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Backpacker Magazine – Online Exclusive

Coffee-mate: Thermos Round-up

No one takes a to-go cup on the trail. Unless it's one of these hardy thermoses or hot/cold bottles.

by: Katie Herrell

PAGE 1 2 3 4 5
The Contenders (Julia Vandenoever)
The Contenders (Julia Vandenoever)
Klean Kanteen Insulated (Mike J Donley)
Klean Kanteen Insulated (Mike J Donley)
Primus C&H Vacuum Bottle (Mike J Donley)
Primus C&H Vacuum Bottle (Mike J Donley)
Bow Valley Stainless Steel Vacuum Bottle (Mike J Donley)
Bow Valley Stainless Steel Vacuum Bottle (Mike J Donley)
Snow Peak Kanpai Vacuum Stainless Bottle (Mike J Donley)
Snow Peak Kanpai Vacuum Stainless Bottle (Mike J Donley)

Reviewing thermoses should be easy. Does it keep your beverage hot or cold? One point. Does it spill? Zero points. Does it fit easily in your pack? Another point. But when you spend a few months with a variety of thermoses, as the BACKPACKER staff did from mid-February through mid-May, the X factors grow exponentially. One thermos has a bullet-proof exterior but the pouring lid is now two parts instead of one. One thermos won the seal test…until the seal ended up in a dog’s mouth. And several of the testing models vanished into thin air. But there were still a few clear winners—and those winners managed trail, car, and desk with ease.

READ ON FOR THE WINNERS


PAGE 1 2 3 4 5

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Reader Rating: -

READERS COMMENTS

Oh, and Kevin - Pangea doesn't make insulated bottles. Only the classic stainless steal non-insulated variety, which would be one reason why BP didn't review them.
Posted: Jan 16, 2011 sophia

I actually found this article very helpful. Does it tell you everything there is to possibly know about every thermos out there? No. But it helps to provide a starting point so that I can go look at various thermoses that other people (the BP test crew) thought were good. Frank, Fred, and Dufus - maybe the Nissan and Stanely WERE tested, but they just weren't good enough to make the cut. They tested many more bottles that they gave reviews for - as it says at the beginning of the article, these are the bottles that rose to the top. I think it would be interesting to at least list the other bottles that were tested even if a review of them isn't given, but they're not. Oh well.
Posted: Jan 16, 2011 sophia

Complete crap article.
Posted: Oct 02, 2010 Bob

C'mon, if you want us to put the effort into reading your article, do us the courtesy of writing a serious review.
Posted: Sep 08, 2010 minneapolis lake walker

If you want to go cheapo and don't mind some chipping paint, I've found the IKEA thermos to be awesome for a single person. It's very light and keeps things warm for at least a few hours. I doubt it's very durable (I lost my first one before I really wore it out), but I'm sure it would be fine on a half dozen weekend trips. It don't have any hooks, but I just stuff it into my pack.
Posted: Sep 08, 2010 Amy L

This article is of little use in terms of a vacuum bottle comparison. It doesn't actually compare anything and provides inconsistent descriptions of the various bottles.

Two major players were left out (Stanley and Nissan (Thermos)) and the temperature retention stats seem horribly uncontrolled and only listed for some of them. Not every description talks about exterior size (how well will it fit in my pack? ...or does it fit in my cup holder?). What else wasn't compared?
- weight
- how leak-proof is leak proof?
- how hard/easy were the various lids cleaned?
- which bottle had the best temp retention?

You went through the effort of explaining CRES compositions... while interesting, I'd rather know more about how the bottles performed and usability pros and cons.

Posted: Sep 07, 2010 Fred Flintstone

You show a picture of the Stanley bottle but you don't provide a review. I have a pair of small carabiners that I use to attach mine to the outside of my pack. None of these vacuum bottles is light, but you can't beat the Stanley for durability. They have at least four different sizes as well as wide mouthed food jars. All are stainless steel and all have earned their places in the back country. I suspect there must be something politically incorrect about the company or they would have made the cut.
Posted: Sep 07, 2010 dufus

A friend bought me a Nissan Thermos-brand insulated 20-oz (I think) insulated coffee bottle, and it works superbly. Pour in a boiling hot cup of coffee, and with no preheating it will still be warm hours later. the spring-loaded flip-open top is one-handed glove-friendly, spillproof and knock-around-proof and it fits in a cup holder as well as a parka pocket. I bought a second one from Amazon.com. Highly recommended.
Posted: Sep 07, 2010 Frank Gearhart

If you like Klean Kanteen, then you will love Pangea Bottles. Not only are they eco-friendly, but they are also people-friendly. You see, for every bottle that they sell, they give one person clean water for 4 years! By donating 20% of the revenue from each bottle they are making a difference in a sustainable way! Check them out at http://www.PangeaBottles.com
Posted: Aug 13, 2010 Kevin

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