UKH

For many years I had a couple of flasks from Outside Shop .75 litre I think- totally bombproof & kept things hot all day.
over the last couple of years I have been v dissapointed & unable to find anything to match the performance.
I have got some lifeadventures ones which keep things hot but the seals pop off into the drink every few times you remove the lid.
I know this can be avoided by not taking it off completely but this doesnt work with thick soup.
So any reccommendations? Do outside still do the awesome flasks @£30?
Cheers
Woodsy

i use a tatonka hot and cold.never had a problem with it.But i've never tried it with thick soup tho.

In reply to woodsy: I read a review of flasks a few months ago but I can't remember where. The "Thermos" brand regularly comes out top. I bought one this year, it's slightly bulkier size for size with other brands but my drinks were piping hot after several hours in Cogne in January where temperatures were -17 in the valley.

In reply to woodsy: I've had 3 brands over the years found primus best

In reply to GridNorth:

+1 for Thermos

In reply to woodsy: Go Outdoors do a Cracking Stanley Bullet Bottle 500ml bombproof and hot all day comes with 2 cups £18
Or there's a nice wee primus 500/750ml for £20 again
Brilliant flask

In reply to woodsy:
Zojirushi flasks - not easy to come by in the UK, but a bit of international surfing will find you one. Gucci kit.

In reply to Welsh Kate:
cheers all
I think the ones I had of old were made by thermos.
Anyone tries the thermos ultimate flask?
Would like a fairly slim one as well as being super fussy about heat retention & seals staying in place

In reply to woodsy: Thermos Everyday 50 - does the job. Used to have a Vango branded flask and it was [a term for rubbish that rhymes with White]

In reply to woodsy:
I've got a vango litre one, pretty big but liquid is still warm after 24 hours. will sell it if you want it, can't remember the last time i used it.

In reply to woodsy: i have the metal thermos 0.5 & 1 ltr, high quality flasks and not to expensive if i remember rightly

In reply to woodsy: picked up a 0.5l Thermos for cheap from Clas Ohlson a couple of weeks ago. Might be worth checking out if you're near one of their shops

In reply to woodsy: Stanley are good, but heavy

In reply to woodsy:

I've got two flasks that do a great job - one from Tesco and one from Asda.

In reply to woodsy: Just been checking online, because I need one myself. Going for the Thermos Hammertone for £15, better feedback and keeps things hotter for long (according to Thermos) than the Everyday.

In reply to woodsy: I've had numerous stainless steel flasks over the years, from Asda own brand to vango and thermos, all have failed after too short a time, I suspect they are all made in the same factory and it's just luck how long they last. I've gone back to tescos own brand glass flask an no more problems (as long as I don't drop it)

In reply to kevin stephens

Thermos work flasks, I have a1.2l flask and its awesome. Great for cragging and stuff.

Light isn't always right, get something big and heavy.

In reply to woodsy: Thermos have ratings on there flasks, the better ones Thermax keep hot and cold for over 18 hours and the bigger capacity ones ones 24 hours, they are often available in TK Max for £10 to £12, they are no bulkier than any other brand for each given capacity. They are definitely worth getting hold of. Before poopooing this as marketing hype got to the website:

http://www.thermosonline.co.uk/products/The-TherMax-Range/sc/categories/212...

Even when you have drunk 80% they will still retain their heat for 5 hours.

In reply to woodsy:

How much difference does size make? Titter ye not, mrs.

I've got a small flask which is rubbish (even with a Sigg insulator sleeve) and two large ones which are good - one of them is the most hideous Camping Gaz thing but I forgive it everything because it keeps stuff hot for 24 hours. It's also 30 years old.

Does the volume of liquid in comparison to the size of the stopper play a significant part, or is oit worth spending some more money on a decent 500ml flask?

In reply to Nick The Blue Bucket:
Cheers for all the advise
Woodsy

In reply to woodsy:

I have a Primus and have used it in the most extreme conditions. Its a great flask. I have used it everyday to bring in coffee from home and have yet to be let down by it.

In reply to woodsy: Primus and LIfeventure make good flasks, i have primus one, keeps stuff warm for ages

In reply to nniff:


A physicist will no doubt be along to correct me, but I think that when increasing the size of a solid object (again, ooh err), the volume increase is greater relative to the surface area. Could mean that proportionately less soup is in contact with the flask internal surface leading to slower cooling?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Surface-area-length.png

In reply to woodsy: £4 flip top flask from Morrisons - bomber

In reply to woodsy:

I've had a 1 litre lifesystems flask for years, it still works really well, but I was bought a small 750ml one for Christmas which doesn't seem to keep things as warm as long

In reply to woodsy:

Thermos King - stainless steel and almost indestructable

In reply to woodsy:

TK Maxx usually have a variety of small flasks, usually between £4 and £6, and brands including Thermos, Stanley, Coleman, etc. And, on rare occasions, Zojirushi; I bought two at £7 each, IIRC...

In reply to captain paranoia: I'm sure the fancy tops are part of the problem, the are hard to clean and I doubt they insulate as well as the plain type. I also vote for what ever tk maxx have on their shelves.

In reply to woodsy: Nalgene bottle in a lonely XXL buffalo mit

In reply to woodsy:I don't bother with flasks now just take a stove for a fresh cup of tea.Only takes a couple of minutes to brew up.

In reply to woodsy:

Have a look at Lakeland, they've got some flasks without flip-up pourer lids. I do find that the contents of flasks with that sort ofpourer lid does cool down quicker. I'm still using a Boots stainless flask that my wife gve me for a Christmas present more than 15 years ago. It's covered in dings but still haven't found anything else to match its thermal retention.

In reply to woodsy:

I use a stanley wide mouth flask ~0.75l nice simple stopper great for thick soups etc keeps hot stuff hot all day.

You can also fit a pre-heated foil ration packet/wayfarer meal inside with enough water for a decent brew. Which is brilliant for early mornings or lunches etc and makes people envious.

In reply to woodsy:

Don't know how long it keeps things hot for as I eat it within 6-8 hours but I've been pleased with this one so far. Figured if I'm carrying the weight of a thermos I might as well carry proper chunky soup rather than a drink. Not the lightest but sturdy and simple to clean. Spoon is handy extra.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thermos-Stainless-Steel-Hammertone-Flask/dp/B00486U...

In reply to woodsy: Another vote for the Thermos Thermax Ultimate flask here. Had the 0.5 litre version for about two years and can't fault it. The most expensive flask I've ever bought but by far the best. Liquid is still too hot to drink straight away eight hours and more after being put into the pre-heated flask.

In reply to woodsy:

Where have all the good rock shoes gone??!!!!
Everything hopeless at the moment.

In reply to Welsh Kate:

Thats what i thought till i filled with hot water, only to find the outside heating up. Spent most of its 2 yrs in the cupboard not being used Grrrr.
How do stainless steel flasks fail when not abused in any way ?

In reply to monkeys:
No idea how they fail!

The outside of mine gets a bit warmer, but the inside stays hot for a very long time and the contents are still luke warm 24 hours later.

In reply to monkeys:


All stainless steel flasks have a fundamental problem in that the vacuum vessel is constructed from welded stainless steel. Which is a metal. Which conducts heat pretty well.

So, with hot liquid inside the flask, the metal forming the lining of the flask heats up, and, since it's joined to the outside of the flask with a weld around the opening, this heat then merrily conducts down the outer shell of the flask, and thus loses heat to the environment.

If you want a flask that won't do this, choose a flask make from something that's not so conductive; a traditional (pyrex) glass vacuum vessel, which is then surrounded by a protective metal (and often foam) shell that further isolates it from the environment.

In reply to captain paranoia:

Not read all the messages, but I use a Thermos Ultimate stainless steel flask, which I got from Tesco Direct. Not cheap, but will keep water hot enough overnight that you can't stick your finger in it.

In normal use - taking top of a few times to drink it will keep you drink hot all day.

In reply to woodsy: I've got one of these: http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/50208026/ it works exceedingly well and they cost four quid. At that price you can't go wrong. At very low temps, in the minus-teens for instance, occasionally when I try taking the lid off just the metal outer cup comes off but that's about it. I have two, one for coffee and one for tea when I go ice climbing! Bright colours make them easy to find in the snow too.

In reply to captain paranoia:
Ta for the explanation. The exterior of mine became HOT within seconds of filling it up, whereas previously stayed cold/barely warmed all day.
Don't know how or why that thing failed, just being washed, then sitting in the cupboard

In reply to woodsy:

If it's that bombproof, why are you even looking for another one?

In reply to monkeys:

Oh, you're right; hot in a few seconds is certainly not right...

My guess would be that there was a latent fault in the weld (a weakness leading to a pinhole, perhaps), and this failed when you washed it, or whilst it was sitting in the cupboard. It may even have sucked water into the vacuum space, but I think you'd notice that by the sloshing noises...

The explanation was intended genuinely, BTW, even if, re-reading it, it does sound a bit sarcastic. I've experimented with making lightweight insulated cups out of nested drinks cans, with foam in between, and the main heat loss mechanism is exactly as described above, with the heat conducting up the inner, over the joint at the top, and down the side of the outer.

In reply to captain paranoia:
No sarcasm detected, and my thanks was genuine. Had no idea how they failed, so glad of the explanation

In reply to LastBoyScout:

I assume the use of the word "had" means he hasn't got it any more - maybe it wasn't loseproof!

In reply to TobyA: My partner has one of those & for the price its very good. But its not as efficient as my >10year old Thermos but that was probably 4-5 times as expensive (& not such a pretty colour

In reply to Doug: The other weekend I made some tea for a ski trip that for various reason I never took. The flask stayed in my car all day and I drank it late in the evening after I went and skied some local XC tracks. At about 9 pm it was still too hot to drink without waiting for it too cool a little, so that was probably 12 or 13 hours. I was very impressed.

But anyway I normally use mine for ice climbing days so it only has to keep it warm until lunch time which it does fine! I do covet the bright yellow Primus ones though, but as you say - 4 or 5 times the price of my IKEA one.

In reply to woodsy: I have a 0.75 ltr thermos thermax. It keeps things incredibly hot all day, has been pretty robust and not too heavy. Best feature by far is a simple seal, doesn't pop up and break like so many other cheap brands and you can pour without removing seal completely which helps reduce heat loss. Biggest tip with any flask though has to be... pre warm it!

In reply to Bri84:


Good point, well made...

In reply to anaesthetic:
I've had 3 brands over the years found primus best

I would agree, I've used the Primus ones for a while now and consider them the best. I use the 0.75L one for rock climbing. For winter and expeditions I use a 1L Nalgene bottle wrapped in my homemade Karrimat and gaffer tape sleeve. I've used this winter climbing for over 10 years now and have always had warm liquid for most of the day. I so thirsty at the end of the day I don't care what temperature the liquid is.

So - Primus is great and it's lasted ages.
Hope that helps,
Dave
www.climbinggearreviews.com

In reply to Bri84 and Cap'n B - I agree. You MUST pre-warm flasks (at least 3 mins with with boiling water) before you empty and refill with drink choice - pointless otherwise. Having tried various flasks over too many years I have settled on the stainless steel Thermos jobs & these keep drinks warm over a normal day out. Some tips: Fill with blackcurrant juice so its drinkable if/when it gets cold. Don't use those push-top-in-to-pour designs - they are really crap. Thermos disadvantages - some have thimble-sized cups (so take another, your partner can use the small one). Also, fuel-carrying issues to boil the pre-heating water if you are on a backpack (although you can then use that liquid for breakfast drinks/porridge etc.). Mind you I needed an ice-cream rather than a hot dringk at the weekend - it was boiling down here in Yorkshire.

In reply to Removed Userie Boy:


You can always pre-heat the flask, pour the cooled water back into the pan, close the flask, re-heat the water to boiling, and pour it back into the flask... Same goes if using an electric kettle; there's no point pouring the pre-heat water down the drain...

In reply to woodsy: Happy with my Primus flask, comes with two stoppers, I just use the traditional one. I have a neoprene sleeve from a cheap ss flask that it fits in nicely. That helps keep it warmer for longer as well I think.

Its never steaming hot after 6 hours, but it maintains a nice warm drinkable temperature for 6-8 hours. To be honest, not sure there's much point needing anything that lasts longer. That's enough for a hot lunch anyway. If I was out 18 hours I'd be in bother or have a tent and stove with me!

In reply to Removed Userie Boy:

It's not "pointless" otherwise, it just helps somewhat. BTW, I find that hot water from the tap is perfectly hot enough.