Yeti Rambler 36oz Review | My Favourite Bottle Ever
9.5/10
The water bottle that finally stuck. Brilliant insulation, effortless to clean, built like a tank.
Yeti Rambler 36oz Review
When I paid £50 for a water bottle my partner thought I'd lost the plot.
A year and a half later, it's the piece of kit I use more than anything else I own.
The bottles that came before
I've tried a lot of bottles, at least one from most of the major manufacturers in fact, and none of them ever stuck.
The issues varied. Some were hard to clean, others had spots you just couldn't reach. As a certified germophobe it bred a quiet lack of confidence. Subconsciously I wasn't sure it was properly clean, and I just stopped reaching for it. I even had one bottle from a well-respected brand had a persistent chemical smell no matter how many times I cleaned it. I never found anyone else reporting the same thing, so I've no idea what caused it. I just got rid of it.
Some had caps that were annoying to use, or didn't feel comfortable to actually drink from. Small things, but they add up. If a bottle creates friction, you will stop using it.
The Rambler is where it finally clicked.
Build quality
The 36oz Rambler is made from 18/8 stainless steel and you can feel the quality as soon as you pick it up. The finish on the steel, the powder coating, the weight, it just feels premium and solid. Mine has been thrown into bags, into the car, to work, on walks, to bed; basically for 18 months I haven't been anywhere without it. Still, after all that time and use the black powder coat remains almost immaculate. The steel base has picked up some scratches, and the chug cap has had some chunks and grooves taken out of it, but the bottle itself still looks great.
The watch shown in the above pictures is the G-Shock GW-M5610U. As I said in my GW-M5610U review, "The feeling of total confidence in a piece of kit is priceless." - and that's what you get with this bottle, too. You know it won't leak, you know it won't crack. You just throw it in your bag and forget about it.
The carry handle
The chug cap doubles as a carry handle, and it's more useful than it sounds. For a bottle this size, having something to grab makes a real difference. It's comfortable in the hand, and the handle itself feels solid.
Insulation
Cold water straight from the tap stays cold all day. Ice stays for most of the day, and the drink can remain properly cold well into the following day if you leave it. On summer walks where everyone else is drinking lukewarm water from plastic bottles, having ice-cold filtered water in a steel bottle is a game-changer.
I refill mine two or three times a day so I rarely get to push it to its limits, but every time I have, it does not disappoint.
One note: I only have the chug cap, and Yeti don't recommend it for hot drinks. So I can't speak to that side of things. If hot drinks matter to you, pick up the version with the appropriate lid.
Cleaning
This is one of the biggest draws of this bottle to me personally. One wide opening, no nooks or crannies, and it's big enough to get your hand inside. Hot soapy water with a sponge or bottle brush, rinse and leave to dry. That's it. When you're done, it feels clean. That might sound like a low bar, but after bottles that left me second-guessing, it matters more than I expected.
The chug cap is equally straightforward. Clean it, rinse it, done. No hidden geometry to worry about.
The cap has taken some cosmetic damage over time, as you can see. Chunks out of the plastic, some scratching. It's purely aesthetic and hasn't affected function at all, but worth noting.
Everyday carry
The size and weight
Make no mistake, this is a big bottle. The 36oz is 3.75 inches in diameter, so it's not fitting into a cup holder. It does fit into the side pocket of my Fjällräven Räven 28, barely, but if the bag is overly packed, it's not getting in. It sticks out a bit given the size, but it stays secure and is easy to grab on the move.
The size and weight are not a flaw exactly, it's what you're signing up for with a stainless steel 36oz bottle, but it's worth knowing before you buy. If you want something for your ultralight hiking loadout, this isn't it. It's a desk bottle, a bag bottle, a day-out bottle. Used in that context, the size is a feature.
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 36oz (1,065ml) |
| Material | 18/8 stainless steel |
| Insulation | Double-wall vacuum |
| Lid included | Chug Cap |
| Dishwasher safe | Yes, but in the interest of transparency I only ever handwash mine |
| Approx. price | £50 |
Pros
- Insulation is excellent - ice cold all day in warm weather
- Built to last - powder coat holds up extremely well
- Supremely easy to clean, and feels clean when you're done
- Total confidence - no leaks, no failures
- Chug cap is very satisfying and comfortable to drink from
- Cost-per-use after extended daily use is negligible
- Once you have the bottle, you can collect the various lids as you need them, which is a nice bonus
Cons
- Big and heavy, not for light carry
- Doesn't fit in a cup holder, but as a "bag bottle" this isn't an issue for me personally
Verdict
My partner thought £50 for a water bottle was ridiculous. She's probably right in principle. But I've used this thing all day, every single day for a year and a half, and I absolutely love it. Cleans well, stays cold, built like a tank.
I've owned many bottles from most of the big names. None of them stuck until this one.
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