Hydro Flask vs. Yeti - Water Tumbler Review | Bookonboard (2023)

If you always like to go for top-quality products for your outdoor adventures, you’ll likely have already heard of the likes of Hydro Flask and Yeti. But, with both being such good brands, how are you meant to decide between the two?

That’s why we’ve put together this article today. We’re going to thoroughly review each brand, and then compare and contrast the two. By the end of the article, you should be sufficiently well-informed to decide which of the two brands you want to go with.

Background

As everyone these days knows, the old plastic bottles we always used to carry around to keep refreshed are very much not in style anymore. It’s been drummed into us how bad plastic is for the environment, and now no-one wants to be seen with a plastic bottle if they can help it. Especially now that some great new reusable flasks have come on the scene…

Instead of buying multiple plastic bottles of mineral water or sparkling water, the current trend is to filter water from your kitchen sink faucet, and pour it straight into a reusable flask, such as the Hydro Flask or the Yeti.

Hydro Flask & It’s Features

The technology behind Hydro Flask isn’t actually that new. They’ve basically taken the double-wall vacuum insulation technology dreamed up by the brand Thermos back in 1904. But, in 2009 Hydro Flask took this concept and rebranded it for a more sporty, outdoorsy clientele. It has since proved rather popular with millennials and Gen Zers alike.

Temperature Retention

What makes the Hydro Flask so much more appealing than a regular bottle (I mean besides the benefit to the environment) is its fantastic temperature retention…

Whereas with a normal plastic bottle, any heat from your drink will be transferred to the walls of the bottle and slowly dissipate, this just doesn’t happen with the Hydro Flask. And this amazing temperature retention does not just apply to hot drinks. If you put an iced drink in there, the ice will not melt until many, many hours later. And let me tell you, it’s super refreshing.

This ability comes from its two walls of stainless steel, which have a vacuum between them to prevent any condensation or heat transfer to the outside of the bottle. And this temperature retention is further aided by the lid’s honeycomb-like structure.

Leakproof

The Hydro Flask is 100 % leakproof, which means that you can carry it around even in bags that don’t feature a dedicated bottle holder. And you won’t have to worry about it leaking or getting your gear wet.

Distinct Appearance

Hydro Flask has a really funky design on it, and is available in a range of 14 different shades, from mint, to kiwi, to mango, to cobalt blue. There’s something for everybody.

But that’s not all. You don’t have to settle for some very generic bottle – you can personalize it. You choose the color of the bottle, the lid, the rubber sleeve on the bottom, and the strap.

It’s available in different sizes, starting from a kid’s one that can hold 12 ounces of drink, all the way up to a huge 64 ounce jug.

There’s also plenty of variation in the lids. You can get a standard mouth size, or a wide mouth bottle, and you can choose from having a flip lid, a sports cap, or a straw lid.

If you’re really lucky, you might even be able to nab yourself a limited edition.

Yeti Rambler & It’s Features

The Hydro Flask does not have a monopoly on the industry, however, and the Yeti brand is also a top contender and fierce competition.

Temperature Retention

Like the Hydro Flask, the Yeti flasks also feature amazing temperature retention. So whether you want to keep your coffee boiling hot or your water ice cool, then the Yeti can do easily do that for you. And for several hours at a time, too.

And although the technology used is pretty much the same as all the other competing flasks, the temperature retention of the Yeti Rambler, one of their most popular flasks, is particularly impressive.

For example, when tested with cold water, the temperature rose a mere 9.4 degrees Fahrenheit over a 24-hour period. And similarly, over a period of 12 hours, hot water inside dropped by 61.6 degrees Fahrenheit. And although that’s not quite as significant as with the temperature retention of cold water, it’s still impressive all the same.

Durability

The Yeti Rambler is also pretty rugged and durable. It has great impact resistance, which means it can easily take being dropped on concrete or whatever, without the drop causing any real damage. And this is yet another reason for its strong appeal to the active, outdoorsy types who are always on the move.

The lids, unfortunately, aren’t quite as rugged and durable as the rest of the flask, but they can be bought separately, so if you did have a Yeti Rambler where the lid got damaged, you can get it replaced by circa $10.

Wide Mouth

One of the more distinctive features of the Yeti Rambler is that it has an ultra-wide mouth. There’s virtually no real neck to the bottle, so there’s a very wide expanse at the opening. But whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is pretty much up for debate…

The wide opening certainly helps when you want to add blocks of ice to your drink, but on the other hand, when you come to drink from it, the liquid comes out superfast and can be a little too easy to spill onto your chin and clothes. And if you happen to be moving around as you drink, an accidental spill is even more likely.

However, if you decide that a wide mouth opening is not for you, you do have other options. There’s a special lid for hot beverages, or a screw-on chug cap, or a straw lid. These lids can be bought separately, and are only slightly more expensive than the Hydro Flask lids.

Distinct Appearance

The Yeti Rambler is quite a big and bulky bottle, which bodes well for it’s tough and rugged image. There’s a 26 ounce option available, and a 36 ounce one. The larger of the two is so bulky that smaller hands may struggle to get a good grip on it, so if you’re buying for a kid, you’d be well advised to go for the 26 ounce over the 36 ounce option.

Like the Hydro Flask, the Yeti Rambler is also available in a wide range of color options, including a very sleek stainless steel, a serene clay, a vibrant sea foam, and classic brick red.

But you also get to personalize your Yeti Rambler flask in a number of neat ways. On Yeti’s website, with certain color options you can click on “Customize It”, which will then allow you to add a monogram, or some text, or your company logo, or choose from the many preloaded designs that Yeti has already accumulated. These can include college logos, national park logos, and more.

Hydro Flask Vs Yeti

So, the Hydro Flask and the Yeti Rambler clearly have a lot in common with each other, with the same technology used for exceptional temperature retention performance. And their ability to handle both hot and cold beverages is exemplary.

Hydro Flask is Best for Cold Drinks

The Hydro Flask is better than the Yeti Rambler when it comes to retaining the temperature of cold water, however. So if you favor colder drinks or iced drinks, then the Hydro Flask would be a clear winner for you.

However, because of the Hydro Flask’s slightly narrower opening compared to the Yeti Rambler, it can be a little trickier to get big blocks of ice in there, though this won’t be a problem if you were to use crushed ice.

Yeti Rambler is Best for Personalization

But if the personalization of your bottle is more important to you, then the clear winner there is the Yeti Rambler. It goes beyond merely allowing you to choose different colors of bottle and sleeve, and different lids, but will even allow you to add any text or logo you want. This is perfect for group gatherings or going to the gym when you don’t want your bottle to be mistaken for anyone else’s.

Hydro Flask is Best for Preventing Spills

Unfortunately, with the Yeti Rambler’s wide opening, you are much more likely to spill your drinks with it, than you would with a Hydro Flask, especially if you’re going to be moving around a lot as you drink. So in this aspect, the Hydro Flask is a clear winner.

Wrap Up – Hydro Flask vs. Yeti – Which one is for you

With such a rise in the popularity of industry-leading Hydro Flask, it’s hard to imagine that other brands can compete on the same level, but the Yeti Rambler clearly can.

However, which of the two to go for depends very much on what you’re looking for in your bottle. But you won’t go far wrong with either one.

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