The Laken TA7 Thermos Bottle Classic is a thermos bottle that I am already carrying with me for years and I never made a review about it. Why? Don’t know… Time to set things right. Watch the video or read the review!
- Volume: 750 ml/25 oz
- Pack size: ⌀73 mm x 280 mm/ ⌀2.9” x 11”
- Weight: 398 grams/13.7 ounces
- Price: € 21,80/$27,50/£ 26,99
The Laken TA7 Thermos Bottle Classic that I am reviewing here is the 0.75 litre version. Laken produces a 0.35, 0.5 and a 1 litre version of the same bottle. All bottles are made in the same way and only the length of the bottle differs. In my case the Laken TA7 Classic measures ⌀73 mm x 280 mm/ ⌀2.9” x 11” and has weight 398 grams/13.7 ounces.
100+ years
Like I wrote in my introduction: I have been carrying the Laken TA7 with me for years. I still remember the moment that I bought it: a chilly winter morning in Amsterdam at Carl Denig – with 100+ years the oldest outdoor store in The Netherlands – when I had to do some shooting on a bike that I reviewed for the outdoor magazine that I used to work for. I filled it in the store for free with hot coffee. That was about seven or so years ago. Fun fact: Laken has been manufacturing canteens for over 100+ years.
It was also the time that a lot of other brands became more well-known with Hydro Flask and Klean Kanteen as leading brands. Thanks to those two a lot of other brands jumped on the bandwagon leading to more thermos bottles ever in our outdoor shops and online. Also, the most original thermos bottle brand Stanley – I love the big bulky thermos bottle – got a huge lift from this trend.
Sustainability is key
Most of the ‘new’ brands came to the market because of sustainability reasons: use a steel bottle that can be reused endlessly and get rid of plastic. And: use tap water instead of bottled water. My wife – as you may know – is a water purification engineer and she was very happy with this way of thinking. We all became more aware of a reusable and sustainable way to carry our water and hot beverages. The funny thing is… a lot of people know Stanley, Hydro Flask and Klean Kanteen. Hardly anybody has heard of Laken. Why is that? Marketing budgets!
Laken is one of those smaller brands that just do what they do: manufacture thermos bottles and some other cool stuff. They don’t make huge marketing efforts or I don’t see it… Because this bottle was just in my backpack a lot of times and it just did what I expected it to do, I never thought of making a review about it. I am even a bit ashamed that I did not think about this when I did the video on the Klean Kanteen TK Wide a while ago. A fantastic huge thermos by the way and you will find the review here. Now let’s go back to the Laken TA7 Thermos Bottle Classic.
18/8 food grade stainless steel
The bottle is a double-walled vacuum insulated bottle and like most thermoses it is made of 18/8 food grade stainless steel. Inside the bottle is not treated with a since that is not necessary with stainless steel. The outside of the bottle is powder coated and Laken uses a non-toxic powder coating. The lid is made of a BPA free type of plastic. BPA stands for Bisphenol A. It is used in plastics to make it flexible. Like bottles and food containers and in coatings on the inside of cans. BPA particles can be released – for example- in bottled water and that is a concern because of possible health problems.
The opening of the bottle is 54 mm wide and that is quite large if I compare it to some other thermos bottles that I own. There is a reason for this rather big opening: the Laken’s intended use is not only keeping warm drinks warm, but it is also designed to keep cool drinks cool. And the best way to keep cool drinks cool is adding ice cubes. Well, they fit through the 54 mm opening. Since Laken is from Spain – a relatively warm country within Europe – this is good thinking and design.
8 Hours Isolation
Laken claims for the TA7 that it keeps a drink warm up to 8 hours and cold up to 24 hours. Nice numbers but they don’t mean anything if they don’t tell what warm or cold is in their tests. So, I tested the Laken TA7 Thermos Bottle.
In daily life I never had a cold drink that went in the thermos as warm. Which is logical since I mostly drink my hot tea or coffee in the first four hours. When I use the bottle for hot water to ‘cook’ a noodle at lunch it is mostly the same. No real science here. But I made the extra step and I tested the temperature a few times with a fixed controlled 18 degrees Celsius (64,4 °F) indoors and fixed steady temperature of 5 degrees Celsius (41 °F) inside the fridge.
Test results
Testing inside my house I measured in 12 hours a temperature drop from 96,4 °C (205,5 °F) (starting with boiling water) to 48,3 °C (118,9 °F). Inside the fridge numbers are 96,4 °C (205,5 °F) to 42,8 °C (109 °F). Testing the ‘keep cool’ features was a bit of a challenge since temperatures are not very stable in The Netherlands. I filled the bottle with ice cubes and chilled water. Then I put the TA7 Thermos Bottle inside a pot with water temperature at a constant 60 (140 °F) degrees Celsius. I measured the temperature rise over 8 hours’ time. The result: after 8 hours the 4,5 °C (40,1 °F) chilled water was still at 12,1 °C (53,8 °F).
I checked the temperate drop every hour outside… 
…and inside the fridge.
The ‘keep cool’ test was done with a kettle and 60 °C (140 °F) water. 
I put the bottle with ice cubes and chilled water in it at 4,5 °C (40,1 °F).
Like with most thermos bottles also the Laken TA7 loses most of its temperature at the neck. Around the neck I could feel a slightly warmer temperature than in the middle of the double walled bottle. This of course has to do with the fact that the inner and outer bottle basically meet at the neck. The plastic cap is also a source of heat leakage.
Overall, I think the TA7 is performing well in keeping cold drinks cool and I experience that with 40 °C (104 °F) I am happy with a cup coffee or instant soup when it is cold outside.
Screw thread and cap
The cap itself is a very practical one. It has a large thread and that makes it easy to screw on the bottle. The best however is the large triangle shaped grip. It is very good to get hold onto and open the bottle even after the water has cooled quite a bit. Because of this cooling inside the bottle a ‘vacuum’ is created, and some thermos bottles are very hard to open. Because of this triangle it is also possible to put a stick between it and use it as leverage if your hands are not strong enough. And the triangle is super for bigger carabiners or a rope to secure the bottle to my backpack.
Next to the cap that comes standard with the TA7 – the Classic part in the name – it is possible to buy another cap for the TA7. This Jannu cap has a nozzle that can be opened and closed for easier drinking comfort. However,… the Jannu Cap is not to be used with drinks over 50 °C (122 °F). The Laken TA7 is also available as a Jannu version.
Laken TA7 Thermos Bottle Classic Packability
Since I have been carrying the Laken Classic with me for years I am pretty sure to claim that the bottle – ⌀73 mm x 280 mm/ ⌀2.9” x 11” – will fit in any side pocket on a backpack. I used it on big Ospreys, Lowe Alpines and Fjällräven packs but also on smaller Berghaus and Bergans daypacks and even inside my Lundhags Jomlen laptop bag. Ok, the last one is not ideal, but it was not a problem either. I’ve never experienced any leaking.
Laken and sustainability
With most gear I test I look at the sustainability side of the company. Steel thermos bottles consume a lot of energy in With most gear I test I look at the sustainability side of the company. Steel thermos bottles consume a lot of energy in the making but they last a long time. The thermos bottles that Laken uses come from China. In that respect they are not different from many other companies.
The powder coating and the caps are locally done in Spain. The caps are sold as spare parts too and will set you back € 5,-. What I do like is that they have a Sustainability part on the website so if you want to know more go ahead. Laken is part of the EOCA (European Outdoor Conservation Association). Latest news is that they are expanding their facilities in Spain to increase the list of products of their own manufacture and be more sustainable.
Verdict
There is not a lot I speak badly of regarding the Laken TA7 Thermos Bottle 0.75L Classic. It keeps cool drinks cool and warm drinks warm. Or maybe I should say hot if you are drinking it within the first 4 hours (70 °C +/ 158 °F). The fact that the TA7 is still at 53 °C (127,4 °F) + after 8 hours is good enough for me to enjoy a warm cup of tea after a day’s work or hike.
I love the grip and shape of the triangle cap. It is easy to open the bottle and if your hands are not strong enough use a stick in the triangle gap. The 54 mm opening is easy to use. Not only when filling the bottle but also while pouring hot water in a cup. Be aware that drinking hot water directly from the bottle must be done carefully. Cold water… no holding back! Because of the big opening, cleaning is easy too.
The Laken TA7 Thermos Bottle 0.75L Classic is available in 13 colours and retails for € € 21,80/$27,50/£ 26,99. I think this an honest price for what you get and therefore I rate the Laken TA7 Thermos Bottle 0.75L Classic at 9.3 points out of 10 total.
Information
International: www.laken.es/en
For the Dutch: shop.matterhorn.nl
Link to the review of the Klean Kanteen TK Wide
