Do Hydro Flasks Dent Easily? How Can You Stop Them Denting?

Hydro Flask bottles are great for keeping drinks cold and hot and the stainless steel is much more durable than glass or ceramic, but do Hydro Flasks dent easily and if so why?

When you're spending this much on a bottle you want it to last as long as possible and you want it to look as pristine for as long as possible too. Ideally that means no dents or scratches but accidents obviously happen and when they do it's good to know whether or not you're likely to get a dent.

Do Hydro Flasks Dent Easily?

Yes, Hydro Flasks do dent easily when dropped or when force is applied on them. Regular usage will cause multiple dents in the bottom of your bottle and if you drop it or sit on it major dents can occur.

I wish I had better news for you and I could say that Hydro Flask bottles don't dent, but unfortunately that just isn't the case.

I personally own 2 Hydro Flasks, an 18 oz standard mouth as well as a 12 oz kids bottle and within just 1-2 months my more regularly used 18 oz bottle had both dents and scratches on it.

My worst dent on my 18 oz Hydro Flask came about when my bottle rolled off my car seat and fell onto the pavement. This wasn't from an extremely high height and it wasn't dropped with any force other than the force of gravity.

However, despite being fairly low to the ground there was still a decent dent caused in the base of my bottle.

Why Do Hydro Flasks Dent So Easily?

Hydro Flask bottles are made from stainless steel. They have an inner and an outer wall and in between these walls is a vacuum.

The vacuum is what does the insulating and why Hydro Flasks can keep your drinks cold and hot for so long.

Hydro Flasks dent easily for 2 main reasons. They mainly dent easily because the stainless steel they use in quite thin, this reduces weight but makes them less strong. The second reason is the vacuum inside the bottle creates an inward pressure on the stainless steel, making it easier to dent.

Does Hydro Flask Warranty Cover Dents?

Hydro Flask bottles come with a limited lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects. Does the Hydro Flask warranty cover dents or not?

The Hydro Flask warranty covers dents in the bottle that occur during shipping. However, it does not cover dents from regular wear and tear or from being dropped or damaged.

If your bottle is shipped to you brand new and when you open the packaging the bottle has been dented in transit then the Hydro Flask warranty will cover this dent and you can send the bottle back for a replacement.

However, if your bottle was fine when you received it and it dented because you dropped it, sat on it, banged it on something or somehow caused the dent yourself then the Hydro Flask warranty will not cover than dent and you'll need to buy a new Hydro Flask bottle if you want one without dents.

You can also use this technique to try and fix the Hydro Flask dent yourself.

Hydro Flask does have a lifetime warranty for its vacuum seal. If you have dented your Hydro Flask and this has somehow caused the vacuum seal to break then this may be covered under warranty. Talk to customer service about your specific situation to see if you are covered.

Will Hydro Flask Replace Dented Bottles?

As mentioned above Hydro Flask have a limited lifetime warranty that covers manufacturer defects, not dents caused by wear and tear.

Hydro Flask will replace a dented bottle if, and only if, the bottle was dented during the shipping process. If you dented the bottom yourself through wear and tear or by dropping or damaging it Hydro Flask will NOT replace it.

If this happens to you then you'll need to get a new Hydro Flask or just live with the one you've got, dents and all.

The same is true for scratches in the paint of your Hydro Flask. So if you end up with paint scratches click here to learn how to fix paint chips on Hydro Flasks.

Do Dented Hydro Flasks Still Work?

You may be worried that if you've dented your Hydro Flask it may no longer work. It might leak or it might just not insulate well and fail to keep drinks hot or cold.

In most cases dented Hydro Flasks still work to keep drinks cold or hot for hours. A small dent is unlikely to compromise the vacuum seal and so the bottle will continue to insulate like an undented bottle.

There are two cases when a dented Hydro Flask may no longer work.

The dent has compromises the vacuum

If the dent is extremely bad it may compromise the vacuum seal in the bottle.

Hydro Flasks work so well because the vacuum between the inner and outer wall of the bottle doesn't let much heat in or out.

If this vacuum is compromised, either by the seal being broken or a dent causing a small hole in the stainless steel, then the vacuum space will fill up with air and will no longer insulate.

You can test if this has happened by filling up your Hydro Flask with boiling water. If the outside of the bottle gets extremely hot then it's likely your vacuum seal is broken. Learn more about what to do if your Hydro Flask stops working.

The inner and outer wall are touching

If the dent has caused the metal of the outer wall to now touch the metal of the inner wall of your Hydro Flask then heat can easily move in and out of the bottle through this point as there is no vacuum separating them.

The rest of the Hydro Flask will still work to insulate your bottle but overall it won't perform as well.

How Can You Stop Your Hydro Flask From Denting?

There are a few different ways you can stop your Hydro Flask from denting. These won't protect it against a giant fall but will protect the bottle from a lot of the small dents that come with wear and tear or minor accidents.

Hydro Flask Boot

Hydro Flask sell silicone boots that go over the base of the bottle and protect it from dents that are caused by impact damage from it being put down or dropped.

The kids bottles come with a boot by default and so much 12 oz kid's bottle isn't dented yet while my 18 oz bottle without a boot is dented.

The boots are also interchangeable so if you have multiple Hydro Flasks that are a similar diameter then the one boot can fit them all.

See the latest price of Hydro Flask boots at Amazon

Hydro Flask Insulated Sling

Hydro Flask, as well as other brands, also sell insulated slings that you can put your Hydro Flask in.

This helps you carry it but also provides a layer of padding and protection which will protect your bottle from most dents.

See the latest price of Hydro Flask slings at Amazon

See other brands of Hydro Flask covers at Amazon

How Can You Fix a Hydro Flask Dent?

I've done a full article on how to fix a dent in a Hydro Flask so read that if you want more details.

But the basic strategy behind fixing a dent on a Hydro Flask is to heat the dented area with a hair dryer then apply dry ice to the area, then repeat the process.

The heat causes the metal to expand and then the quick application of cold causes the molecules in the metal to contract, which can pop the dent back into place.

This method works better with thicker metals so it's not a perfect solution for all Hydro Flask dents, but it's worth a shot.