Perhaps the most important component of a successful hike is water. The longer the hike, the hotter it is, and the more important hydration becomes. What you carry your water in is a matter of choice, so we want to share our favorite water bottles for hiking with you.

We’ve had a couple of experiences that for whatever reason, we forgot to bring water with us. Maybe we were so excited to hike we jumped out of the car and forgot it, or our walk ended up being longer and more strenuous than we anticipated, but they have not been fun days. We have learned that staying hydrated can make or break a day on the trail.

We use two basic types of products to carry water on our hikes. For shorter hikes we use water bottles that fit in outside pockets of our daypacks. We also use a bladder type reservoir with a large capacity for longer hikes. 

We have used the very popular Nalgene Tritan 32 oz. BPA/BPS free plastic bottles for years. They are simple, durable, and a great minimalist choice. The wide mouth makes it easy for filling and drinking. There is a reason this has been one of the most popular water bottles for years.

Our current favorite, however, is an insulated stainless steel bottle, the Cascade by mira. It comes in 17 oz. and 25 oz. versions and a rainbow of colors and patterns. They keep water cold or hot for hours and hours and they look great. And at $14 and $16 respectively, they are a bargain! We carry these with us when we travel, filling them at the other side of security at the airport, doing our part to keep more plastic out of landfills.

I also have a 3-liter Camelbak Crux Reservoir that fits into my backpack for our longest days on the trail. For those of you unfamiliar with this product, the reservoir is fitted with a hose and goes into your backpack. The hose then comes over your shoulder and attaches to the strap for hands free hydration. The technology was first developed for bikers, but has become very popular with outdoor enthusiasts everywhere.

My Osprey Talon 22 was designed to carry the Camelbak and has a hook in a dedicated space specifically for water reservoirs. I have also used this in my Venture Pal daypack. It works fine but it has to go in the main compartment with anything else I may be carrying that day making things just a bit cumbersome. In the long run, it’s no big deal.

So there you have it. Water is uber important and carrying it with you should be very simple. You can’t go wrong with the choices above. We think they are the best water bottles for day hiking out there. Enjoy your hikes and stay hydrated!

Dreaming of hiking in Europe when things open up again? We can help with that! We are here for your custom trip planning to Italy, France, Ireland, the UK and all of Europe. We are experts in creating custom travel itineraries and leading small group trips to European destinations. We also book European cruises! Feel free to reach out via email — We’re always available to talk about travel!

We can also help with trips in the US while we wait for Europe to open up. We’ve traveled extensively throughout the US and visited many of our National Parks as well as wine regions, major cities, and tourist destinations. We just love to help people travel!

Greg Ball – Greg is co-founder and partner of Euro Travel Coach (ETC), which crafts custom European vacations for independent travelers and leads small group tours to Europe. In his previous life he taught Woodwinds and Jazz at the university level for 30 years. As a professor he took his bands to England, Ireland, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, and England. Since “retiring” in 2017, he and his wife/ETC co-founder, Betsy, have been traveling through Europe for up to nine months of the year. Together they have visited over 40 countries and counting! He loves cooking, hiking, listening to and playing music, and wine. Greg holds a Level 3 certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust.