6 Best Backpacking Mugs

We put 6 of the best backpacking mugs to the test to see which ones stood up to the rigors of rural life.

after almost a month of testing, the toaks titanium 450ml double wall cup is the one we recommend. its excellent insulation, durability, and thoughtful construction made it our favorite mug.

Reading: Best backpacking coffee cup

the gsi outdoor infinity backpacking mug was a surprisingly fierce competitor for how cheap it is, holding its own in both insulation and weight with the much more expensive titanium mugs.

We highly recommend this mug as an affordable option. it’s a great alternative to splurging on titanium.

read on for our full reviews.

Note: If you’re looking for insulated camping mugs and thermos, you’ll find our reviews and recommendations in our guide to the best camping mugs. or if you’re looking for a mug that’s part of a complete dinnerware set, check out our guide to the best mess kits for camping and backpacking.

best choice: 450ml titanium toaks double wall mug

Serious coffee drinkers need look no further.

Although weighing in at 4.7 ounces, this was the heaviest mug we tested, the Titanium Toaks 450ml Double Wall Mug was still our top pick.

It’s solid, long lasting, well made and a pleasure to drink. is really everything you need in a backpacking mug.

tied with the snow peak ti-double 450 mug as the best performer in our heat retention tests, keeping water hot for 48 minutes without a lid and for 1 hour and 56 minutes with a lid.

It also had the perfect amount of heat radiating from the sides to warm our hands on cold mornings.

toaks offers a titanium cap that weighs 0.5 oz. Although the lid is designed to retain heat rather than drink it in, it’s a nice addition to keep your coffee warm between sips.

This is an expensive backpacking mug, but we think the durability and quality design is worth the investment. It quickly became our favorite for coffee in the morning and ramen on cold nights.

best value for money: gsi infinity infinity backpacker mug

For an affordable price you get a lot of bang for your buck with the GSI Outdoors Infinity Backpacker Mug.

Not only is it our best value pick, but it was one of our favorites overall, beating out most expensive titanium mugs.

The cup is made of clear polypropylene (a type of plastic) with a fabric sleeve for insulation. it’s also the only mug we tested that comes with a lid.

Initially we thought the strap handle was a bit silly, but we quickly accepted it. makes it easier to hold the mug when it’s full and is great for hooking the mug to your backpack.

In our heat retention tests, the Infinity Backpacking Mug kept water hot for 1 hour and 47 minutes with the lid on. that’s only 10 minutes less than double-walled titanium cups (and you have to buy the lid separately).

We also consistently felt the least amount of heat radiating off the sides of this mug, though it was enough to warm our hands on chilly mornings.

the main drawback of this mug is that it is not as durable as titanium mugs. after only a few weeks of use the rim started to show some scratches and signs of wear. the fabric cover also collects dirt and is difficult to clean.

but ultimately those are pretty minor complaints. for little money you get a mug nearly an ounce lighter than the two double-walled titanium mugs we tested that insulate almost as well. we are impressed.

best single wall mug: snow peak ti-single 450 mug

Single-wall mugs don’t insulate as well as double-wall mugs, but a lot of backpackers prefer them for the versatility of being able to cook in them.

They don’t weigh that much either. At just 2.4 oz, the Snow Peak TI-Single 450 Mug is impressively lightweight.

Without a lid, this mug kept water hot for 42 minutes. for comparison, the snow peak ti-double 450 cup kept water hot for 48 minutes.

however, it definitely didn’t provide as pleasurable a coffee drinking experience as more insulated backpacking mugs.

when filled with boiling water, it was too hot to hold without the handles and prone to burning lips.

(Burnt lips are a common problem with single wall mugs. Snow Peak makes a product called hotlips to fix this.)

When it’s cold, the ti-single 450 mug gets cold too quickly for us to enjoy our hot beverages. but that’s the nature of single wall mugs.

we didn’t have the issues with the handles or the easily scratched coating that we describe below for the snow peak ti-double 450 cup. the handles were easy to flip in and out. they stayed firmly in the position where you put them, which is exactly what we wanted.

For backpackers looking for a minimalist, ultralight single wall mug, the Snow Peak TI-Single 450 Mug is our top pick.

reviews of the other 3 backpacking mugs we tested

cup peak snow ti-double 450

Snow Peak gets a lot of rave reviews in the backpacking community, so we were excited to test the Snow Peak Ti-Double 450 Mug.

after doing so, we think this is a good double wall mug with a few minor issues.

First the good: It’s 0.5 oz lighter than Toaks’ double-walled mug (albeit a little more expensive).

its performance in all of our tests was nearly identical to that of the toaks double walled mug. kept water hot for 48 minutes without a lid and for 1 hour and 57 minutes with one.

we like that snow peak offers a coffee cup style lid, which you can drink from. however, at 1.1 oz, and with fairly consistent negative reviews, we’re not sure it’s worth it.

Now for the bad: Our biggest complaint was that the handles didn’t seem to be tight enough. they slump and flap a bit.

It became irritating when the handles constantly banged against the side of the mug. sometimes they crossed and got stuck.

Also the ti-double 450 cup liner scratches easily. the cup started to show wear much sooner than the other titanium cups we tested.

None of these issues affect the functionality of the mug, but for such an expensive mug we’re a bit disappointed.

Still, the mug itself is well made and solid, insulates very well, and is 0.5 oz lighter than toaks double wall mug.

not a bad mug by any means. if you’re counting every ounce, then the weight alone might tip the scales toward this one for you. we just didn’t think it lived up to all the hype.

titanium toaks glass 450ml

Even though the TOAKS Titanium 450ml Cup didn’t win any of our awards, it’s a solid single-wall mug and a great value option.

It’s well designed and the uncoated titanium looks super classy. We also like that the toaks include measurement lines on the side of the cup.

however, at the end of the day, we preferred the snow peak ti-single 450 cup to this one because it performed a bit better in our heat tests and is a bit lighter.

Is that slight difference enough to justify the higher price? that’s up to you.

We really liked this mug and would love to add it to our lightweight backpacking kit.

mug x from the sea to the summit

The Sea to Summit X-Mug was the most packable mug we tested and nearly the lightest.

Weighs 2.7 oz and folds into a flat disk. if packing space is your biggest concern, then it might be the right option for you.

Saving space is nice, but since we usually hook our mugs to the outside of our packs, nestle them in our other backpacking cookware, or fill them with dry goods (like an instant coffee zip lock), they don’t take up too much extra space anyway.

cup x is made of silicone which doesn’t insulate very well. the mug kept water hot for only 27 minutes without a lid. it was also uncomfortable for us to hold and drink when it was filled with hot water.

If you are looking for a simple and collapsible cup/bowl, this is the solution. like a dedicated coffee mug, we found that it was missing. with the other great options out there, we don’t see much room in our packages for this one.

summary

Here are the best mugs for backpacking:

toaks titanium double wall cup 450ml
gsi outdoor infinity backpacking mug
snow peak ti-double 450 mug
snow peak ti-single 450 mug
titanium toaks glass 450ml
cup x from the sea to the summit

how to choose the best backpacking mug for your needs

types of mugs for backpackers

Single Wall: These backpacking mugs are about as simple and versatile as you can get. however, they sacrifice a lot in performance. the single layer of insulation doesn’t do much to maintain the temperature of your drink. still, they are the best option for backpackers who prioritize weight savings and versatility above all else, since they can double as cooking pots.

Double Walled: With two layers of material as insulation, these mugs do one thing, and they do it well: insulate. they typically weigh twice as much and cost twice as much as single-wall mugs. placing them on or near a heat source will damage them, so bring other types of cookware as well. the few extra ounces are well worth it for backpackers who often camp in cold weather or are just serious about their morning coffee.

Collapsible: Usually made of silicone, these cups compress into a disc that easily slides anywhere in your backpack. weight and space savings is the real benefit of these mugs. they don’t do much for insulation and don’t compare to a real mug when it comes to usability.

subject

titanium is durable and extremely lightweight, making it perfect for backpackers who count every ounce. however, it comes with a premium price tag.

stainless steel is probably the most common material for backpacking mugs and cookware, especially for backpackers on a budget. stainless steel can last for decades if properly cared for, but can weigh twice (or more!) compared to the equivalent titanium product.

aluminum is lightweight and highly affordable. however, it is not very durable and is not very good at insulating. it also has high thermal conductivity, making it difficult to handle aluminum cups and glasses with hot liquids.

plastic is cheap and light and can insulate well. not as durable as metal cups but for the price you get. For budget-conscious backpackers, high-quality plastic cups can be a great buy.

silicone is relatively new to the game. it’s lightweight, flexible, and inexpensive, which may make it a good choice for some, though it’s not as durable or versatile as metal. It doesn’t insulate well either. Many collapsible backpacking cups are made from food-grade silicone.

is it worth the price of titanium?

Titanium is a popular material for mugs and cookware. it’s lightweight and incredibly strong, but it’ll cost you a lot.

We know a lot of backpackers who have gotten along just fine for years without titanium, so is it really worth the price?

We are big fans of investing in equipment that is durable and lasts for decades. for mugs, that means stainless steel or titanium.

with steel, you pay for that durability by weight. with titanium, you pay cash. but the weight savings are substantial: titanium is almost 45% lighter than steel.

For backpackers who put a lot of miles into their gear, we think Titanium is a worthwhile investment. It’s certainly not a necessity, but 30 miles past the trailhead you’ll probably be thinking a lot more about those extra few ounces on your back than how much money you saved.

how we tested

heat retention test

We used a food thermometer to measure the time it took for the water in each cup to cool from boiling (204°f to 4000′) to 120°f.

note: toaks and snow peak sell lids separately for their cups. we didn’t have those manufacturers’ specific caps, but we used a cap that fit well, so these tests are an approximation. Since the sea to summit x mug does not have a compatible lid, we omitted it from the “with lid” test.

heat conduction test

In this test, we wanted to know how much heat you could feel through the walls of the mug. we filled each cup with boiling water, held it for 30 seconds (if we could!), and ranked them from 1 (almost no heat) to 10 (too hot to hold).

field tests

We brought these mugs from camping in the desert southwest and backpacking in the wasatch mountains of utah to test them in various conditions and with our backpacking coffee makers. we also used them as much as we could in our daily lives over the course of four weeks.