I love travel and EDC gear that’s designed to take up as little room as possible. The Elio water bottle is a great example of that: it can hold 25.4 fl oz (about 750 ml) when expanded, and compress down to the size of a hockey puck for easy packing or carrying on the go.
There are loads of foldable bottles on the market, but what sets this one apart is its ingenious design, which features a silicone-coated aluminum frame shell that surrounds a platinum silicone body like a web.
This allows the bottle to be twisted and compressed into a disc that’s just a bit larger than the cap. The 360-degree twisting mechanism is said to be engineered to withstand thousands of twists without the bottle losing shape.
Lumio
The rounded triangular bottle has flat sides, so it can lay horizontally on a desk without rolling off. The team behind it says its base is small enough to fit in most cup holders, while the large mouth makes it easy to fill ice.
elio: The water bottle that disappears in your pocket
There’s no plastic in this bottle. Instead, it’s all food grade silicone, which means it won’t trap odors, can go in the dishwasher, and is fully recyclable. And while it isn’t insulated, the Elio bottle is said to keep drinks cold for up to 6 hours.
The Elio has a couple more interesting tricks up its sleeve. You can snap open the cap with one hand, and there’s a flexible carry handle beneath the cap that you can hide away when you don’t need it. And since the silicone body is translucent, you can easily see how much of its contents remain. Lumio, the brand that makes this, also guarantees the bottle is leak-proof, so you should be able to drop it into any bag without worry.
Lumio
As someone who’s always trying to pack lighter and smaller, this is the sort of bottle I’d enjoy discreetly carrying through airport security when it’s empty, and filling up once I’m done checking in. I also like that the included handle can be clipped onto bags when you’re on the move – rather than only being stowed inside your luggage.
Honestly, my only gripe with the Elio is its expected price. At US$60 a pop, it’s pretty expensive. You can snag it for $48 while its Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign is on, though, and choose from a range of colors.
Lumio
All crowdfunding campaigns carry an element of risk that you should bear in mind when choosing to back this one. But for what it’s worth, Lumio previously launched a couple of innovative lamps on Kickstarter that it now sells through its site, and landed a bunch of design awards over the years. It’s also exceeded its funding goal for the Elio bottle with more than 650 backers on board.
However, if all goes to plan, orders are slated to ship worldwide in January 2026, and delivery costs will be calculated in the post-campaign pledge manager based on your location and order quantity.
Find the Elio bottle’s campaign over on Kickstarter.
