Hydro Flask 64 oz Growler

More than just an oversized water bottle, this vessel goes everywhere with me. Keeps soups and hot drinks hot, and keeps cold adult and non-adult beverages cold.

While this bottle/growler is too heavy to take hiking and way too big to fit in my bike's bottle holder, it is still very handy and gets used way more than I initially thought it would. 

I purchased it two years ago thinking it would be nothing more than a durable beer growler and an upgrade from my glass growlers that I was always afraid of breaking in transit. However, I've found this to be much more useful than just a beer growler (although it is still good for that purpose).

Other than as a beer growler, the two most common scenarios I use it in are:

1) Cold Weather, Hot Drink: Because it keeps things hot for a whole day no matter what the outside temperature is, I can fill it in the morning with hot chocolate, coffee, or soup, leave it in the car at the trailhead during a day-hike or a day of mid-winter hunting, return to the car and have a nice hot drink or soup waiting for me and my wife or hunting buddies. 

2) Hot Weather, Cold Drink: When going on a mid-summer bike ride or day-hike in the heat and humidity, it's nice to load this up with ice and water or sweet tea (my favorite), and leave it in the car. When I return to the car, I always have a half gallon of ice-cold liquid waiting for me.

As well, when camping in areas that don't mind adult beverages, this is a great way to go. While I've never taken a half gallon of beer into the backcountry (the more power to those of you who have), I have taken this on a number of car-camping trips as a growler. It keeps the beer cold and carbonated for at least the first day (I haven't tried it longer than one day) and holds enough to share with friends. 

As a Fuel/Time Saver: I've only done this twice now, but both times it was pretty handy. When car-camping, while doing evening dishes, I put the extra hot water I didn't need for dishes (clean, boiled water) into the bottle, sealed it up, went to bed and woke up in the morning to the joy of having hot water waiting to be turned into oatmeal, coffee, tea, etc. Now that is luxury camping! 

Construction/Durability: With a lifetime or 100 year warranty (whichever comes first), Hydro Flask is betting on their product being well-made and durable and so far, I've found this to be absolutely true. With 18/8, food-grade stainless steel, it's easy to clean, doesn't attract funky odors or tastes, doesn't easily dent, and even though the lid is BPA-free plastic, it is tough and can take a drop on the ground (Note: Hydro Flask will replace the lid if it does break or leak, although I've dropped mine a few times and the lid is perfectly fine).

Wide-Mouth Benefits: I didn't realize it when making the purchase, but having a wide-mouth container of this size is especially nice. It makes it much easier to use as a soup container (long handled spoon works great), and is much easier to clean than my traditional glass growler. 

Carry it Like a Baby: The holder of such nice liquid container is forced to carry it as if it were a small child. I have been searching online for Hydro Flask to release some sort of carrying case/handle for this beast, but so far nothing. This winter, I plan on trying my hand at creating some sort of handle for it. Not sure what that will look like yet.

Recommendation: While it seemed sort of ridiculous to me to spend $50 for a beer growler, I quickly realized that this has so many more uses and has been very handy on a number of occasions. I'd recommend this product for it's usefulness and durability.

Lastly, it should be noted that I do not use this as a substitute for my regular thermos (SIGG Steelworks Thermal .75L) that I can easily stash in a pack pocket on day-trips. Instead I use this in addition to the smaller, more everyday thermos. 

This is a hyped-up thermos. However, I use it when on the road, as glass growlers just don't cut it. One can still put it in the cooler, or not. I've had beverages stay cold over 24 hours and hot soup for about 18 hours.

Like the review, it is good when you can purchase for less than $50. Will last a long time. Dropping will dent and eventually kill it. Needs a carrying handle/case.