Hiking is a great activity both for your physical and mental health, but if not planned properly, hiking can be dangerous.  Every year, there are stories about people who have close calls or even die while hiking due to dehydration or hyperthermia, aka an overheated body.

Most incidents involve people who are hiking a new trail and may be unfamiliar with the area and the climate.  This is especially true with tourists in desert areas like in Arizona, California, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado, but it can happen to anyone, anywhere.

Here we’ll review best practices and guidelines to help you stay properly hydrated on your next hiking adventure.

(Click on an image below to link that site's Mt Garfield hike entry as an example.)

According to REI, a good rule-of-thumb is to have roughly 17 ounces (a half-liter) of water for each hour of moderate activity in moderate temperatures.

Congrats, you have a Hydro Flask (or are thinking about getting one soon)!  It's hard enough deciding which Hydro Flask bottle to get, but have you also thought about which lid you'll use?

Hydro Flask has four (4) lids available right now on Amazon: Flex Cap, Flex Sip, Flex Straw, and Straw Lid.

In this video, we go over how each one works, what we like and don't like about each design, and how we use them.

If you'd rather read through the review than watch the video, see the written summary below.

​Hydro Flask has four lid options, and you might be asking which lid is best for you. We've reviewed and tested each lid extensively, and here's what we think.  Links are in the description.

Which one is best for you?  Well, it depends on how you want to use it, but we can tell you how we like to use them.

• We like using a Flex Cap with a SplashPro in our largest bottles when we're doing something active. We find it easier to get smooth pours and bigger gulps of water while also keeping water out of your face.
• For sipping at work or in the car, we like using Flex Straw with a FlavorFuze Straw infuser to add some flavor.
• And for coffee and tea in the morning, we prefer to use the Flex Sip lid with a smaller Hydro Flask like a 16oz.
• The only lid we recommend against using is the original straw lid. If you want a straw lid, just get the Flex Straw.

​Also works with a ​FlavorFuze Straw Infuser

We've seen a lot of questions like:

• How good is Hydro Flask's Flex Straw lid?
• Is Hydro Flask's Flex Straw lid worth it?
• What's different about Hydro Flask's Flex Straw lid?
• Should I buy a Hydro Flask Flex Straw cap?

​With all of Hydro Flask's cap options (not to mention 3rd party versions), it can be a little confusing.  To help keep things straight, we're reviewing Hydro Flask's new Flex Straw cap and will let you know if it's worth a buy.

At first the new lid may not seem very different, but there are a few key changes.

The previous straw lid had a hard plastic handle on one side that was basically a finger-loop.  Some common complaints were that it was uncomfortable, especially when you're juggling holding other items too.

The Flex Straw cap solves many of these criticisms.  The handle is the same style as their Flex Cap and Flex Sip lids.

This is a much improved handle design that we are totally on board with.

Another common complaint of the previous straw lid was that it could leak fairly easily.  The spout wouldn't "snap" into place, so it if wasn't pushed all the way down by accident, then you could experience some leaking if your bottle tipped over.

Based on our initial tests, the new Flex Straw lid seems to be less likely to leak.  The main reason is that the spout "snaps" into the locked position.  Once you hear the click, then you should be good to go and not have to worry about leaks.

We really like this change.  The lid just feels a lot more secure and better-engineered than before.

The old cap really didn't insulate very well at all, but the new Flex Straw cap changes that.  Hydro Flask added their Honeycomb(TM) insulation to the design, and the silicone insert also helps.

One of the main reasons you probably have a Hydro Flask is to have an insulated bottle, so this is a welcome improvement.

Try out our FlavorFuze Straw fruit infuser.  It's a clip-on infuser that is compatible with both the old and new Hydro Flask straw lid designs.

Many people search Google for things like:

• How to make loose leaf tea in a Hydro Flask?
• Can you make hot tea in a Hydro Flask?
• Tea infuser for Hydro Flask
• Tea strainer for Hydro Flask
• Tea steeper for Hydro Flask
• Making tea in Hydro Flask
• Hot tea in Hydro Flask
• Loose leaf tea Hydro Flask
• Brewing tea in a Hydro Flask

We get a lot of questions about this too.  Hydro Flasks are primarily used for water, but plenty of people would love it if they could have different flavors, like fruit infused water, coffee, or tea.  In particular, tea is what we're focusing on today.

And unlike some concerns with plastic and even aluminum, from what we have found, stainless steel won't leach chemicals or pollutants into your beverage.  Flaske has a great article covering more details about the question of "Are Stainless Steel Water Bottles Safe to Drink From."  So does Elemental Bottles, where they recommend looking for bottles that are either made from #304 or 18/8 stainless steel (Hydro Flasks are made from 18/8).  We highly recommend checking these articles out if you have any other questions or concerns.

You should also consider what type of Hydro Flask you want to use, since that can have an effect on which type of tea infuser will work best.

Now that we know putting hot tea in stainless steel bottles like Hydro Flasks is safe, let's look at the best ways to do it!

I'll be 35 years old tomorrow, and I've had a soda habit since I was a kid.  Growing up, it wasn't uncommon for me to drink 2, 3, or even 4 sodas per day.  As you might guess, I've also been overweight most of my life too, which is certainly not a coincidence.  But at 35, I finally kicked my soda habit.  I'm down almost 10 pounds this year, and best of all, I feel like what I'm doing is sustainable.

​Here's what's working for me, and hopefully it'll help you on your journey too.

Google Trends - Searches for "Low Sugar" for the Previous Five (5) Years

Of all the ways that consumers regularly ingest sugar, sugary beverages are the primary culprits.  These include:

• Sodas 
• Sports drinks
• Fruit juices
• Energy drinks
• Coffee or tea with added sugar

According to the American Heart Association, the maximum recommended sugar intake is 36 grams of sugar per day for men.  For women, it's 25 grams.  Each one of the drink examples above is either right at those limits or way above them, all from one drink.

Seeing how bottle and can sizes vary, it's also interesting to look at the sugar concentration as shown below.

​One of the more surprising realizations for most people is how most fruit juices really aren't good for you.  Sure they provide some benefits like vitamins and other nutrients, so in that way they are better than sodas.  But the sugar content per ounce for Minute Maid orange juice is essentially the same as a Coke!

There are plenty of people smarter than me that study this topic for their day jobs, so I'll leave it to them to provide additional details and research about sugar and health.  Here are some of the more helpful articles we've read.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Guidance on Added Sugars

WebMD: How Sugar Affects Your Body

American Heart Association: How Much Sugar is too Much?

Healthline: 11 Reasons Why Too Much Sugar is Bad for You

And keep in mind that diet sodas aren't free-and-clear of problems either.  There is growing evidence that drinks with artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose are bad for you as well, as discussed here.

After reading articles about how sugar essentially acts like a poison and how sodas in particular are "empty calories" that provide no nutritional benefit, I knew it was in my best interest to quit.

Each time I tried to change, I would start off a few days or weeks without sodas, but then I would slip and start drinking them again.  The most common backfiring strategies I used were:

• Comforting: "I had a rough day.  A soda will make me feel better."
• Celebrating: "I had a good day.  I'll have a soda to celebrate." (ironic, right?).
• Rationalizing Now vs Future: "I'll have one soda today and get back on the soda diet starting tomorrow."  Or, "I have many more years to develop better habits, so one soda today won't kill me."

The reason that these backfiring strategies worked on me was that I hadn't determined what my real motivation was yet.  I said I wanted to lose weight, and that can work for many people.  But the problem, for me, is that I'm fairly comfortable in my own skin already.  Also, I have always been overweight so it's not easy for me to truly realize how much better I might feel to achieve a healthy weight.  It was more abstract.

But as I got older, something happened.  I started thinking more about how little time we truly have, and how chronic diseases that we always read about and learned of back in school are very real.  And then someone very close to me passed away.  He smoked most of his life, and though he was finally able to quit a few years ago, by then the damage was done.  He developed cancer and passed away earlier this year.  He urged me to improve my habits now and to learn from his life experiences.  This changed my motivational focus.

Honestly, I've used all of the strategies listed above to varying degrees.  But the ones that helped me the most are #1 and #4.  By drinking more water, I've been able to feel fuller and am less likely to drive to the store for a soda.  And by using a flavored drink alternative, I can still take a break from "boring" water each day and satisfy my need for flavor.

This is what's working for me.

Need another bottle?  Check out Hydro Flask's Amazon store.

After debuting just over 10 years ago, Hydro Flasks quickly gained traction as the go-to insulated water bottle.  For many people, the simple benefit of having a bottle that is vacuum-insulated was enough of a selling point.  For others, it's the clean, yet stylish design.  Whatever the reason, Hydro Flask continues to build its following and shows no signs of slowing down.

It's only natural what happened next.  A whole range of accessories have been developed with the goal of making life with these amazing but cumbersome bottles a little easier.

We here at BottlePro got involved in this niche early with our cup holder adapter, so we've seen it grow over the years, including new notable accessories coming available fairly often.  Here are some of our favorites for the best accessories for Hydro Flasks in 2022 (focusing on 32 and 40 ounce bottles).

We reviewed four popular adapters on the market today.  ​This video will help you decide which cup holder adapter to purchase for your bottle.  Clicking the links will take you to Amazon so you can check prices.

If you'd rather read the review, we've included a transcript of this video below for reference.

(And if you purchase something, we get a referral fee as an Amazon Associate! Thanks for your support!)

We reviewed:

• Amazon Basics
• BottlePro
• Swigzy
• Joytutus

And while we focus on a few types of Hydro Flasks, this review is also applicable to other large bottles like Nalgenes, YETIs, Klean Kanteens, Simple Moderns, Takeyas, Thermoflasks, Iron Flasks, Fifty/Fifty, Swig, and many other popular bottles on the market today.

​If you're not sure whether you need an adapter at all, we highly-recommend you visit the blog post referenced at the beginning of the video so you can determine if your car's cup holders will likely work with any of these adapters. Or if you're using a smaller bottle, you may not even need an adapter!  Just click the link below to view that post.

Which Hydro Flasks Fit in Cup Holders? - The Ultimate Guide (Updated for 2022)

Video Transcript:
Hydro Flasks are great bottles, but many of them are so big that they don’t fit in standard cup holders. So we’re going to review four of the most popular cup holders on the market today, and give you our thoughts and recommendations.  Links to purchase are in the description.

This video focuses on comparing cup holder adapters needed to use larger Hydro Flasks, and we assume you already know you need an adapter.  But you may not need one at all if you have a smaller Hydro Flask, like a 21oz.  Check out our blog post for a full step-by-step guide. Link in the description.

Let’s get started.

Amazon Basics
First we have Amazon Basics.  Like many popular categories, Amazon released their own cup holder and have undercut most other adapters on the market.  But it’s still very functional and a good option on a budget

• The twist to expand base is very easy to use and functional.
• And it has rubber tabs to centralize small bottles.  The tabs are not removable.
• 32 and 40oz Hydro Flasks are the same diameter and fit well, and the tabs keep smaller bottles like 32oz Trail Series centralized.

All-in-all the Amazon Basics cup holder is quite functional for the price.  The main drawbacks are the many people prefer to buy from smaller vendors instead of Amazon brands, the base is not extendable, and the mug handle cutout is quite small.  But overall, this cup holder is a very good option.

BottlePro
Next up we have BottlePro, which is our cup holder adapter.

• Each BottlePro comes with two adapter rings and a foam sleeve to help fine-tune the fit.  The adapter rings are locked when the base looks like this.  To unlock, twist the base so the rings are aligned.  Then slide off the rings.  The adapters can be easily added back on by lining up the grooves and sliding them on.
• A cool feature is that you can lock the rings at different heights, which can help with deeper cup holders.
• Add the soft fit sleeve to help with in-between cup holder sizes.
• 32 and 40oz Hydro Flasks fit well, but smaller bottles can be unstable because there are no centralizer tabs.

In summary, BottlePro is a great budget alternative to Amazon Basics for 32 and 40 ounce Hydro Flasks, but for smaller diameter bottles, you might want to look at an adapter with centralizer tabs.  And keep an eye out for our upcoming 3rd version, which will have many improvements.

Swigzy
Next is Swigzy, which is a great premium option.

• It has a twist-to-expand base,
• rubber tabs (though they are not removable),
• and there is also an option to purchase a unit with additional spacers to extend the height of the adapter.
• One of the cooler unique features that Swigzy offers is the ability to offset the base.  Just loosen one screw, adjust the base offset, then re-add the screw.  This can help two of them fit side-by-side in more cup holders.
• 32 and 40oz Hydro Flasks fit well, and the rubber tabs help centralize smaller bottles really well. 

Overall, Swigzy is honestly our favorite cup holder on the market today, and it pains us to say that because we make one.  But Swigzy comes with a significantly higher price tag.  You might be able to save a few bucks with another option.

Joytutus
Last is Joytutus.  This cup holder is a good option overall.

• The rubber tabs feel great and are removable, which can help make it easier to get larger bottles in-and-out.
• The coaster is also removable for easier cleaning, though this does make it fall out easily if you’re moving your adapter.
• But we’re not huge fans of the base design.  The rubber flap concept looks interesting and is easy for installation because you just push it down into the cup holder, but we found it very difficult to remove when we wanted to switch cars.
• You have to remove the rubber tabs for 32 and 40oz Hydro Flasks to fit, but smaller bottles fit just fine with the tabs in.

While Joytutus has some options like the removable tabs that help it stand apart, for the most part we do not think this outweighs the downsides of the base design.  But it’s certainly an option to keep in mind.

So that’s it!  We hope this review has been helpful.  Don’t forget to check out our website at bottlepro.net, where we have other products like infusers and splash guards for Hydro Flasks.  And subscribe to our blog for more content like this, hydration news, and updates on product deals.  Thanks for watching.