Porter Insulated Bottle Review: Best Reusable Water Bottle?

Since the summers get pretty hot here in New York I like to keep my drinks in insulated containers to keep them cold for as long as possible. I love laying out in the sun and I’ll often stay out for hours by the pool or at the beach, so drinks get hot very fast if they’re left out in the open.

Unfortunately most insulated bottles tend to be made of stainless steel and I just really don’t like the sensation of stainless steel on my lips. I also feel like it adds a different taste to the water so I was on the hunt for something that keeps drinks cool (or hot) but without the metallic taste.

That’s when I discovered W&P, which makes ceramic-coated insulated tumblers, wine cups and bottles. Since the stainless steel is coated in a layer of ceramic, your drinks never have to touch metal.  

The Porter Insulated Bottle comes in 3 sizes – 12 oz, 16 oz and 20 oz. I ordered the 16 oz from Amazon since I wanted something that was a similar size to your typical water bottle. 

In this Porter Insulated Bottle Review I’ll discuss the pros and cons of the water bottle and tell you exactly what I think of it. 

Porter Insulated Bottle Colorways

The Porter Insulated Bottle comes in several colors:

• Cream Terrazzo
• Charcoal
• Cream
• Blush
• Charcoal Terrazzo
• Blush Terrazzo

Since I’m all about the neutral aesthetic – light, bright, neutral colors – I opted for the cream, which has a sort of pale blue/white band around the top. I wasn’t sure whether I’d like it in person but I actually really love the off-white color. It’s not too yellow looking and it’s nice and bright.

Porter Insulated Bottle Features 

Here’s a quick overview of the features:

• Edge-to-edge ceramic coating 
• Double-walled, vacuum insulated stainless steel core
• Keeps drinks hot for 12 hours and cold for 24 hours
• Leak proof lid
• Non-slip silicone grip and soft-touch lid
• Wide-mouth, smooth, threadless ceramic lip
• Fits into standard car cup holders for commuting

The Porter Insulated Bottle is BPA-free and made out of ceramic-coated stainless steel. The exterior of the bottle is housed in a non-slip silicone sleeve, which makes it super easy to grip. It’s also dishwasher safe, although I’ve personally only ever hand washed it as I don’t trust putting things in the dishwasher. 

Pros and Cons of the Porter Insulated Bottle

Pros

Drinks don’t taste like metal – Since the stainless steel is completely coated in ceramic my lips don’t touch metal at all. My drinks don’t taste like metal either. 

Keeps my drinks cold – I don’t use this for hot beverages but I do use it for cold water and alcoholic beverages. It keeps everything nice and cold, even when it’s been sitting out in the sun for hours.

Looks great – I get so many compliments on my Porter Insulated bottle. It’s sleek, stylish and the light color looks good in the home. 

Wide opening – I love the wide opening because it’s so easy to sip out of. Unlike your typical plastic water bottles, which have narrow openings and are difficult to drink out of. This is so easy to drink out of when I’m in bed or driving.

Doesn’t get dirty – Considering it’s cream I’m really surprised that it doesn’t get that dirty. It does get some dark scuffs on it but since the sleeve is made of silicone you can easily rub them off. Silicone is super easy to keep clean.

Screw cap is leak-proof – Unlike tumblers, which have plastic lids and tend to leak over everything, the Porter Insulated Bottle has a leak proof screw cap. So if I knock it over or it falls on its side in my bag, I know that it’s not going to spill everywhere. 

Easy to grip – This thing is SO easy to grip since the entire exterior is made of silicone. It’s the perfect width for my hand to hold too. 

Good for the environment – Instead of buying water and throwing tons of plastic water bottles, the Porter Insulated Bottle is reusable. I can easily fill it up with filtered water and use it again and again. Not only does it save money, it’s also good for the environment. 

Cons

Ceramic can chip – While the ceramic on the interior is still holding up, I’ve noticed some chips in the ceramic on the exterior. The grey/white looking band at the top of the bottle is exposed ceramic and not covered with silicone. This part has been knocked around a bit and shows some chips. I worry that if I were to put ice inside the bottle or scrub it a little too hard, that the ceramic coating inside would chip. 

Mold – I left some water in the bottle for a while and didn’t rinse it out. The bottle had black mold inside when I opened it, so I’d recommend rinsing it out thoroughly with soap and water quite often. I would also recommend thoroughly cleaning the lid as mold can get into the grooves and the rubber piece that’s inside the lid. Investing in a bottle brush would definitely help with cleaning.  

Ceramic isn’t odorless – I can’t really describe the smell but the ceramic does have a slight odor to it, especially when you first open the product. It’s not a bad odor (more of a chemical smell) but it’s definitely not odorless. It doesn’t really bother me but it is noticeable sometimes. 

Not cheap – At $40 it’s not a cheap bottle so the price might deter some people.

Which Size Bottle Should I Buy?

The dimensions of each bottle are as follows: 

• 12 oz Dimensions: 2.9 x 2.9 x 6.1 in
• 16 oz Dimensions: 2.9 x 2.9 x 7.3 in
• 20 oz Dimensions: 2.9 x 2.9 x 9.1 in

w&p says that the 12 oz fits under most coffee machines and in laptop bags, so if you want just enough for one cup of coffee, you may want to go with that size. 

Personally I opted for the 16oz, as I wanted something similar to a standard size water bottle. I didn’t want it to be so small that I’d run out of water in a couple of gulps, but I also didn’t want it so big that it’s not portable. 

The 20oz is the largest one and would be most suitable for road trips or hikes. If you’re like me and just want something for the beach or to carry around, go with the 16 oz. 

A Final Word…

I hope you found this Porter Insulated Bottle review useful! I’ve been using this bottle for several months now and continue to use it daily. I love how it looks in my apartment (no dark, dreary colors) and people always compliment me on it! Best of all, I love that it doesn’t taste like metal and my water actually tastes good. I usually fill it with water from my LARQ pitcher and then keep it next to my bed or at the table when I’m working. 

I’d definitely recommend this water bottle although I’d suggest hand washing it and rinsing it regularly to make sure it doesn’t get any mold in it. The W&P Porter Insulated Bottle can be purchased from Amazon and costs $40.