As far as I’m concerned, travel mugs are essential gear. After all, they hold coffee.
As the name implies, Planetary Design’s Double Shot French Press ($30; ) is a coffee-maker and mug in one. The double-walled, restaurant-grade stainless steel cylinder holds 14 ounces of liquid, plus it has a secret screw-off container in the bottom that allows you to store one more cup’s worth of grinds. If you’re concerned about making coffee in a mug, don’t be. The press has a double filtration system that keeps grinds out of the cup. The Double Shot has been my steady companion on early morning bike and ski trips, and not only does the rubberized bottom and flip-twist cover stop the mug from spewing hot liquid, the coffee it presses makes me a lot happier to be awake at dawn.
For sleek and simple, try the Sigg Metro Mug ($25; ), a Swiss-made piece of functional art. Constructed from food-grade stainless steel, the Metro Mug holds 8.5 ounces of coffee or tea, keeps your beverage hot for hours, and is 100 percent leak proof—a great advantage for bike commuters.
Or go fully sustainable with Stanley’s Nineteen13 Recycled and Recyclable 16 ounce-mug ($12; ). The leak-proof, double-wall vessel is made from a 100-percent recycled polypropylene (25 percent of which is post-consumer). It fits nicely a bike cage, and even squeezes into the Euro-size cup holders in my old-school Saab.