Best Tumbler: Yeti vs. Hydro Flask

Yeti and Hydro Flask are two leading manufacturers of coolers, thermoses, and camping gear. They are both known for making highly effective and durable products that are built to stand up to even the most extreme outdoor adventures.

For this article, we took the best tumblers from Yeti and Hydro Flask and put them in the ring, comparing them to determine which brand has the edge.

When you’re going out in the wilderness, you need equipment you can count on. If you’re in the market for high-quality, insulated tumbler for your next outdoor excursion or even your daily commute, you want the best.

If you’re stuck on the fence and can’t decide between Yeti and Hydro Flask, break the impasse and see who took the gold in this battle of these two titans of the outdoor industry.

The Matchup

YETI

YETI is a Texas-based company that produces coolers, tumblers, and other insulated containers designed to meet the needs of the outdoorsman. They started making coolers in 2007, and today they are one of the leading manufacturers of outdoor goods.

Their rugged coolers are widely renowned for their durability and quality. YETI makes some of the best coolers and thermoses in the market, and their products are highly valued by adventurous outdoorsman, gameday tailgaters, backyard BBQ hosts alike.

When you buy just about any product from YETI, you can be confident that you’re going to get a premium product that will withstand years of abuse.

Hydro Flask

Another US-based company, Hydro Flask originated in Bend, Oregon. Founded in 2009, Hydro Flask introduced their first line of all-insulated bottles. The bottles were a smash hit and Hydro Flask grew rapidly as a result, reaching the 1 million units sold mark in 2011.

The company went on to expand their product line significantly, notably with their launch of the first-ever insulated beer growler. Today, Hydro Flask has over 100 total products across four categories of goods: coffee, food, beer, and hydration.

A quality brand, Hydro Flask gets excellent reviews and has an extremely loyal customer base. For the most part, when you purchase a product from Hyrdo Flask you can expect to get durable products designed to withstand even the most extreme forms of punishment.

The Contenders

YETI Rambler Drinkware Series

YETI’s Rambler line of drinkware offers rugged thermoses and tumblers that will keep your drinks cold or hot and stand up to even the most extreme abuse.

Ramblers are available in a wide range of sizes and varieties. They come in sizes as small as 10 ounces tumbler cups, all the way up to one-gallon thermoses.

All of the products in the YETI Rambler line feature a stainless steel design with double-walled insulation. Ramblers are built to keep your beverages at their desired temperature in the most extreme conditions, and their durable design is built to stand up to even the most demanding adventures.

YETI: Rambler 20 Oz Tumbler

For the intents and purposes of this article, we’re going to be reviewing the Rambler 20 Oz Tumbler on the YETI side of the comparison.

It’s a 20-ounce travel cup that’s perfect to bring along on your next hike or your daily commute.

This tumbler features YETI’s stainless steel construction and double-walled insulation to keep your liquids at temperature longer. The lid includes YETI’s trademark MagSlider so liquids won’t splash out and heat, or cold, stays in.

These rugged tumblers are available in eight different colors so you can find the perfect style to fit your taste and, with YETI’s reputation for durability and quality, it could be the last insulated travel tumbler you ever buy.

YETI Drinkware

The smallest cup in the YETI drinkware line up is a 10-ounce low ball glass. This little guy boasts all the same features of his big cousins.

It’s perfect for a steaming cup of hot cocoa by a warm cozy fire. The double-wall insulation will keep your drink hot and you can enjoy hot beverages, like coffee in tea, in a more appropriate, single-serving size.

The best part of waking up for billions of coffee drinkers across the globe, this mug is the modernized version of a timeless totem of industrious people everywhere.

Sit back and enjoy your coffee, with double-wall insulation you don’t have to race to finish your cup before it gets cold. This YETI mug will keep your hot beverage piping hot and delicious for hours.

You may also like: Best Hand Coffee Grinders Reviews 2019

Big days comes with big thirsts, and if 20 ounces isn’t going to quench yours than upgrade your tumbler to a 32-ounce version and don’t get caught with cotton mouth again.

Keep your beverages ice-cold for up to 12 hours with YETI’s double-wall thermal insulation, along with all the other featured mentioned for the 20-ounce model.

YETI’s bottles feature all the same performance specs as the other models reviewed here. They can keep your drinks cold or hot and withstand abuse as well as any other product on this list. The popular bottles are available various sizes and styles, and they’re very popular for the sturdy carrying handle that is built into the cap.

Hydro Flask Hydration Drinkware

Hydro Flask has its own line of popular and highly-regarded drinkware. They offer products across four different categories of product lines. In terms of liquid storage, their products are classified as either coffee, hydration, or beer.

Hydro Flask’s hydration line of products includes tumblers and other containers designed to primarily carry water. Hydro Flask products have a stainless-steel construction and feature double-walled thermal insulation to keep your drinks hot or cold.

You can count on these products to last, and every one includes a lifetime warranty from Hydro Flask.

Hydro Flask: 22 Oz Tumbler

To match up against its opponent, we chose the 22 Oz Tumbler to represent Hydro Flask in our comparison.

Tumblers are also available with 32-ounce volume, and both types offer ten different color selections to choose from.

This model has all the standard features you would expect with any Hydro Flask product, like stainless steel construction, double-wall insulation, and a lifetime warranty.

Additionally, the tumbler lid uses Hydro Flask proprietary Honeycomb Insulation to cover the top and keep heat from escaping or entering.

The materials are all BPA free and use pro-grade 18/8 stainless steel in its construction.

When you consider that it even has a narrow design to accommodate most cup holders, it seems that Hydro Flask truly thought of everything when they designed this 22 ounce, stainless steel workhorse.

Hydro Flask Drinkware

Hydro Flask’s 12-ounce mug is designed especially for coffee and tea. It will keep your morning brew warm for 12 hours and your iced caramel almond milk latte cold for up to 24 hours.

Great for trail or the job site, this durable stainless-steel mug is built to stand up to the worst you can throw at it.

Coffee Flasks from Hydro Flask are great for any coffee connoisseur that wants to bring their homebrew everywhere they go. Plus, the 12 ounce is the perfect size to replace a small-sized coffee at your favorite cafe or coffee spot, so it’s great for the eco-conscious java drinker too. It’s perfect for you or the coffee drinker on your gift list.

If the 22-ounce tumbler we reviewed doesn’t quite stack up to your thirst, consider the 32-ounce model. It’s identical to the Hydro Flask Tumbler model we reviewed but with a 32-ounce capacity.

Hydro Flask’s bottle line is what put them on the map, and their designs, including their proprietary Honeycomb Insulation for their lids, is top of the line. Models are available in up to ten colors and are offered in both wide-mouth and standard-mouth varieties.

Evaluation: YETI Rambler vs. Hydro Flask

Construction: TIE

The companies both produce high-quality products so it’s no wonder that they both use similar, high-grade materials to construct their products.

They both use a similar mechanism to keep out the heat or cold, double-walled vacuum insulation. Basically, that is exactly what it sounds like, a vacuum, or empty space, between two walls of insulation.

Additionally, both use the same kitchen grade 18/8 stainless steel. In this category, it’s a dead tie.

Durability: YETI 20 Oz Tumbler

This is another close call between these two tumblers. Both are extremely durable and were designed specifically to withstand abuse.

They are both undoubtedly tougher than almost any other double-walled steel tumbler out there, and they bost have excellent reputations for quality and are known to last for extended periods of time.

However, after a tight contest, YETI edges out Hydro Flask because of one area. When suffering from violent drops, both of these tumblers will exhibit dents and dings as a result of the contact. However, the Hydro Flask has shown greater instances of paint chipping in addition to dinging, giving YETI the win in this category.

Performance: Hydro Flask 22 Oz Tumbler

Both of these tumblers use similar technology to keep your drink at temperature. As a result, they have pretty even performance numbers. Both claim to keep beverages cold for up to 24 hours and hot for up to 12, but there is a lot of discrepancy in what is considered hot and cold.

Overall, since their insulation technology is more or less identical the big difference in design is in their respective lids.

The YETI tumbler has a magnetically-locking sippy lid that’s mostly made out of plastic. However, YETI warns on their website that their trademark MagSlider is not spill-proof.

The Hydro Flask tumbler uses an entirely different technology for their tumbler lids. The design features their unique Honeycomb Insulation technology that helps seal liquids in and keep them at your desired temperature.

This added lid insulation makes a big difference and gives Hydro Flask tumblers an edge in performance, and the spill-proof lid gives them an additional advantage.

Special Features / Misc: Hydro Flask 22 Ounce Tumbler

These products have similar arrays of features designed to prevent bottle sweating and maintain overall temperature.

There’s very little to differentiate these two and it’s especially difficult when choosing between two products of such high quality. However, with two more ounces of fluid capacity, the Hydro Flask ekes out a win in another close category.

Customer Service: Hydro Flask 22 Ounce Tumbler

These products are both made by great companies that have an excellent reputation for maintaining good relationships with customers and employees.

Both companies back their products with warranties that cover defects in quality and workmanship. However, only one extends this guarantee to cover the entire lifespan of the product.

While YETI’s warranty covers defects for up to five years, Hydro Flask offers a lifetime warranty, making this the easiest call on the list with Hydro Flask’s tumbler the clear winner.

Styles: TIE

Hydro Flask offers ten available colors while YETI offers only eight. Case closed, right? Not so fast!

Users sometimes complain the Hydro Flask is awkwardly tall and thin. Hydro Flask designed their tumblers this way to ensure they would fit universally in cup-holders, but the style has some critics.

With everything taken into account, this category becomes a closer call and ends up in a draw. Both come in a variety of striking colors and have bold stainless steel designs, but even though Hydro Flask Tumblers offer ten color styles to YETI’s eight, design critics level the playing field and even out the matchup.

Price: TIE

Keeping with this articles theme of painfully close contests, the price difference between these two products is almost comical.

The YETI Rambler 20 Ounce Tumbler is listed on YETI’s website at $29.99. Hydro Flask’s site has their 22-ounce tumbler listed at $29.95, taking the price category by a discriminating four cents. However, for all practical purposes, the price difference is so minuscule that this category ends in another tie.

FAQs:

“Which will keep my beverage hot/cold for longer?”

Both Hydro Flask and YETI drinkware are rated to keep drinks cool for up to 24 hours and hot for up to 12 hours. However, there maybe be a difference in temperature between the two products, as the designs are not identical. The biggest difference is their lid designs. Hydro Flask lid features HoneyComb insulation, designed to trap in heat or keep it out. YETI has the MagSlider, which features a magnet to cover the sipping hole, but doesn’t do anything for insulation, so it’s possible that the Hydro Flask retains heat or cold better.

“Will this drinkware fit in my vehicle’s cup holder?”

Yes. Both YETI and Hydro Flask claim on their websites that their designs fit into vehicle cup holders easily. If the cup holders in question are particularly narrow, consider that the Hydro Flask tumblers are slightly more narrow than their YETI counterparts.

“Will this drinkware sweat or form condensation on the outside on hot days?”

No. Each manufacturer has their own version of proprietary technology that prevents condensation, or sweat, from forming. YETI products feature the company’s No Sweat Design, while Hydro Flask drinkware has No-Sweat TempShield Insulation; each effectively keeps your drinks cold and your cup dry.

“Can I use this drinkware for boiling water on camping trips?”

No. All of these drinkware items have double-wall insulation and, even though are constructed with 18/8 food-grade stainless-steel materials, they are not safe for boiling. Heating up any of these containers will damage the coating and finish. More importantly, any liquid boiled in these containers can be potentially dangerous. The double-wall insulation materials are made from different types of special plastics that can melt at high temperatures, contaminating anything that is boiled inside it. Do not boil water or any other liquid in these containers.

“Are these containers microwave safe?”

No. All of the drinkware listed are constructed with 18/8 stainless steel, which is not safe for microwaves.

“Do the manufacturer warranties cover any kind of damage?”

No. Both YETI and Hydro Flask warranties cover only manufacturer defects and poor workmanship. Though they are sturdy and hard to break, they are not guaranteed to withstand extreme conditions or damage, only problems that can reasonably be attributed to the manufacturer.

Conclusion

Winner: Hydro Flask 22 Oz Tumbler

This showdown came to the wire. With two products of such high esteem and quality, it wasn’t easy to determine a winner. We exhaustively researched and examined these products across a wide array of categories and, for most of the comparison, there was no clear-cut winner.

In the end, it all came down to one attribute that made all the difference in deciding a victor. With a guarantee that covers your tumbler for life, Hydro Flask takes the title. While YETI covers all their products with a similar warranty, theirs covers only five years from purchase.

However, this is one of the closest contest we’ve seen here, and it can’t be stressed enough what a great product the YETI Rambler is. You may even find that the YETI is still the right choice for you and, honestly, you can’t go wrong with either of these products and many people prefer the YETI design.

In the end, this is such a close call that any decision between the two will be determined largely by simple preference. No matter which one you choose, you’ll end up with a high-quality tumbler that can stand up to all of your adventures.