UKH

After a series of really disappointing flasks and food jars I'm looking for something to last.

I've been looking at the Stanley flasks and food jars and really like the look and the guarantee. Will be using mainly for soup and was wondering if flasks are generally better at keeping stuff hot? Some of the reviews of the jars have suggested food doesn't stay hot for long while the flasks seem to be very popular but wondering what people think?

I use a thermos food jar working outdoors over winter and find it keeps food perfectly hot (prep around 6:30AM and eat around 1PM). Preheating the thermos and getting the food hot enough (85 deg+) makes a big difference.

Expensive, but hydroflasks are insanely good at insulating (I often add some cold water in so my coffee is drinkable before the day is out), bomber, and a lot less bulky than Stanley/Thermos etc. Plus with the bonus you don't look like an old granny out for a picnic.

In general a bigger lid, means more heat loss. That part is generally not vacuum isolated. But if you want to eat out of it, a bigger lid is pretty handy. 

(not that if you have a flask with a push button; you can generally unscrew the bits to clean them, but you will also see that the push button caps are not insulated at all.) 

I don't see a huge difference between different price points/brands in terms of retained heat. I do see differences in outside materials, thickness, etc. 

Thanks All - I hadn't realised that the lids weren't insulated so yes, it seems quite obvious that the food flasks aren't going to be as effective for keeping food warm. 

I think I like the granny at picnic look  

Really?

I've owned three hydroflask bottles of which all ended up failing. Even with pre-heating, fluids were luke warm after only a few hours. They look nice but I have found them to be hugely disappointing.

Just wondering if it's only me having this experience?!