What’s your preferred option for day hikes? I’ve got an ok-ish Eurohike one, but wouldn’t mind an upgrade. There’s that Stanley one which weighs 1kg+ when empty and isn’t cheap. What do you use for a 4 hour tramp over the hills on a chilly day?

I know we can’t go hiking with this lockdown, and since I got CV last April I still can’t walk for one hour, let alone 4, but it’s nice to dream…

Zojirushi

i recently got an earthwell roaster. mainly because it would fit in a bottle cage, but it also fits very neatly in the side pocket of my hiking bag.

working well so far.

Chilly bottle, utterly bombproof, with a wee plastic cup to drink from.

Kleen Kanteen flasks/ travel mugs, keep things toasty for long periods. We’ve also a Primus proper flask which is just as good.

What’s wrong with the one you’ve got?

Mrs C got a Hydro Flask 16oz for Christmas. Likes it. Just big enough for two coffee/chocolate stops. They do a smaller model but the extra size is worth it. Drink through the lid like a travel mug, or twist it off and its still small enough to feel like a big mug.

A very cold twixmas here has persuaded me that separate lids/cups is a recipe for fast drinking or learning to like cold coffee.

I do like the idea of that Earthwell one fitting in a bottle cage though – would suit me better arguably. Off to see if hers does too. Good work avoidance right there.

Thermos Stainless King is robust and keeps things hot for a long time – even as quite a small flask. Comes with quite a small cup – good if you like strong black coffee and drink a little, often

Stanley do a ceramic lined ‘Ceramivac’ range- the ‘Go Bottle’ that has a wide neck – sort of half way between a flask an insulated cup (drink out of it like a mug rather than a sippy spout thing) – keeps drinks hot for a remarkably well even when theres not much less in there. I’m currently filling mine at 7am for work and drinks are still hot even when only a quarter full at 6pm

The Stanley ceramic ones are good for stuff thats quite delicately flavoured – I drink ‘white tea’ (not tea with milk in) not worth the cost if you drink coffee or chocolate

I”ve found cheaper ones work well enough until they take any sort of knock – then they just lose their vacuum. The above ones I’ve had kicking about for over a year and even with a few dents still work really well.

I’ve also got a couple of the wee dumpy stainless Thermos food flasks, which are very good too, wife takes soup to work as they have no way of heating food at work – ridiculously (she’s a Nurse)

Thermos and Stanley stuff in good portable sizes / shapes often pops up in branches of TK Maxx with a decent discount

The Contigo flasks are not bad for about 4 hours

I do like the idea of that Earthwell one fitting in a bottle cage though

hot coffee to hand on a cold road ride has made them at least 300% betterer.

What’s wrong with the one you’ve got?

Not much, although I wouldn’t mind if it stayed hot for longer. I just want another so me and MrsDoris can have one each. She was never a hot drinks fan until quite recently.

We both have the Alpkit one. Fits nicely in the mesh side pockets of the Osprey packs.

https://alpkit.com/products/clip

Chillys bottles work well IME.

Most flasks are pretty good nowadays so long as you pre heat them before use. I tend to use cheapish flask now, too many gadget on them tend to be additional points of failure.

This is as good as any other flask I have used

You ned to cover it in stickers though (mine currently sports Fox, Montane and Mountain Equipment). Stickers make it better. That is a scientific fact.

We use a Thermos Ultimate (900ml). Great performance.

For whatever you go with, I recommend pre-warming the flask with boiling water from the kettle for a few minutes, emptying and then refilling with your drink/soup/whatever.

@jam-bo, what size for fitting into the road bottle cage? That sounds like what I need to help with my colder road rides (post lock down).

For whatever you go with, I recommend pre-warming the flask with boiling water from the kettle for a few minutes, emptying and then refilling with your drink/soup/whatever.

This.

I got one of the sigg ones for Christmas

Sigg Unisex’s Gemstone IBT Selenite Water Bottle, Brush, 0.5
by Amazon
Learn more: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07Q7X7XTJ/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_UIe9Fb69MQVYD

My girlfriend bought us both life adventure ones 5 years ago and they’re still going strong. (Paint is flaking off mind)

what size for fitting into the road bottle cage?

i bought the 12oz/35cl. I think the larger ones are just taller rather than fatter but don’t quote me on that.

the cap/lid is pretty easy to operate one handed as well.

Yeti
Some are huge sizes though, so choose wisely. Also some wont (fully) seal without a different lid.
But I have a rambler mug & bottle, very well made & keep things hot/cold all day. The mug is very useful for around the house/garden/shed as I usually forget my brew & it goes cold.

although I wouldn’t mind if it stayed hot for longer.

Pre-warm the flask.
DuckTape on some Karrimat.
Keep the flask in the middle of a bag, not shoved in a pocket or down the side.

Thanks Jam-no, just ordered one. Let’s hope it improves my winter road rides by 300%….just need to buy a good handlebar bag for cake and I’m sorted! 🙂

Zojirushi. Have a few different ones but the zojirushi is my favourite

To be honest, for a 4 hour walk, the contents will be so damn hot you wouldn’t need to pre-heat anyway.

On a big car journey I might double up my in-car drink. Contigo autoseal for drinking/driving, then refil from the zojirushi en route. Contents are bloody scalding, too hot to drink and then the contigo doesn’t let it cool down either

I’ve got a 500ml GSI one that comes hiking and kayaking with me. It’s ace.

I have a years old Vango stainless steel one. Still works extremely well. Also a nice Sigg one but it’s far too posh to take on the hills. Currently contemplating a wide mouth food flask and a hot beverage bottle to fit a cage.

Contigu auto seal could be used for transporting lava. They should come with a health warning. I’ve melted my mouth on more than one occasion slurping from mine.

I’ve got a cheap 500ml supermarket one and Stanley one the same size but looks as though it’s painted with hammerite. Both keep drinks hot for several hours until they are opened and then they cool rapidly. Sometimes if two drinks stops for 2 people are wanted in a day it can work better to have 2 small flasks so one stays hot than one large one that cools down loads after the first drink stop.

PS I’ve also got some kind of long covid that limits activity. Thoroughly recommend a short walk to a nice spot with a flask to look at the view, or even the nearby park just to escape the sofa with a hot drink (unless it’s pouring). Feeds the soul a bit even if it would have seemed a bit meh this time last year.

What I would love, is a flask which sits in a bottle cage with a sippy lid so I can have an occasional swig? Any of these like that?

https://thermos.co.uk/superlight-direct-drink-flask-470

Does actually stay burn your mouth hot, all dyay, holds a couple of cups, is secure and doesn’t have that ‘flask taste’

Sigg Unisex’s Gemstone

I wonder what gender my flasks are.

What I would love, is a flask which sits in a bottle cage with a sippy lid so I can have an occasional swig? Any of these like that?

that earthwell roaster I posted up there does exactly that.

Generic Chilly bottle from Wilco’s, available in a wide range of colours, and cost five quid. Others are available for three to four times that, I doubt very much that they work any better. I’ve got two, one for tea, green in my case, and one for water.
As above, after boiling the kettle, I fill the bottle, then pour the water into a Pyrex jug with a teabag, let the bag brew for a couple of minutes then pour back into the bottle; if I make one at 7am, I can finish it off at my break at 5pm, it’s still warm enough to be quite drinkable.
Brilliant things, for about the price of a pint, incredible value.
If the inside gets stained by tannin from the tea, I put a denture cleaning tablet in with some warm water and leave it filled to the top, cleans the inside perfectly.

Zojirushi.

The best flask I have owned by a long way.