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The Best Water Bottle for College Students in 2023
Every student can benefit from carrying a well-made reusable water bottle with them in college. Not only will you be able to stay hydrated 24/7, but you’ll also save money and help out the environment in the process. And it certainly beats filling up your dorm or car with disposable plastic bottles.
If you plan on investing in a reusable water bottle, you’ll want to find one that best fits your lifestyle. It’s also important to make sure you can rely on it no matter the situation you’re in — hiking, working out, walking around campus, or just sitting in class. Read on to find the best water bottle for college students and one you can enjoy for years to come.
Best Overall Water Bottle for College
Hydro Flask Water Bottle
Hydro Flask’s insulted stainless steel water bottles are easily some of the best on the market today. They’re affordable, super durable, and will keep your drinks hot or cold for hours — 24 hours for cold beverages and 12 hours for hot ones.
It’s 18/8 pro-grade stainless steel construction provides the perfect amount of durability for a busy college lifestyle without being too heavy to carry around campus all day. The Hydro Flask is an excellent water bottle to take with you for any outdoor activities as well.
The water bottle seen here is their 40-ounce straw lid version, but the Hydro Flask also comes in a range of sizes and different lid variations to fit your exact needs.
Best Plastic Water Bottle
Nalgene Wide Mouth Bottle
Nalgene is a tried-and-true brand that has been in the game for decades, so if you’re looking for a trustworthy plastic water bottle to fulfill your daily hydration needs, the Nalgene Tritan is a must-have. The bottle gets its name from the shatter-proof Tritan material that it’s made out of. The material is derived from 50% plastic waste for increased sustainability and is BPA and BPS-free.
The Tritan also comes in a variety of color combinations and different sizes. Additionally, the bottle works well for both hot and cold drinks and is dishwasher safe. Whether you’re working out at the gym, sitting in a classroom, or camping with friends, Nalgene’s versatile plastic water bottles can be used almost anywhere.
Smartest Water Bottle
HidrateSpark Pro
My personal favorite water bottle on this list is the HidrateSpark Pro, which you can find in several different sizes and colors. The reason why the Pro is one of the most advanced water bottles available today is because it uses technology to track water intake by syncing via bluetooth to the free HidrateSpark App.
Once connected, you’ll be able to track your daily hydration levels and fitness goals from your phone. The water bottle also has a location tracking feature in case you ever lose it, along with an LED smart sensor on the bottom of the bottle that glows to remind you when it’s time to drink. Additionally, the Pro has a vacuum insulted stainless steel body that can keep drinks cold for up to 24 hours.
Best High-End Water Bottle
LARQ Bottle PureVis
The LARQ Bottle is going to be more pricy than most water bottles, but despite the cost, it does have lots of functionality. With PureVis technology, the bottle can eliminate 99% of contaminants and bacteria, making it the first ever self-cleaning water bottle and water purification system.
Every two hours the built-in UV-C LED light will turn on to sterilize the bottle and any water it contains. It also comes with a few other impressive features, such as its long-lasting battery life, waterproof mircoUSB port, and double-wall vacuum insulation with stainless steel construction.
If you want a water bottle that saves you the hassle of daily cleaning and provides you with safe and sterilized drinking water 24/7, then the LARQ Bottle will be worth the extra few bucks.
Best Water Bottle for Outdoors
GSI Outdoors Microlite
The truth is, there’s many reusable water bottles that can perform well in the outdoors. And every outdoors enthusiast is going to have their own preferences when it comes to the type of water bottle they like to carry with them. But for most, the GSI Outdoors Microlite will be an excellent all-around water bottle for any outside activity.
For sizes, you can get the Microlite in 17, 24, or 33 ounces — it comes in a variety of colors as well. One of the best features of the Microlite is its lightweight design, which will be nice for long hiking excursions. It has a durable stainless steel body and a convenient loop on the twist lid. The bottle will even keep your drinks cold for up to 20 hours thanks to its vacuum insulated design.
If you know anything about reusable water bottles, you’ve probably heard of Yeti. The brand is known for making quality drinkware and their Rambler line is no exception. The bottle seen here is Yeti’s 26-ounce Rambler with chug cap. The Rambler comes in a variety of different sizes — 12-ounce bottles for kids all the way up to gallon jugs.
And the whole Rambler line has 18/8 stainless steel construction with double-walled vacuum insulation. The Rambler is also powder coated in Yeti’s DuraCoat for extra durability. They’re available in a ton of colors, and Yeti even sells a few different lid variations to fit your needs.
Despite picking the Hydro Flask bottle as the best water bottle for college, I would certainly choose the Yeti Rambler as a close second.
Best Workout Water Bottle
HidrateSpark 3
If you’re a frequent gym-goer or just have a more active lifestyle, the HidrateSpark 3 will be your best friend. It has all same smart features that the HidrateSpark Pro has, but instead of a glowing puck at the bottom, it has a glowing sensor stick that illuminates the whole water bottle to remind when it times to drink.
The sensor can also sync to the HidrateSpark app to give you personalized daily goals and calculate your optimal hydration levels. The bottle itself is made out of lightweight Tritan plastic with a soft silicone sleeve to reduce condensation and improve grip. Additionally, the HidrateSpark 3 is BPA-free, dishwasher safe, and comes in a several other vibrant colors.
Most Versatile Water Bottle
CamelBak MultiBev
The MutliBev can adapt to almost any situation, which makes it one insanely versatile water bottle. CamelBak has designed the MultiBev to act as a 2-in-1 water bottle and removable travel cup — both have double-walled vacuum insulation and are made out of 18/8 stainless steel.
If you want to share your beverage with someone, you can simply detach the cup from the water bottle. The MultiBev can even store snacks or small essentials in its silicone Roll and Fold Lid, which is neatly tucked away under the Pak Cap.
Both the cup and water bottle are compatible with all of CamelBak’s cap accessories and have a durable powder coated exterior. The MultiBev comes in multiple colors as well, including the moss/mint color combination seen above.
Best Large Water Bottle
Iron Flask 64 oz Bottle
There’s many solid options you can go with if you need a larger water bottle, but the 64-ounce Iron Flask is right up there with the best of them. Plus, the water bottle comes with three different lid types to fit your needs. There’s also more colors available for the Iron Flask than any other water bottle on this list.
All the water bottles from Iron Flask are double-walled vacuum insulated with 18/8 stainless steel — the standard for pretty much any high-quality metal water bottle. And if the 64-ounce bottle is too big or small for you, Iron Flask has several other sizes available.
Best Filtered Water Bottle
Brita Water Filter Bottle
With this filtered water bottle from Brita, you can rest assured you’ll be drinking 100% clean water that tastes great and is oder-free. It also allows you to utilize tap water from anywhere around campus so you never run out of drinkable water.
The bottle features a leak-proof push button lid that helps keep the mouthpiece clean and free of contaminants. To clean the filter, all you have to do is rinse it off under water, insert it back into the straw, and reattach the straw to the lid. The bottle seen here is Brita’s 26-ounce version, but it’s also available in 36 ounces.