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.