I Own Too Many Water Bottles - Why I Keep Going Back to the HydroFlask Trail Series

I own more water bottles than I should. Nalgene, Owala, Takeya - I've cycled through most of them at one point or another. Not because I chase whatever's trending, but because I buy gear to keep it, and I wanted to find the one worth keeping.

I've had the HydroFlask Trail Series in Obsidian for about three years. 24 ounces, the dark brown colorway that photographs like it was made to sit in the back of a truck. It goes everywhere: trails, job sites, photoshoots, the gym. At some point it stopped being a water bottle I was testing and became the one that lives in my bag.

I’ve owned a lot of different water bottles - Nalgene, Owala, Takeya - and while they’ve all been good and done their jobs, I always find myself going back to my trusty Hydroflask.

I’ve had my bottle for around 3 years and it’s been my trusty sidekick. From trails, work, photoshoots, and the gym it’s the bottle I carry with me everywhere. Here’s why the HydroFlask trail series is my favorite.

What is HydroFlask’s Trail Series?

HydroFlask’s Trail Series bottles are designed specifically for backpacking and hiking and are made lighter weight (roughly 25%) than the standard HydroFlask bottles. It has thinner stainless steel walls and a lighter weight cap.

The weight is definitely noticeable if you’ve used a normal HydroFlask before. It honestly surprised me the first time I picked it up, and while I thought it wouldn’t keep my drinks cold for as long or be as durable, it has held up great since.

HydroFlask claims it still retains its 24 hour cold and 12 hour hot insulation and after using it for a while, I can say the claim is absolutely true.

Why I Like It: Simple, Durable, and Easily Portable

I absolutely love my trail series bottle. The colorway fits my aesthetic, it keeps drinks cold for about 24 hours, and it has held up great being tossed around in my truck, in my backpack, rolling across the gym floor, and just everyday usage.

It being lightweight is also extremely nice. It doesn’t feel like I’m carrying around a weapon all day and sometimes I even just forget it’s there. My backpack is always loaded with a laptop, my Sony A7III and other camera gear, SSDs, my lunch, and more so having something that doesn’t add much at all to the weight is nice.

But with all that being said, there’s one thing I enjoy the most; the simplicity of it.

Don’t get me wrong, I love “overbuilt” things, but sometimes it’s nice to just have something that does exactly what it was intended to do, and the HydroFlask Trail Series bottle does just that.

It’s just an insulated bottle, with a standard lid, and lightweight. Easy as that. With other bottles like Owala’s that I’ve had, I feel like I had to disassemble the entire thing to deep clean it after just a couple of uses since it had all of the small bits and pieces for water to seep under.

HydroFlask’s Warranty

After having the bottle for 3 years, I’ve only ever had one issue; the lid leaked slightly because the rubber gasket inside the lid was torn. It was probably user error as I tend to over-tighten the lid (my wife hates it) but I decided to submit a warranty claim and give it a try.

This was one of the reasons that kept me with HydroFlask. It submitted a warranty claim, attached the pictures of the bottle, and within 3 days their team had responded and shipped out a new lid.

The process was straightforward, no questions asked. So if you’re wondering, Hydroflask lives up to their limited warranty for the lifetime of the product.

Final Thoughts

The Trail Series isn't the flashiest water bottle out there. It doesn't have a straw that flips (which you can add) or a handle that converts into something else. It's a 24oz lightweight water bottle that keeps your coffee hot and your water cold, and it's been doing that for three years without asking for much in return.

If you want something you won't have to think about, this is the one. The Obsidian colorway doesn't hurt either.