Whether you are going camping, caravanning, taking a hike through the countryside, or merely going on vacation, having water with you to drink can make the journey more enjoyable, as well as ensuring you stay properly hydrated while you travel.
The problem is that normal bottles can be bulky and take up too much room in your bag or rucksack, but there is a solution; a collapsible water bottle.
Now if you have never heard of these or unsure which one to buy, our reviews of the five best collapsible water bottles for traveling will reveal all.
We’ll not only explain what they are and why they are so useful when traveling but we also highlight the various features that each of these collapsible water bottles has.
Once you have read it through, we are sure you will be able to make a more informed choice and thus ensure you never go thirsty due to lack of space for your water bottle again.
In this article, we’re going to review the following water bottles for traveling:
- Nomader 22 oz Collapsible Water Bottle
- Baiji Bottle Collapsible Silicone Water Canteens
- Manlycamp Achelous Silicone Collapsible Water Bottler
- Platypus SoftBottle Collapsible Water Bottle
- Survivor Filter 33 oz Collapsible Water Canteens
Best Collapsible Water Bottle For Traveling: Reviews
Best For Leak Proofing: Nomader 22 oz Collapsible Water Bottle
At first glance, as a result of its appearance when full of water, many people assume that this is just a normal water bottle. However, they would be wrong. It may look standard, but this water bottle from Nomander has a lot more to it than meets the eye.
Let’s start with its primary feature and that is the fact it is a collapsible water bottle. This allows you to roll it up so that you can pack it away using up the minimum amount of space in your bag.
Once you have rolled it up, you can use the strap on the side to keep it in place by wrapping it around and clicking it into place.
Regardless of how many times you roll it up or use it to drink from, this bottle should have a long lifetime, thanks to the durable silicone material it has been made from. Even if you drop it, it will remain intact.
To ensure your health the materials used to make the bottle are completely BPA-free, so you need not concern yourself with harmful chemicals such as phthalates contaminating your drinking water.
One problem many drinking bottles have, is they have a tendency to leak. This would be bad enough in any circumstance but is even worse if your water bottle leaks on the likes of clothes, firelighters or paperwork.
None of these scenarios should occur with this Nomader collapsible water bottle, thanks to its excellent screw cap and lid design, which ensure the bottle is sealed airtight.
The bottle can be used for hot or cold drinks, can be purchased in a range of colors, and it also has a very useful carrying strap to keep it handy when it contains water.
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Best For Value: Baiji Bottle Collapsible Silicone Water Canteens
If the question gets asked, ‘What’s twice as good as a collapsible water bottle,’ the answer has surely got to be ‘Two collapsible water bottles.’ That is exactly what you get when you buy these ‘Baiji Bottle’ collapsible water bottles.
You get a blue bottle and a pink bottle, which makes it easy to identify whose bottle is which if there are two of you traveling.
Both of the bottles have a capacity of 20 oz. and they can be placed in the freezer so that your water is ice cold when you start out. They have a very useful clip that can be used to attach the bottles to your belt or the back of rucksack while you are traveling.
The main lid can be screwed off so that you can fill the bottle with water, and when you wish to drink from it, simply lift the small cap that covers the drinking spout.
Whenever you wish to pack one or both bottles in a bag or similar for traveling, they can be rolled up in much the same way you would roll up a sleeping bag.
Simply hold the rolled bottle in place with the little plastic tag and you’re good to go, with your bottle or bottles taking up a fraction of the space a rigid bottle would.
The bottles are made from food-grade silicone which ensures that there are no harmful plastics in your water when you are drinking it.
On the subject of harmful plastics, you may be aware of the many campaigns that exist in relation to plastic waste and the oceans.
The ‘Baiji Bottle’ company donates a proportion of the money from every sale of these water bottles to that cause. Specifically, they sponsor ‘Clear Water Aquarium’ to help with its work preserving and protecting sea life such as dolphins and turtles.
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Best For Durability: Manlycamp Achelous Silicone Collapsible Water Bottler
While a collapsible water bottle might be one of the last products that you could envisage having ‘character,’ it must be said that the Manlycamp Achelous Silicone Collapsible Water Bottle comes as close as any.
With a name like ‘Manlycorp’ and descriptors like ‘Real,’ ‘Tough’ and ‘Gear’ it is fair to say this collapsible water bottle has not been designed to appeal to the fainthearted. It screams, or should we say ‘hollers’ durability and that is one of its number one features.
There are many collapsible water bottles that, due to their flimsier materials, will struggle to make it through the summer, However, this one looks set to be here for years to come. That will be due to high-grade silicone material it has been from, which is also BPA-free to ensure it is completely safe to drink from.
The manufacturers say it’s unbreakable, and so confident are they of that claim, they give you a lifetime warranty to replace any bottle which expires before you do.
The top of the bottle sees a large threaded cap that seals the bottle airtight and makes it leak proof. When you open the cap there are no flimsy spouts or flip-caps, but instead, there is a large opening which is 1 3/4 inches wide and allows you to gulp down as much water as quickly as you want from the bottle.
If you want to pack the bottle away, you simply roll it up, as you would a bedroll, and then hold it in place using the strap which is attached to the neck ring. This strap can also be used to carry the bottle, or to clip it to a rucksack when it has water inside.
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Best For Space Saving: Platypus SoftBottle Collapsible Water Bottle
If you are unfamiliar with Australian wildlife, you might not have made the connection between ‘Platypus’ and a water bottle. The platypus is an unusual creature that lives near rivers, so there’s one water connection.
A platypus has fur similar to an otter, its feet are webbed, it has a bill like a duck and it’s also a mammal that lays eggs. It is exceptional in many ways, which is something else it has in common with this collapsible water bottle that bears its name.
When you hold it, you will immediately see that this water bottle is not made from the same type of material many others are. Instead, the ‘bottle’ could more accurately be described as a bladder given the soft material that has been used to construct it.
This material is completely safe for holding drinks as it is food-grade polythene that is 100% free of all harmful chemicals such as BPA and phthalates.
The properties of this material include it being very flexible in a similar way to the material used for metallic party balloons.
This allows the bottle to be folded up to the extent that it would barely take up any more space in your bag than a handkerchief. In fact, it can actually be folded down and placed in a pocket should you wish to carry it that way.
The bottle’s material also means it weighs very little, so much so that its weight is only 1/5 the weight of rigid water bottles. This means if it is packed in a bag, it will barely be noticeable in terms of not just its size, but also its weight.
Drinking from the bottle is very easy with just a simple screw cap needed to be removed in order to drink from it. One point to note is that you must not squeeze it too hard when full as you may spill water.
For this reason, many users prefer using a reusable straw to drink from this collapsible water bottle.
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Editor’s Choice: Survivor Filter 33 oz Collapsible Water Canteens
Our final review takes a look at a collapsible water bottle which, at first glance, looks fairly plain, but that belies its many features and advantages. When we say ‘its’ we should really say ‘their’ because when you buy the Survivor Filter collapsible canteens you receive two instead of one.
This not only doubles the amount of water you can carry but multiplies the value for money by two also.
When you fill one of these water bottles up with water, it will stand upright in the same way a water bottle made from a solid material would. But what solid bottles can’t do is fold up and that is where these bottles have a huge advantage.
Their flexible, lightweight material lets you fold or roll them up when you are traveling and as such, they take up very little space and add a minuscule amount of weight to what you are carrying.
Mentioning carrying brings us to the handle that is on the bottle to make it easier to hold, plus there is also a carabiner clip on the handle. This enables you to clip the bottle onto your rucksack, or belt.
Another impressive feature is the capacity of this collapsible water bottle. It can be filled with up to 33 oz. of water which makes it a higher capacity bottle than even some of the larger drinks bottles.
Although not included, you have the option to purchase a filter of the same brand which you can use to fill the bottles for 100% pure, clean water.
Finally, any thought that being made from a flexible, lightweight material might reduce the durability of this water bottle should be quelled thanks to the manufacturer offering a lifetime warranty with every bottle that is purchased.
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What is a Collapsible Water Bottle?
This is one of those products whose name kind of describes what it does but trying to imagine a ‘bottle’ that collapses might seem somewhat like a contradiction. After all, bottles are supposed to be solid containers for holding liquids, aren’t they?
That is true, but the collapsible aspect of these bottles is for when they are empty, and you need to pack them for traveling.
At this point the materials that a collapsible water bottle is manufactured from allow it to be rolled up like a sleeping bag, or folded down flat, like a handkerchief.
This way they take up very little space, which is especially welcome when the space in your bag or rucksack is at a premium.
At any point in your journey, you can take out your water bottle, fill it with water, and then drink from it in much the same way you would a normal water bottle.
What to Look For When Choosing Your Collapsible Water Bottle
With the whole premise of using a collapsible water bottle being that it can be reduced down in size to make it easier to pack, the first thing to look for is how easy this is to do.
There are basically two ways these water bottles can be collapsed. The first is that they can be rolled up, and the second is they are folded up.
The main difference is that those that can be folded take up much less space than the rolled up ones, so if you want a collapsible water bottle that will take up the least space then that is your best option.
The next thing you might consider is how easy the bottle is to use. This might include whether it can hold hot as well ss cold liquids, and also whether it has an aid to carry it, such as a handle or a small carabiner clip.
You may also want to consider the lid, cap or drinking spout to assess how well they can prevent leaks, and how easy the bottle is to drink from.
As with any purchase, you will want to get the value for money that you can, and while a collapsible water bottle is not going to be the most expensive item you will ever buy, there can be a reasonable difference between the options.
Some even come with two bottles instead of one, so if you have a travel partner, or simply want to double up, they are your best choice.
Pros and Cons of Collapsible Water Bottles For Traveling
There are very few products that exist whereby there are absolutely no downsides to using them. They all have their pros and their cons, and so we will now highlight some of the advantages and disadvantages of collapsible water bottles.
Advantages of Collapsible Water Bottles For Traveling
Disadvantages of Collapsible Water Bottles For Traveling
Collapsible Water Bottles vs. Rigid Water Bottles
There will be many scenarios when collapsible water bottles make more sense to use, and equally so, that will apply to rigid water bottles too. So, let’s take a look at some of those scenarios and highlight which is the most applicable for each.
While rigid water bottles may not offer the space and weight advantages of collapsible ones, there are still some advantages to using them in several scenarios.
The first is that generally rigid water bottles are regarded as easier to drink from. The fact they are solid mean there is less chance of you squeezing them too hard and spilling liquid. Also, your mouth is used to drinking from solid objects such as cups.
If you happen to be drinking from your bottle near sensitive equipment, such as your laptop, then a solid water bottle may be the safer option due to reduced chances of spillage.
You will find that a rigid water bottle can insulate the liquid inside better than a collapsible one. If you fill it with ice-cold water, then the water in a rigid bottle is going to stay colder for longer than a collapsible one.
On the subject of temperature, you will more likely find that a rigid water bottle is capable of holding hot liquids, like coffee, more readily than a collapsible one.
You should consider using collapsible water bottles when traveling by air as it reduces luggage weight. This is especially true for carry-on luggage where weight limits are less than checked luggage.
Even when your mode of transport means there is no limit on the weight you can carry, any weight you can eliminate will be helpful to you.
Regardless of how you are traveling, when the space in your bags you are traveling with at a premium being able to roll up or fold up your collapsible water bottle could be the difference between being able to take it and not, as may be the case with rigid water bottles.
When your travel party contains several people, and they all wish to have their own water bottle if they each have a collapsible one, the difference in the weight being carried and the space needed can be huge.
Compare 6 folded down water bottles with 6 rigid canteens and you’ll see what we mean.
Our Final Thoughts on the Best Collapsible Water Bottle For Traveling
There is no denying the collapsible water bottles we have looked at were a very diverse range of products, all striving to achieve the same objective.
The question for us is which one did so, but also had more to offer as well. The answer to that, and in our opinion the best collapsible water bottle for traveling is, the Survivor Filter 33 oz Collapsible Water Canteens.
First, you get two bottles, so value for money is achieved immediately, and in terms of being collapsible, this bottle can be folded down to the extent that it barely takes up any space at all.
It’s also a bottle that weighs very little, has a carabiner to help carry it, it’s made from safe materials, and has a huge 33 oz. capacity.
It has ticked all the boxes we would want to see ticked when considering the features of a collapsible water bottle, plus it comes with a lifetime warranty to put the final seal of approval on it.
