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Looking to drink more water but don't want a reusable bottle weighing you down? Try one of the best lightweight water bottles. To find one that is truly lightweight and not just marketed as such, you'll want a water bottle clocking in under half a pound unfilled.
When shopping, keep your lifestyle in mind. Many of my picks have convenient handles to keep your lightweight bottle with you on the go, but you’ll also find a collapsible bottle specially designed for travel, a squirt bottle for workouts and bike rides, and a bottle with a built-in straw, if you prefer to sip.
Your lifestyle may also help you decide on a water bottle material since some may match your drinking habits better than others. Stainless steel — particularly vacuum-insulated stainless steel — is a durable material that's great at regulating beverage temperature, although it will be a heftier option, with some quality bottles weighing in slightly over half a pound. While glass is considered the safest by some, it’s also the most fragile option. Plastic is the most lightweight option; however, plastic isn't naturally BPA-free like glass and stainless steel, and many people choose to steer clear of plastics with BPA as this chemical is suspected to affect hormones. For peace of mind, I've made sure all of my plastic picks are BPA-free.
Lastly, while all the bottles below are lightweight, know that their capacity will change their weight when full (i.e. a higher capacity bottle will weigh more when full.)
To make shopping easy, check out the best lightweight water bottles below.
1
A Large-Capacity Plastic Water Bottle With A Cult Following
It’s not every day you see a product on Amazon with a 4.9-star rating after tens of thousands of reviews, but when you do, you know it’s worth considering. This wide-mouth 32-ounce Nalgene weighs less than half a pound when empty. It's made with transparent, BPA-free plastic that's dishwasher safe and impact resistant. It fits in most standard cup holders, and it has a handle for added on-the-go convenience and to keep you from losing your bottle's lid.
This pick is available in over 20 colors like olive, clear pink, and pomegranate, and your choice of different sizes ranging from 14 to 32 ounces, just know that sizing up or down will impact the weight. While the wide-mouth design makes this pick easier to clean, if you prefer a narrow mouth, check out this other Nalgene option. Plus, this pick is backed by a 4.7-star rating after over 8,000 reviews.
What fans love: "I've tried a bunch of different water bottles and this is my favorite by far. It's simple, easy to clean, lightweight, and inexpensive. I like to keep at least 3-4 around. I wash them in the top rack of my dishwasher and they hold up very well. Good, all-purpose bottles that come in a bunch of different colors. I also like the fact that I can't taste the bottle in my water. [...] Highly recommend!"
2
This Collapsible Water Bottle That’s Great For Travel
The Platypus Soft Bottle is fully collapsible and perfect for travel. With a 0.5-liter capacity, it weighs less than one-tenth of a pound when empty, and it's made with BPA-, BPS-, and phthalate-free plastic to boot. It's also dishwasher safe and comes in a 1-liter option with eight different color and print options, including a steely gray and a few nature-inspired prints with trees and waves.
What fans love: "I use these all the time for hiking and travel, especially backpacking. I recommend you buy 3 or 4, and bring all of them when you go. They're very lightweight, and you can fit several into your pocket when they're empty."
3
A Lightweight, Stainless Steel Water Bottle With A Built-In Straw
This stainless steel 17-ounce water bottle by Simple Modern has a leakproof lid with a built-in straw. It weighs just over a half a pound (8.5 ounces) when empty which is pretty lightweight for a stainless steel model, and since it's vacuum-insulated, this pick promises to keep cold drinks cold for up to 20 hours and hot drinks hot for up to 10 hours. It also fits most standard cup holders and it comes in over 30 colors and patterns including blush, graphite, and even Carrara marble. There are also different size options available ranging from 12 to 64 ounces, just know the weight when empty will increase as you increase the bottle's capacity.
What fans love: “It is lightweight, colorful, keeps my/our water cool and is easy to open. Don't have anything negative to say.”
4
This Lightweight Glass Water Bottle That’s Super Cute
This beautiful and lightweight 8-ounce glass water bottle by bkr weighs a little over half a pound when empty, and it comes with a silicone cover. This pick also boasts a twist-on cap with a handle, and it's top-rack dishwasher safe. But if you're looking for an all-glass option, the silicone sleeve on this pick shouldn't deter you since silicone is naturally BPA free and doesn't react with food or drink. Plus, this pick comes in more than a dozen colors including a neon coral, a midnight navy, and a peppermint green as well as you choice of three size options including 8, 16, and 32 ounces; just know that if you increase the capacity, the weight will also increase.
What fans love: "It took me forever to find the perfect water bottle. Plastic bottles would always end up smelling gross and tasting weird. I'm extremely picky with the way my water tastes [...] It looks sleek and [professional] which makes it the perfect accessory. I don't find it heavy at all with and without it full of water. Can't wait to buy more colors!"
5
An Editor Favorite: This Half Gallon Jug That’s Surprisingly Lightweight
If you’re serious about meeting daily hydration goals, it can help to have a large vessel on hand so you’re not constantly refilling. Enter: The HydroJug. It can hold 4 pounds of water (i.e. 64 ounces), but when it’s unfilled, it’s shockingly lightweight. It clocks in ever-so-slightly over a half a pound at 8.4 ounces. Made of BPA-free plastic, this stylish water comes in four great colors.
One Bustle commerce editor raved, “This is the first water bottle that has actually helped me stay properly hydrated. Even though it can hold a half gallon of water, the empty bottle is super lightweight, and the flip cap and carry loop are really convenient. It's also really cute, which makes me more likely to actually drink from it!"
What fans love: “I use my HydroJug EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I have gone through many re-usable water bottles, but the HydroJug is the one that has stuck around. The jug + straw (a must have for me) have really helped up my water intake. I recently also purchased a sleeve and I couldn't be happier. I've been using it for a couple of months and haven't had a problem, unlike a lot of other bottles I have tried that leak after a few uses. This has become a hot commodity in my household, so much so that my boyfriend has a tendency to steal it when I'm not looking. [...]”
6
A Lightweight, Insulated Sports Water Bottle
Perfect for when you need your water bottle to keep up with an active lifestyle, this U.S.-made insulated water bottle by Polar Bottle is made with 100% BPA-free plastic, and it weighs just 4.5-ounces in the 20-ounce capacity featured here. This pick boasts triple-walled insulation with foil layers, and its wide-mouth design makes it a cinch to refill and clean. It also has a carrying strap for maximum convenience, and the squirt top lid is great for hydrating on the go. This water bottle is dishwasher- and freezer-safe. It also comes in different prints and even in some multipacks.
What fans love: "In 30 years of riding, best water bottles I have ever owned. Lightweight but keeps my water cool.”
7
A Lightweight Plastic Water Bottle With A Brita Filter
Made with BPA-free plastic and featuring the brand’s well-known filters, this Brita water filter bottle delivers some seriously fresh hydration in a sleek package. The filter is designed to remove chlorine so you don’t get that taste or smell, and it’s good for about two months before you’ll need to invest in some replacement filters. The bottle also comes with a convenient carrying handle, a built-in straw, and a top-shelf dishwasher-safe design — plus it weighs just a half a pound.
What fans love: “I absolutely love this water bottle. It’s a little bit of an investment to buy the bottle and the 5 pack of filters, but it’s absolutely worth every penny. If you think about it, this bottle will pay for itself many times over. I haven’t ran into issues with the durability or anything like that. [...]Water is very easy to drink and it tastes clean. If you’re thinking about buying one, I would go ahead and do so. Great quality investment, and it also makes drinking water so much easier surprisingly!”
8
A Lighweight Fruit Infuser Water Bottle
This BPA-free plastic water bottle comes with tons of features that make it great, including a wide mouth for quick cleaning and ice access, a carrying handle, and a cover that snaps open with a click of a button to reveal a straw — but it’s the fruit-straining feature that earned it a spot on this list. You can use it to make any fruit-infused creation you desire, and at the end of the day, the strainer can be popped out for cleaning. The exterior of the bottle is frosted for a sweatproof finish, and while the exact weight of the bottle isn’t specified, multiple reviewers raved about how lightweight it is, with one noting: “This water cup is very light. It's very convenient to carry.”
What fans love: “I love it it won’t spill its leak proof and no condensation or nothing the lid stay locked I won’t ever have to worry about it opening up in my bag.”
9
An Affordable, Compact Stainless Steel Water Bottle
The Tahoe Trails double-walled, vacuum insulated stainless steel water bottle offers a lot for its affordable price point. Its compact, 12-ounce size is easy to take anywhere, from work and school to down the camp trail. And while the tumbler weighs just over a half a pound, it comes with three layers of protection to keep your drinks chilled for up to 24 hours (and hot for up to 6 hours).
What fans love: “Keeps cold, does the job, strong, doesn’t leak. Perfect small size to take to the library or shopping center, when I don’t want to carry a large bottle.”
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