Walking Equipment and Accessories

Hydro Flask’s Trail Series | Game-changing Gear

The Oregon-based brand have managed to trim 25% off their classic bottle and without any compromise on performance

My inclination to carry an insulated flask on a hike, run or bike ride tends to correspond with the size of the trip. On a morning hike, for instance, you can bet my flask is coming with me, but on a weekend backpack where my pack weight really matters, it’s going to get left behind.

That logic has all changed however with Hydro Flask having just released a double wall vacuum insulated bottle that offers the same performance as their original designs but at a much lighter and more manageable weight.

The new bottles in the new Hydro Flask Trail Series are in fact 25% lighter than the Hydro Flasks we all know and love, but they’re still guaranteed to keep your drink cold for 24 hours, piping hot for 12 hours and warm for 24. Not bad at all.

All those other familiar traits are still there as well, including that pocket-friendly profile, handy Flex Strap and a stainless steel that won’t retain or transfer any flavours – because no one wants today’s coffee to taste like last night’s beer…

Hydro Flask Trail Series: The Design

The techniques that Hydro Flask have used to bring that weight down while maintaining the performance are actually quite fascinating. For example, they’ve reduced the pro-grade stainless steel at the top half of the flask but kept the thickness at the base – the part that normally bears the brunt of any accidental drops.

They’ve also made a bunch of refinements to the cap and while these are all fairly minor they all add up to make it 25% lighter than the cap you’d find on a standard Hydro Flask bottle. Take the handle, for instance, which has been perforated to shave off a few precious grams. And the hinges as well. These have have been swapped from stainless steel to a lighter aluminium. Again, there’s no downgrade in the performance here either, with the leak-proof cap still containing that impressive honeycomb insulation found on standard flasks.

As you can see from the pictures, the overall shape of the flasks in the Trail Series is much sleeker with a narrower, taller profile that makes them easier to slip into the side of your backpack. The 24 ounce flask is even slim enough to fit into a car cup holder, that’s something that can’t be said for too many decent insulated flasks out there.

“Guaranteed cool water all day? Yes please.”

Capacities available at the moment include a 32 ounce (942ml) bottle and a 24 ounce (710ml) one. Handily, these are both designed to integrate with most screw in water filters, like the LifeStraw Go for instance.

Game-changer?

I love having an insulated flask out on the trail with me, mainly for that morale-boosting glug of tea during the winter months. The problem is that I’m a pretty strict lightweight hiker and when it comes to any trips where my pack is already laden with camping kit, a flask has never made the cut. That could well change now though as that 25% reduction in weight has caused a reconfiguration of the costs-versus-benefits for me here.

The same goes for summer use as well. If I’d lined up a backpacking trip and was suddenly faced with scorching conditions, I wouldn’t hesitate to pack this. Guaranteed cool water all day? Yes please.

The sleeker profile certainly does make this much easier to stash in the side of a backpack, whether that’s in the side pocket or stretch mesh. Also, I’m not that much of a mountain biker, but if I was, I reckon I’d be pretty happy to know that the 24 oz version is narrow enough to fit into most bottle mounts.