The best flasks

When it comes to flasks, most on the market are made in China from stainless steel, and are usually not built to meet high quality or safety standards, and may taint your drink.

Instead, pay a little extra for something like English pewter. Modern pewter goods are durable, safe, and completely lead-free. Pewter is favored for dinnerware and drinkware due to its durability, unique luster, and low cost relative to silver. A lot of pewter goods today come from England, and this beautiful and functional hip flask from Wentworth Pewter is one of them.

The Wentworth Pewter flask is handcrafted in Sheffield, an English city long known for its metalwork. Wentworth Pewter itself is a historic maker of English metal goods, and the smooth curved design is attractive and pocket-friendly, and the beauty of the English tin and pewter alloy is evident at first glance. The flask bears distinctive proof marks on the backside and the captive lid has a hinged retainer, so it's pretty much impossible to lose the cap.

The relatively low price point also makes the Wentworth Pewter flask a pretty solid value given its excellent build quality, great design, and historic English pedigree. You'll likely own it for the rest of your life and may even one day hand it down to your kids.

Pros: Handcrafted in Sheffield of lead-free pewter alloy, excellent build quality and workmanship, a captive lid that won't get lost, solid value for a potential heirloom piece

Cons: The pewter is thicker and heavier than stainless steel flasks

Although pewter is great, it's hard to deny the enduring appeal of stainless steel. This alloy is inexpensive, rugged, corrosion-resistant, and can be cast quite thin, making it durable without being bulky.

The stainless steel flask is cast in Italy, and wrapped around it is a gorgeous leather covering that's handmade by Moore & Giles in the United States.

The six-ounce design doesn't reinvent the wheel, featuring the standard curved shape that makes it easy to carry in a pocket along with a captive screw-top lid and hinged retainer that ensures you won't lose the cap. The leather really sets the flask apart visually while serving a practical function in that it adds some insulation to prevent a cold drink from warming up too quickly.

The Moore & Giles leather-bound flask is fairly expensive, but the craftsmanship and unique appeal make it worth the cost. The leather looks and feels great and the flask will last a lifetime, so if you want steel, this is the one to buy.

Pros: Made of stainless steel cast in Italy, wrapped with a beautiful US-made leather sleeve, an elegant and functional design, and the captive lid has a hinged retainer so it won't get lost

Cons: It's somewhat expensive compared to the Wentworth flask

When you're in the great outdoors, whether hiking, backpacking, hunting, fishing, or camping, you'll need the right equipment. Naturally, this includes a few ounces of your favorite spirit.

Bringing along a big glass bottle is probably not ideal, and a typical flask might not be sufficient, either. In these cases, the Stanley Adventure flask has you covered.

Stanley is a household name in the world of tools and outdoor gear, and the Adventure flask lives up to the brand thanks to its rugged construction and solid build quality. The 18/8 stainless steel is almost totally rust-proof and won't taint the alcohol inside. The sturdy squared design and leak-proof captive screw-top lid let you toss it into your bag without worrying about it cracking or spilling.

Most flasks typically offer between three and six ounces of carrying capacity, but the Stanley Adventure flask is available in five and eight-ounce sizes so you can pack a little extra liquor for your forays into the wild.

You may also get the flask and cup set together, which includes four steel shot "glasses" and a handy container for them.

Pros: Made of rugged and rust-proof stainless steel, the 18/8 steel won't leech or taint your beverage, a captive leak-proof lid, and it's a great value

Cons: The size isn't suitable for typical "hip flask" carry

Almost all flasks today, including our other recommendations, are made of some type of metal, but a good glass flask like this one from Italian maker Bormioli Rocco still offers some unique advantages. Your liquor of choice already comes in glass bottles, but the standard 750mL size is obviously not ideal for tossing into your bag.

You can often buy alcohol in smaller quantities, of course, and many spirits like whiskey are available in 350mL bottles, but they're generally not cost-effective.

The slightly larger opening of the Bormioli Rocco glass flask also allows you to easily make your own infusions: Take some vodka or gin, for example, and drop some berries or candy in to make a sweet flavored drink, or use cinnamon sticks to add a bit of warm spice to your favorite rum or bourbon. The glass flask seals with a captive stopper that's airtight and leak-proof.

The Bormioli Rocco glass flask has a full capacity of 8.5 ounces, and its larger size and glass construction naturally make it less than ideal for pocket carry. For that, you're better off with a standard flask like our other picks.

However, it's perfect for bringing a bit more liquor along in your backpack or "go bag" on longer trips, and the low price makes it easy to grab a couple to share.

Pros: Made in Italy, the generous 8.5-ounce capacity lets you carry more than standard flasks, the wider mouth is handy for adding ingredients to make your own infusions, great value

Cons: The larger size and glass construction are not as well-suited for carry

Jacob Bromwell is a company that has been making high-quality American metal goods since 1819. The brand lives up to this heritage today, still crafting beautiful copper and steel wares here in the US.

The iconic American copper flasks remain among its most popular offerings, hand-made of rugged copper with a full tin lining to prevent any unpleasant tastes leaching into your drink. The copper is welded with lead-free solder as well, so there are no potential health hazards when drinking high-proof spirits from the flask.

The flasks offer a generous nine-ounce capacity, placing them on the larger side while still keeping them suitable for carrying in your back pocket or bag. Jacob Bromwell makes the flasks in a few varieties, but our favorites are the classic Great American flask with a birchwood stopper and the Vermonter, which is the same basic design, but instead uses a machined screw-top lid that's 100 percent leak-proof.

There's no denying that Jacob Bromwell flasks are expensive. But if you want an heirloom piece and are not concerned with price, then these beautiful copper flasks are the best US-made ones you can buy and come with a lifetime guarantee.

Pros: Hand-made in the US of durable and corrosion-resistant copper, backed by a lifetime guarantee, lined with tin and welded with lead-free solder for safe and pleasant drinking, a distinct vintage American aesthetic, generous nine-ounce capacity

Cons: Expensive, the wooden stopper on the Great American flask is not as leak-proof as the machined screw-top of the Vermonter

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