Advnture Verdict
Whether you’re looking for a belly-warming hot brew or a refreshing cold drink to quench a hard-earned hot thirst, the GSI Outdoors Microlite 350 Flip will do the business. An excellent flask for taking out on trail adventures of all kinds.
Pros
- +
Drink straight from the flask
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Light, slender design
Cons
- -
Separate mug required if drink is too hot to swallow straight from the flask
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First impressions
The slim, stylish GSI Outdoors Microlite 350 Flip applies the spout technology of a water bottle to the science of keeping drinks kettle hot or ice-cube cold. The flip-top lid and pouring spout lets you swig straight from the flask, which is ideal unless your drink is too hot to swallow (seriously, be careful!)
- Keep your drink hot or cold on the trail with our best hiking flasks
- Need to carry cool drinks? Browse the best hiking water bottles
- Need more water on your travels? Check out the best hydration packs
The ultra-thin walls (just 2mm thick) of the flask lend it the slenderness of a supermodel, but it remains capable of swallowing a surprisingly large volume of fluid given its dimensions – GSI reckons it can carry 25% more liquid than traditional vacuum bottles of the same size.
As for its insulation, GSI says the GSI Outdoors Microlite 350 Flip will keep hot drinks hot for eight hours and keep cold drinks chilled for as long as 16 hours. So we put it to the test.
• RRP: £28 (UK) / $25 (US)
• Volume: 350ml /12fl oz
• Other available volumes: 500ml / 17fl oz; 720ml / 24fl oz
• Weight (empty): 200g / 7oz
• Height: 18cm / 7.1in
• Lid-opening style: Flip top
• Colors: White / Black / Fuchsia / Red / Sky Blue
In the field
Despite not having an orthodox screw-in stopper, the GSI Outdoors Microlite 350 Flip flask performed impressively when we put it through our heat retention test; boiling water had cooled to 68°C after four hours.
What’s more, despite our best efforts to shake, tip and force a leak of any type, the lid closure proved drier than the Sahara in summer, swiftly engendering complete confidence in the GSI.
The push-button, flip-top cap allows one-handed access, which is convenient if you have got a map, GPS, camera or walking pole in your other hand. This makes a great flask for taking hot or cold drinks on various outdoor escapades. Alternatively, if you want a better solution to a thermal mug for your commutes, look no further.
