As a coffee drinker, you probably have your own particular preferences when it comes to what kind of coffee you like. And whether you’ve thought about it or not, you also probably have some predilections toward the kind of cup you drink your coffee from too. I mean, we all have a “favorite mug” at home, right? But while a standard, ceramic mug is great for cozying up with a cup on your couch, taking your coffee on the go presents some additional considerations, from heat retention to leakproofing and cupholder compatibility.
I have tested dozens of travel coffee mugs over the past few years, tracking their internal temperature readings, their one-handed lid operation (if they have it), and whether or not they dribble coffee down my chin and whether they’re likely to dribble down yours. In this crowded field of coffee-toting contenders, I’ve found that not every high-priced stainless-steel bottle outperforms something you can grab on sale for under twenty bucks.
Our top picks
- Best travel coffee mug for tossing in your bag: Zojirushi Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Mug
- Best travel coffee mug for car commuters: Owala Smoothsip Slider
- Best big travel coffee mug: Brümate Nav
- Best small desk coffee mug: Wacaco Octarama
- Best dishwasher-safe travel coffee mug: RTIC Essential Tumbler
Most travel coffee mugs these days offer similar features—double-walled insulation and a sliding or snapping cap—and most promise to keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold for hours, though they don’t all live up to that promise.
The picks below will serve you well whether you prefer to fill them with your favorite coffee, cold brew, hot tea, even ice water. Read on to learn which travel mug will be the best fit for you.
New in this update: I tested five new mugs, including a slim, ceramic-lined Brümate, a brand-new modular drink system from outdoor brand Dometic, a pair of inexpensive options from TAL, and a uniquely shaped tumbler from Wacaco.
Best travel coffee mug for tossing in your bag: Zojirushi Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Mug
This vacuum-insulated, double-walled travel mug does an incredible job keeping liquids hot for hours and is about as leakproof as it gets, all while being lightweight and slim.
What we love: While not an easily sippable tumbler, this container is excellent at preventing leaks. The spout seals completely with a push-button, click-into-place lid that features a silicone stopper, and all of that additionally closes up with a sliding lock. This makes it ideally suited for public transportation commuters who might be tossing their entire coffee container inside their bags at a moment’s notice. (For even more flexibility, Zojirushi also makes a Flip-and-Go version with a contoured exterior handle that folds up and down and snaps into both positions.) If you want to avoid residual spills, this one’s for you. Don’t just take our word for it: This mug has 4.7 stars from over 33,000 reviewers on Amazon too.
What we’d leave: This is less of a coffee cup and more of a thermos-style carafe. Drinking out of the inset spout is a little more cumbersome than some other tumblers with sipping lids that we tested. It’s also not dishwasher-safe (a common trait among vacuum-insulated vessels), and it’s not the easiest to hand-wash due to its small opening. However, the inside of the bottle has a BPA-free nonstick coating, so it shouldn’t need regular scrubbing. All sizes of this bottle have a smaller diameter, which is great for slipping into a bag, but won’t fit snugly in a standard car cupholder. The tallest 20-ounce model also might have trouble fitting under a single-serve coffee maker.
Best travel coffee mug for car commuters: Owala SmoothSip Slider
Sippable, slider-style coffee tumblers with leakproof lids are tough to crack, but Owala seems to have done it.
What we love: We were able to fill the SmoothSip Slider with liquid and shake it upside down with no drips or spills. The screw-on lid has a silicone gasket all the way around the outside, and its sipping spout opens and closes with a push-down-and-slide motion on its central button-like mechanism. If that sounds complicated, it isn’t. Once you get the hang of disassembly, the whole lid easily comes apart in three washable pieces. Its tapered, squarish bottom fits easily into most cupholders and the bottle pouches of bags. Over a year after my initial tests, I’m still using the Owala as my everyday coffee cup (two of them, in fact: the small one for hot coffee and the larger one for cold drinks) and it still passes the upside-down test. Additionally, Owala now offers some variations to customize the SmoothSip, including a version with a handle and a ceramic lining.
What we’d leave: Unlike the slimmer cups we tried from Zojirushi and brands like Miir and Fellow, this one is pretty bulky in your hand, though not nearly as cumbersome as some similarly sized Yeti and Stanley tumblers. It’s not technically fully dishwasher-safe (Owala recommends hand-washing the cup), but I have put mine in the dishwasher for months now without any noticeable difference in performance. I’ve dropped it on the pavement a few times and it’s picked up some dents and unsightly paint chipping, as well as dings to the softer plastic lid, so it’s not as durable as a fully protected bottle might be. Finally, the heat retention over five hours was not as impressive as the Zojirushi or other better insulated mugs, but it sufficed for hot coffee or tea drunk within a couple of hours of putting on the lid.
If the one thing stopping you from bringing your coffee on the go instead of buying another cup from the coffee shop is the cleaning aspect of a nice travel mug, consider the Brümate Nav.
What we love: It offers a leakproof, flip-top locking lid design that’s also easily sippable, plus a dishwasher-safe cup. The lid’s drinking spout has a secure silicone stopper that, even when the additional sliding lock mechanism is not engaged, still creates a strong seal that stood up to our upside-down shake test. Heat retention is good, offering hot (enough) coffee for up to four hours, as the product description promises (though after five hours, we measured a significant drop). The tapered bottom of the cup is covered by a removable silicone sleeve, which adds extra grip while holding it, and a little anti-tip insurance on our desk. (You can also change the sleeve, which is available in a variety of colors as an accessory for customization.)
What we’d leave: Like the Owala, this cup’s long-term heat retention wasn’t at Zojirushi levels, though Brümate Nav delivered on keeping our drinks hot for the first hour or two. Generally speaking, insulated tumblers retain more heat when they are full, so if you only require 8 to 12 ounces of coffee to get going in the morning, you’ll likely find even the 25-ounce model too big for your needs, in addition to losing heat when less than half-filled. (For a similar alternative, consider the Brümate Müv, which we tested below.) Finally, the locking lid is impressively leakproof but requires a bit of force to lock, unlock, and flip the sipping spout cover. For quick, eyes-on-the-road opening from a fully locked position, we preferred the Owala.
Good to know: Most colors of the Nav are dishwasher-safe, but a few premium finishes require hand-washing. Double-check your individual preference for details.
Best small desk coffee mug: Wacaco Octorama
Pros and cons
Pros
- Leakproof
- Sturdy
- Small
Cons
- Silicone stopper doesn’t lock
- Hand-wash only
Specs
Dishwasher-safe: No
Fits in car cupholder: Yes
Leakproof: Yes
Sizes available: 6 oz., 10 oz., 15 oz.
Warranty: 2 years
What we love: A good desk mug should be three things: sturdy, spill-and-dribble-resistant, and not so big it clogs the space. I do think getting up to stretch your legs to refill it helps break up time at your desk. Yes, I’m pitching the small mug as self-care.
To that end, I was enamored with Wacaco’s Octorama coffee mug. The octagonal shape of the body is pleasant to hold on to walking around, while the silicone pad and cupped contour on the bottom keep this mug from getting knocked over too easily. It’s also a bit heavy for its size, helping it stay grounded and feel more substantial, more like a ceramic mug. Its lid employs a silicone stopper that pivots out of the way to reveal a small spout that allows for a satisfying sip, but refuses to leak when shaken or tipped upside down. The five bold color options, including a mustard-y yellow, deep red, and forest green, will stand out among the drab grays of most office workspaces. And it comes in three sizes—I tried the 10-ounce, but espresso drinkers can also opt for a 6-ounce model, while heavy caffeinators can go for 15 ounces. The heat retention didn’t wow me, but it was warm enough for more than a few hours when I brought it to the library, where it received some covetous looks.
What we’d leave: It definitely fits in a car cupholder so we’ll give this one a “travel mug” designation. That said, it’s not great a commuter mug for public transit riders because its lid flares outward to create a larger, more mug-like sipping circumference. Unless you opt for the taller 15-ounce model, it’s less likely to fit snugly in the water bottle net on your backpack. And the lack of locking mechanism on the pressure-fit silicone stopper would worry me if tossed inside a work bag.
Good to know: While not unique to Wacaco, you can have yours custom engraved to avoid it mysteriously going missing from your coworking space.
Best dishwasher-safe travel coffee mug: RTIC Essential Tumbler
Pros and cons
Pros
- Leakproof
- Dishwasher-safe
- Ceramic interior
Cons
- Slightly awkward sipping
Specs
- Dishwasher-safe: Yes
- Fits in car cupholder: Yes
- Leakproof: Yes
- Sizes available: 16 oz. (1 pint), 20 oz., 30 oz., 40 oz.
- Warranty: 90 days
RTIC’s insulated drinkware is a worthy choice for anyone who wants good heat retention in a leakproof and simple tumbler.
What we love: A small detail, but the mostly clear lids are a nice touch, so you can see how much liquid is left inside. And making that even easier is the white ceramic (rather than metallic) lining. The bottom of the cup features a silicone foot, giving this mug a little extra grip to avoid accidental spills. It comes in tons of colors, and all are dishwasher-safe. We tested the 20-ounce Essential Tumbler as that’s plenty big for coffee, but it also comes in 30- and 40-ounce sizes. And as part of its Essential line, RTIC makes a pint tumbler, a lowball tumbler, and a coffee mug, all utilizing the same flip lids. They may just leave you saying, “Yeti, who?”
What we’d leave: Our only qualms were very nitpicky: The inset spout hole is a little too deeply inset, and it feels like every sip is a leap of faith. Plus, the fact that the part of the lid flap you push up to open sticks out far enough that it could accidentally come dislodged doesn’t give us that “toss it in your bag” confidence. And, darn it, if Zojirushi hasn’t set the bar almost impossibly high when it comes to heat retention. The RTIC Essential was satisfactory after five hours, but diminished thereafter. This wasn't too big a deal though as we rarely need to hold on to coffee that long.
How we tested travel coffee mugs
In addition to toting these mugs along as our everyday coffee cups, we pitted each head-to-head in a five-hour test to determine heat retention of freshly poured hot liquid into the containers, which were not preheated. (Some manufacturer instructions advise that preheating your cup with hot water before you pour in your drink will offer better heat retention, a step we assumed most users wouldn’t bother doing.) We also closed each mug and tipped them upside down to check their leakproof status, as well as shaking, walking, and commuting with them to see how they fared on the go.
What makes a good travel coffee mug?
It’s leakproof
The ideal travel mug can be tossed into a commuter bag, purse, or backpack without worrying about it leaking, so a good seal was a must. Ideally, the mug would also be as spill-proof as possible when tipped, even with the lid open.
It has good heat retention
The better a mug held the temperature of whatever was initially poured into it, the better it fared in our results. While some of the other carafe-style mugs we tested might seal and hold on to heat a bit better than a tumbler-style, factors like ease of drinking also played a role in overall performance.
Ease of use
Does the locking or closing mechanism work without much effort or thought? Is the mug easy to hold in one hand and carry on the move? How awkward was the spout or opening for drinking? Can the cup be cleaned with a quick scrub, and does the lid have too many moving parts or hidden crevices where gunk can build up?
It looks good
Yes, looks matter. While it might not be the most important factor, we wouldn’t give as high of marks to a less aesthetically pleasing mug that does the same job as something sleeker but is more worthy of showing off on your desk. While most of the stainless-steel travel mugs we tried function similarly when it comes to insulation, sometimes over-designed products have unintended quirks.
Cupholder compatibility
This might seem like a no-brainer, but in the age of giant water jugs all over WaterTok and hefty vacuum-insulated stainless-steel tumblers, you do indeed need to test whether a travel mug (or water bottle, for that matter) will fit whatever vehicle you’re traveling in, whether on your daily commute or a long road trip. And while slimmer might seem better and more universal, small diameter carafes jostle around when you hit bumpy terrain, so a secure cupholder fit is worth considering.
Other travel coffee mugs we liked
Brümate Strova
Take the Brümate Nav and shrink it down to a streamlined shape, swap the stainless-steel interior for a totally new (to Brümate) color-matched ceramic lining and you get Strova. It’s got a locking lid just like the Nav and Müv, but its cylindrical 18-ounce size is more likely to fit in both your car’s cupholder or your backpack’s water bottle pocket. Frankly, after testing dozens of these kinds of mugs, I find myself gravitating toward ceramic-lined vessels like this one and the RTIC because I never get a metallic taste that sometimes shows up in an all-stainless mugs. It didn’t leak, and its heat retention was fair. One possible downside is that, with all of Brümate’s finishes, some are dishwasher-safe and some are not. This mug also has a substantial removable silicone bottom/sleeve that feels great to grip and keeps it steady on your desk, but it got splotchy in the dishwasher.
Dometic Tumbler
Dometic hasn’t created the best travel mug ever, but it may have created one of the most versatile mug systems I’ve seen. Interchangeable accessories like a snap-locking sip spout, a chuggable water spout, a closable straw lid, and a splash-guarded open sip lid can screw into the mug itself—or you can add a “collar” including one with a wrist strap or another with a silicone lined handle. It’s essentially just adding another layer to the lid. And yet, even with all of those collars and lids stacked up, it still passed the leak tests and held a passable coffee temperature for five hours too. It comes in a more coffee-appropriate 350 ml or 500 ml and a water bottle (or iced coffee) sized 650 ml, and yes, all the parts are interchangeable—except the straw, which only works on the larger size. I wish the hot liquid lid had a more secure lock, considering Dometic is targeted at more rough-and-tumble travelers (some travel cups have screw-on lids), but it still managed not to leak, even when held upside down.
Yeti Rambler with Magslider Lid
People love their stainless-steel Yeti mugs, and there’s a good reason for that: They’re a well-built, affordable option that comes in a bunch of fun colors and swappable list styles. We think the Magslider lid by Yeti is a great option if you are mostly keeping your drink in a cupholder or on your desk, as its lid slides open and snaps shut easily; however, it is by no means leakproof, which is why it doesn’t take the top spot when compared to the Owala. The entire thing is dishwasher-safe, so we’d also consider it a strong runner-up to the Brümate too.
Yeti Rambler Travel Mug with Stronghold Lid
If water or cold beverages are your primary concern, then we also like this handled mug version of the Rambler for the same reasons we like the Magslider Rambler, with the added benefit that the Stronghold lid is slightly more leak-resistant (but not as leakproof as the Owala or Brümate). The high-set handle and tapered bottom keep this large mug cupholder-friendly too. But you’re stuck with only 20- and 30-ounce options, so it’s probably not going to be the top pick for pour-over and espresso machine users.
RTIC Road Trip Travel Mug
Of the two RTIC products we tested in the latest update, this slim, handled mug quickly became my favorite. Its high-set handle and narrow base fit perfectly in cupholders and backpacks without hogging space. Like the RTIC Essential Tumbler, it has a clear leakproof lid, ceramic interior, dishwasher-safe design, and excellent heat retention. The 20-ounce size (also available in 16 ounces) works equally well for hot or cold drinks. The only drawback is the recessed drinking spout, which takes some getting used to. Still, between its thoughtful design and the option to customize in 19 colors, it’s a solid and stylish everyday mug.
Zojirushi GoCafe Insulated Mug
The GoCafe is Zojirushi’s updated take on its beloved bottle-style tumbler, introduced as a new product line rather than a replacement. It kept our coffee hot all day in testing and now comes in cool ombré colors with a more sustainable build. The leakproof, locking lid is now constructed with fewer pieces and less plastic than the original tumbler. This simpler design and larger opening make cleaning the interior a breeze. Instead of nonstick, the interior uses a polished Slicksteel finish that resists buildup. The only drawbacks: its wider base won’t fit every cupholder, and the smallest size is 16 ounces versus the OG Zojirushi’s 12-ounce option. We think 16 ounces is actually a great mid-range coffee mug size, but you may only want one cup of coffee, so the fact that you can still get the OG Zojirushi in a 12-ounce option tipped the scales.
Zojirushi Travel Mug
Take everything we love about the Zojirushi and turn it into a travel tumbler, and you get this cup that feels a little more like it’s meant for drinking coffee rather than containing it like a thermos. The good thing about Zojirushi’s substantial flip tops is that they are super effective at sealing shut. The bad is that they’re substantial, which means they kind of get in the way of drinking. For example, we took this mug on a test drive and were a little leery about how much it blocked our view while taking a sip. Personally, we just preferred the less obtrusive Owala or Brümate, or even the RTICs, as more streamlined options. But like its more carafe-y counterparts, the Zojirushi Tumbler held on to heat incredibly well—though, by the numbers, not as well as the brand’s bottles.
Yeti Rambler Mug
When it comes to capacity, Yeti’s Rambler Mug collection does offer the more coffee-friendly array of options, with 10-, 14-, and 24-ounce sizes. The downside is that none are cupholder compatible, and all come with the Magslider lid, which isn’t ideal, especially when the leaking liquid is extremely hot coffee. The handle wasn’t the most ergonomic either, but if you’re camping, hanging out at the beach, or using one of these on your desk, they’re great at being mugs without looking like giant water jugs.
Yeti Rambler with Hotshot Cap
Yeti’s Hotshot Cap essentially turns its water bottles into hot beverage-ready travel mugs. The lid can be twisted to an open or closed position and then you can drink from any part of the rim. When sealed tight, this makes it the most leakproof of the Yeti mugs we tested. But similar to the Miir 360, it leaves too much room for human error when relying on that seal to keep the contents of a backpack protected from drops and spills. Yeti bottles are also not designed as universally cupholder compatible, but with this one, you may get lucky.
Stanley AeroLight Transit Bottle
This bottle-style tumbler may come closest to Zojirushi, with its excellent heat insulation and leakproof, flip-up lid that snaps securely in place. However, the lid is difficult to open without using two hands, and it can also get in the way of your nose when sipping. Cleaning is a little trickier; it took us a while to figure out that the locking mechanism pops out, not as separate pieces, but enough to get a thorough cleaning inside your dishwasher. (Unlike the Zojirushi, it’s dishwasher-safe, so while not as completely immune to leaks and drips, it’s a trade-off worth considering.)
Brümate Müv
Take everything we liked about the Brümate Nav, add a handle, and you get the Müv. It shares the same features but also comes in a smaller 15-ounce size, which we found more convenient for a single cup of coffee, though it didn’t hold heat quite as well as the larger versions. The handle makes the smaller size less cupholder-friendly, but the taller Müv models should fit just fine. One detail we grew to appreciate is the lid: Instead of a screw-on system, it clicks into eight notches around the rim, letting you rotate the sipping spout to your preferred angle. It’s handy for both right- and left-handed users, or anyone who doesn’t sip straight on. Like the Nav, most (but not all) colors are dishwasher-safe, so just double-check the listing if that matters to you.
Klean Kanteen Rise
Compact and attractive, the Rise is a solid tumbler with decent heat retention—satisfactory for five hours, less so after 10. And that’s fine enough, because this mug isn’t necessarily for the long-haul drinking experience. The splash-proof lid isn’t leakproof, and the protruding latch could get knocked open in a bag, but it’s fine for desktop or home use. However, if you prefer a more open-mouthed sip (as weird as it feels to type that out), then you’ll appreciate that the Rise’s lid flips up to reveal a semicircular opening. The curve where your lip meets the lid has a smooth, rounded contour and doesn’t allow for too much dribbling, something we tend to experience with fully open-top containers and bottles. The iced coffee experience was particularly nice, as I was able to occasionally crunch on an ice cube, something you can’t get from a lid with a teeny-weeny opening. The Rise collection also includes a 26-ounce tumbler, plus a lowball and a handled mug. With few moving parts, easy cleaning (it’s dishwasher-safe), and cool color options, put this one in the “solid desk mug” category.
Simple Modern Voyager Tumbler and Voyager Signature Tumbler
If you do a general google or Amazon search for travel coffee cups, you’ll probably see Simple Modern pop up in your results, which is why we were compelled to test them. Available in dozens of colors and three sizes (12, 16, and 20 ounces), the brand offers two lid types: a clear flip lid with a straw or a 360º pop-up lid. Both are leakproof, cupholder-friendly, and comfortable to hold. The flip lid works well, but it can unlatch if caught, and its vent nub poked our nose while drinking. The 360º lid clearly signals when it’s open but feels abrupt on the lip and, like most push-down lids, isn’t bag-safe. Heat retention was mid-range—good for the first five hours, less so over the long haul. Still, they’re affordable, customizable, and practical picks.
Travel coffee mugs we don’t recommend
Like the Stanley AeroLight, we have very few negative things to say about Klean Kanteen’s double-walled mug. It has a truly leakproof cap, along with the ability to fully dissemble it. It’s dishwasher-safe and carries a lifetime warranty. But we found the lid mechanism, like the AeroLight, required two hands to open, making it less than ideal for sipping on the go.
For sheer design aesthetics, we wanted to love this slim and compact mug with its minimalist push-button top that takes up nearly the entire lid, leaving just a sippable crevice all the way around. The only issue we had is that, due to its monochrome, minimalist design, it was difficult to tell if the lid was in the open or closed position. When absent-mindedly tossing your cup into your bag, this can spell disaster. The lid doesn’t disassemble in a way that satisfies our desire for thoroughly cleaned parts, though it is completely dishwasher-safe. And we also found that, unlike the Stanley AeroLight, the Miir would often hold on to a few residual drops of coffee after closing, so while it was leakproof when closed, it wasn’t drip-free.
Similar to the 360, the flip-top lid creates a reliably leakproof seal, and the container itself is great at keeping coffee hot. The main issue we had was, like with the Stanley AeroLight and Fellow Carter Slide, the lid gets in the way when drinking and, because the underside comes into contact with your coffee, sometimes leaves a little drop on your nose too.
Considering its price, we expected more from this bottle which, in its own way, tries to do a lot. It comes with three lids: one for sipping hot liquids and one for storing hot liquids, plus a re-freezable lid for chilling a 12-ounce beverage. It’s lightweight but still has fantastic heat retention; however, the lids leak. Our test included leaving sealed tumblers upside down for 30 minutes, and every single one left a puddle on the counter.
Given its reputation for quality, user-friendly products, we expected (and got) a quality, leakproof, and dishwasher-safe mug from Oxo. What we didn’t get was a very user-friendly lid, which, while it does come apart completely for thorough cleaning, requires some clunky and convoluted reassembly steps. There are other dishwasher-safe tumblers on this list with lids that are much easier to use.
We like the range of colors and sizes (as small as 6 ounces) and the traditional coffee cup feel of this mug, but it lacks cupholder compatibility in any of its sizes and only sports a splash-proof lid that doesn’t seal completely. Plus, unlike some of Hydro Flask’s other containers, these are not dishwasher-safe.
If we’re grading purely on looks, this streamlined thermal mug with a ceramic-lined interior and one-handed sliding lid (that’s also leakproof) is stunning. As a hot drink container, it certainly delivers on keeping coffee warm. However, we found its unique lid design kept smooshing against our noses when drinking from it, and we found there was always residual coffee left in the cup that just couldn't be tipped out with the lid on. While the container portion of the mug didn’t hold on to stains and smells, we found the lid did smell like coffee after cleaning it. If you’re switching up what liquids you’re putting inside, this may be an unwelcome problem.
Unlike the Slide, consider this to be more of a coffee transporter than a travel mug. You can drink from its open-mouth design, which includes a removable splash guard (we liken the experience to sipping from a soda can). But the screw-on lid requires two hands to open and close, making it less than ideal for taking quick sips while driving. With its open design, if you hit a speed bump, coffee splashes out every time. In its defense, with the lid on tight, this kept coffee satisfyingly hot for nearly 24 hours. So, if you’re taking your cup to go but not drinking from it until you get to your destination, this could be a winner.
This is another beautiful travel mug that does the job of keeping drinks hot and preventing leaks when fully sealed shut. We also liked that the two-piece lid—a sipping portion and a separate handled cap—comes off from the base for easy pouring into the container. However, the Japanese houseware brand’s form can’t overcome its functionality issues as an on-the-go mug, which include two-handed operation to open, and having to hang on to the cap in your spare hand while you drink.
If affordability in a car commuter cup is your main goal, there’s a lot to like about Thermos’s mug with its high-set handle (retaining cupholder compatibility) and respectable heat retention. Plus, it’s got a rubber base to absorb accidental nudges, a possible issue due to its slightly top-heavy design. But the sliding lock lid is nowhere near leakproof; it just keeps coffee from fully splashing out when closed. Overall, the mug is durable and dishwasher-safe. It’s not perfect, but it’s practical.
We love the old-school speckled enamelware aesthetic of this mug, which holds heat well and is generally leakproof (but not commuter bag approved). The cork-lined handle has a nice feel, though it may dissuade you from cleaning it in the dishwasher which, while not recommended by the manufacturer, is possible. But a scan through reviews from long-term users found durability issues cited often enough that we wouldn’t recommend this one for daily wear and tear.
We like a brand that keeps things relatively crunchy, and this cork-banded glass cup offers an elegant version of that. However ,it’s not insulated, so it loses heat too quickly compared to the competition while also feeling hot anywhere but the cork grip. Plus, it leaks, so it’s really more of a desk or office cup than something we’d want to take on a walk.
If you’re really tight on space and want to be able to crush your coffee cup down to about the size of a can of tuna when not in use, then this is the mug for you. Okay, so it’s more of a cup you would have in your bag for an “in case of” situation than it is a daily commuter cup. It does work for coffee, but it’s not insulated, so don’t expect leisurely sips to still be warm hours later. Our main gripe is with the number of parts this cup comes with and must be kept track of in order to use it.
First, we should acknowledge that the main benefit of this AeroPress mug is that you can, indeed, fit the parts of a travel AeroPress Go Plus system inside, including a screw-on bottom that keeps your filters nice and dry. It’s essentially an accessory first and a travel mug second. That said, it performs decently as a 16-ounce travel cup, though its heat retention lags behind competitors. The splash-resistant magnetic sliding lid feels less premium than we’d expect from AeroPress, but it works fine for casual use. If you’re already an AeroPress fan, this tumbler makes brewing and drinking on the go simple. As a solo purchase, it’s serviceable but not exceptional.
For as little as $11, TAL’s double-walled Ranger mug is a serviceable travel cup that’s leakproof to a point, and it landed squarely in the middle of the pack when it came to heat retention. The negatives, however, outweighed the positives. The spout opening in the lid, despite being described as large, is actually quite small and sips felt more like dribbles. As for leakiness, while it passed the shake test, it did not fare as well when left upside down for a while, as it could if tossed in a bag the wrong way. And slow seepage could be bad news for a laptop. And finally, while the lid closure does snap both into place and out of the way securely, I would rather place my trust in a sturdier Zojirushi or Brümate lock for only a few bucks more.
If you’re looking to up your Dad Aesthetic, this inexpensive, no-frills mug may be just the ticket. The Green Speckled option called back memories of camping in the 1980s. And it offered a surprisingly secure and sturdy lid. But heat retention was not up to par. While it’s certainly cheap at under $15, this is a case where you get what you pay for, and I would rather pay a little more for the nearly identical looking (but superior) RTIC Road Trip, which has a ceramic lining and is dishwasher-safe, unlike the Mountaineer.
Get to know your reviewer
Adam Campbell-Schmitt: I'm a New Jersey-based writer and product reviewer who has personally tested more coffee makers and travel mugs than you can shake a sack of single-origin beans at. I also have more than a decade of experience writing about and reviewing coffee chains, brands, and their products, including all those seasonal Starbucks flavors, functional mushroom coffee, and protein lattes. The best cup of coffee I've ever had was at a bed and breakfast on the island Vieques and am still chasing that high.
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