Outdoors > A Travel Mug
November 25th, 2021
A travel mug is a very practical gift, as long as the recipient doesn’t own one already. Sure, you reduce waste when grabbing a takeaway coffee (and save 10-25ยข each time), but that’s an entry-level move. The real power: take a hot drink with you at other times. Going on an autumn walk or hike? Attending a parade, a fireworks display, or wandering around the shops? Going ice skating? If you’re outside for a couple of hours in chilly weather, a hot drink is a godsend. There’s two reasons those naff middle-aged outdoorsy people are relentlessly cheerful in the cold weather: they’re wearing more layers than you, and they have a nice cup of tea with them.
Travel mugs aren’t complicated but there are some factors to consider:
- Robustness. Buy a solid mug that can be dropped or banged without breaking. Anything metal or high-quality plastic will be fine.
- A secure lid. Screw tops are much better than press fit, and the drinking flap needs a solid latch. You must be able to carry it in your bag without worrying about spills or leaks.
- Easy to clean. Look out for fiddly little nooks, holes, or tiny necks.
You can buy anything that ticks these boxes, but I have a couple of specific recommendations below.
I received this mug as a gift, and it’s great - it ticks all the boxes above, and frequently receives compliments from baristas. It’s from Starbucks, who tend to sell some frequently-rotated stylish mug designs. Their current offering is this matte black textured mug. The only drawback is that it’s not quite wide enough to Aeropress directly into it, so brewing coffee requires an intermediate cup.
The Zojirushi travel mug is also highly regarded. I’ve seen claims it’s too good: people open their mugs many hours later and find it’s still too hot to drink.
Wired recommends the Fellow Carter Everywhere mug. I have no direct experience, and it’s a little pricey, but it’s also pleasingly minimalist.
If you feel like a mug alone isn’t enough of a gift - hide a $20 gift card to your recipient’s favourite coffee shop inside it.