Mason Jars and Cup Holders - Which Jars Fit, and When Do You Need an Adapter?

​Why do People Love Mason Jars?

​Many people love drinking tea, iced coffee, or fruit infused water out of glass mason jars, and there are a few reasons why these types of jars may be a good option for you.

1. Cost - One reason is that they’re not expensive, especially compared to the bottles we normally talk about on our channel, like YETIs or Hydro Flasks.
   
2. No Plastic - They’re made of glass, so you don’t have to worry about your drink touching plastic, at least as long as you get a mason jar with a non-plastic lid and straw.
   
3. Colorful - Many people really like how you can see what’s inside, so if you drink something like infused water or a fruit tea, it can have a really colorful and fun look.

​The main drawbacks are that they are bulky and breakable.  Many of them are too large to fit in most cup holders.  These factors can make glass mason jars difficult to use on the go, and it can be particularly difficult to safely use a mason jar when driving.  But the good news is that you have options, and in this video, we’re going to talk about a few things to consider when traveling with your mason jar.

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Products mentioned in this post:

• 16-ounce mason jar, no handle
• 16-ounce with handle
• 24-ounce no handle
• 24-ounce with handle
• 32-ounce no-handle Piper and Leaf
• 32-ounce with handle
• BottlePro Max Cup Holder Adapter

If you make a purchase after clicking the link, we get a small referral fee.  It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and every little bit helps our small business.  Thanks for your support!

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Our Video Review

Our YouTube video covers the same information in this post, so click the link if you'd rather see the video.  Otherwise, keep reading the full post below!

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Which Mason Jar Should you Get?

​First-things-first, figure out what size mason jar you really need.  There are many different size options for mason jars, and the most common sizes that people use for drinks are 16, 24, and 32-ounce jars.

Do you just need it for iced coffee in the morning for your commute, so a smaller jar makes more sense?  Or are you taking it on a long road trip with minimal refill options where having more volume could be a good idea?

Don’t over-buy if you don’t need to.  You’ll save a few bucks on the jar compared to a larger one, and then you may not even need an adapter.

​Also think about whether you’ll want a handle on your mason jar because that will impact how it will fit in a cup holder.

Common Mason Jar Sizes

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What is your Cup Holder Situation?

Most Common Cup Holder Dimensions

Once you’ve figured out what mason jar you want, then take a closer look at your cup holder.  Mason jars typically start at 3” diameter for 16-ounce jars and go up to 4” diameter for 32-ounce jars.  Most cup holders can hold cups up to around 3” diameter, but this varies greatly so the best thing to do is to measure your cup holder and see what you’re working with.

16-ounce mason jars like this one can fit in quite a few cup holders, so if you just need a drink for a commute, then this can be a really good, simple option.

But once you get up to 24-ounce, and especially 32-ounce jars, odds are that your cup holder won’t be large enough to fit your mason jar.

Typical Mason Jar Dimensions

Mason Jar Options and Diameter (measurements do not factor in the handle)

• 16-ounce mason jar, no handle (3")
• 16-ounce with handle (3")
• 24-ounce no handle (3.4")
• 24-ounce with handle (Listed as 2.6”, but we think that’s the mouth diameter. The container diameter is likely ~3.0”)
• 32-ounce no-handle Piper and Leaf (3.9")
• 32-ounce with handle (3.9")

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Which Cup Holders Fit Mason Jars?

There are a few examples of cars with standard cup holders that work.  One that we’re aware of is 2nd generation Nissan Frontiers from 2005 to 2020.  These have inserts that you can remove to clear up enough space for a 32-ounce mason jar.  But this is an outlier, not the standard.

Very Few Cup Holders Fit Larger Mason Jars

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Will Mason Jars with Handles Fit in Cup Holders?

​And if you want a mason jar with a handle, we’d be very surprised if you can use it with your cup holder since most do not accommodate handles at all.

Mason Jars with Handles Normally Need Adapters

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What Cup Adapters Works with Mason Jars?

Long-story-short, if you’re using 24 or 32-ounce jars or any size jar with a handle, odds are that you’ll need an adapter.  There are a lot of options on the market today, and one great option is our BottlePro Max cup holder adapter.

BottlePro Max Cup Holder Adapter with a 32oz Mason Jar

BottlePro Max is adjustable to fit nearly all mason jars 32oz and below.

• Expandable base that lets it fit securely in most cup holders.
• Slot on the side for handles.
• The top opening is 4.25 inches across, which is roomy enough for any of the mason jars we’ve been talking about.
• There are three centralizing tabs that really help with the smaller diameter jars, like the 16 and 24-ounce options.  It fits a little tight with the 32-ounce jars.  Some people like that tight of a fit, but personally I prefer taking out the centralizing tabs and storing them under the no-slip mat.  Not having the tabs makes it much easier to take the 32-ounce mason jar in and out when on the road, and it’s still really secure.

See our Amazon Listing for BottlePro Max

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Piper and Leaf

Recently we had a few wholesale orders for our adapter from a company called Piper and Leaf.  We historically have focused on selling our adapter for Hydro Flasks, YETIs, and other large bottles, so I reached out to them to connect.  I learned that they are a tea company based in Northern Alabama that sells mason jars too, and you can stop by their stores for refills.  We really like that concept since it cuts down on waste.  But they always had customers asking about cup adapters for their large 32-ounce mason jars.
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Luckily they found us, and our BottlePro Max adapters seem to be selling well and work great with their mason jars.  It’s really fortunate timing too, because we just released our newer BottlePro Max adapters earlier this year, which is our 3rd generation adapter.  Our previous version was just barely too small to fit 32-ounce mason jars.  Piper and Leaf sent us a mason jar with some teas to sample.  it was really helpful for this video, and I can confirm that the teas taste great and that their jars fit great in our adapter.

​Check them out if you’re around Huntsville!

Piper and Leaf Mason Jar and Tea

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And that’s it!  Hopefully this video helped you figure out which mason jar you should get and whether you need a cup holder adapter.  Follow our Hydration Blog or subscribe if you’re interested in learning more about hydration and the ever-expanding world of water bottles and containers.  Thanks!

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Buying a Mason Jar or Large Bottle?  Keep Us in Mind!

Check out our Amazon store for fun and helpful accessories, like fruit infusers, cup holder adapters, and carrying slings.

BottlePro's Amazon Store