Nomader Collapsible Water Bottle Review: Is It Good For Travel?

The Nomader Collapsible water bottle has become our go to water bottle for travel. It’s part of my top travel essentials I always bring now.

It’s clear that bringing a water bottle with you when travelling is a must these days. It keeps you well hydrated while touring, it saves you a lot of money, and it’s better for the environment.

While packing a refillable water bottle has its perks, it also has its downsides. I won’t hide the fact that it’s an extra thing to carry that you risk loosing and ads weight to your day pack.

That’s why when I traveled to Europe for 4 months, I chose the Nomader Collapsible water bottle. It’s lightweight and you’re able to fold it up when you aren’t using it. But, what I didn’t realize is that it had a few more benefits that came in handy when travelling.

Continue reading my Nomader collapsible water bottle review to find out what that is!

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

Overview: Nomader Collapsible Water Bottle

The Nomader collapsible water bottle (shop on Amazon.com) is a silicone foldable water bottle. It’s made from food grade material which is durable and sturdy. It has a strap that makes it easy to carry or attached to your bag. 

It has a wide mouth to easily add ice cubes and clean it (but it’s also dishwasher safe). The twist cap allows the Nomader water bottle to be leak proof and keep it more hygienic.

It can hold up to 740 ml but the recommended fill line is for 650 ml. You are able to fill it with hot and cold liquids, as well as put it in the freezer. 

Collapsing The Nomader Water Bottle

Collapsing a water bottle seemed like a very convenient feature to have while travelling. I thought it would be perfect to save some space when we weren’t using it. This could be when you’re flying, or when the bottle is empty during a day trip…etc.

To collapse the bottle, slide the sleeve all the way to the top. Next, from the bottom, squeeze the bottle and roll it up (you will feel some tension). Wrap the strap around the folded bottle to hold it all together. 

Make sure you take off the lid to collapse it to release all the air. 

The bottle goes from being 10.5″ by 2.8″ to 4.8″ by 4.3″ when collapsed.

The Reality of Collasping The Nomader Water Bottle…

The reality is that you’re NEVER going to collapse it!!

It all comes down to the fact that it’s kind of a hassle to collapse. It isn’t the easiest collapsible mechanism I’ve seen. Plus, I find you don’t really end up saving that much space when it’s collapsed. Sure it’s not as tall but it’s still large. I find squishing it and placing it in my bag does the job anyway.

The second reality is that whenever we take it with us, we’re using it all the time. There was never a moment when the water bottle was actually empty to be able to collapse it. Even when we were flying I would always fill it up right after security so I’d rather keep it full sized to know I had the space to fit it in my bag.

Even to store it, it’s more convenient to keep it full sized. It’s an awkward size when it’s collapsed and it doesn’t stand up. Whereas even when the bottle is empty, the Nomader can stand up straight.

But, this doesn’t mean that I don’t love this water bottle. It’s still great for travel being lightweight, flexible, and leak proof. 

How’s The Size of The Nomader Collapsible Water Bottle For Travel?

The Nomader collapsible water bottle holds 650 ml (up to 740 if you fill it to the max). This is a very reasonable size for one person. We actually only brought one for two people when we first bought it. In retrospect, we probably each should have had our own, but we still never really had an issue with the size.

We never ran out of water, and there was usually always somewhere to refill our bottle when we were on the road. Every restaurant we went to we would always ask to refill it, even if it wasn’t empty yet.

If you’re planning on doing some more intense outdoor activities while travelling (like hiking, biking…), each person should have their own bottle! Especially if you’re planning on leaving the cities. In this case, it isn’t enough to share between two people.

Let’s Talk Silicone

The Nomader is made from LFGB certified Silicone. Silicone is what keeps the Nomader lightweight and collapsible but it also has a few drawbacks.

So, how does the Nomader collapsible water bottle fair when it comes to that silicone taste, smell, and feel…

Don’t Worry! The Silicone Taste & Smell Disappears

When we first started using the Nomader water bottle the silicone taste and smell were AWFUL!

Before you first use the Nomader water bottle, fill it up with boiling water, 2 tbsp of lemon juice, and let it sit overnight. They recommend repeating this step as needed to get rid of the plastic/ silicone taste and smell.

We did this several times, but still couldn’t drink out if it without our water tasting like silicone. For the first month, we just cut a slice of lemon and added it to the water. It was an easy (and refreshing) workaround to not taste the silicone. 

Eventually, the taste and smell did disappear and we don’t have to use the lemon slice anymore (unless we wanted to). I imagine if you’re using a flavoured drink you won’t have the silicone taste come through either. The lemon was enough to mask it for us though.

What About The Silicone Feel?

The silicone feel is well… silicone feeling. You get what you expected… a silicone water bottle. Unlike the taste and smell, there’s no getting around the silicone feel.

So, be aware! Dust, hair, and miscellaneous debris will all stick to the outside… and it’s gross (I find it is anyway). It does wash off very easily though so as long as you clean it after every use it will still look as good as new every time you use it.

Cleaning The Nomader Water Bottle

The Nomader Collapsible water bottle is super easy to clean but you may need to get some extra tools to do it easily and properly. All the pieces come off and are dishwasher safe (using the top rack).

If you don’t have access to a dishwasher, you can simply clean it by hand. Watch out though, the bottom is hard to reach. We didn’t realize, but after using the bottle for a while, black dirt started to accumulate on the inside on the bottom.

It eventually came off, we soaked it in lemon water again and used a bottle brush. Since using the bottle brush cleaner, we haven’t had this issue again. If you’re using the Nomader collapsible water bottle for travel, and don’t have access to clean water, you can use bottle cleaning tablets.

Is The Nomader Collapsible Water Bottle Really Leakproof?

Yes, yes and YES!

I’ve never had any issues with my Nomader collapsible water bottle leaking. This is especially important when buying a water bottle for travel. You can;t have it leaking over all your valuables while en route.

The twist cap is a great mechanism to keeping everything dry and the spout clean!

How Is The Nomader For Temperature Retention?

The Nomader advertises that it’s good for hot and cold liquids. But, this is a silicone water bottle, so don’t expect miracles here. Your cold water will become luke warm on a hot day and your hot water will cool down on a cold day.

Our water even froze during a winter hike once! It was kind of nice though to cool down with as we worked up quite a sweat.

You are able to put boiling water in the bottle and you’re able to put it in the freezer. So, if you want your water to stay colder for longer, put it in the freezer the night before. The mouth is also wide enough to add ice cubes. The same thing if you want hotter water, you are able to put boiling water in it.

This actually comes in handy, especially while travelling, but not for why you might think….

The Secret Benefits Of The Nomader Water Bottle For Travel

This was the most unexpected but the best surprise with using the Nomader collapsible water bottle for travel. Even though it doesn’t retain the temperature for very long, as I said, you can freeze it and put boiling water in it.

This is good for two reasons: on the go ice pack and heating pad. 

When travelling (especially for long term travel) this feature can be a life saver (and was for me… many times!). 

Let’s be real, travel can definitely take a toll on you. There are so many times when travelling that I end up sore or with some sort of injury. Whether it’s from sleeping on a bad bed, doing a new activity, or simply moving more than I’m used to.

On my four month trip abroad, I hurt my foot while walking in shoes that I weren’t broken in and I strained my neck somehow (I think my bag was too heavy, but it also could have been the terrible pillow I had to use).

I didn’t pack either an ice pack or a heating pad but now I had both! I was able put the water bottle in the freezer to use as an ice pack for my foot. Then I added boiling water to use it for my neck. I don’t want to downplay this aspect at all, it was honestly a lifesaver for me.

For this reason alone I will always take my Nomader Collapsible water bottle on my vacations! I don’t have to worry about impromptu injuries that may happen along the way.

Lifetime Warranty – Dealing With Customer Service

I love companies that offer life time warranties. Not because I ever want to use it, but it shows that the company trusts their product and backs it 100%.

After constant (daily) use, for the most part, our Nomader water bottle looks pretty good. The sleeve got some scratches, but that’s normal wear and tear and don’t care to much about it. I actually hadn’t noticed the scratches until I wrote this review and really analyzed my bottle. The function of the bottle is still very useable.

We did have one issue where after four months of using it, there was a crack in the lid. We had been using the bottle everyday but it still hadn’t been very long.

We bought our Nomader water bottle on Amazon so contacted support and they sent us a new bottle free of charge!

Nomader Collapsible Water Bottle Review Recap

I LOVE my Nomader collapsible water bottle for travel. It’s convenient, lightweight, and it allows me to always stay hydrated on the go!

I never collapse it because either I’m always using it and already it’s malleable enough that it’s easy enough to pack full size.

It works perfectly as a water bottle, being leak proof and keeping me hydrated all day! But by far the best feature is that it can also be used as an ice pack or heating pad. You never know when you may need either of those when travelling.

Plus It Comes In Fun Colours!

Other Bottles I Love!

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Last update on 2024-05-01 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API