Materials: Plastic
• Care instructions: Hand wash
• OXO Chef's Squeeze Bottles 12 oz : The nozzle of this squeeze bottle was problematic. It was too wide, so the flow was difficult to control. Heavier liquids, like oil, come out in an arc rather than a stream unless you squeezed very hard—and then the oil gushed out, over-saucing foods. Moreover, the stream is not straight; it hangs to the left. Finally, the nozzle is separate from the cap, so there are more opportunities for improper assembly.
• Choice 12 oz. Clear Squeeze Bottle : This bottle’s opacity made it difficult to see what was in it—a drawback when you’re pressed for time and just need to squeeze. Its thickness means squeezing was a workout, and its broad shoulders and thick-lipped, small opening complicated its cleanup. Worst of all, the nozzle can be over-screwed so that it slips from its secure position, a serious hazard when working with it.
• JapanBargain, Japanese Squeeze Bottle Squirt Condiment Bottles : Boy, is this one cute with its round, red cap! Unfortunately, nice looks don’t always mean good functioning. The wide nozzle and broad shoulders meant thicker sauces fell to the sides, leaving space for air to enter the flow, so the bottle did a lot of burping, leading to messy lines. Turmeric-infused oil stuck to the shoulders, and unless we squeezed very, very hard, thinner liquids came out in an arc rather than a stream, making the flow difficult to control.
• KegWorks Plastic Clear Squeeze Bottle : This was a winner, but it's no longer available.

What are squeeze bottles used for?

Squeeze bottles are used to serve and temporarily store any liquid or sauce. With their tapered nozzles, they help with portioning, decorating, speed, and, since they can contain oils, even safety.

What do chefs put in squeeze bottles?

Ask Tony Inn, chef at Manhattan’s Taru , and you’ll find that all sorts of things can be applied with a squeeze bottle. “Oil, salad dressings , fluid gels, thicker sauces that need to hold their shapes while plating,” he lists. Indeed, says Hergatt, “We use them for every dish we make.”

Are squeeze bottles safe?

Food-grade squeeze bottles are BPA-free and safe to use when applying liquid ingredients and sauces, and when storing them for a day or two in the fridge. Like all plastic, they are not safe to microwave or heat, and you should not add hot liquids to them. Also, as with any plastic that is not specifically freezer-safe as per manufacturer information, you should not store food in a squeeze bottle in the freezer.

How long can I keep something in a squeeze bottle?

Generally, you can store foods in a food-grade squeeze bottle for as long as you would in other plastic containers, but if the nozzle does not have a cap, you will want to wrap it in foil or plastic to avoid air getting in. The University of Minnesota Extension has a good chart for storage times. It's better to store light- and oxygen-sensitive cooking oils in a dark vessel tightly fitted with an olive oil pourer instead of a squeeze bottle.

What is the best way to clean a squeeze bottle? 

Though some sources cite baking soda as a good cleanser, we found that blasting out any stuck sauces with the spray nozzle on our kitchen sink, then shaking soapy water inside the bottle, rinsing it, and again blasting it with the spray nozzle did the trick, even for staining ingredients. Make sure not to neglect the nozzle; add a touch of soap to it on the inside, and run or spray warm water through it.

What is the best size squeeze bottle?

All of the squeeze bottles we tested came in 12-ounce sizes, which was useful for holding larger quantities of liquids. That said, smaller bottles are great if you want to dispense a smaller amount of liquid, like if you made a little vinaigrette or a small portion of fermented hot sauce .

Why We're the Experts

• Betsy Andrews  is a freelance contributor to Serious Eats. Her work has appeared in several food publications and has also been nominated for a James Beard and IACP award.
• Betsy's also reviewed  coupe glasses  and  cocktail muddlers  for Serious Eats.
• For this review, we tested seven squeeze bottles, checking for leaking, squirt velocity, staining, and more.
• Storage & Organizational Tools

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The 8 Best Water Bottles

By Eve O'Neill and Sam Schild

Reusable water bottles that are both good-looking and functional seem like a necessity in our modern, hydration-obsessed world.

But finding the right one to match your personal taste can be a challenge—it depends on what you’re looking for amid the riot of colors, shapes, and features.

After putting in more than 120 hours of research—and testing over 100 bottles since 2014—we’ve chosen the eight best water bottles in a number of materials and styles.

They include our most versatile pick , which has elbowed its way past more well-known competition, and an inexpensive bottle with a straw , beloved for its functionality in any driving scenario.

Whether you’re looking for a bottle to drink from while flying , a glass bottle (if you’re averse to plastic), a  tapered bottle , a plastic bottle (if you’re averse to high prices), a fancier bottle , or a stainless steel model , all of our favorite water bottles offer a little extra to anyone who’s annoyed by imperfect hydration.

The research

Why you should trust us, who this is for, the most versatile bottle: takeya actives insulated water bottle with spout lid (22 ounces), a simple stainless steel bottle and standard lid: hydro flask standard mouth (21 ounces), our favorite bottle for the car: camelbak eddy+ (25 ounces), the best glass water bottle: purifyou premium (22 ounces), the best tapered bottle: mira cascade (17 ounces), the best plastic water bottle: thermos hydration bottle (24 ounces), an ideal air travel companion: camelbak podium (21 ounces), an upgrade pick: purist mover (18 ounces), other good water bottles, how we picked, how we tested, the competition, care and maintenance.

Since we first created this guide, in 2014, we’ve tested more than 100 different bottles over many hundreds of hours. We also spoke with a lot of experts. Given the popularity of metal water bottles, we wanted to get some insight into how that double-walled insulation works. So we called NASA, the best experts on thermodynamics we could think of. Via email, we interviewed Wesley Johnson, a cryogenics research engineer at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

We also spoke with urban planner Josselyn Ivanov, who wrote her masters thesis on the decline of publicly available water, aka drinking fountains, for MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning. “In the absence of investment and maintenance [in drinking fountains], many people fill the void by hauling around their own personalized infrastructure,” she told us.

And across four different writers (Sam Schild contributed the most recent round of testing, in mid-2022) and ten years of work, we’ve seen more than 100 iterations of the same object. From the hard-plastic Nalgene that steamrolled college campuses in the 2000s to a $5,000-plus Chanel bottle (which looks freshly looted from Blackbeard’s treasure chest), these water bottles all do the same thing. When you’ve used water bottles with triple-digit price tags as well as much less expensive versions, you know which one works best.

Pretty much anyone can benefit from having a water bottle they love. Carrying a reusable water bottle is better for the environment and more cost effective than buying bottled water. Bottled-water production in the US alone in 2007 required somewhere between 32 million and 54 million barrels of oil, according to a study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters (PDF) . That’s roughly 2,000 times as much as the energy cost of producing tap water, and bottled-water sales in the US have grown to 15.3 billion gallons as of 2021, from 8.76 billion gallons in 2007.

For shoppers, bottled water is also a thousand times more expensive than tap water. Add in the fact that in 2014 nearly 64% of all bottled water sold in the US was nothing more than pricey, prepackaged tap water (PDF) , and it becomes difficult to deny the value of a well-made reusable water bottle.

Takeya Actives Insulated Water Bottle with Spout Lid (22 ounces)

The best stainless steel water bottle.

The spout on this bottle is easy to drink from (and simpler to use than a sports cap), and the flip lid stays secure and out of your face. And the bottle has a wide mouth, so you can effortlessly add ice and supplements.

Buying Options

Size options (ounces): 18 , 22 , 24 , 32 , 40 , 64 Lids available: Spout (included), Straw Dishwasher safe: lid, yes; body, no

Get this if: You’d like a chameleon of a bottle, something that can adapt to almost any situation, whether you’re sitting at a desk, commuting on a subway, or working out at the gym.

Why it’s great: This double-walled, stainless steel bottle is marketed for gym-goers. But even if you’re not seeking a water bottle for working out, the Takeya Actives has a lid that’s a total standout.

The plastic top features a spout with a twist-on flip cap. Spout lids flow as easily as if you were drinking from an open glass. Yet they won’t splash contents if you’re cantering down the sidewalk at a brisk clip or powering through a sweaty treadmill workout.

The spout lid on the Takeya stands out because you can lock it after you flip it open—so it doesn’t hit your face. And when it’s closed, it covers the drinking surface completely. The whole thing twists off to reveal a 2¼-inch-wide mouth opening, so you can add in whatever you like: Load the bottle with ice, add an electrolyte powder, plop in some lemon wedges.

A silicone rubber boot, or base, comes standard on this bottle and prevents it from slipping or making noise on hard surfaces. Takeya also offers a straw lid, which you can purchase separately. We tested the straw lid, and it was leak-free; we recommend getting one if you primarily want to drink from this bottle while driving.

These bottles come in an array of colors and sizes, and our pick, the 22-ounce Takeya Actives, is the most recent size introduced to the lineup. After testing more than 100 bottles, we truly believe this is the Goldilocks size: not too big, not too small. It’s compatible with both cupholders and backpack pockets. And, like the final piece of a puzzle, it will slide nicely into that tiny bit of space remaining in your tote bag.

All of the Takeya bottle sizes we’ve tested have proved to be leak-free. And if you want a 32-ounce bottle, the Takeya Actives properly adapts the proportions of the bottle to accommodate the new capacity: It gets wider as well as taller, so this bottle remains stable when you set it down (though that does mean it’s too broad to fit in a standard cupholder).

Takeya’s website lists the lid as BPA-free, and it’s dishwasher safe (in the top rack). But hand-washing is recommended for the body. Takeya offers a limited lifetime warranty (you need a receipt).

Flaws but not dealbreakers: We’ve found very little not to love about this design. This is a bottle we think everyone can be very happy with.

Hydro Flask Standard Mouth (21 ounces)

Simple and reliable.

The Hydro Flask is an insulated steel bottle that’s pleasant to sip from and simple to carry, and it was completely leakproof in our tests.

Size options (ounces): 18 , 21 , 24 Lids available: Flex Cap (included), Sport Cap , Flex Straw Cap Dishwasher safe: no

Get this if: You want a reliable and versatile water bottle. This is a simple bottle, best for those who believe in doing one thing and doing it well.

Why it’s great: The Hydro Flask Standard Mouth is especially reliable. It’s an insulated, double-walled stainless steel water bottle with a powder-coated exterior (the permanent, lightly textured coating) and a plastic cap. Unlike aluminum bottles, this one won’t dent easily. Unlike glass bottles, this bottle won’t have issues with the bottom cracking. And unlike plastic bottles, it won’t deteriorate quickly while in use.

You can use this bottle with three different lids: the Flex Cap (included), Sport Cap , and Flex Straw Cap . We tested the first two caps, and neither leaked, but we prefer the Flex Cap to the Sport Cap. Usually, sport caps aren’t great at accounting for human error—the plastic can be very stiff and difficult to close with your mouth, so it’s easy to leave them halfway open. And if the bottle is lying on its side, water can occasionally leak through the air-intake valve.

If you tend to drink straight from the bottle, the Hydro Flask has a narrow, tapered metal edge. And it mimics the rim of a glass better than the lip on any other bottle we tested, including the round lip on the Klean Kanteen and the thick, industrial-feeling lip on the Yeti Rambler . The standard mouth opening is 1¾ inches wide—wide enough to fit ice but not so wide that water will slosh up your nose if you drink on the move.

Of the three sizes this bottle comes in, we think 21 ounces is the right capacity. This size is big enough to keep refills to a minimum but not as unwieldy as the 24-ounce bottle. (The 24-ounce Hydro Flask is tall and narrow and thus easy to tip over, and it feels large.) The cap is BPA-free, and Hydro Flask offers a limited lifetime warranty on this bottle.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: Complaints about the Hydro Flask are infrequent and few. However, while a silicone boot comes standard on the Takeya Actives bottle, for this Hydro Flask model, a boot is an add-on (it usually costs around $8).

Also, some people may not like that a portion of the drinking surface is exposed; the cap threads twist into the bottle rather than over the top and around the lip. We do like this design because sipping from a threaded drinking surface isn’t pleasant. But if the exposed drinking surface bothers you, several of our other picks—including the Takeya Actives , the Purifyou Premium , and the plastic Thermos Hydration Bottle —have lids that fully cover the drinking surface.

CamelBak Eddy+ (25 ounces)

Great for the car.

If you use a bottle with a straw, you won’t have to tilt your head back while drinking—the easiest way to quaff water and keep your focus on the road.

Size options (ounces): 20 , 25 , 32 Lids available: Straw (included), Chute Mag , Carry Cap Dishwasher safe: yes

Get this if: You want something that’s easy to sip from while you’re driving, or you want something that encourages you to drink water throughout the day (our unscientific findings have led us to believe that straws make it easier to slurp down water).

Why it’s great: This bottle has an integrated straw in the lid that features a plastic bite valve to keep it sealed (something anyone who has owned a CamelBak hydration pack will be familiar with). Just bite down to open the straw and release to seal it shut. That leak-free lid makes this bottle an ideal driving companion—it fits in a cupholder and is easy to sip from while you’re keeping your eyes on the road. And if you transfer the bottle to a bag, the bite valve folds down into the lid, shielding it from too much contact with the bag’s contents.

Also, if you have daily hydration goals, there’s something about a straw that makes it easy to mindlessly consume the 20, 30, or 40 ounces of water you may have ahead of you. If this sounds like you, the Eddy+ comes in a 32-ounce size , which would be easy to fill once, plop next to your laptop, and hit your goal for the day.

The straw lid twists off to reveal a wide mouth that makes adding ice to your drink easy—handy if you like to keep your water cold. However, this is a plastic bottle, so adding ice could also make it sweaty.

You can swap out lids with two others from CamelBak: the Carry Cap and the Chute Mag (a spout lid we’ve tested and liked because of how easy it is to drink from, similar to the lid on our top pick ).

The Eddy+ is an updated model, and with this redesign CamelBak has addressed reports of the bite valve’s leaking or not functioning properly. The one we tested worked great, and neither the lid nor the valve leaked in our tests. This bottle is BPA-free, and all pieces—including the cap, lid, and straw—can go through the dishwasher. CamelBak offers a lifetime guarantee against defects in the manufacturing and materials, and the company will replace them if they’re defective.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: To get the water flowing, you do have to bite down on this straw and hold it while you drink, which may not appeal to some people. But overall we didn’t find that to be cumbersome, and we soon forgot all about it.

Purifyou Premium (22 ounces)

Prevents flavor from transferring.

This is the only glass bottle we’ve found where no plastic touches your water, and the bottle itself is housed in a protective silicone sleeve. But it won’t keep your water cold for long.

May be out of stock

Size options (ounces): 12 , 22 , 32 , 40 Lids available: stainless steel lined lid (included) Dishwasher safe: yes

Get this if: You don’t want to drink out of plastic or metal, or you simply enjoy the heft and presence of a glass bottle.

Why it’s great: Our favorite glass bottle is the 22-ounce Purifyou Premium . It has a few design features that make it more functional than most, including the type of glass it’s made from, as well as an especially useful cap, which is also lined with stainless steel.

We recognize that some people just don’t want plastic touching their water. A major reason this bottle outperformed all the other glass options is it’s the only one we found that has a metal-lined cap (rather than some form of plastic). The simple utility of a finger loop on the cap was a surprise—it made the repetitive task of opening and closing the cap that much easier, compared with standard round caps.

We also like the small mouth on this bottle. When you drink from a wide-mouth glass bottle, such as the Lifefactory , it can seem like you’re drinking out of a jar. The downside is that the Purifyou is too narrow to accommodate ice cubes. But a glass bottle doesn’t retain heat or cold anyway, so we decided that wasn’t a problem.

The Purifyou is made of borosilicate glass, and that makes it special. Borosilicate glass resists thermal shock. This means if you take the bottle out of a hot dishwasher and fill it with cold or room-temperature water, it will resist shattering better than bottles made of common soda-lime glass.

We tested and liked the dimensions of the 22-ounce bottle, though it won’t fit in a traditional-size cupholder (the base is 3¼ inches wide). The body’s center is a little wide, and it’s not tapered like some others, but we had no problem holding it. Purifyou offers warranty coverage for all manufacturing defects, and (according to its Amazon page ) will replace the bottle if it “breaks within the first year” if you register online .

Flaws but not dealbreakers: Glass bottles are limiting. They’re excellent for carrying room-temperature water and that’s it, since they are poor insulators. Glass bottles also aren’t as durable as other options, despite being heavier. Also, if you’re looking for an environmentally friendly option, note that neither the silicone sleeve nor the cap on this bottle is recyclable, since the cap is made from two materials fused into one. If you have environmental concerns, the best approach is to buy a bottle you know you will use the most.

Mira Cascade (17 ounces)

Elegant, insulated, and splashless.

This small-mouth, tapered bottle is pleasant to hold—like a plastic drink bottle but one made of double-walled insulated stainless steel.

Size options (ounces): 12 , 17 Lids available: stainless steel lid (included) Dishwasher safe: lid, yes; body, no

Get this if: You want a bottle with a minimalist, classic shape and a cap that covers the drinking lip.

Why it’s great: The Mira Cascade is a double-walled insulated bottle made of stainless steel. Its lid threads over the drinking surface, so you won’t have to put your mouth on something that’s been getting dirty in your bag all day. The Mira’s tapered shape is reminiscent of a classic 20-ounce plastic soda bottle, and this bottle is nice to hold. It will keep the contents cold all day, and due to the bottle’s small opening, your beverage won’t splash your face while you’re drinking, as the Nalgene Wide Mouth Bottle does.

The Mira Cascade is nearly identical to the S’well , another tapered bottle we like everything about—except the price. Since the Cascade is usually about half the price of the S’well, we naturally picked the less expensive option, which performs just as well.

The Mira Cascade has an elegant design, so it fits in at the office and other formal events: Pick the right color, and it could even match a tux. And it passed the leak test, so you don’t have to worry about this bottle’s contents ruining your day, your laptop, or your evening wear.

We think the 17-ounce size is ideal—it fits in a briefcase, in cupholders, and in water-bottle pockets. If you want a smaller or larger bottle, the Cascade also comes in a 12-ounce size.

The lid covers the drinking lip, so no matter where you toss this bottle, the surface that your mouth touches will be covered. Also, we think the Mira Cascade’s lid is just the right size, compared with the Corkcicle Canteen ’s lid, which is so small we were worried about losing it. Like most double-walled bottles, the bottle itself isn’t dishwasher safe, but the lid is. Mira sells replacement lids and lid gaskets , too.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: Since the lid covers the drinking lip, the bottle’s threads are on the drinking surface. While we generally don’t love the feeling of threads on the outside lip, these don’t protrude much, and we quickly got used to the feeling. Also, because of the 1.35-inch opening, it’s impossible to get prism-shaped ice cubes from a classic ice cube tray into the bottle. However, half-moon-shaped ice cubes do fit through the opening.

Thermos Hydration Bottle (24 ounces)

A budget option.

With a leakproof, push-button flip-top lid, this inexpensive and lightweight bottle should make anyone happy.

Size options (ounces): 24 Lids available: flip top (included) Dishwasher safe: yes

Get this if: You value lightweight portability, and you like a good deal—two excellent qualities in a water bottle. This one is also dishwasher safe, unlike some other bottles we recommend.

Why it’s great: The super-affordable 24-ounce Thermos Hydration Bottle has been a pick since we first published this guide, in 2014, and it’s still here. (Thermos has made a few minor cosmetic changes over the years.) This is a plastic bottle with a plastic, flip-top lid and spout. It has passed years of leak tests, and the lid has a lock, so it will stay closed in your bag.

Another great feature of this bottle: Despite the fact that it holds 24 ounces—a capacity we’ve found to be cumbersome in a metal bottle—the Thermos possesses just the right proportions to be ergonomic and easy to carry.

This bottle weighs only 6.6 ounces. The textured, contoured design makes the Thermos easy to hold, too, and you can effortlessly drop ice cubes into the wide mouth. And after you reattach the lid, the spout is simple to drink out of. This design is a winning combination, the same as on a similar, insulated pick, the Takeya bottle. Also, the Thermos is made from Eastman Tritan BPA-free plastic.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: After using versions of the 24-ounce Thermos nearly constantly for seven years, we don’t have a lot of criticism. However, we do wish Thermos would sell this type of bottle in a few different sizes. Also, though the lid has a ring that you can turn to track your water intake, in practice we’ve found we barely use it. Still, it’s not hurting anything by being there.

CamelBak Podium 21oz Bike Bottle

A lightweight squeeze bottle.

This squeeze bottle is leakproof and light, so you can throw it into a carry-on bag for a flight. And the Podium is cheap enough that if the TSA makes you ditch it, you won’t be heartbroken.

Size options (ounces): 21 ,  24 Lids available: squeeze lid Dishwasher safe: yes

Get this if: You want a travel bottle. This bottle was invented for a bike cage, but a regular ol’ squeeze bottle is useful for so many things, specifically airport travel. Eve personally owns (and uses) just two types of water bottle, and this is one of them.

Why it’s great: Basic, lightweight, and cheap, a bike squeeze bottle makes a great travel companion, and we like the CamelBak Podium in particular. It has a twist lock—which provides extra assurance that the bottle is tightly closed when you toss it in a bag. Plus, it’s dishwasher safe.

For years, we looked for a reliable collapsible travel bottle, but we’ve been disappointed so many times: The Hydaway tastes plasticky, the Vapur and the Platypus collapse (in a bad way) , the HydraPak flops, and the Nomader doesn’t pack down very small. And the implied way to carry a travel bottle correctly—clipped to a backpack or belt loop—always leaves it swinging around haphazardly, in our experience. We’ve recommended all of these bottles in the past, but we’ve constantly been left wishing there were a better way.

A bike squeeze bottle is now our sincere recommendation for airport travel. In addition to being light and relatively compact, this bottle is inexpensive, so if the TSA takes it, you’ve lost only a few dollars, instead of an expensive insulated bottle. You could also bring the Thermos Hydration Bottle we recommend. But this CamelBak bottle has fewer moving parts, if you don’t want to fuss with the lid or flip lock on the Thermos. Our other recommendation would be to buy a plastic bottle in the airport, and then use it for the rest of your trip.

Two types of Podium are available: the original and the Podium Chill , which has a reflective material in the lining intended to help keep water cold. We haven’t found this lining makes any difference. In our tests, the liquid in insulated squeeze bottles warmed 17 degrees over six hours, the same as in a glass or unlined plastic bottle. For that reason, we wouldn’t bother with the lined version and instead recommend the original. CamelBak offers a limited lifetime warranty covering manufacturing defects.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: The lid on this bottle is not covered, so if you dislike the idea of a bottle swimming around in a bag with the drinking surface exposed, you may like the Thermos better. In addition, this bottle’s squeeze valve does not push in and out, as on other models. Instead, the mouthpiece is static, and the plastic piece inside releases water when you apply pressure to the bottle. So if you’re using this bottle for cycling, and you experience a ton of dust and dirt on your ride, some of it may get stuck in that mouthpiece.

Purist Mover (18 ounces)

Premium design and materials.

If you’re seeking an especially sleek-looking bottle, the Purist Mover is a good choice, and its (non-breakable) glass interior prevents flavors from transferring.

Size options (ounces): 10 (Maker), 18 (Mover), 32 (Founder) Lids available: Element (twist lid), Union (spout lid), Scope (café lid) Dishwasher safe: no

Get this if: You’ve noticed that odors or flavors in your water bottle don’t go away, you want a bottle that looks like a design object, or you want one bottle that can hold both hot and cold drinks. Purist’s bottle has a (non-breakable) glass interior that prevents flavors from transferring, so there should be no taste issues like you get with stainless steel or plastic.

Why it’s great: The 18-ounce Purist Mover is a drink bottle designed within an inch of its life. With a special lining made to stop flavor transfers, an aesthetic that looks designed to fit into a Tesla’s dashboard, and a newly expanded range of caps, this is a refined bottle that can do it all—and it’s worth the high price.

The signature feature of the Purist is a glass-lined interior that prevents tastes and odors from transferring. Unlike traditional glass vacuum linings, the Purist’s is unbreakable (and so minimal you can barely notice it), since it’s applied as a thin, spray-on coating. You get the benefits of a glass bottle minus the weight or potential breakage, plus it keeps drinks hot or cold.

And in our experience, the Purist bottle works. We’ve had this bottle in testing for three years, including one episode where we left the Purist under a car seat for a month with kombucha in it. Someone finally got the courage to open the bottle and clean it out, and the next day a bottle full of water tasted like water and nothing else. Wirecutter’s Tim Barribeau—who is pathologically averse to the taste of coffee—found that even after cold-brew concentrate sat in the Purist for a weekend, water came out tasting fresh (after a simple wash of the bottle). Some tastes and smells lingered in the flip-top lid, but those disappeared after a good scrub.

There are three lids that work with the Purist water bottle: the simple, screw-top Element , the flip-top spout Union , and the Scope , a café lid designed for hot beverages. The lip of the bottle is on the thick side, so if drinking from a thick-walled bottle would bother you, we’d recommend either the Union or the Scope.

Though 18-ounce bottles can feel small, the Mover can hold more than advertised. The Union spout cap is hollow and raised above the top of the bottle, in contrast with the flat Element cap, which plunges downward. That means using the Union cap, you can fill the bottle to the brim; we did, and that’s when we discovered the bottle can hold up to 21 ounces.

Purist has a lifetime warranty that covers manufacturing defects.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: This bottle is clunky to drink out of if you use only the twist-off cap (the Element). So if you’re going to invest in the Purist, we recommend getting the spout lid (the Union) or the Scope cap (Purist’s version of a café cap). The Union spout cap is tricky to open due to its tight seal (but we found that if you pinch both sides of the spout, the cover pops off easily).

If you’re going camping: Consider the Nalgene Wide Mouth Bottle , which is inexpensive, indestructible, and lightweight. It has more than 18,000 reviews on Amazon and a star rating of 4.8 out of 5, and we couldn’t agree more. For a decade now, we’ve been talking about why this isn’t among our picks.

But we still don’t include it, because in day-to-day life it’s sort of annoying. You can’t drink out of it while walking, the attached cap gets in your face, and it doesn’t fit a cupholder or a backpack pocket. Out there in the wild, it’s the ultimate weapon. Back here in the urban jungle, it’s just kind of a klutz. So, to summarize, we love this bottle, but specifically for camping. And that’s outside the scope of what we test for in this guide.

If you’re set on getting a collapsible travel bottle: Consider the Nomader 22-ounce collapsible bottle, which was our travel pick in 2018. It has stood the test of time, whereas other travel bottles have sprung leaks. If you must have a travel bottle, this one is the easiest to fill and drink from. Our big concern is that this bottle doesn’t roll down particularly small, so it’s up to you to decide whether the space savings are worth it.

If you want a spout lid on a lightweight, plastic bottle: After a reimagining of the lid on the CamelBak Chute —resulting in the addition of a magnet to keep the lid open and out of the way while you’re drinking—we can’t find any serious negatives for this bottle. The Takeya Actives just barely nudges the Chute out of competition because the Takeya comes with the silicone base, and it’s often on sale. However, the Chute’s lid is compatible with our new recommendation for use while driving, the CamelBak Eddy+ .

We’ve been at this for ten years. And, as always, we start by reading trusted editorial sources, in this case outlets such as Gear Patrol , GearLab , and Outside . In addition, each year, we listen to the opinions of Wirecutter’s readers—we’ve incorporated a number of great suggestions from the comments on previous iterations of this guide.

There are so many water bottles in the world that it’s helpful for us to outline what we don’t consider and why. When we find bottles with a pattern of complaints about build quality, usability, or leakage, we drop them from the list of possible test candidates. We also eliminate bottles made by companies that appear to have an opaque supply chain or no online presence outside of an Amazon listing. In any category, if we recommend a product, we want to make sure you won’t have a problem finding one to buy. And if a product is defective, you should be able to contact the manufacturer so that the company can make it right.

We no longer consider bottles made of aluminum because it dents too easily. And when possible we avoid bottles that have painted exteriors because the coating can tend to scratch; in certain categories, however, painted exteriors are the norm. We also set aside uncoated stainless steel bottles—if you leave an uncoated metal bottle in the sun, the exterior becomes too hot to hold.

Some other bottles, including the Klean Kanteen Wide Mouth, can easily serve as water bottles. But because of the caps offered (travel mug caps) or the sizes available (limited to smaller sizes), they are more suited to hot drinks. In the case of the Klean Kanteen, both things are true, so we consider it to be a travel mug. If that’s what you’re looking for, we have a guide to travel mugs for hot beverages .

For our most recent round of testing, in 2022, we tried nine new bottles and performed several tests to evaluate them. Here are the tests we regularly conduct:

We do leak tests. There are so many bottles that we can’t see recommending one that leaks in any way. We fill each bottle with water that’s dyed with food coloring. Then we place the bottle on its side over a paper towel for 24 hours and watch for leaks.

The leak test also takes into account how the lid seats on the bottle. We believe good design is human-centered design, and that you should be able to absent-mindedly screw the top back on and trust that the bottle is properly closed.

And we’ve discovered over time that rigid sport caps, like the ones you can get for Klean Kanteen or HydroFlask bottles, are not the best at preventing leaks because they’re prone to user error. Such caps make perfect sense on squeezable sport bottles. But the sport caps that come on double-walled steel bottles are stiffer, so they’re easy to inadvertently leave open. It’s also difficult to tell at a glance whether the valve is fully closed.

We do temperature tests. For five years, we performed temperature tests with the goal of seeing which bottle kept its contents the coldest for the longest. Here are the results from 2017:

In this 2017 test, we filled each bottle with water at 47 degrees Fahrenheit, and then we took a temperature measurement every hour for 10 hours. What we’ve seen in years of testing is that almost every insulated bottle performs to within a few degrees of its competition. There are exceptions, but they’re rare. Companies love to make claims about how long a bottle can keep something hot or cold, but they all work basically the same.

Sometimes manufacturers make bottles with copper linings in an attempt to keep the contents even hotter or colder. It could work, and as Wesley Johnson, a cryogenics research engineer at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, explained, “For spacecraft, we often use a similar technique for insulation.” The theory behind using copper in insulation (despite its being an excellent conductor normally) is based on the fact that heat transfers through three forms: solid conduction, gaseous convection, and radiation, Johnson told us. A double-walled bottle already stops solid conduction, and a vacuum-insulated bottle stops gaseous convection. “This leaves only radiation heat transfer between the walls,” Johnson said. And copper can work to stop that last method of heat loss. But it works only under a set of specific circumstances. “The main benefit of copper is that when it is polished, it is much more reflective of radiation heat transfer,” Johnson explained. So, “the copper liner needs to be: polished, installed in a vacuum, and done so in a manner that limits the amount of oxidation of the metal prior to pulling the vacuum.”

We have tested bottles with and without copper linings, and so far we haven’t found any advantage to using copper. The Yeti Rambler is “constructed with a copper plate to protect against UV,” according to the company’s PR reps. But neither Klean Kanteen nor Hydro Flask includes any copper in its designs, and all the bottles still insulate within degrees of one another.

We consider bottle proportions. After nine years, we’re convinced that 20- to 22-ounce bottles are the perfect size. Although 17-ounce bottles are wonderfully portable, the contents get consumed quickly. And 24-ounce bottles are almost too tall and skinny. They can be very easy to knock over, and they don’t stay upright in cup holders because they’re top-heavy. They begin to take on the appearance of blunt-force weapons: The 25-ounce S’well could double as a small baseball bat.

We like bottles with the right proportions, and we have to believe designers have noticed the awkwardness of the 24-ounce size. For instance, in 2020 the Takeya Actives became available in a 22-ounce size (slightly smaller than the 24-ounce version, which had been our previous pick). Similarly, 32-ounce bottles are most useful when they are wide and squat instead of tall. When we make recommendations for larger capacities, such design concerns are a big part of what we take into consideration.

We consider the drinking experience. Think about the lip: If you’re drinking directly from the bottle, what is that experience like? If you’re trying to drink out of it while walking, what is that like? If you’re drinking from it in a car, what is that like? And recently, due to reader comments, we’ve been tracking whether the cap of a bottle covers the drinking surface completely or whether it’s exposed. Some people are concerned about bacteria getting onto the lip of their bottle, via contact with their hands or with sweaty gym clothes.

Metal bottles

The Yeti Rambler is a reliable bottle. But its opening does not taper at all, so this bottle is more of a thermos and more suitable for using a spoon, with something like soup.

The S’well bottle insulates with the best of them, and it has been watertight in all our tests. If you like it, go for it: S’well bottles are just more expensive, at every capacity, than anything else we’ve seen.

The Simple Modern Summit bottle leaked through the threads when we left it on its side overnight.

In past years, the Klean Kanteen Classic has been one of our picks, and we’ve tested the Insulated Classic as well. They’re both very similar to a Hydro Flask, but in 2019’s testing, both bottles had small leaks. For 2022, we tested the Klean Kanteen Insulated Classic with Pour Through Cap . Though this new lid’s dual gaskets fix the leaking problem, it took twice as many turns to open the pour-through cap compared with most other bottles. This bottle works great as a thermos to carry hot drinks to pour into a smaller cup, but it’s not great as a water bottle. Plus, the cap is metal, as is the bottle, and everyone who tested this model hated the metal-on-metal sound of the cap threading into the bottle.

The Corkcicle Classic Canteen performed well in every regard, but its lid is the smallest of of those on other bottles we tested. In fact, the lid was so small we were afraid we’d lose it.

The Corkcicle Series A Sport Canteen performed poorly in our insulation tests. Also, though it didn’t leak during testing, we thought the quick-sip lid was too prone to human error to be genuinely leak-proof.

Several other bottles leaked in our testing and were thus disqualified, including the 21-ounce Healthy Human Stein .

Other bottles performed poorly in our insulation tests, including the 25-ounce Fifty/Fifty Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel , the Laken Thermo Classic (its contents rose by 20.1 degrees during our test), and the Contigo Autoseal Chill .

Though we like the inclusion of a mesh strainer inside the lid of the EcoVessel Boulder , this bottle has the same problem as the Nalgene: The lid is connected with a long silicone strap that doesn’t stay put when you drink from it, unless you hold it down.

The mouthpiece on the EcoVessel Wave with Fliptop Straw is made of hard plastic, and it was not as pleasant to drink out of as the CamelBak Eddy+ .

The Stanley Quik Flip Go Bottle is one of the few flip-top bottles we’ve found that has a lock to secure the top. But this bottle is especially tall and unwieldy. It would make a better thermos than a water bottle.

The Coldest Water bottle has a flip-top straw that’s also made of hard plastic, like that of the EcoVessel Wave with Fliptop Straw. And it’s not that nice to drink out of.

We passed on the Coleman Autoseal FreeFlow Stainless bottle for the same reason we pass on most trigger bottles—a relatively elaborate cap that needs detailed cleaning.

Glass bottles

A pick from 2017, the 22-ounce Lifefactory Classic Flip was the best wide-mouth glass bottle available. There are just a few caveats. First, the wide mouth is a bit awkward to drink out of—it feels a lot like drinking out of a jar. Second, although the bottle has alternate lid options, we tested the Flip Cap in 2018, and it leaked. (That lid has since been discontinued.) Third, the standard lid is watertight but made of plastic, a concern for many people seeking glass bottles.

In drop testing, the Glasstic suffered from extensive scuffing.

The 20-ounce Ello Syndicate had a cap problem, with reports of mold building up.

Collapsible bottles

The Hydaway was our collapsible travel pick in 2018, and it proved polarizing: We received feedback both from people who loved it and from others who hated it. Such is the fate of all collapsibles we’ve tried. A 50/50 love-hate relationship didn’t convince us this bottle was a reliable recommendation for most travelers.

Our 2017 travel pick, the Platypus Meta , tends to develop a small hole in its bottom, which renders it useless for carrying water. Our 2016 pick, the Platypus SoftBottle , is watertight but floppy, as all collapsible bag-bottles are.

Before that, we picked the 1-liter Vapur . However, CNET’s Tim Stevens brought to our attention a design flaw in the cap that caused it to leak when lateral torsion was applied. We were able to replicate the issue independently using a brand-new bottle. As such, we no longer feel confident recommending it. Both the Vapur Element and the Nalgene Wide Mouth Cantene also leaked from their seams during our twist-and-torque test.

Plastic bottles

The Pogo plastic water bottle is basic and functional. We like the lid (again, just as with the Takeya ) and the flip top that closes over the spout. We encountered no leaks, but at the time we tested this bottle, it had a bad Fakespot rating (a D). As of 2023, the rating was a B, so we plan to look at it again.

The trendy reemergence of the Gatorade squeeze bottle prompted us to put it to the test in 2020. There was some small leakage through the threads when we left the bottle on its side overnight.

The Nalgene On The Fly comes with a locking flip-top lid but no spring release, so the lid wouldn’t pop open when we pushed the button.

The Embrava would be a good choice if the 24-ounce Thermos isn’t available, but it has a huge logo and a smooth body that becomes slick when wet.

If you’re drinking anything besides water, gunk will build up in your bottle over time, so you’ll need to clean it occasionally. The best way to do that is to use a bottle brush and some baking soda and vinegar.

OXO Good Grips Water Bottle Cleaning Set

For cleaning your bottle.

The OXO bottle-cleaning set includes a skinny straw brush and a looped, detail-cleaning brush—everything you need to keep your water bottle squeaky-clean.

After several hours of research, we found that the best bottle-cleaning set is the OXO Good Grips Water Bottle Cleaning Set . This dishwasher-safe kit offers a large bottle brush, a skinny straw brush, and a looped, detail-cleaning brush, all kept together on a handy ring so you don’t lose any parts. We bought a couple of sets to confirm their quality, and they are as good as we thought they would be.

This article was edited by Eve O’Neill and Christine Ryan.

Wesley Johnson, cryogenics research engineer at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland , email interview , August 22, 2018

Jocelyn Ivanov, MIT, Drinking fountains: the past and future of free public water in the United States , September 29, 2015

PH Gleick, HS Cooley, Energy implications of bottled water (PDF) , Environmental Research Letters , February 19, 2009

Bottling Our Cities' Tap Water (PDF) , Food & Water Watch , August 1, 2010

No consumer health risk from bisphenol A exposure , European Food Safety Authority , January 21, 2015

Jon Hamilton, Beyond BPA: Court Battle Reveals A Shift In Debate Over Plastic Safety , NPR , February 16, 2015

Johanna R. Rochester, Ashley L. Bolden, Bisphenol S and F: A Systematic Review and Comparison of the Hormonal Activity of Bisphenol A Substitutes , Environmental Health Perspectives , July 1, 2015

Jenna Bilbrey, BPA-Free Plastic Containers May Be Just as Hazardous , Scientific American , August 11, 2014

M. Ridder, Sales volume of bottled water in the United States from 2010 to 2020 , Statista , May 10, 2022

Meet your guides

Eve O'Neill

Eve O'Neill is a former senior staff writer reporting on travel and outdoors at Wirecutter. She can remember the titles on her childhood bookshelf that set her in this direction: Into Thin Air, On The Road, The Call of the Wild . She has always been drawn to ideas about how to relate to, and play in, the wilderness.

Sam Schild is a writer and outdoor adventurer based in Denver. A former academic, teacher, and bicycle mechanic, he now finds joy in adventures as often as possible. Whether he travels by bicycle or on foot, he uses his experience outside to bring inspiration to all the stories he tells.

Further reading

How to Clean a Travel Mug or Water Bottle

by Christine Ryan

Don’t want your coffee to taste like yesterday’s brew? Give your travel mug a good deep clean—and do the same for your insulated water bottle, too!

This Inexpensive Water Bottle Is Meant for Cyclists, But It’s Great for Travelers, Too

The Camelbak Podium is affordable, lightweight, and perfect for packing.

We’ve Recommended This Travel Mug for a Decade. It’s Still Going Strong.

by James Austin

Our longtime favorite travel mug keeps drinks piping hot, and the nifty locking lid makes it virtually spill-proof.

The Best Travel Mug

by Trey French and Anna Perling

After testing travel mugs for more than 10 years, we’re still confident that the Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug is the best mug to keep drinks hot for hours.

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The 13 Best Water Bottles of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Stay hydrated wherever you go with these durable and insulated water bottles.

In This Article

• Our Top Picks

Our Testing Process

• Others We Liked
• Tips for Buying

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why Trust T+L

Travel + Leisure / Janelle Jones

For hiking trips, biking adventures, and commuting to the office, a reusable water bottle is a great way to increase your hydration and cut down on single-use plastics. We tested dozens of popular water bottles to determine the very best based on qualities like durability, portability, and the ability to retain temperatures. 

When picking out a water bottle, it’s important to factor in weight, size, and material so you purchase a container that best fits your needs. To find the best water bottles on the heavily saturated market, we put the most popular and innovative designs through a series of tests in our Lab. After all the jostling, dropping, and critiquing we put them through, the Thermoflask Double Stainless Steel Insulated Water Bottle is our top pick if you’re looking for a bottle that’s easy to carry around, keeps water cold, and has a leak-proof lid. 

Best Overall

Thermoflask stainless steel water bottle.

• Drinkability 5 /5
• Portability 4.5 /5
• Insulation 4 /5
• Durability 4.5 /5

This stainless steel bottle is easy to carry, keeps water cold for hours, and has a reliable, leak-proof lid that was still in pristine condition after being dropped on the floor three times. 

This high-capacity water bottle is bigger and heavier than others we tested.

The Thermoflask Double Stainless Steel Insulated Water Bottle is the ideal water bottle for everyday use. Whether you’re going to the gym or running errands, this vacuum-insulated, stainless steel bottle has a comfortable grip with a convenient handle for carrying, and it fits in a standard-sized vehicle cup holder. No need to worry about backpack spills—we were impressed with the strong seal that prevented leaking, even when we vigorously shook the bottle. Depending on your day-to-day needs, you can switch between two lids that come with the Thermoflask: one straw top and one chug cap that remained leak-proof after being dropped lid-down on the ground three times. We thought the chug cap was comfortable to drink from, and it provided a steady flow of water without any chance of spillage while sipping. The straw lid is ideal for exercising or when you’re otherwise busy, thanks to a tiny air pressure hole that allows you to drink continuously with one hand or hands-free. 

If you want a great travel accessory that provides an ample reserve of chilled water all day long, this is your winner. The Thermoflask’s double-wall insulation did an excellent job of keeping water temperature steady over six hours, only warming 3 degrees in that time — making it perfect to keep in your tennis bag on a sunny day on the court. In addition to being perfectly cold, water from the Thermoflask tasted pure and fresh with absolutely none of the metallic or plastic flavor transfer that can come along with some lesser bottles. While we tested the cobalt blue model, there are four other colors to choose from, including white, black, purple, and light blue. The 40-ounce model is ideal when you need a robust supply of hydration, but the Thermoflask is available in 18- to 64-ounce bottles if you have different capacity needs.

The Details: 40 ounces | BPA-free stainless steel | Chug spout or straw

Travel + Leisure / Conor Ralph

Best Overall, Runner-up

Yeti stainless steel bottle.

• Portability 4 /5
• Durability 5 /5

The chug cap is uniquely pleasant to drink out of, and the water bottle sustained no leaks or scratches after we dropped it three times.

The bottle felt heavy to carry and didn’t fit securely in a standard-sized cup holder.

For a durable water bottle built to withstand a rugged lifestyle, the Yeti Rambler 26-ounce Bottle is a solid choice. We found that the water didn’t absorb any metallic taste, and it felt natural to drink out of the narrow chug cap, which was effective at preventing spilling. Drinking from the bottle is easy because of its comfortable mouthpiece. While it barely fits in a standard car cup holder, the bottle slipped into our backpack’s water bottle pocket nicely. This bottle also regulates temperature effectively; the water only rose 2 degrees after six hours. Although the Yeti Rambler felt slightly bulky and heavy, the flaws will be worth it to those who need a durable container that can provide refreshing gulps hours into an outdoor venture . We dropped the bottle three times, and although it didn’t sustain scratches or leaks, there was some minor denting on its body. Still, we think this is a sturdy choice for comfortable drinking in a variety of settings. 

The Details: 26 ounces | 18/8 Stainless steel | Dishwasher safe | Chug spout

Travel + Leisure / Janelle Jones

Best Insulation

Takeya actives water bottle.

• Insulation 5 /5

This water bottle remained dent- and leak-free after being dropped three times, and the ice water’s temperature even got colder after six hours. 

It’s too tall and wide for a standard-sized cup holder, and a few tiny drops leaked when we carried it around.

If you prefer your water ice-cold, don’t go anywhere without the Takeya Actives Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle. It performed the best out of all of the bottles during the temperature testing: The water was actually 5 degrees colder after six hours in the bottle, thanks to melted ice and vacuum insulation. According to Takeya, the bottle will keep hot liquids at the same temperature for 12 hours, and cold liquid frigid for 24 hours. We were also impressed with the lid of the bottle, noting that it’s “just the right size so that you can get as much water as you want without spilling and can get a perfect flow of water from it.” Its 24-ounce capacity means you won't have to buy multiple bottles of water, so it's also a money-saving travel product . Along with the double-walled stainless steel material of the main bottle, the lid is insulated to prevent condensation from building up and lowering the water temperature. When we walked around with the bottle, a few drops did escape, but there was no leaking when we shook it. The size of the bottle was a great fit for a backpack holder, but is too tall to rest securely in a vehicle cup holder. While the bottle might be too big for some car commuters, we think it’s a great everyday companion that will keep your water cold all year long.

The Details: 24 ounces | BPA-free stainless steel | Chug spout

Best Collapsible

Nomader collapsible water bottle.

• Drinkability 4.5 /5
• Portability 5 /5
• Insulation 2 /5
• Durability 4 /5

The silicone bottle rolls into a small pouch and still feels stable to drink from without any plasticky aftertaste.

This bottle is not insulated and won’t keep water cold for long.

Our top pick for the best collapsible water bottle, the Nomader Water Bottle impressed us with its ability to seamlessly roll up into a small pouch and expand into a full-size water bottle that remained leak-proof during heavy shaking. Although the silicone water bottle isn’t insulated, the water tasted normal and didn’t have any plasticky aftertaste. The lid was pleasant to drink from, although the cap does touch your face when you do so. The Nomader felt stable despite being made of squishy silicone; when we dropped the bottle onto its lid, however, the plastic cap cracked a bit. Meanwhile, the body bounced off the floor without leaving any scuffs or damage. Ideal for packing, the Nomader water bottle will keep you hydrated and save space in your bag. 

The Details: 22 ounces | BPA-free silicone | Dishwasher safe | Chug spout

Best with Straw

Brita insulated filtered water bottle.

 Amazon

• Seal 4.5 /5

The lid flips open and clicks shut, providing a durable seal to prevent leaking.

The aluminum base wasn’t as durable as the other bottles we tested.

The Brita Stainless Steel Filter Bottle has a sleek design with eight matte colors to choose from in 20- or 32-ounce sizes. During testing, we loved the pure taste from the internal water-filtering straw. The bottle comes with one filter that will need to be replaced once every two months, per Brita’s instructions. The lid of the cap flips open to reveal a silicone mouthpiece, and while we were skeptical of the texture, it ended up being comfortable to drink from. When we shook the bottle around, not one drop escaped from the mouthpiece, but when we dropped it lid-down, the base dented easily and the seal broke, causing the cap to leak a bit. The bottle fits in a standard backpack and cup holder, and there is a wide handle on the top of the lid that is smooth to hold when you need to carry it. After sitting out for six hours, the ice inside of the bottle melted, and the water temperature decreased by three degrees. The Filter Bottle comes in an array of unique colors, including ruby and jade. If you’re looking for a bottle that will keep your water chilled and filtered, this Brita design is a great option, but we recommend handling it with some care so it won’t dent. 

The Details: 20 and 32 ounces | Stainless steel | Straw

Best Stainless Steel

Hydro flask 24 oz standard mouth bottle.

• Insulation 3.5 /5
• Durability 3.5 /5

The bottle is comfortable to hold with a solid grip, and the wide mouth was pleasant to drink out of.

There were a few dents after dropping the bottle, and the water temperature went up after six hours.

If you’re in search of a no-frills stainless steel water bottle, the Hydro Flask Standard-mouth Flex Cap Bottle is a wise choice. During testing, the bottle performed well and impressed us with a sturdy grip, and the width of the mouth made for a comfortable lip to drink from. We thought the jointed loop handle was easy to hold and allowed the bottle to sway and move around naturally. However, someone with bigger hands might find the loop of the handle to be too small. If that’s the case, the bottle fits perfectly into a backpack water bottle sleeve and a car cup holder. Although the body of the bottle dented when we dropped it, the flaws were only cosmetic, and the functionality remained intact. Over time, the bottle would likely get dented and scratched, but it would stay functional and leak-proof for everyday use. If feel is more important to you than aesthetics, this could be the right bottle for you.

The Details: 18 ounces | 18/8 Pro-grade stainless steel | Dishwasher safe | Canteen lid

Best for Biking

Camelbak podium bike water bottle.

• Drinkability 3 /5

The bottle had a solid grip while being held, and it was unaffected by our durability tests.

The spout needs to be pulled out by hand, and this is not an insulated bottle.

The CamelBak Podium Bike Water Bottle is a lightweight, BPA-free water bottle optimized for cycling. We were impressed with the bottle’s durability, as it had no issues being dropped on the ground several times. It sustained no leaks, cracks, or scratches, which is ideal for mountain or terrain biking where there’s a possibility that your bottle could fall out of a holder at high speeds. The plastic design of the bottle can’t keep water cold, but it has more give to securely fit into a bike’s holder without rattling around like a clunky stainless steel model. When we shook the bottle to test for leaks, it remained secure without any drops coming out of the spout. The spout does require a hand to open, so you may need to stop to drink from it when you’re on a bike. We had to squeeze the bottle to access water, since there is no straw or wide-mouth cap. While this bottle can’t keep water cold for the duration of an extended bike ride, we think its durability and lightweight design make it a reliable piece of gear for your next ride.

The Details: 21 ounces | BPA-free plastic | Chug spout

Best Filtering

Grayl ultrapress filter bottle.

• Insulation 2.5 /5

The non-slip rubber base had a comfortable grip and prevented damage to the plastic body when we dropped it. 

The water temperature increased after six hours.

With a high-grade water filtration system, the Grayl Ultrapress Water Purifier and Filter Bottle is a great asset to have when camping or hiking. The manufacturer claims that the filtration system removes 99.9 percent of viruses, bacteria, and protozoan cysts and filters out dirt and chemicals. We were impressed by the bottle’s durability and comfort while drinking from the vented spout. The hard plastic material is coated with a soft grip cover that was comfortable to hold, and the jointed handle was easy to grasp. Drinking from the spout felt natural, and it closed securely without any leaks occurring during testing. While the price point is higher than most bottles, we think the durability, ease of use, and filtration system are worth it. 

The Details: 16.9 ounces | Polypropylene | Chug spout

Corkcicle Canteen

It's easy to drink from and comes in multiple fun colors and designs.

It dented badly after being dropped.

This chic water bottle is easy to drink from and doesn't leak even when shaken. The bottle isn't too large and has a smooth-but-not-slick exterior that is easy to hold or store in most bags' side pockets. During our insulation tests, this bottle had one of the best performances, keeping water cold even after six hours in our lab (it's advertised with the ability to keep liquids cold for up to 25 hours.) The bottle did, however, dent during our drop test, so it may not be as durable for everyday use as other stainless steel options, but makes for a stylish statement water bottle to bring on low-risk adventures.

The Details: 16 ounces | Stainless steel | Canteen lid

Best Plastic

Yeti yonder water bottle.

• Insulation 3 /5

It's completely leak-proof.

It isn't insulated.

This Yeti bottle is made of 50 percent recycled plastic and BPA-free plastic for a lightweight alternative to heavier stainless steel bottles. The tether cap is easy to use and prevents leaks, even if you toss it into your backpack or carry-on for a full day on the town. It also fits into all standard-sized cupholders and water bottle pockets for easy access. Throughout our tests, the bottle was dropped and thrown around more times than we could count — on grass, tile, and carpet — and it didn't suffer any scratches or scuffs. While this water bottle isn't insulated, the lighter material makes for a sleek option perfect for those who want to minimize bag weight.

The Details: 20, 25, 34, and 50 ounces | Plastic | Dishwasher safe | Canteen lid

Best Filtered

Larq bottle filtered.

It keeps water cold for hours, even in extreme temperatures.

The filters need to be replaced every two months and are $20 each.

To ensure you have access to safe drinking water wherever you go, consider this filtered water bottle by Larq. While the large filter does take up some room in the body of the bottle, it's definitely worth it to make sure you stay hydrated wherever you go. Simply fill your bottle from your nearest water fountain or bathroom faucet and enjoy crisp, clean water every time. During three months of tests, the bottle never leaked, even when brought on planes, trains, buses, and the subway inside bags and clipped to the outside with the built-in carabiner. We even used this bottle in Egypt in the middle of July and it kept the water cold for hours. This is a pricey bottle, but constant access to reliable drinking water (especially when traveling) makes this bottle well-worth the price.

The Details: 17 and 25 ounces | Stainless steel | Straw

Best with Handle

Stanley 40 oz stainless steel h2.0 flowstate quencher tumbler.

It's perfect if you're going on a road trip or driving as it will last you a long time and keep your water pretty cold.

It is not leak proof and water will come out if it turns on its side.

At this point, Stanley Tumblers are synonymous with it-girl-hydration. These large bottles keep water cold for hours, feature a convenient straw, and come in a variety of sizes so you can pick your favorite. Plus, the sturdy and convenient handle is great for travel — whether you're going for a walk or heading to the airport. While the tumbler can get quite heavy, it's the perfect choice for taking to the gym or bringing on your next road trip since it holds plenty of water. We prepared our water with ice before bed and waking up the next day, the water was still cold. The exterior is also shockingly durable and looks brand new even after we've dropped it on the sidewalk several times

The Details: 14, 20, 30, 40 and 64 ounces | Stainless Steel | Dishwasher safe | Straw

Best for Hiking

Wondery fifty states bucket list water bottle.

The stickers are well-designed and a fun motivator to head to new destinations.

Be sure to store your unused stickers in a safe space as replacement stickers cost extra.

This water bottle is such a fun idea, you'll want to buy one for yourself and your favorite hiking buddy. The Wonder Outdoors Bucket List Bottles come in the Fifty States design, The Original Parks of the USA , Euro Trip , and more. Each bottle comes with several sticker sheets, so as you travel to new destinations, you can peel off the sticker and add it to the outside of your bottle. Perfect for new travelers, youngsters, and bucket list adventurers, this bottle is even dish washer safe (although hand washing will help the stickers last longer.)

We love that the bottle comes with a sturdy handle that you can use for holding or as an attachment piece for the outside of your pack. It's also a great size for hiking, at 32-ounces, it provides plenty of water for shorter hikes, but doesn't add too much weight to your set-up.

The Details: 32 ounces | Stainless steel | Dishwasher safe | Straw

We tested dozens of popular water bottles in our New York City lab and in the real world to find out which ones have the best drinkability, durability, portability, insulation, and leak-proof levels.

We first filled up their water bottles one-quarter of the way full of ice, and the remaining space was filled with cold water from a machine. We then measured and recorded the water temperatures. Then, we each took sips from our bottles while standing, walking, and sitting, to evaluate how comfortable each one was to drink from, whether there was any spilling, and how easy or difficult it was to take big gulps. To test the seals, we shook the closed bottles, hold them upside down for one minute, and then place them in a backpack and walk around for five minutes. The bags and bottles were carefully inspected to see whether any drops had escaped.

Our portability tests included having the testers grip each bottle as well as carry it with any included handles to judge the weight and how natural it felt to hold. We placed each water bottle in a standard-size car cup holder and a backpack water bottle pocket to see how convenient it would be to transport them in these common ways. 

Next, we assessed durability by dropping the bottles onto the ground from the height of a table. The bottles were dropped three times so that they landed on their bodies and three times with the lid facing the hard floor. That allowed us to see how easily the bottles got dented or scratched and whether the lids broke and rendered the bottles unusable.

Lastly, we tested the insulation of each bottle by letting them sit in the sun for six hours, taking the temperature again halfway through the wait period and then one final time after the full six hours.

Other Water Bottles We Liked

There were some water bottles that almost made our list, but a few weaknesses during testing meant they didn’t make the cut.

Purist Mover : While we thought the bottle was easy to grip and drink out of, it was easily dented during the durability test and even leaked afterwards. The bottle didn’t perform as well as we had hoped, given its somewhat lofty price. 

Kleen Kanteen Insulated TKWide 32-ounce with Chug Cap : Although this bottle was durable and retained temperature well, there was nothing remarkable about it that stood out in comparison to other insulated bottles we tested. 

Tips for Buying a Water Bottle

Consider the material’s durability and insulation.

The material of a water bottle affects its durability, ability to retain water temperature, and weight. We found that insulated stainless steel bottles were the most effective in keeping the water temperature cold after six hours. While stainless steel is generally durable, you can expect a few cosmetic flaws after prolonged use, like dents or scratches. Although plastic water bottles won’t keep your water cold over time, they are ideal for someone who is looking for a lightweight, travel-friendly bottle—especially the folding bottles that are perfect for saving space. Since glass bottles have the potential to break or shatter, we recommend being mindful of the activities you would use them for. 

Certain types of lids and spouts suit different activities 

There are several common types of lids for water bottles, including straws, screw tops, chug caps, and sports caps. With a straw lid, there will be an external straw spout that flips up on the cap and attaches to the internal straw. A screw-top lid untwists to allow you to drink out of a wide-mouth water bottle and can often come with a handle on it for easy carrying. Ideal for a gym workout or other high-intensity activities, a chug cap has a wider spout designed for quick gulps. Commonly found in plastic water bottles, a sports cap has a plastic or rubber piece that opens and closes to release water when the bottle is tilted or squeezed. 

BPA stands for Bisphenol A , which is a type of chemical that is commonly used in manufacturing plastic materials used for water bottles and other food containers. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that the presence of BPA has affected the reproductive systems of laboratory animals, it is unknown what the effects of low BPA exposure are on humans.

A water bottle will generally come with cleaning instructions that will indicate whether it’s dishwasher-safe or not. Not all water bottles are dishwasher-safe, so it’s important to check the manufacturer's instructions before washing the bottle, to avoid ruining its functionality. When a dishwasher isn’t an option, most bottles can be sufficiently cleaned by hand using soap and water. You can also opt for a brush cleaning set to help scrub all the way to the bottom of the bottle as well as the small ridges in and around the lid.

Glass water bottles are usually chemical-free and made from natural materials, but they aren’t always the most practical while traveling due to breakage risk. While often durable, plastic water bottles have the potential to leak bacteria and chemicals into your drinking water. When it comes to clean and safe water bottles that will also withstand long trips, look for those made of durable and toxic-free materials like stainless steel.

Why Trust Travel + Leisure

Anna Popp is a Commerce Writer at Travel + Leisure, where she writes and reviews travel products. She has been travel writing since 2018, and product testing since 2021. Anna worked with travel editors and expert product testers to determine the results for the best water bottles, based on a series of tests completed in our New York Lab.

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8 Best Collapsible Water Bottles of 2024

Because staying hydrated doesn't have to weigh you down.

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

To help you find the best collapsible water bottle for your next adventure, we've rounded up our top picks below.

Our top picks:

Best Overall Collapsible Water Bottle

Hydaway collapsible water bottle.

Best Value Collapsible Water Bottle

Nefeeko collapsible water bottle.

Best Lightweight Collapsible Water Bottle

Platypus platy 2-liter flexible water bottle.

Best Stylish Collapsible Water Bottle

Stojo collapsible water bottle.

Best Large Capacity Collapsible Water Bottle

Hydrapak seeker.

Best Filtering Collapsible Water Bottle

Lifestraw peak series collapsible squeeze.

Most Popular Collapsible Water Bottle on Amazon

Vapur flexible.

Best Collapsible Water Bottle for Travel

Semetor collapsible portable sports water bottle.

The product analysts and experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab have been testing water bottles for decades, including insulated water bottles , filtered water bottles , smart water bottles and more. Based on our experts' extensive experience in this space, we evaluated the most popular collapsible water bottles on the market, reviewing each product for key specs such as capacity, material, cleanability and size. According to our research, these are the best collapsible water bottles to help you stay hydrated even when you’re on the go.

At the end of this guide you'll find more information on how to find the best collapsible water bottle for your needs and how to keep one clean.

This super compact collapsible water bottle is guaranteed to become your go-to on future adventures. Not only can it be compressed into a flat 1.5-inch disc that will squeeze into your pocket , but we love that it features a built-in straw and carrying handle.

The 0.75-liter capacity should be the perfect size for most, and we appreciate that it’s dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning and maintenance. Plus, the Hydaway is available in six colors so you can choose the one that suits you best.

Though this water bottle may look like any other when fully extended, it collapses for easier storage in your purse or suitcase. Though its 5.9-inch folded size isn’t quite as compact as some other collapsible water bottles, its flexible silicone construction means that it remains very lightweight . And at this price, you can stock up. You can even use the included carabiner to attach the Nefeeko to your backpack when you’re on the go.

It’s hard to find a collapsible water bottle that’s lighter than this one from Platypus that's earned nearly 3,000 reviews and an average 4.7-star rating on Amazon. It’s nearly weightless, but that doesn’t mean that it sacrifices capacity. You can fill it up with 2 liters of water, and once you’re done just roll it up and stick it in your pocket. We recommend it for hikers, backpackers or travelers who need to be conscious of adding extra weight to their load.

Whether you need a water bottle for the office or one you can keep in your car, our Kitchen Lab experts love this pick from STOJO. Not only does it look stylish (and is available in nine beautiful pastel shades like sage green, carnation pink and more), but it collapses down to 3.3 inches tall. In addition to being dishwasher, microwave and freezer safe, the cap is easy to unscrew and it has a strap so you can attach the water bottle to your bag when your hands are preoccupied.

Perfect for overnight camping trips, this collapsible water bottle comes in 2-liter, 3-liter, 4-liter and 6-liter capacities to ensure you stay hydrated . It’s made of flexible, lightweight material that won’t weigh you down, and our pros love that a carrying handle is built-in for even easier transportation — especially when you're toting such large quantities. Though it’s only available in grey or green, its impressive capacity and foldable design are what really stand out

What’s unique about this water bottle from LifeStraw is that it features a built-in filter so you don’t have to worry about the quality of water you’re drinkin g . According to the brand, the filter removes “bacteria, parasites, microplastics, silt, sand and cloudiness” and lasts up to 2,000 liters. Like other collapsible water bottles, it’s lightweight and available in two capacity sizes (650 milliliters and 1 liter). Just keep in mind that the cap and filter will take up some room even when the rest of the bottle is folded up.

You can count on this plastic collapsible water bottle to be lightweight and effortless to store when you’re done drinking. It rolls up nicely into a compact size and stands straight when full, according to the brand . We love that it comes in a ton of bright colors and that in addition to being dishwasher-safe, you can also freeze your water overnight for refreshing hydration while you’re out hiking or at the beach the next day. Not only is it affordable at just over $10, but it has more than 10,000 reviews on Amazon and an average 4.2-star rating to back it up.

Tired of always overpaying for water bottles when you're traveling? Our pros recommend investing in this super versatile collapsible water bottle that folds up to just 1.5 inches tall. We love that it comes with a clip so you can attach it to your backpack or suitcase both when it's collapsed and expanded. While it has one of the lowest capacities on this list at 0.5 liters, that's part of what makes it so convenient to transport anywhere.

How we test collapsible water bottles

In the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, our experts test at least two dozen water bottles year-round, including some collapsible models, evaluating them for factors such as ease of use, performance and durability.

To evaluate performance, we test whether water bottles are leak-proof by filling each water bottle with equivalent amounts of water and food dye. We then knock over each water bottle and let it sit on its side for 30 minutes, checking to see if any water seeps out. We also shake each water bottle at full capacity to see if any water escapes.

To assess durability, we use our drop tester machine to drop water bottles three times each from a height of 5 feet and note any damage that occurs.

Lastly, to score ease of use we consider how each water bottle is to open and close. Using either a dishwasher or dish soap and a brush, we test how easy it is to clean each water bottle.

In addition to Lab tests, we send water bottles to consumer testers when possible to get their opinions on how water bottles fare in real life.

What to look for when shopping for a collapsible water bottle?

✔️ Capacity: Collapsible water bottles can be squeezed into a compact shape, but that doesn't mean you can't find one with enough capacity to last you the duration of your hike, errands or commute. While some collapsible bottles are smaller and only have room for under a liter of water, you can find ones with larger capacities of up to 2, 3 or even 6 liters.

✔️ Material: You'll find that most collapsible water bottles are made of silicone or plastic. That's because soft, flexible materials are what enable these water bottles to fold up or collapse. Just keep in mind that they won't provide as much insulation as stainless steel would.

✔️ Weight: All the collapsible water bottles on this list weigh under a pound, and some are so light that you'll barely even feel them in your pocket.

Who needs a collapsible water bottle?

Anyone can benefit from a collapsible water bottle, though those with an active lifestyle like hikers, travelers, commuters and students will appreciate them most. "They're especially great for people with limited storage in their bag," says Kitchen Appliances & Innovation Lab Reviews Analyst Eva Bleyer . She explains that once you've finished drinking, all you have to do is collapse your water bottle and store it in your bag for future use. Best of all, they give you access to water throughout the day without having to buy water bottles every time you're out.

How do you wash a collapsible water bottle?

According to Bleyer, "All water bottles should be cleaned regularly to eliminate bacteria and prevent mold growth." While some collapsible water bottles are dishwasher-safe, others are hand-wash only. Always check the manufacturer's recommendations and instructions first.

For bottles that must be hand-washed, Bleyer suggests looking for one with a wide mouth and fewer parts. You should use a bottle brush to thoroughly clean the interior with soap and warm water. She warns that you may need a smaller brush or water bottle cleaning tablets for collapsible water bottles with unique designs and grooves that are harder for a bottle brush to get into. And for bottles that have a straw, "we recommend that you hand-wash it for a thorough clean, even if the bottle states that it is dishwasher-safe," she says.

Will collapsible water bottles keep water cold?

Most collapsible water bottles are made of flexible materials like plastic and silicone that aren't designed to provide long-term insulation in the way that stainless steel can. "They can keep your water cold for a short time, but if you have it in a hot car or leave it out in the sun, it won't keep it cold for long," says Bleyer. If you're looking for a water bottle that can keep your water cold, it's best to consider an insulated water bottle like this Stanley IceFlow Fast Flow Water Bottle that aced Lab tests.

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

Kitchen Appliances & Innovation Lab Reviews Analyst Eva Bleyer has tested a variety of kitchen and beverage gear, including tea kettles , blenders and juicers. She also holds a B.S. in Food Studies, Nutrition and Public Health from New York University, where she studied sustainability practices. During her time at GH, Eva has tested a variety of water bottles both at home and on the go.

GH Institute Analyst Olivia Lipski closely collaborated with Bleyer to write this guide based on our Kitchen Appliances & Innovation Lab’s recommendations.

Olivia (she/her) is a media and tech product reviews analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute , covering tech, home, auto, health and more. She has more than five years of experience writing about tech trends and innovation and, prior to joining GH in 2021, was a writer for Android Central, Lifewire and other media outlets. Olivia is a graduate of George Washington University, with a bachelor's degree in journalism, political science and French, and she holds a master’s degree in communications from Sciences Po Paris.

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I’m Maximizing Space in My Carry-On Bag for an 18-Day Trip with These 7 Amazon Travel Finds — All Under $30

I went deep on Amazon’s best-selling travel gear chart

People / Madison Woiten

In just a week, I’ll be boarding a flight to Europe and beginning an 18-night journey with five stops across three countries — and I’m determined to do it all with nothing but a carry-on .

Because I’ll be unpacking and repacking in four hotels and one friend’s guest room over the duration of my journey, I want to keep my belongings as organized (and edited) as can be. In my quest to streamline my suitcase, I went deep into Amazon's best-selling travel gear chart to browse the site’s most popular organizers and accessories. 

I found seven standouts, including a set of compression packing cubes , a small but mighty makeup bag , and a super-compact hanging toiletry bag — and they’re all under $30. 

Amazon Best-Selling Travel Gear Under $30

• Eneteck 3 Pair Travel Shoe Bag , $13.49 (orig. $14.99)
• Bagail 4 Set Compression Packing Cubes , $16.99 with Prime (orig. $29.99)
• Purevave Compact Hanging Toiletry Bag , $19.49 with Prime (orig. $27.99)
• Cubetastic Small Travel Makeup Bag , $9.99
• Umetass 8-Pack Travel-Size Squeeze Bottles , $12.99
• Apple World Traveler Adapter Kit , $29
• Repel Portable Travel Umbrella , $28.99 (orig. $34.99)

Eneteck 3 Pair Travel Shoe Bag, $13 (Save 10%)

This travel shoe bag is hands down my favorite discovery. It fits three pairs of shoes in a neat package that measures 11.8 inches by 8.7 inches, which is about the size of a piece of printer paper, and it’s only 5.5 inches high once zipped up. 

One reviewer confirmed it was the “perfect size” for two pairs of shoes and sandals, and another shopper called it a “lifesaver” for fitting a pair of running shoes, hiking boots, and sandals. This is perfect for me, since I plan to wear my bulkiest shoes while traveling (chunky loafers), and I’ll use this to pack a pair of ballet flats , heels, and my trusty Adidas Sambas . 

Bagail 4 Set Compression Packing Cubes, $17 with Prime

I know from experience that packing cubes are a game changer. Compressive packing cubes?! This is next-level, and I want in. These ones are designed with a second zipper that packs the cubes down into neat little packages. They come in sets of four, five, or six and in plenty of colors and patterns, as well as clear. 

The packing cubes have more than 14,500 five-star ratings from shoppers, so I feel pretty confident about picking them up, and they’re only $17 right now. One reviewer who bought them also got a “more pricey set” to compare with, and when they did a “practice pack,” they said these packing cubes “won hands down.” 

And another reviewer , who traveled internationally with the packing cubes, wrote, “When customs opened my suitcase, it kept my items tidy, covered, [and] not exposed to dirt or germs.” But, most importantly, the compression cubes helped them “get a lot more” into their suitcase. 

Purevave Compact Hanging Toiletry Bag, $19 with Prime

The hanging toiletry bag I have now is great, but it’s huge. This compact version is only 10 inches by 5 inches by 3.5 inches when it’s closed, and it’s big enough for the essentials. It also has nice design details like a middle compartment specifically designed for a toothbrush and toothpaste and elastic bands to hold liquid items in place. 

If you’ve also got some travel planned for summer, take a look at Amazon’s best-selling travel gear chart for products that can streamline your packing. And keep scrolling to see more of what’s earned my precious carry-on real estate. 

Cubetastic Small Travel Makeup Bag

Apple world traveler adapter kit, repel portable travel umbrella, $29 (save 17%), umetass 8-pack travel-size squeeze bottles, see more from people shopping.

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The 24 Best Travel Tote Bags for Your Next Big Trip

Whether it's your only bag or a carry-on supplement, a travel tote will take your packing game to the next level.

Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.

T&C Tried and True

Medium metro tote deluxe.

Separate Compartment for Organization

Lo & sons catalina deluxe tote.

Luxurious Essential

Cuyana easy travel tote.

Folds Small for Easy Packing

Lululemon packable tote bag.

Classic Tote

Longchamp large le pliage tote.

Everyday to Travel Tote

Etronik travel duffel bag with usb charging port.

Minimalist and Functional

The renew transit weekender.

Bargain Bag

Bluboon travel tote bag.

Madewell The Shopper Tote

Heavy Lifter

Boat and tote.

Whatever your travel needs for the season ahead, odds are that a good tote can make your packing life more organized, and less stressful—honestly, what more could you hope for? With that in mind, we've scoured the internet for the more durable, functional travel totes for every type of traveler, from the serial overpacker to the organization fiend. Here, our favorite finds for all of your journeys.

Perpetually trying to find space in your carry-on for one last thing? Meet what one T&C editor calls, "the personal item of every overpacker's dream." Featuring five exterior pockets, plus six on the interior and an detachably pouch, it will keep all of your travel essentials organized while it's sturdy-yet-lightweight construction makes it easy to tuck in "just in case" items to your hearts desire without overwhelming your arms.

The cushy, reinforced straps are easy on the shoulders, but it also has a detachable crossbody strap and a built-in sleeve to slip over the handle of your luggage if you don't feel like toting. It also comes in four sizes (we're fond of the medium for it's ability to hold oodles of stuff while still slipping neatly beneath the seat in front of you on a plane) and a seasonally-refreshed roster of more than a dozen shades, making it as stylish as it is functional.

Lo & Sons Catalina Deluxe Tote

For the "a place for everything and everything in its place" traveler, this tote has you covered with a zippered bottom pocket that's perfect for separating out toiletries or dirty shoes from the rest of your haul (an interior panel also allows you to open the bottom compartment fully, if you're craving a deeper bag.)

Available in recycled poly or sturdy canvas, at 15" x 14" x 7", it qualifies as a personal item for most airlines and has a handy luggage sleeve to pair with your suitcase. For those looking for larger options, it comes in four additional sizes as well.

Cuyana bags are a favorite of T&C editors and royals alike ( Meghan Markle is a big fan ) for their timelessly stylish silhouettes, buttery soft leather, and effortless functionality. This, their latest launch, is made specifically with travel in mind.

Crafted with lightweight, durable pebbled leather (currently available in four colorways) it offers ample interior space (a 37L volume, to be precise) plus two large pockets, a phone slip, and a key clip, as well as snaps for Cuyana devotees who want to mix in their System Flap Bag or System Zipper Pouch .

If you're more of a "shop when you get there" traveler, this bag brings the souvenir space without taking up lots of room in your primary bag. Water-repellant and roomy (it holds 32L by volume) it features rugged shoulder straps, plus an extra strap that lets it slip over the handle of roller luggage, and can fold into its own exterior pouch when not in use to make a tidy, handheld bundle.

Some things are classic for a reason. Case in point: this timeless Longchamp tote; just ask T&C 's associate shopping editor, Sophie Dweck, who's been carrying hers for over a decade . Made from sleek, easy-to-clean nylon that comes in a cornucopia of colors, it features a simple, spacious interior and strong leather straps that ensure it can stand up to anything your travels throw at it, and look good doing it.

Looking for a tote that's as useful in your day-to-day as it is when you're far away? This multi-use tote has racked up thousands of five-star reviews on Amazon for its versatility. A separate, vented shoe compartment makes it as friendly to gym sessions as beach trips, while its multiple pockets keep essentials organized. It also includes a luggage strap and a USB charging port so you can plug in your tech without rummaging through your bag for your battery pack, and comes in two sizes and almost 30 shades so it will match your travel style.

One reviewer writes: "I must say, it exceeded my expectations in every way! This bag is the perfect blend of style and functionality, making it a must-have for any woman on the go."

Type-A packers, take note: this 100% recycled polyester is all about options. Its four colorways can be worn crossbody, carried in hand, or over the shoulder, and include a zippered exterior pocket, a luggage sleeve, two water bottle holders, and a padded laptop sleeve—all with Everlane's signature modern minimalist vibe.

Available in 20 colorways and textures, this canvas tote features a luggage sleeve that also doubles as a tech pouch so your gadgets will always be at the ready. The sturdy construction and bargain price tag have made it a hit with reviewers, who site its roomy 16.5" x 9" x 14" size and comfort.

One reviewer writes: "I am so happy with this purchase! Reasonable price, large main compartment, and a few zip compartments to organize smaller items. Bag fits perfectly under airline seat, even when stuffed FULL. It stayed in place when I had it on top of my roller bag, and I noticed the shape of it kept it from making everything tip forward (which happened with my previous bag)."

For a travel bag that you can use as a purse all trip, this simple Madewell leather tote brings a perfect mix of style and space (12.75" x 12.75" x 7.5".) It even comes with an interior strap that allows you to change the shape, and doubles as a keyring.

True L.L. Bean lovers know that the brand's classic Boat and Tote bag is hard to beat—after all, it's been one of their signature styles since 1944. Crafted from rugged cotton canvas, it's tested to hold up to 500 pounds, so no matter how much you manage to overpack, this bag is guaranteed to take it on. And with four sizes and two interior lengths to choose from, as well as a dozen colors, there's a perfect one for all your needs.

Caraa Studio Tote

Whether you prefer a classic tote style or a backpack, this Italian leather bag gives you the best of both worlds. Along with the usual amenities (a slew of pockets, adjustable straps) it also has a collapsible waterproof shoe pocket for those days your travel plans call for a quick change.

More: The 18 Best Carry-On Travel Backpacks for Easy, Breezy Packing

Béis The Convertible Weekend Bag

This tote brings two-for-one power with a removable bottom compartment that can be used as is, or as a separate packing cube. Easy to clean polyester and polyurethane make it a cinch to keep looking like new, with a built-in luggage sleeve and removable laptop sleeve give it plenty of function for that rush through TSA.

Tumi Voyageur Just in Case Packable Nylon Tote

Some people pack an extra suitcase when traveling abroad. We propose this packable Tumi tote instead. It folds out to an impressive 8" x 14" x 8 size when fully opened and weighs less than a pound, so you can shop to your heart's content while getting those passport stamps.

More: The 13 Best Luggage Brands for Every Type of Traveler

Carhartt Legacy Tote East/West

Built to work hard, this water-repelling polyester Carhartt bag is tough enough to handle all of your travel adventures. It includes two exterior pockets as well as an interior divider and pockets, so it's and functional on the inside as it is on the outside.

One reviewer writes: "Even better than expected! I used it as my personal item for a trip to Mexico…placed my purse, tablet, magazines, etc inside…lots of pockets! Hides dirt, wipes off easily, very well made."

Revive Nylon Large Tote

Available in five-shades, this nylon tote (made with fabric crafted from 27 recycled water bottles with recycled leather trim) has jumbo exterior slip pockets (plus three interior pockets and a keyring) and a built-in padded laptop sleeve to match its roomy interior with organization.

One reviewer writes: "Great color, roomy, lots of pockets to keep things organized and easy to locate. Perfect for work and travel. Very happy with it."

Dagne Dover Jemi Tote

Want a travel tote that makes a style statement? Bring your puffer coat style to your bag with this versatile, vegan tote made from recycled plastic water bottles. At less than a pound and half (it holds 16.2 L volume), it's super lightweight, and has two sets of comfy handles—one for hand-held use and one for shoulder use—plus a luggage sleeve, so it's great no matter your travel style.

Naghedi Jet Setter Small Tote

Fully lined, basket-woven neoprene brings beautiful texture to this travel tote, making it ideal for those situations when you have to go straight from the plane to an event. It also has a zip closure and zippered interior pocket to ensure that your stuff stays in place even on the wildest travel days.

Scout Travel Bag Large

You want all of the weight in your travel bag to be from your must-haves, not from the bag itself. This colorful version from Scout (it comes in half a dozen colors and patterns) is a featherlight 1 pound, yet can hold up to 65 pounds of your gear, and can fold flat when not in use. It also comes with a zipper pocket and reinforced bottom so everything you pack stays comfortable where you want it.

Barbour Medium Travel Explorer Leather Tote Bag

The biggest name in waxed cotton jackets brings their British heritage sensibility to travel with this luxe 100% leather tote. Measuring 17.72'' x 14.96'', it comes with sturdy top handles and an adjustable shoulder strap for comfortable carrying.

More: The 13 Best Luxury Luggage for Traveling in Style

WONHOX Large Travel Tote Bag

This waterproof travel tote features a luggage sleeve, three interior pockets, including a special compartment to separate wet and dry items (looking at you, still-damp swimsuit) and four external pockets, as well as a zip-open expansion on the bottom so your bag can be as big, or small, as you need.

One reviewer writes : "Schlepped this bag all over Europe and it holds a surprising amount of stuff! The little expander area on the bottom really helped me squeeze in a few extra souvenirs. The trolley sleeve is a MUST from now on. It hooks on to your roller suitcase so easily and is sturdy! I was throwing my baggage up on the train, in and out of taxis and through many airports easy peasy."

Lauren Hubbard is a freelance writer and Town & Country contributor who covers beauty, shopping, entertainment, travel, home decor, wine, and cocktails.

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Entrepreneurs Import California Cool, Blue Bottle Coffee

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Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog

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The Squeeze Inn – Roseville, California

Tried to amend my carnivorous habits Made it nearly seventy days Losin’ weight without speed, eatin’ sunflower seeds Drinkin’ lots of carrot juice and soakin’ up rays

But at night I’d had these wonderful dreams Some kind of sensuous treat Not zucchini, fettucini or Bulgar wheat But a big warm bun and a huge hunk of meat

Cheeseburger in paradise (paradise) Heaven on earth with an onion slice (paradise) Not too particular not too precise (paradise) I’m just a cheeseburger in paradise

~ Jimmy Buffett

Just what is a cheeseburger in paradise?  In his top 40 song Cheeseburger in Paradise , Jimmy Buffett seems to infer that a cheeseburger in paradise can be any cheeseburger you consume after depriving yourself, or as he put it, “ after trying to amend your carnivorous habits .”  There’s much truth in this.  Every dieter with whom I’ve spoken admits that what they dream about most after any period of deliciousness deprivation are cheeseburgers.  Cheeseburgers are, after all, America’s most popular, arguably most delicious, fast food offering.

In Buffett’s case, the cheeseburger in paradise was inspired by a boating excursion on the azure waters of the Caribbean.  While sustaining himself on peanut butter and canned foods, he fantasized about devouring a “piping hot cheeseburger.”  His fantasy cam true…sort of, when he landed in the British Virgin Islands where he found a restaurant offering American cheeseburgers.  Despite the specificity of his instructions to the waiter on how he wanted the burgers prepared, what he got was an overdone beef patty on a burned, toasted bun.  No matter. To Buffett, this was a cheeseburger in paradise.  It fulfilled his fantasy and “ tasted like manna from heaven .”

Buffett likes his cheeseburgers “ with lettuce and tomato, Heinz Fifty-Seven and French-fried potatoes .”  For New Mexicans, there is nothing as thoroughly soul-satisfying and utterly delicious as our ubiquitous green chile cheeseburger.  We have a fierce pride in that most simplistic, but explosive, flavor-blessed union of a thick, juicy beef patty grilled over an open flame or sizzled on a griddle then blanketed in cheese and topped with taste bud awakening, tongue tingling, olfactory arousing green chile.  To New Mexicans, it isn’t a cheeseburger in paradise without green chile.

Americans have been adding cheese to their burgers since the mid-1920s though, as with the hamburger itself, culinary historians can’t seem to agree as to when the molten marriage of cheese and beef patty first happened.  Most credit Lionel Sternberger with having “invented” the cheeseburger while working as a fry cook at his father’s Pasadena, California sandwich shop.  Legend has it that Sternberger experimentally dropped a slab of American cheese on a sizzling hamburger.  The rest, as the proverbial “they” say, is history.

Though the “inventor” of the cheeseburger is much in dispute, there is absolutely no disputing its impact on the American culture.  Wall Street Journal writer Raymond Sokolove called the cheeseburger “ America’s contribution to world cuisine .  Does it stand to reason, therefore, that the more cheese you add to a cheeseburger, the better and more delicious the end-product will be?  The Squeeze Inn in the Sacramento, California area seems to think so.

For many people in the Sacramento area, the Squeeze Inn offers the cheeseburger in paradise.  That’s been validated in their having voted it the “best burger” winner from 2007 through 2010.  The original Squeeze Inn, a Lilliputian burger joint has also been voted “best dive” in Sacramento five years running.  It’s called the Squeeze Inn because of the original restaurant’s size; you literally got squeezed in to get your food.  The original was so small –only twelve bars tools–that customers would line up literally around the block to get in its doors then wait for hours to eat.  It would have to be a cheeseburger in paradise to inspire such loyalty.

In 2009, Sacramento area resident and Food Network luminary Guy Fieri introduced The Squeeze Inn to the rest of the world on his Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives program.  The effusive Fieri also included the burger on the second book he wrote about his “Triple D” program.  In an episode of the Jay Leno Show, the host asked Fieri who serves the best hamburger in America.  Without hesitation, Fieri mentioned the Squeeze Inn in Sacramento.

What makes the Squeeze Inn’s “squeeze with cheese burger” unique and famous is the way it’s prepared.  It starts with a third-pound of 100-percent beef topped with mayo, mustard, tomato lettuce, pickles, cheese and onions served on a sesame seed bun, pretty traditional stuff.  A crispy “cheese skirt” is created after the beef patty is cooked on a flat top grill.  The skirt is created when an entire third-pound of cheese and the top bun are placed atop the patty.  The cook then throws a handful of ice chips on the flat top and covers the burger with a “hood” to create a steamy effect.  The result is a rectangular, crispy cheese skirt which extends about an inch beyond the burger on all sides.

That’s one-third pound of beef and one-third pound of cheese plus high-quality, fresh ingredients.  What’s not to like?  As Fieri might say, “it’s a California thing.”  While I found the burger interesting and unique, it wasn’t necessarily memorable by virtue of its flavor profile alone.  Though I cherish cheese, the fried cheese skirt itself can be a bit off-putting–both texturally and in terms of flavor.  Sure, it’s crispy and maybe by itself would be a nice snack, but it makes the burger difficult to eat (the cheese becomes a bit “rubbery”) and actually detracts from the flavor of the beef.  This is one marriage of beef and cheese I didn’t like much, but there are thousands of Sacramento area residents who say otherwise.

The Squeeze Inn prepares everything to order and to your exacting specifications.  In addition to their famous “squeeze with cheese,” the restaurant serves other menu items including tacos, hot dogs, sandwiches and more.  Even a vegetarian burger is available for non-carnivores.

The Squeeze Inn is certainly not everybody’s version of a cheeseburger in paradise, but from an experiential point of view, it’s one of those legendary restaurants you’ve got to try just to say you’ve  been there and done that .  You may even like it more than I did….and who knows, had the squeeze with cheese had some New Mexico green chile, it might have been closer to being a cheeseburger in paradise for me, too.

The Squeeze Inn 106 North Sunrise Avenue Roseville, California (916) 783-2874 LATEST VISIT : 14 June 2010 # OF VISITS : 1 RATING : 17 COST : $$ BEST BET : French Fries, Squeeze with Cheese

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One thought on “ The Squeeze Inn – Roseville, California ”

Some new friends on the recommendation by Sensei had a great time eating mass amounts of cheese baked into our burgers. It was AWESOME! I think everyone in the Sacramento area needs to go here at least one in their lives. Yes, I should have had a double, but next time… Thanks Gil!

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Morfone 16 Pack Silicone Travel Bottles Set for Toiletries TSA Approved Travel Containers Leakproof Squeezable Refillable Accessories 2oz 3oz for Shampoo Conditioner Lotion Liquids (BPA Free)

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• ☀【PORTABLE TRAVEL ACCESSORIES】Would you want to make your life simpler, more organized when traveling? Then this classic travel bottles set are the best and latest thing you should have. It comes with high quality upgraded zip bag + 4 Bottles + 4 Jars + 2 Spray Bottles + 2 Spoons + 1 Funnel + 1 Clean Brush + 1 Page Label. Believe us, it would be a fantastic set for your vocations
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• ❤【MUST-HAVE TRAVEL KIT】This travel size toiletries bottles includes all necessary containers, which will fit together nicely to take up less room in your luggage, giving more room for souvenirs! The classic black and white are suitable for men and women, and will never be out of date no matter when and where. It is ideal for inside or outside activities

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Tsa Approved 3oz Travel Size Containers BPA Free

Morfone Travel Size Toiletries Make You Have a Perfect Journeys!

Why Choose Morfone Travel Bottles?

Morfone Provide Life Time Product Services. You don't have to worry about any after-sales problems, our professional after-sales service will help you answer your questions 24 hours a day to ensure that you have a satisfactory shopping experience!

Is It Prevent Leak?

Yes, It Is Designed with No Drip Valve & 3 Layer Covers to Prevent Leakage

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Yes, It is Cleanable, We Provide 1 Clean Brush

What Are The Capacities of The Travel Bottles and Jars?

The Bottles Have A Capacity of 3oz & 2oz and The Jars Have a Capacity of 1oz &0.3oz Respectively

Is This Accessories Set BPA Free?

Yes, They Are Made of Food-grade Silicone That Is BPA-free

Morfone Travel Bottle Sets

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• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.38 x 5.71 x 2.05 inches; 8.82 ounces
• Department ‏ : ‎ Unisex Adult
• Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Morfone
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B095WKNRNZ
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ China
• #4 in Refillable Cosmetic Container Kits

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Customers say

Customers like the travel size of the beauty set. For example, they say it's perfect for travel and the small jars are great for carrying on luggage. Customers are also impressed with the quality, saying the bottles work well. That said, opinions are mixed on appearance, leakage, and labeling.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers like the quality of the travel kit. They say the shampoo and conditioner bottles work well, the durable containers are perfect for carrying shampoo, and the bag is perfect for travel.

"...even then i dont think it would. the canister work great . the squeeze tubes are so easy to fill and use and clean. no leaks...." Read more

"...If you want to travel lighter, smarter, and more sustainably , I highly recommend investing in these silicone travel containers...." Read more

"...These durable containers are perfect for carrying shampoo, conditioner, and other liquids without the fear of spills...." Read more

"...I like that labels are included. The pouch seems a bit flimsy but having traveled with it several times I am surprised how well it holds up...." Read more

Customers are satisfied with the size of the bottle set. They mention that it has a variety of sizes and is well sized for enough product for a few days. They also appreciate the TSA-approved size, which ensures hassle-free security checks. Overall, customers say the set is perfect for traveling and is suitable for storing all your essentials.

"Each piece is well sized for enough product for at least a few days. I like that labels are included...." Read more

"...Their flexibility , leak-proof design, labeling feature, and eco-friendliness make them an essential addition to any traveler's toolkit...." Read more

"...Their TSA-approved size ensures hassle-free security checks, and the squeezable silicone design makes them leak-proof and easy to use...." Read more

"Soooo perfect. Sizes are great for about of week of products...." Read more

Customers are happy with the travel pack. They say it's great for travel, the tools to put products in the containers, and the small jars are perfect for traveling. Some customers mention that the bottles are decent and didn't leak. They also say the small containers with twist caps will leak.

"...This means I can maximize my packing efficiency and carry all the products I need without taking up too much room...." Read more

"...These durable containers are perfect for carrying shampoo , conditioner, and other liquids without the fear of spills...." Read more

"...The travel pack was fine . Also, love the little labels!" Read more

"... game changer for packing with ease " Read more

Customers like the ease of cleaning. They mention that it's a breeze, and that the bottles come with a cleaning brush, funnel, and small scooper.

"...the squeeze tubes are so easy to fill and use and clean . no leaks. again if you dont know what your doing they may leak...." Read more

"... Cleaning is a breeze . Silicone containers are dishwasher-safe, making it easy to prepare them for my next adventure...." Read more

"...… fine when you’re secured in a zipped pouch but still a mess to have to clean up and you’re missing some product you would have otherwise used...." Read more

"I travel 3 times a year and these are perfect!! TSA approved, and easy to clean !!..." Read more

Customers like the refillability of the product. For example, they say the containers are easy to fill, keep everything organized, and don't spill. The squeeze tubes are also easy to use and clean. Some mention the bottles are soft and can be squeezed to get the contents out. Overall, most are happy with the refillable nature of the products.

"...the canister work great. the squeeze tubes are so easy to fill and use and clean. no leaks. again if you dont know what your doing they may leak...." Read more

"...Unlike rigid plastic containers, silicone containers can be squeezed and shaped to fit into tight spaces in my travel bag...." Read more

"...bottles for shampoo etc, are made of silicone, so you can squeeze the product out . My favorite thing about this set is the size...." Read more

"...The containers are great ! I love the feeling of them and the little bag is a great bag as well! It all cleans very nicely!" Read more

Customers are mixed about the leakage. Some mention that the bottle does not leak, while others say that the spray containers are not entirely leak-proof and the little screw-on containers are a bit fragile.

"...I have not had any issues with leaking . I can recommend this item." Read more

"...also, the little pots in this kit leaked … fine when you’re secured in a zipped pouch but still a mess to have to clean up and you’re missing some..." Read more

"...Passed through TSA in several major cities no problem. Doesnt leak at all unless carelessly packed and crushed. even then i dont think it would...." Read more

"...was leak proof so I had them in their bag so although it leaked all over the other bottles , it didn't leak on anything else...." Read more

Customers are mixed about the labeling. Some mention that the labels are super helpful and easy to read, while others say that they don't stick and fall off easily. Some customers also mention that all the containers have huge branding printed all over them, which is unattractive.

"...I like that labels are included . The pouch seems a bit flimsy but having traveled with it several times I am surprised how well it holds up...." Read more

"...The clear bag to hold all the containers had huge branding printed all over it , which is unattractive and was unexpected..." Read more

"...Their flexibility, leak-proof design, labeling feature , and eco-friendliness make them an essential addition to any traveler's toolkit...." Read more

"...The travel pack was fine. Also, love the little labels !" Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the appearance of the bottle. Some find it cute and quaint with neutral colors, while others say it's ugly and has a poor design. The pouch it comes in has s large ugly logo and warning labels. Some customers also mention that the bag is not plain or minimalist, and looks like a cheap Chinese brand.

"...all the containers had huge branding printed all over it, which is unattractive and was unexpected (the images just showed a clear bag)...." Read more

"... It's cute . It's quaint. Travel friendly. Just those 2 things were the reason it's 4 stars for me." Read more

"...It's not quite as pictured because there is a company logo. That doesn't bother me. I like the shape of the bottles and the way they stack...." Read more

"I absolutely love this travel set!! First of all it looks great , clean, classic...." Read more

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Is It Safe To Store Olive Oil In Plastic Bottles?

Here's everything you need to know.

Delish editors handpick every product we feature. We may earn commission from the links on this page.

Some of the trendiest olive oils on the market have become powerhouse brands in part because of their plastic-squeeze-bottle packaging. Graza arguably led the charge, with brands like Brightland and California Olive Ranch quickly following suit.

Even those who don’t buy olive oil in squeeze bottles often decant it into plastic containers themselves—a practice often employed in professional kitchens. But as the conversation around PFAS becomes more and more relevant, people are understandably concerned about keeping oil in plastic.

Is it safe to store olive oil in plastic bottles? What’s the right way to store olive oil? We’re here to unpack all of the truths about olive oil storage.

Is Plastic The Best Way To Store Olive Oil?

The short answer is no, but that doesn’t mean you need to swear off plastic packaging entirely. Olive oil, particularly extra virgin varieties, are susceptible to degradation from certain environmental factors.

Light, oxygen, and heat all accelerate oxidation process, which denatures the fat molecules in your cooking oil and causes it to go rancid. Rancidity does not make food unsafe, but it does impart a bitter, almost sour flavor.

Many olive oil brands choose to package their products with materials that limit light exposure—like opaque metal and plastic or tinted glass—to delay the rate of oxidation.

However, studies indicate that plastic bottles made with polyethylene are less effective at protecting olive oil from oxidation. They also report that plastic storage containers can significantly decrease the amount of antioxidants naturally found in extra virgin olive oil.

The risk of PFAS and microplastics leaching into your oil is not zero, either. A 2023 study by researchers at University of Notre Dame found that plastic bottles made with fluorinated high-density polyethylene containers, or HDPE, can impart certain chemicals into your oil. That rate increases significantly if the bottle is exposed to heat.

It’s worth clarifying, however, that this risk is specific to containers that have been treated with fluorine—but there is no way to identify which containers have been treated this way. Exposure to PFAS is also, to some extent, inevitable. Notre Dame representatives note , “If substances like pesticides are stored in these containers, and then are used on agricultural crops, these same PFAS will get into human food sources that way.”

What Is The Safest Way To Use Plastic Olive Oil Bottles?

No need to panic. You don’t need to throw away your Graza. There’s a reason why squeeze bottles are widely used in professional kitchens—they’re convenient and make measuring oil easy. The risk of PFAS will always be present in some capacity. There are, however, methods to mitigate exposure.

First, you should utilize proper storage methods. Regardless of packaging, you should keep your olive oil away from heat and light. That means you should avoid storing your bottles directly next to the oven or near a window.

Another potential solution is using glass or metal containers for long term olive oil storage, then decanting small amounts into plastic squeeze bottles for short term use. This is common practice in professional kitchens, where olive oil is used quickly and only spends a day or two in a plastic container.

Expertise: TikTok Trends, Drinks, Pop Culture

Education: B.A. in Journalism and B.S. in Communications from NYU, Culinary Arts degree from The Institute of Culinary Education

About Me: As an associate editor at Delish, Gabby works on everything from features to recipes to content on our social media channels. Before joining the team, she wrote for StarChefs Rising Stars Magazine, Mashed, and Food52. When she’s not developing cocktail recipes, she’s making cocktail-inspired dishes like Dirty Martini Pasta and Aperol Spritz Trifle . Her features cover online trends like the Millennial Shopping Cart , rank everything from hard seltzers to frozen French fries , and answer some of your most pressing food safety questions. You can also find her posting content on Delish’s TikTok, including her three-part series about cooking like influencer Nara Smith that garnered over 3M combined views.  She loves eating spicy food, collecting cookbooks, and adding a mountain of Parmesan to any dish she can. 

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• Fear of heights &...

Fear of heights & the Cinque Terre Trails

I will be visiting the CT this August. I have a fear of heights and, based on some of the things I have read, I am getting anxious about hiking the trails. One of things I have read is that the trails will be very crowded in August and at times I may have to squeeze by people (on the outside)in order to pass. How narrow are the trails? Are there guard rails? I am determined to walk the trails and would appreciate any honest feedback about the trails that would help prepare me for this adventure.

Michele, the trails ARE quite narrow in points (especially on the Monterosso-Vernazza section) and there are NO hand rails. In most places there's a gradual (but steep) slope down towards the water, with some vegetation. However, other parts of the trail go through olive groves and are quite wide. The next section (Vernazza-Corniglia) is a bit easier.

Be sure to take some extra water along to leave for the Cats (perhaps some food also?).

The beautiful via del 'Amore (Riomaggiore-Manarola) is paved and has hand rails for the most part. Be sure to stop at the small Bar and have a "beverage" while enjoying the ocean view.

August wouldn't be my preferred time to travel there, as I imagine it will be crowded. Note that you need to purchase a permit to hike the trails (they DO check!). The view is incredible - enjoy!

Happy travels!

To further clarify, there are 4 lower coastal trails between the 5 towns. Going north from Riomaggiore to Manarola, the "hike" or walk will take about 25 minutes. The trail is FLAT with very few stairs. The second trail from Manarola to Corniglia is also mostly flat to the train station. This hike will take you about 40 minutes. I suggest that you stop at the train station and mini-bus up unless you want to walk up the 25 sets of swtich-back stairs (about 400) to the town.

The third trail begins in Corniglia and goes to Vernazza. This trail is much steeper and will rise 1,200 -1,400. This means 1,200 to 1,400 stairs up and the same down. This hike is more strenuous and there are steep drop-offs. As seniors, it took us 3 hours (stopped a lot). We did not attempt the 4th trail between Vernazza and Monterosso as it was reported to be more steep and dangerous.

The first two trails are just fine and very scenic.

I also have a fear of heights but had no problem with hiking in the CT. The hike between Vernazza and Corniglia was moderate and had beautiful views. There is some guard rail/fence along the way. We were there in mid May and there were few hikers on the steeper trails. The lower paths were flat at times and we saw the most hikers/walkers there. I think you will be fine--just take your time, wear good shoes, and enjoy the scenery. It is possible to walk down to a beach area but the beach is all pebbles and the Ligurian Sea was ice cold at that time.

Michelle, I am well known as the eternal optimist, BUT I have reservations about this idea. There are few areas with anything that even resembles a fence, there are very narrow stretches, there are lots of people during the time frame that you mentioned, there are very steep drop offs. It is a physically challenging, even for a fit person.

Keep in mind that there are sections further South that offer wider trails and are not as severe.

Your call, but DO go to this area. There are trains and a local bus to help you avoid the steeper areas.

We hiked this trail several years ago, as I look at my photos...and I remember, there are really just low fences. Europe doesn't over protect it's citizens and visitors like we do in the US.

I'd recommend you hike starting from the south to the north. As the other poster stated, the trail is more of a sidewalk, thus wider here. The hardest of the trail and the steepest is from Monterosso south.

You should have no problems getting to the inside of the trail should you feel uncomfortable. Just plan ahead as you hike. If you see a large group coming at you, stop....find a place that you feel safe to stand in while they pass.

I understand your fear of heights. The views are beautiful, but a postcard will get you the same photo in a pinch!

Michelle...

I hiked the Cinque Terre in May 2006 with my hubby who is an avid hiker who was patient with me because I'm not in as such good shape as him. The hardest trail was from Monterosso to Vernazza but very rewarding once Vernazza came into view. The trail goes through many vineyards that are terrace farmed so you find yourself going up many many stairs and then down just as many. Then there are many narrow trails as well which do not provide alot of room for passing. The best advice we got was to go either early in the morning or later in the day around dinner time before sunset when not as many people are on the trails and it worked! We even ran into an American couple with the wife 6 months pregnant. This was their 2nd visit and she said they were doing all the trails at that time of the day and then she had no problems. The common problem that hikes had where the groups of German tourists with the double hiking sticks that move fast on the trails during midday.

I've only done the Vernazza to Monterosso trail and the "Via d'Amore" or whatever it's called down in Riomaggiore. Although I absolutely loved it, I would NOT recommend the Vernazza-Monterosso trail to someone with a fear of heights. Italy is one big safety code violation and I'm surprised there aren't more reports of accidents on that trail.

The Riomaggiore trail is beautiful and safe.

I agree with Michael; if you have a fear of heights then don't do the stretch from Monterosso to Vernazza. I was there this past fall, and in places the trail was only a foot or two wide over drops of 5-20 feet.

For the steeper parts, skip them and take the ferry. The views from the water looking up are beautiful. I took the ferry round trip and then got off to enjoy Vernazzo and then reboarded the ferry back to Monterossa. My husband divided the walk into 2 days. He hiked the steepest part first from Monerossa the first day. He road the ferry the 2nd day with me and then hiked the rest of the trail from there. You don't have to hike the whole trail. If you don't take the ferry you can hop the train between towns for a quick short ride.

Many thanks to all of you for your great advice. Based on your wonderful input I have determined that I can have the best of both worlds. We will hike most of the legs but take the ferry for the 2 most vertically challenging/scarey legs of the trail. Now I can relax and start thinking about how fun it will be!

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WHAT DO I WEAR ON THE RIVER AND IN CAMP?

Dressing appropriately is key to your comfort on the river and that applies if it’s cold or hot. Spring trips are colder so lots of fleece thermals on the water covering all exposed skin and summer trips lots of sunscreen covering all exposed skin. Regardless of hot or cold, we suggest you leave the cotton and denim off the river.

We suggest you read our comprehensive list below of what to bring with you depending on the trip you are doing.

• Sleeping Bag – not currently available to rent.
• Tent – available to rent.
• Foam Pad use is complimentary.
• Sheet for very warm nights when it is too hot to get into your sleeping bag.
• Duffle bag or soft pack to carry your gear.
• Tennis shoes to wear on the raft and when swimming. They’ll get wet, so don’t bring your best shoes.
• Or river sandals* or equivalent only.  NO flip flops, bare feet or Crocs .
• Swimsuit or shorts and T-shirt* to wear on the rafts.
• Extra tennis shoes or other shoes for something dry to wear around camp.
• Long-sleeved shirt and pants for the evening. In April, May, and September, the nights and early mornings are cool, so bring warmer clothes, i.e. , long pants, warm jacket, sweater, etc.
• Folding chair.
• Towel, washcloth, toiletries.
• Wide-brimmed hat*, visor* or cap* (tie-on*).
• Sunglasses with neck strap*, sunscreen*, lip ointment with SPF*. The sun is very hot.
• Plastic or metal water bottle w/strap*.
• Flashlight*. You’ll need this for getting around at night. There are minimal lights on the way to the bathroom.
• Waterproof camera*.
• Fishing equipment including bait suitable for bass and trout.
• Light rain jacket or nylon windbreaker, polar fleece jacket or vest, wool sweater, and wool socks in case it’s overcast. *Items found in our river store

In addition on spring trips:

• Any garments made of non-cotton, synchilla, wool, fleece, capilene, etc.
• Your personal wetsuit if you have one.
• Hat made of the above materials.
• Heavy pair of wool socks.
• Warm sleeping bag , especially in April and early May.
• Wool or fleece sweater, vests, etc., for nighttime.
• 4-man tent. Inquire before bringing larger tents.
• Wetsuit, booties, jacket, sweater or dry suit. Wetsuits available to rent. (Wetsuit packages included on North Fork trips.)

Please do not bring any cotton items on the river with you if you are concerned about staying warm. (This includes jeans and sweatshirts.) When cotton gets wet it robs your body of heat and is unsuitable for physical activity. Synthetic clothing, such as fleece, poly-pro, or capilene provides the best option for warmth retention.

DO I TAKE A CHANGE OF CLOTHES WITH ME ON THE RAFT? No. There is no need for a change of clothes on the raft or a towel.

WHAT DO I TAKE ON THE RAFT? All you need on your raft in addition to the clothes you are wearing:

– Water Bottle – 1 bottle of sunscreen to share amongst the raft if you all know each other. – Waterproof camera – something small that can attach to your lifejacket. – Any medications, inhalers, etc. that you require.

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