The Nomad Collapsible Hot Tub

When we think of camping, we tend to associate it with escaping the luxuries of the world and adopting the minimalism and simplicity of the outdoors. Camping is about getting away from common comforts and getting reestablished with our roots.

Or it can be about what cool stuff you can take with you.

Enter the Nomad Collapsible Hot Tub. This hot ticket item has made traveling with a portable spa a viable option and not an unrealistic extravagance.

The Nomad Collapsible Hot Tub packs down to weight just 20 pounds, fits inside a convenient duffle bag, and is constructed using a frame and heavy vinyl shell that holds up to 225 gallons of water. If you’re near a water source like a lake or a river, Nomad suggests using an efficient portable water pump to fill the hot tub in as little as 10 minutes. If you don’t have a pump available, you might have to do the more tedious job of filling, dumping, and bailing water manually.

The Nomad comes in two pieces: the vinyl shell and frame (which retails for $550) and the portable water heater coil (retails for $625). The water heater coil powers a stainless steel water heater using propane, natural gas, or regular firewood. You can get both of them in a bundle for $999 , which isn’t exactly in line with outdoorsy minimalism. But if you can take along the 30-pound coil (which doubles as a fire pit) and the hot tub set that collapses down into a 15” X 15” cube, then you’ll have a fully prepared hot tub that is five feet in diameter and two feet high and is capable of fitting you and three of your adult friends.

If you don’t want to shell out $500 + dollars for the vinyl version, you can invest in a far less portable model—a galvanized tub that fits two or three people and starts at $185.

The hot tub is meant either for camping or as a temporary setup in your own back yard. It’s a less expensive option than buying a standalone spa, though it comes with its own challenges. Putting the tub together is meant to be easy (the video embedded above shows it going up in a hyperlapse version that takes about 13 seconds) although I'm sure it’s a bit trickier than it seems in the company’s only video about the tub.

If you do want to order, you’ll have to be patient because the demand is high and will leave you waiting at least 2-4 weeks. But when the Nomad Collapsible Hot Tub arrives, all you’ll need to do is add water and be well on your way to enjoying a nice hot tub soak anywhere your imagination can take you.

How high on your list of camping must-haves is a portable hot tub?