Wesley Hilliard
The Nomad Sport Slim Band is a lightweight yet durable Apple Watch band that's comfortable and stylish.
Nomad offers a wide variety of Apple Watch bands that are more traditionally designed when compared to Apple's first-party offerings. The Sport Slim Band stands out with a bold, molded design and large pin holes.
Apple sells a sport band made of similar materials, but the design of those bands hasn't changed since their inception. Nomad provides a clean-looking alternative with accents that draw the eye.
Nomad Sport Slim Band Design
The Nomad Sport Slim Band is made from FKM fluoroelastomer rubber, a high-performance rubber similar to Apple's. However, there is a noticeable difference in flexibility, texture, and detail.
Apple's sport band, for example, feels softer to the touch and has almost no accents beyond the closure pin. It is the pinnacle of minimalist band design.
Nomad's band, however, has a more rubbery feel and subtle design accents throughout. It feels more rugged than Apple's band while remaining comfortable.
The outward-facing portion of the band has a slightly concave design with adjustment holes that run the entire band length. The bottom of the band has channels that increase breathability and flexibility.
The Sport Slim Band has less width than other similar bands, including those offered by Nomad and Apple. This keeps the band lightweight and out of the way.
There are five colors available: Sage, Glacier Blue, Bone, Black, and White. We tested Bone and Black, with Bone being similar to Apple's Starlight color option.
Like any Apple Watch band, Nomad's come in two sizes that fit the larger or smaller Apple Watch of any generation. For example, the Apple Watch Series 7 has 45mm or 41mm options.
Using the Nomad Sport Slim Band
I keep my Apple Watch Series 7 on for nearly 24 hours a day, taking it off only to shower and charge. That means I need bands for multiple use cases and outfits.
Nomad's Sport Slim Band has been great for workouts, swimming, and other uses where sweat and grime are a factor. I love that the band is easy to clean with soap and water.
Leather bands aren't always waterproof, and cloth bands dry slowly and tend to cause skin irritation easier. That's why having a rubber Apple Watch band is essential, and Nomad's are among my favorites.
I like that the band isn't bulky with multiple tabs, clasps, and protrusions. Some bands irritate if worn while working out, but the channels in the Sport Slim Band keep air flowing and the skin below from becoming irritated.
Even after multiple swims in the salty ocean water followed by extended exposure to direct sunlight and pool chlorine, neither Bone nor Black bands showed any wear. The color remained uniform, and the elasticity didn't decrease over time.
Should you buy the Nomad Sport Slim Band
If you're in the market for a new Apple Watch band useful for workouts and casual wear, the Nomad Sport Slim Band is a great choice. It is comfortable and durable while having noticeable design choices that stand out.
Nomad offers a standard Sport Band that's bulkier, heavier, and more rugged with similar design choices. However, the slim option will likely be more suitable for many.
Nomad Sport Slim Band Pros
- Durable yet comfortable
- Traditional design with accents that make it stand out from Apple's sport bands
- Breathable channels allowing airflow
Nomad Sport Slim Band Cons
- Color options are limited to muted tones
Rating: 4 out of 5
Where to buy
The Nomad Sport Slim Band can be purchased directly from Nomad for $59.95 in 45mm or 41mm sizes.
Nomad also has a selection of bands available on Amazon.
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4 Comments
Yes it has been years for apple to update there design but it took companies to catch up what over 5 years also? I love the new nomad but I would not put down apples sports bands considering how long mine, they have lasted years and have been comfortable and never needed yet to replace. I will give the new nomad a try because they do peak my interest and I am due for a new band soon. They are a good company.
Everyone comments on how comfortable the Apple Sport Band is and I don’t recall anyone saying that it’s not comfortable. But for me it just feels icky. Moisture gets trapped under the band and I don’t like the way that feels. I’m wearing the Leather Link Band right now and there is a little moisture there but nothing compared to the Sport Band. So far the Leather Link is my favorite of the ones I’ve tried and I wear the Nomad leather with traditional buckle if I’m in an area where I don’t feel secure or if I’m on vacation.
A pic of the Nomad Sport Slim Band along side the Apple version would have been nice. Maybe that can be updated? It's a good looking band and the Apple Sport bands have always looked a little big compared to the Watch. The large sizee of the later Watches mitigated that somewhat.
I got an email from Nomad a couple months back about this band, with an introductory price of $49.95. The shipping jacked the price up around $10 or so and that put me off.
Amazon had some look-alikes but they were just as wide as the Apple Sport bands. They were also stiffer and had a heavy, more plastic feel. That the Nomad bands have a different feel than Apple's is enough to put me off the Nomads until a sale on multiple products makes resistance futile.
Agree that comparison photos with the Apple Sport Band would have been helpful--I don't doubt that the Nomad band is slimmer, but I can't really see that in pics of that band alone. Also: any comparison with the Apple Sport Band should include the Nike version as well, which also sells for $50. In terms of both style and functionality, I think the Nike Sport Band remains the one to beat, with its "all over" hole pattern providing the breathability that these fluroelastomer watch bands need.
That said, I love seeing coverage of products from Nomad which remains one of the most innovative third party makers of peripherals for the Apple community. They never come to market with just another "me too" product, as their take on a sport band demonstrates.