Nice collapsible bottle! Folds nicely.The white strap on top is not really a way to hold the water bottle, but I guess you could use it for that. Just remember you can’t use it constantly as a way to hold the water bottle. It really only has the strength of a rubber band, so it might break if you hold it too much by the strap. The strap is really there to hold it all together when you have it folded up; it’s not really meant to carry the bottle.I bought it to take with me into the hockey or baseball stadium or concerts and things like that where they don’t let you take anything to drink in with you.I took this bottle with me when we went on a trip to Boston. Before I left for my trip I washed it and expected to need to follow the directions to get the odd smell & taste out of it, however I did not have any issues. All I did was wash with soap and water and the leave it open to dry out. No issues. As far as carrying it with me, I had no issues either. Like I said, I did not constantly use the strap/ rubber band to hold it, as I was worried it might break if I used it solely to carry the water bottle. Also, I needed to flip up the spout often to “get the air out” so the sides of the bottle didn’t stay squished in. You do need to tip your head back to drink. I did not find it to leak. However, I did not trust it to just put in my backpack and not spill. I held it the whole time. The other thing is that I felt like I often had to use two hands to drink out of it since the bottle was somewhat “squishy”. Despite what some others have said, I have not had any issues with it falling over when I put it on a table. I would not use this water bottle for every thing, but it definitely is a keeper.My son flies with 5 of these in his backpack & fills them before he gets to the middle of nowhere to dig dinosaur fossils every summer. He recommended them to me before a family trip to a National Park. It's nice that they collapse down so small during transport. A couple have either broken or lost the attached band that keeps them scrunched, but a strong rubber band will do the trick too, but if you don't put the cap on the empty bottle until you've compressed it, then it will pretty much just stay flat without any band to hold it small. I haven't noticed a taste that I recall. I'm a thirsty person and love water, and am fine with these bottles. I'm not sure how little hands would do with these. Might have potential to squeeze too hard and end up wearing their beverage. Probably best to do only water with the little ones.I loved that this came in a two pack. I loved that they fold it up and barely took up any space. I did not like the smell when you first used it even though I cleaned it with baking soda. And I did not like drinking from the bottle you had to squeeze it to get liquid through the straw and turn it upside down. The straw did not suck up the liquid in an upright positionThis water bottle is exactly what I needed. Cruising soon and always keep a water bottle with me on the deck! With limited luggage space- a regular bottle would not have worked this time!This opens up very easy, seems to keep the water sealed tight and folds back up with ease! I didn’t notice any silicone smells- though it does give directions on how handle that. I haven’t drank from it yet- so jury is out on any changes in water taste- so far, I’m pretty happy. Seems like decent quality- so I’ll guess I’ll find out if it holds up soon enough!!I love this bottle. It is absolutely perfect for travel. There was no bad flavor to it and it never leaked. The soft exterior made it much easier to drink from. TIP: opening the spout makes it much easier to get the lid tight and to fold it up. I took it to England for a 3 week trip and it was great. The only negative is that the stretchy loop came off a couple of times because it is hard to get it tight. Luckily, it came off in my bag.This collapses very small and can easily pass through airport security squeezed into its small shape. It is also convenient to tuck into a purse if you don't know whether you'll need water or after you finish the water. I also dropped it without it breaking, and traveled with it in a bag without it spilling, both great features.One negative is that the white elastic strap broke the first day I used it. They sent a spare—plus, if you need the bottle folded up, it's probably tucked into a small space—so it wasn't terribly problematic, but it is always disappointing if something breaks the first day you have it. The other reason it doesn't earn 5 stars is because there isn't a place where it is convenient or easy to attach a carabiner or clip so that it can be attached to the outside of a bag or backpack.I'd buy one again, as long as the quality lasts.These worked awesome on our trip to France. We bought large bottles of water and kept them in the fridge until we needed to fill these up again. They are nicely compressed when not in use, making them easy to pack. They will surprise you with how my they hold. They can develop condensation on the outside, but that’s common for standard water bottles.These were great to take to Disney and use as a refillable water bottle. The only complaint I have is they tasted a little like plastic. Not sure if there was something I could do to make that go away. Otherwise, great purchase.Fantastic product! I gifted this to my folks who travel twice a year and they love it. They use it for their daily walks too because it scrunches up as you drink it making it easy to carry and handle and fits in your pocket when empty! Got one for myself at work and the car!I was really hopefully for this as it looks nicer than most collapsible bottles but it started to leak the second time I used it. Also it doesn’t stand up on a table very well if it’s not completely full.Took this on a recent work trip so I could fill up in the airports. Didn’t leak at all, no issue with the smell - I did follow the instructions and brewed some green tea in the bottle before using it. Glad I purchased this. Really handy. Cute colour.Wanted it to be good but it leaks and smells.These bottles had an odor that transferred to the water. I am not happy with this purchase and would like a refund.