20 Best Water Storage For Camping (2023 Updated)

Wow this is really high quality. I have the 5-Gallon size and can’t stress enough how solid the build of this container is. The walls are crazy thick, and first impression is this would not only last my lifetime but also my kids.

I mean you could probably just flop a shipping label on this and ship as-is and not have to worry about it being damaged on delivery. I did a simple rinse and filled it up and stuck in in the back of my vehicle where it would get to 100+ degrees F (it’s been over 100 each day here).

I then tried the water the next day and did notice a bit of plastic taste. I looked online and this is normal and there were a number of recommendations on how to properly clean these type containers for the first time.

I tried the one with filling it ¾ and adding a couple tablespoons of bleach and vinegar and shaking, placing upside down, etc. This showed the seal was solid. I let it sit a while then vigorously did the whole shaking thing again before draining.

I then filled about half-way with hose water and did the whole shaking, emptying, refilling this about 3 times and let it air-dry. After a couple days I filled it up and then tried the water the next day and there was no odor and the plastic taste and gone.

I plan to use this for campaign and as emergency water. It’ll go into my normal routine maintenance items I do every time change and will be on my checklist to change out the water every time change (so every 6 months).

I have been using 2 5 gallon scepters for about a year now and just bought a 10 liter one. Yes, they have some smell and taste initially. You do have to clean them and age them a little bit, but then they are tasteless.

Yes, I have had the lid leak once when I didn’t have it tightened well. The O-rings have to seat correctly, but afterwards they are leak proof. You can always treat the O-ring with some silicon grease.

I carry one on its side in the back of my truck off road and it never leaks. The other great thing about these is that due to the thickness of the walls you can drill holes to thread things in. For instance I have threaded stainless steel vent valve opposite the big cap, and I have friends who have added hose bibs spigots to the side of the can.

The separate flexible spigot spout you can buy is also fantastic for gravity feed water. You will NEVER puncture one of these or get a wear hole in it like the the thinner Reliance ones.

I was very excited to find a water container that is not 7gal weighing more than I do when full. This container seemed to fit the bill. After reading reviews from REI and other sellers, I knew that taste/smell was going to be an issue so I scrubbed this container thoroughly by hand about five times, letting it completely air dry for about a week in between washings.

Then I filled it with water and stored that water for several months. It still had a bit of smell when I filled it but I hoped this would not affect the taste. It did. I opened it up yesterday and the smell was very strong; I took a small sip and it tasted terrible! The after taste was even worse and lingered.

This container is a great size and very thick and durable, but for $50+ (plus another TWENTY if you want a spigot), I expected the water stored within to at least be palatable. I went to EvilMart and bought a clear 3gal container for $6.

I cant run over it with a tank but at least I can drink from it.

The first time I used this container it developed a crease in the corner and the cheap plastic cracked and leaked within the first 24 hours. I have this container in an earlier model from 2015 and it is going strong after lost of heavy use.

The older model has thicker plastic. I can feel the obvious difference in thickness.

in the picture they show it sitting square with the nozzle at edge of table so you can pour drinks. What you get is a nozzle that sits all janky and half under the bag on a rounded bag corner. Where the nozzle is should have a square shape but it is rounded and sits crooked.

If you want to just haul 5 gal of water, its ok, but it wont sit correctly like in pictures.

These jugs are very durable and easily hold the 5 gallons of water. We use them when there is a hurricane warning so we don’t have to go out and buy bottled water. With 25 gallons (5 jugs), we have more than enough water to keep us for more than 72 hours.

BPA free plastic, so there’s no contamination to the water. Great buy; highly recommend.

This Scepter water jug is very well made and durable. We get spring water to drink and store it in water jugs so we always have a nice supply of water to drink. This water jug has a large cap that you can open to fill it with water and it is attached so it won’t get lost.

There is a smaller pour cap and vent on the top of the large cap so you can fill your water bottle easily. The handle makes it easier to carry and take along camping, fishing, ect. We spend a lot of time outdoors and having a clean supply of water is very important.

The great thing about this water jug is that it doesn’t add any odors or contaminants to your water. I like how simple it is to use and the amount of water it holds is perfect for our family. If you are looking for a water jug then this is a high quality product that doesn’t leak and definitely won’t get damaged easily.

I would definitely recommend it and it works great for our needs.

They look beautiful and they are made in the USA but the spigot leaks. I just bought this item and couldn’t wait to try it. We washed it then took it to the water mill to get filled. After we filled it we put the spigot back on.

When you place it downward to use the spigot and pour yourself a glass the spigot automatically starts leaking. We checked and there is a rubber seal on the inside that is supposed to prevent leaking however it does not.

I guess I can only use this to store water.

For the price this is tough to beat. We typically take a couple of the arrowhead disposable jugs with us on camping trips, but we have a reverse osmosis water purifier at home so it makes more sense to carry our own water with us.

For a 5 gallon jug this is surprisingly easy to carry, and reasonably easy to find space for it inside the vehicle too. If it doesnt last more than a year or two thats ok, it was cheap enough Ill just replace it! Great for a makeshift faucet too.

This is a rigid-sided and reasonably lightweight water jug. The plastic jug is essentially built like a coleman cooler, without the inner wall and spray foam between the inner/outer layers. I am hopeful that it will prove more durable than my previous flexible/collapsible clear plastic jug of the same size.

That jug sprung a leak after a couple uses.

I do realize that these cans are “for water use only”, but I buy them and use perminant marker to label them with whatever fuel I store in them because they are the ONLY can available that has a good spout and does not have that goofy “filter” in the filler hole.

I currently have six of these jugs. two labeled for gasoline, two labeled for diesel, and two labeled for drinking water. These are the ONLY fuel/water cans I can reccomend at the time of this review because of the obvious flaws in the other cans available.

About 52 pounds fully loaded, so young kids will have a hard time handling it, but overall this is by far the best water can available over the counter in this area. It does not have the stupid, overly complicated “spill proof” spout, which makes many cans virtually unusable.

We bought one can to try to see if we liked it, and plan on getting several more.

We have purchased these in the past. We just added 4 more. We tested them for leaks. All are sound! Great price, too! Thanks!

Like: build quality very good. Some of the mold flash needs to be trimmed down. Mine was sharp in spots. Dislike: the cap is difficult to get tight enough for the container not to leak. Once you have this jug filled, it’s going to weigh over 50 pounds so lifting it is a strain.

Be aware !!! I purchased 5 of the Coleman 5 gallon jugs and they are just about enough to heft around. Note: I emailed the company on their website about the gasket leaking situation that I had with my Jumbo-Tainer and never got an answer one way or the other.

I expected more from such a large company.

I bought this for camping. Keep in mind that 7 gallons of water is Heavy! Make sure you rest it on a solid surface or it will tumble over. Mine took a fall and now the white nozzle has been damaged. Make sure you only store water inside it and let it dry before putting it in storage.

When turning the water ‘on’, the flow is not a steady stream so plan for water spraying in a mild chaotic matter (We just kept it away from things that couldn’t get wet since we were outside this was easy.

) The only flaw I see is the tiny stopper that, I guess is meant to allow for air flow during distribution. It doesn’t keep the jug plugged 100% during travel, so it made a puddle in my car. Thankfully I have a rubber pad in my trunk, but it would have been annoying if it was stored next to my sleeping gear or my clothing as it would have gotten things wet.

At the end of the day, I didn’t have to worry about having enough water for a 4 day long camping trip in the south. We had more than enough for 2 adults and our friends. I would buy again.

The actual product is great. It is sturdy and I like the handles to help me lift it. The disturbing part was that when I ordered it, it was shown in a dark green. I chose it specifically for that color.

When it arrived it was bright blue. The online picture was changed in addition. Wish someone had asked me if I still wanted it if it was a different color. The product is good and the time to return not worth it.

Just know the color can be different than the picture.

Being in a camping trailer I like these water containers because of their space saving narrow design. They are thick walled and sturdy, so are long lasting. But on the down side, these water containers are poorly designed with no hand indent on the bottom or second handle, so keeps slipping from your hand while pouring water out of them.

Then the air vent does not work well. You have to pull HARD while turning to open it, and is impossible to close completely, so leaks water if it falls over or tips too much while moving them. Also, there is no spigot, so is only good for storing and transferring water to another container that has one.

Although I was able to make a spigot on the second try, as it’s tricky to find a spigot that will fit inside of the narrow neck, locking nut, flange, and all, then altering the flat top cap and using the washer from the pouring neck.

But after making a spigot I no longer have to deal with the slippery holding while pouring issue, and find the difficult air vent only somewhat annoying. So find these water containers suitable for someone on a tight budget.

But if you need a spigot and can afford it, you would be better off buying a container that comes with one.

We have a permanent camping spot in southern Ohio, and it was such a pain to take down gallons and gallons of our reverse osmosis water from him each weekend. So, she I was offered to try these jugs, I was THRILLED! I can pop one of these in the sink and walk away while it fills with fresh reverse osmosis water from out separate tap.

We take them to camp, pop on into our XL cooler packed with ice and other drinks, we put one under the camper for emergencies and use one for cooking! I absolutely love them! With the thick plastic, I know the sun won’t penetrate the bottles.

The water never tastes like plastic or anything either! Such an amazing product! Perfect for those die hard campers!!!.

Scepter is known as a leader in this market And they certainly haven’t backed down with this product. I love the quality of the BPA free plastics that are used in this product because you know they are going to last for many many years.

We have 3 of them that we use for back up water in our rv and tent camping. Some other things I really like about this jug is that the opening for the container is really big and allows you to put your whole hand in for cleaning purposes spell that makes it super easy to feel water cwater containers of smaller sizes Some other things I really like about this jug is that the opening for the container is really big and allows you to put your whole hand in for cleaning purposes.

There’s also a smaller spouse that makes it super easy to fill water containers of smaller sizes.

I had reviewed previously mentioning the damage that happened to my first S2S watercell X and almost immediately after I posted my review – sea to summit got back to me and sent me out a brand new watercell X which I have been using daily since then (been several months, no idea how long, time isn’t real) I learned from my first watercell that as long as you don’t over tighten the lid you’ll never have to worry about leaks, this this is water tight.

I had a plasticy taste the first several times using it but it went away after a few good washes. The reason I wish I could give this more than 5 stars is because someone from sea 2 summit called me today (I wish I could remember his name, he had an awesome accent though) because he had saw my review and wanted to make sure I had been taken care of, mind you it has been several months and this man took the time to call one of his customers to make sure I had been taken care of.

That right there is astronomical. One thing I would absolutely love to see (or figure out how to make) is some kind of coupler / adapter to set up a Watercell with a gravity filter. Yall don’t even have to pay me for the idea when it gets huge just kick me some gear :p Thanks for being so awesome, Sea to summit.

Don’t have the taste issue others complained about, the water tasted fine from day 1. Purchased it as a spare carrier for outback touring to complement jerry cans because it doesn’t take up much space in a drawer when empty.

But ended up preferring it as the main water source at camp, hanging from the bullbar. Straps are handy and robust. The shower function is neat in theory but I imagine it would be frustrating and a waste if water to try to rinse shampoo off with such a weak flow.

Looses one star because the valve is hard to open and close with one hand. Only used in one trip so far so can’t comment on longevity. If it lasts the year we’ll get another.

I bought the water cell for a 10 day through hike of the Arctic Circle Trail in Greenland and the water cell was one of my most used pieces of gear. At 6L it was perfect for cooking and drinking for 2-4 people and incredibly light weight.

I also have the dromedary from MSR but decided to bring the water cell because it’s lighter and folds smaller. I was worried about the durability but after 10 days of constant abuse, it looks brand new still.

On several occasions I also accidentally kept it in the bottom of my pack, being smushed by all of my other gear. No leaks. My only complaint is that it’s hard to fill from a lake because it’s so soft that it just collapses in on itself.

This is a reasonably priced water container however, as others have noted the spigot included isn’t provided with an 0-ring so it will leak. At least both of mine did. A trip to the hardware store remedied that but it seems a rather odd oversight not to include one.

The plastic is OK if you don’t think you’ll be moving this container around much. I plan to use it camping and feel the need to protect the bottom of it because I sense if it is pushed around on a surface much the plastic could potentially wear through.

It is wickedly heavy when full (56lbs) so definitely an item better filled in place and left in place if possible. But if partially filled it is much easier to maneuver. I don’t think it would take much abuse as the plastic is adequate for holding water so I’m a little wary of using it for camping and feel the need to be very careful with it in that setting.

As long as it’s limitations are kept in mind it’s an adequate water container but don’t expect it to survive much rough handling and there is no way you could stack these on top of each other.

Does the job! They are good containers, and look like they will last. I love that they have a spout inside the lid, for dispensing water when needed. We bought these as a prep item. The only negative is that you can only stack them 2 high.

If you stack them higher than that they was most likely crush each-other. They are 7 gallons. so they’re heavy. I’m only 100lbs and can only move them short distances, but my husband can handle them better.

Just something you don’t want to have to move around a lot once they’re filled. Good quality for the money.

I bought one of these several years ago to have for hurricane preparedness and haven’t yet needed it for that. I usually buy purified drinking water by the gallon at Walmart for drinking ice cubes and coffee but they have been completely out for awhile.

I ran into a lady that had her shopping cart full of bottles of drinking water and we got talking about the water shortage. She said she would save her gallon jugs and refill them across the street for a quarter a gallon and you could fill a five gallon jug for a dollar.

Thats a big savings seeing as the gallon jugs cost. 80 cents each. I was looking online to see about ordering one of those 5 gallon clear jugs when I remembered my 7 gallon Aquatainer. I took it over the the water station and filled it up and brought it home.

I had read reviews online about how these jugs leaked at the spigot but when I went to screw mine on I noticed that it had tapered threads ( pipe threads ) which require Teflon tape. I wrapped the threads with Teflon tape and no leaks.

I think I will use this from now on as its so much cheaper than buying drinking water by the gallon. I’m real happy with it.

I have tested the items that are in my survival bag and they test out great. I have filled my water storage bags and my only wish is that they were stackable. It is my hope that none of these or the rest of my supplies will ever be needed! But if there ever is a need I know I and my family will be ready and protected, so Thanks!!.

This sure came in handy, as I rinsed it out, then filled it chock full, and shortly after had a plumbing issue. BUT i had 5 gallons of fresh water on hand until the plumber arrived – perfect timing! hahaha.

This is a great product.

First, the size and shape of these are great. The tall narrow design makes them easy to carry and store. However, the caps leak like crazy. Despite the gaskets no matter how tight I apply the caps the second these are placed on their sides water literally gushes out.

I’ve got three of them and they are all like this. Second, they are NOT stackable. There seem to be two versions of this same jug out there. One with a risen pattern on on side and a recessed pattern on the other so they lock in place when stacked.

On mine the X patter is raised on both sides so stacking doesn’t work. They’d be more stackable if the sides were just flat! I contacted Reliance about this but got no response.

Happy with the purchase. The most durable water container forsure. And on sale I couldn’t pass it up, wish I would have grabbed a couple more. Only complaint is the cent does not seal properly. Put it as tight as I could and It leak while transporting on its side.

All in all a good product. – simple vent cap with rubber seal could probably solve the issue, And be sold individually so I could fix the issues on the containers I have.

I ordered one, received it and have filled up with tap water. I’ll leave tap water in it for one month to leach out any interior residue. I don’t know if any exist but would rather be safe than sorry.

After a month, I’ll empty it and fill with cleaned water. Living in Houston, there is more superfund contaminated spots which could contaminate drinking water so I do the best I can to store clean water in this can.

The water issue is what caused me to begin to think survival. I searched many websites after trying to purchase locally. I was delighted when I found Survival Frog. Not a big corporate company but one that has a personal touch while we are all trying to stay alive.

I now have two-weeks of water stored. The waterbricks fit nicely into an interior cabinet. The 3. 5 size makes it manageable to move around. The seal is good. The quality is good. I know that if needed, this water will be ready for us to use.

The down sides are true you have to shake it a little if you want to get all the water out but you really don’t lose much so not a big deal since it is required for this design. The handles come off and on pretty easy just opposite hooks into a loop on the bricks.

You will want to take the handle off when taking the lid off and on as due to the recessed lid you want the room. The stack nice and are easier to move around than bigger container. No trouble with leaks.

They have a flat gasket so you want it snug but there is not much water pressure to hold back so you don’t have to super tighten it. Sam’s club had a good price includes the valved lid for dispensing.

One big advantage of the giant lid is when changing out water or cleaning the containers you can dump it all out in a second or two.

Purchased my second Pak this week. My first Pak I purchased last year, the water spout when assembled was pointing at 8 o’clock position. I purchased a replacement kit to fix this. Now my second one was doing the same thing.

Also the color of the Pak has changed to are more solid royal color blue. Harder to see the water level and with the spout issue that is a chronic issue with this product I am returning and looking for a new brand.

Hard to support Canadian made when it does not perform.

These are well-made beverage carriers/dispensers. They are even stackable while filled. (The tap comes tucked inside the filler cap when purchased. ) Why only three stars? We bought this for refilling standard water bottles.

However, the tap outlet is the exact same size as the bottle tops. If only it were a little bit smaller in diameter, it would fit inside the bottle tops, and would have been a 5-star keeper.

I’ve had two of these rectangular versions for about 15 years now… and I still have the round version from over 30 years ago. Great for camping or backup water storage. No leaks. The only issue with both styles, is it is almost impossible to get all the water out for storage.

The design of the opening is recessed enough that water stays inside the lip of the top. I have to shake vigorously to empty as much as I can, then leave them open for a few weeks to get the last of the water to evaporate.

This doesn’t affect how well they work, only slows down the dry storage process. Would buy them again!.

I have used this on about 4 river trips of 3-8 days in length plus numerous car camping trips. I typically fill it up about 3/4, remove the air and put it in my freezer and freeze it solid. I then use it in my cooler!! It stays frozen all week with temps up to the mid-80s!! Plus as it melts it is another source of drinking water for the trip and it’s cold water, especially nice after a ride, run or just hot day on the river! I do this with the HydraPak 2L and 3L Seeker as well.

I end up buy a ton less ice for my cooler and I don’t have that gross lake of water in the bottom of cooler either. It is a win on so many levels.

I’ve used the Expedition 8L for a couple overnight trips now and it’s been a solid performer so far! Having the graduation marks on the side is a nice feature, it gave me a good idea of how much water I was consuming and how much I had remaining.

The container has lash points which made it easy to strap it to the outside of my pack so no chance of water leaks in my pack! Speaking of which, I had no issues with leaks. I mainly filled it to 5L due to short trips.

You can bleed out the air and pull the container tight with the blue strap making it easier to carry the lower volumes with less sloshing. Initially, I was undecided about which container to buy so I called customer service.

They took the time to discuss the different options to help me make a decision which was very helpful! The only thing that I could recommend to HydraPak is to make a 6L version of this!.

This is a great water storage solution for larger groups or where you need to transport water a far distance. The material is similar to a dry bag so it is quite durable. The handle seems to be holding up after a few weekend trips even when I tie some paracord to it so it hangs from a tree for a gravity filter system.

The plug and play cap is great, it is very handy when using it with a filter as you can just plug it in similar to a hydration tube to a bladder (just make sure you have the right fittings or necessary adapters).

The spout that it comes with is not much use for me as I use this as a dirty water bag, I guess it would be good if you had a whole bag of clean water. You need to hang the bag up to get the most use out of the spout though as it needs some pressure to push the water out.

The only con about this bag so far is the price. It seems overpriced for what it is, would like to see it come down in price by 20-30 dollars.

I was given one of these water containers as a gift and I like it. I camp a lot in the late fall , winter and early spring. Where we camp has no services of any kind , it’s strictly primitive. I use mostly 5 gallon food grade buckets for drinking water stowage and regular 5 gal buckets for cleaning and showering.

I place this on the table , now I don’t have to worry about all of those plastic bottles making garbage and I can fill my canteens / water bottles for the daily hunt. It folds up and stows easily taking up less space than a 5 gal bucket.

Yes we drive in set up camp and bring everything including a camp shower / privy loo and we haul everything out including trash , no garbage services too. It would be good for hiking if you were setting up a camp but if you think you are going hiking with this container full just remember it will weigh in at about 42 pounds.

It is a great product for emergency water too. It can be used with CHLOR FLOC for purifying large amounts of water , but you’ll need another 5 gal container for the treated water. CHLOR FLOC , as sold here at Camping Survival , will treat 8 gallons of water.

The CHLOR FLOC in individual packets each will treat one quart / one liter of water. The CHLOR FLOC set comes with 30 individual packets and a very nice pocket fitting zippered pouch in woodland camo pattern.

So to treat 5 gallons of water you’ll need to use 20 packets , 4 per gallon. If i were going to the woods for an extended stay , yes I would bring this water container ( 2 of them ) and the CHLOR FLOC ( several sets ).

But i wouldn’t carry it full , LOL , ,. KEEP OUR ENVIROMENT CLEAN , ANOTHER PLANET IS HARD TO FIND. Remember safety starts before the hike.

lightweight, flexible but tough enough for the wt. at full capacity. Collapsible=convenient, clear reduces worries of contamination. Water is a priority for life.

Since I Live in a 4th floor apartment building built in filtration is more work then its worth I purchased an Alexa Water Filtered Pitcher and extra filters as well as 2 of These 5 Gallon Flexible Containers.

Going back into 2021 We had a couple of storms headed our way and I have only been IN this apartment a couple fo years so Gas stove and heat ( not too concerned) water Might be an issue since 5 flight s high from the road and 15-20 feet below grade to the water mains so I loaded one (at the time ) and had the filter pitcher that I used to filter a couple gallon and a half tea bottles for a few days drinking cooking water These Jugs are soft and flexable I filled one and left it beside the sink in the kitchen and Overnight It “walked” into the sink BY itself no damage or anything scared the **** out of me though Sturdy !! after the issue was past I drained and folded the jug and placed it In the box and in the supply closet for storage 10 thumbs up.

I was so excited to receive this. We spend a lot of time outdoors and seems to constantly be running to grab water. This is just the right size so that we can carry it with us, fill it up and conveniently have it sitting where we are camping or working.

I like the fact that it folds up so conveniently And it can be tucked easily into a bag. We will definitely be using it a lot this summer and would recommend.

Received this items to try and review. This container holds a good amount of water. It collapses down to fit in storage spots. I’m gonna use it for camping , has a spout that is easy to use. Pretty thick material so it shouldn’t break as long as your not ruff with it.

I love this water carrier, it is so easy to fill, transport, and use!!! We have a “farm” where we love to hike, hunt, and just spend time outdoors, this was just what we needed. We can fill it up, it last all day & we don’t have to worry about transporting lots of jugs, plus it is so compact when we take it home.

It is absolutely perfect.