HydroFlask Lightweight Wide Mouth Trail Series: Product Review

Words by: Michael Bartovsky

First off, I’m a huge fan of HydroFlask and have a good amount of their products already so when I had the opportunity to try out the new Lightweight Wide Mouth Trail Series, I was pretty stoked. The first thing I noticed right away was how good this bottle looked, I'm talking Derek Zoolander good. HydroFlask came out with some really unique colors for the Trail Series and they all look really sleek. The bottle I have is the Clay color and looks great in person - just like the photos on the website. Oftentimes product photography doesn’t translate the true colors but HydroFlask did a great job with these colors.

Touted as the lightest bottle HydroFlask has produced, I was curious to see if I could actually tell a difference in weight from my current bottle for everyday use which is the 32oz. Classic Widemouth bottle. I have used that bottle for around a year now and have become very used to the weight and feel of the bottle in my hands, both empty and filled so if the Trail Series was 25% lighter like it claimed to be, I would definitely be able to tell.

Trail Series 32oz. next to the Classic 32oz. bottle

After unboxing and picking the bottle up, I noticed the 25% weight difference immediately. The 32oz Classic Widemouth comes in at just under a pound (15.2 oz.) while the new Trail Series comes in at 11.8oz - a pretty substantial amount considering it will keep your liquids just as cold or warm and doesn’t sacrifice on construction and durability. I wanted to validate the weight savings by doing a blind test with my wife so I filled up both bottles full of water and handed them to her, eyes closed, and she picked the Trail Series bottle as the lighter bottle of the two almost immediately after holding them.

I’ve spent a decent amount of time now with this water bottle and use it for just about everything I do. If I’m not using it at home or in the office, here’s a few other activities where you won’t find me without this bottle:

• Hiking
• Photoshoots
• Tractor pull events
• Working in the yard
• Traveling
• Camping
• Crashing weddings

How it's different from the classic 32oz. Bottle:

• Taller and slimmer, which I prefer since it’s easier to pack in my camera backpack
• The vacuum-insulated, stainless steel walls are thinner - saving weight and still keeping your beverage cold or hot
• The cap utilizes a flexible perforated strap and lighter aluminum pivots

Features:

• Durable 18/8 Pro-Grade Stainless Steel construction
• TempShield™ insulation eliminates condensation
• BPA-Free and Phthalate-Free
• Lifetime warranty
• Available in 24oz. version as well
• Retail price: $49.95

What Do I Love:

• Noticeably lighter than the classic 32oz bottle
• Striking looks - this is the nicest looking bottle I have in my collection
• Does what it is intended to do - keeps cold drinks cold for 24 hours and warm drinks warm for 12 hours
• I can throw it in the dishwasher

Not So Much:

• Doesn’t fit in my middle console cup holder in my truck (Chevy Silverado) but does on my wife’s vehicle (VW Atlas). Not a deal-breaker by any means, but something to note.

Final Thoughts:

HydroFlask continues to innovate the hydration game and the Lightweight Wide Mouth Trail Series bottle is a welcome addition to my current fleet of HydroFlask products. When all is said and done, this bottle does what is intended to do, keep your beverage cold or warm for an extended period of times. It just so happens to be lighter than their flagship series of bottles. With a big Mt. Whitney hike planned this summer, I can assure you the 32oz. Trail Series bottle will be in my pack.