ThermoCafé Stainless Steel Flask, Multi-colour, 1.0 L

Product Information

This thermos flask is made of a combination of Stainless Steel, Polypropylene and Silicone, and the dimensions are an excellent 21.1 x 12 x 9.1 cm. It is sized extraordinarily well for solo hikers who are concerned about size and weight but still wish to carry a hot brew around to warm up with. In our opinion this is one of the best thermos flasks on the market today. Button-operated lids are more efficient to use than twist-and-pour stoppers – we found the button-operated lids to be more secure than the twist-and-pour stoppers.

This flask from OKADI gets full marks for its capacity and versatility. OKADI is a brand that has been serving people with quality products for the last 20 years and this particular model is their flagship model. It’s a big flask for big groups Capacity: 500ml / Temperature test: 0 hrs 90°c, 90 mins 89.3°c, 4 hrs 82.8°c, 6 hrs 79.2°c, 8 hrs 75.3°c, 24 hrs 50.9°c / Stainless steel interior and exterior / Cool-touch, no-slip finish / Protective silicone rings for ultimate durability / Two part stopper for smooth pouring. BUY NOW: THERMOS.CO.UK

Flasks are more 'smell prone' than 'stain prone' – none of the flasks we tested had any staining after cleaning, but some retained a faint coffee smell. The downside of this approach is that a high capacity flask will be big and bulky. There’s no getting away from it. However, if you’re able to split your gear equally between all members of the team (e.g. one walker carries lunch, another carries the picnic blanket etc) then overall you will use less space than if you each carried smaller flasks.

Nothing beats a hot brew when you’re tramping around the hills on a winter hike. It’s like we’re hard-wired to appreciate that soothing warmth spreading around our bodies like a “Ready Brek” glow. The best thermos flasks can keep liquids hot or cold for a long time – over 12 hours in some cases. Look for a two-layer construction with an intermediate vacuum layer. This prevents heat loss by convection and conduction. This is definitely one of the best thermos flasks for solo users due to the size of 21.8cm x 6.5cm and weight of only 0.33kg. This is light!

Preview

The heat retention capacity of the flask is exceptional. You will certainly be impressed with both the hot and cold performance. We were able to keep some tomato soup warm for 24 hours and on another occasion, some chilled orange squash remained cold after 36 hours. This is definitely enough for an overnight wild camping trip if you can handle the weight. Textured coatings are useful – it’s a nice touch to have a handle on a drinks flask but generally, for a one-litre flask, it’s more useful to have a textured coating that provides grip.

As we said before, the Milu is more bowl-shaped and can easily be eaten from directly. The 6.6cm wide opening is extremely convenient for easy filling and eating as well.

Stanley Classic 25oz Bottle

If you are searching for a great value thermos flask at the lower end of the budget range then we don’t think you can do much better than the SMARDY Vacuum Insulated Water Bottle. This is a compact size flask with a smallish capacity of 430ml – this is only enough for two cups of tea. The 18-8 flask is from the renowned brand Stanley. Stanley has been serving people since 1913 and this model is truly legendary. No other brand apart from Thermos themselves can boast such heritage. Dimensions The flask has a BPA-free cup with enough space for several decent-sized cups of teas. The cup also helps ensure the flask remains leak proof. Thermos flasks use an ingenious mechanism which consists of dual layers separated by a vacuum cavity between them. The vacuum is a region of space with no air or anything at all in it – this creates a natural barrier to heat leaving or entering the innermost chamber holding your drink. That’s why liquids in the flask remain hot or cold for longer than they would in a standard plastic bottle. Since the American manufacturer, Thermos, came to fame, the term has become slang for vacuum-insulated flasks. Although the terms are largely interchangeable, the original scientific phrasing is 'vacuum flask'.