The best flask you’ll ever buy: the Stanley

Would you spend almost R700 on a flask? Brandon de Kock explains why you should.

This is not an advertorial. I repeat, not an advertorial. We just really dig this flask and have tests and specs to prove it. 

The Moment of Revelation

Less-than-hot coffee is what I’ve come to expect from flasks. It’s a fact of life. Then on a hike, I was introduced to the Stanley. As we reached the rocky summit, our host unscrewed a flask and poured us all a coffee. I did note a rather handsome sage-green hammertone finish but was completely distracted by the view below – until I took a sip from my cup. It was piping hot, as in steam-rising-from-the-surface hot. This was a first. Some weeks later I spotted the same Stanley in a friend’s kitchen. Now this is someone I’d pick for my team if ever I (heaven forbid) landed on an episode of Survivor – and she swears by it, adding that it has a lifetime guarantee. Ah, like the Le Creuset of the camp kitchen, I thought. No one I asked would believe (besides those who already owned a Stanley) that it warranted the nearly R700 outlay, so I put it to the test.

The Test for the Doubters

I filled a Stanley, a stainless steel, and a plastic flask with freshly made coffee. Eight hours later, what poured out the Stanley was still so hot it scalded my lips, what came out the stainless steel was cold and that from the plastic variety was at best lukewarm. To be more precise, I boiled kettles of water and filled all three again, this time testing temperature with a digital thermometer. Before sealing the lids the water was 95°C.

On opening them eight hours later, the Stanley contents read 82°C, the stainless steel 28°C and the plastic 37°C. I repeated the test reducing the time to four hours. The results followed a similar pattern: Stanley 90°C, stainless steel 43°C and plastic 55°C. Finally, I tested the Stanley’s 24-hour promise. One day later it delivered 66°C water. With winter upon us and game-viewing season about to begin, I’d say it’s worth investing in.

 
Stanley Classic Vacuum Flask 1 Litre: Usually R700, but at time of writing on special at R599, from campandclimb.co.za

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