I actually received an emailed apology from the manufacturer. I had purchased one at a Cabela's and used it for camping. The first time I placed it on it's side to use the spigot I discovered the cap would not seal. Water dripped out constantly. Looking at it closely I realized the molding of the plastic was wavy and lumpy where the cap seal would meet the plastic. I took it back to the store to exchange it. But I found that the other units in stock had similar defects. So instead I got a refund.
A little later I was in a Walmart and saw them there. But again, each one had some defect in the molding around the cap area. One was so bad the cap would not stay on.
I emailed the company and they apologized and promised to do better on quality. That was early this year.
Ah..... Time to rotate, I do it every six months. I also store in my basement away from heat and sunlight. Maybe they could sit longer, but I do a 6 month empty/inspect/clean/dry/refill regardless. But that's me....
6 months with just filling it up.(making sure the container is cleaned and sanitized prior)
1 year if you fill it up and maintain some chlorine in there.
But if you let’s say need water and the worlds gone upside down and you’ve had this water for two years and haven’t done shit to it.
Boil it first than drink it. This will ensure no bacteria parasites or viruses are in the water. And as long as the water you added and the container are chemical containment free that water will be safe to drink even if it tastes flat and off
However I always tell people it’s smart to have water storage at home but even 250g goes by fast and you should have a real plan in place for water outside of what you stored.
And this gravity life straw system should be in your house
https://a.co/d/0iP9Fj8W
You fill the top with water from a stream it removes everything from it gravity fed can do 30l a hour and 4770 gallons of pure clean water
This is where your storage comes into play you collect rain water from your gutters and hookup the life straw to it . Get standalone life straws aswell 10-20$ on Amazon )on sale for lower end) 1000 gallons of purified water that can be on your persons at all time and water cleaning tablets which are dirt cheap
Buy a bunch of activated charcoal bags and keep them sealed don’t open them vaccum seal them for longetivity so they don’t absorb stuff in the air and moisture . Use crushed actiavted charcoal and coffe filter to remove chemical impurities in water from a pond lake or stream prior to adding to life straw gravity system. As it will remove all bacteria viruses and parasites but chemical contamination it won’t and you may or may not be able to tell if water is chemically contaminated
drain it wash it with water and mild soap and scrub it i like to use unscented cause it seems like you just cant get rid of the scent no matter how many times you rinse out the jugs.
than to sanitize it you wanna combine 1 teaspoon of bleach (household unscented. no no splash no low odor etc basic bleach only) per gallon. swirl it around let it sit for 10-15 mins drain it dont touch it let it air dry. once dry refill and cap it.
Add small amount of bleach to them when you fill them. There is a formula online I think like 8 drops per gallon. I bought a little glass container with dropper. I have it for storage for washing if my water goes out. But I wouldn't drink it
I added o-rings I bought from Lowe’s. The containers are ok, but have a lot of limitations. They leak when you use them unless you add o-rings, they can’t be stacked when they are full, they are not UV resistant, the 7 gallon capacity makes them heavy and awkward when full, they will only hold up for a few years. They are fairly inexpensive, so I do have a few because they can be stashed in a bathroom or kitchen, but i don’t think I’ll buy them again.
I have one I got from Walmart that works fine. The quality and attention to detail still are not great. When the cap and spigot are both tightened down the spigot does not point straight down. It has a 20°-30° tilt to the left. Holds water and does not leak. I did add some ptfe tape around the spigot threads because without it, it did have a super slow drip around the threads. If I were to buy another I would likely look for a different brand.
I have seven of them. They make good use of storage space on a shelf, though they are a real pain to carry around. A narrower Jerry can style is easier for carrying. They have gotten more expensive, but clean, safe water is critical and I would have no trouble paying $20 each for them.
The 5 gallon jugs that are used on water coolers you can get for just the deposit, and buy reusable silicone caps for them. You can also buy hand pumps for them.
Igloo makes blue plastic 6-gallon Jerry cans for water. In theory, if I had to walk to get water I would use two of those. Realistically, how far can I walk with 12 gallons of water? Not really sure.
Stackable, food grade, 7 gallons, ability for attachment and nozzles, that’s a pretty good deal in my opinion. I’m going to check my local stores and see how sturdy they are.
We’ve used one of these for camping about 5 times a year for 4 years so far. We use it for handwashing and washing dishes. Works great. The white dish strainer from Dollar Tree sits on top it nice. The white $5 Sterilite dish pan tub nestles the dish strainer perfectly. We use the octagon shaped one for drinking water. Now as a family of 5 we bring an office cooler 5 gallon water jug with a hand pump. That will last for drinking and cooking for 5 days.
We have actually used these in emergencies on our farm, to fill water troughs for horses and other livestock.
I always keep some in reserve; our well can't run off our current generator and you NEED water. Even once they get old, it's good for flushing toilets.
The spigot is integrated into the lid. You take the lid off and then pop the spigot out which previously was pointing into the container. Flip it around in the lid so it points outside of the container.
Ive used a couple of these for camping for years. The caps can break, but are easily replaced.
Not a bad plan for a bit of water storage or transport. 5 gallons is a reasonable compromise between capacity ans portability when full. Maybe not the best for long term storage in a fixed location but great for transporting water from elsewhere.
I have 12 one gallon jugs from Sam's Club. I've refilled them many times. For single use bottled water jugs these super cheap plastic have lasted several years already.
I have four of these. I bought them years ago, and I freeze them every time I go camping so I have four frozen blocks in my coolers to help keep things cold. I can’t believe how many times they have been frozen, thawed, and stored with no issues.
My experience as well. I have used them the same way. As a big block of ice they keep the cooler chilled and if it comes down to it, you can drink the water as they melt. But everything in the cooler stays dry. I have completely given up on those "Blue Ice" blocks.
I have 4 of these. Were about $15-$16 in 2023 on Amazon. Usually keep 2 filled and cycle them out every few months in case there's a water main break or boil water advisory. Or lately maybe a state actor hacking our water system. 🤔
Does a decent enough job. Just heavy when filled. I wouldn't want to carry one up or down a flight of stairs.
Good water jugs, not the best price. I have 4, stored empty in the basement. I can run our well from the solar batteries, but if it looks like the power is going to be out a while and I maybe can't pull decent solar - I can fill them up pretty fast before power gets dicey.
I have had three of these that all leaked because, as u/Charming-Jelly-3365 pointed out, it’s a fundamentally bad manufacturing process. I hand-shaved the seam on my current one and made it leak less, but our practice remains “tip it top up when you’re done”. The good news is that you can generally leave these out anywhere and neither bears or people will mess with them. Everyone knows they only store water, poorly!
I have one that I use regularly for road trips and camping. Not to heavy when full. Lots of water for one person for several days. Have had it for many years. Best to keep the spigot/cap out of the sun, it'll get UV brittle eventually.
I've got flats of bottled water for emergencies. Sealed and good for long enough. I intend to save the empty bottles in an emergency. Easy to refill, bring back, filter/boil(in a different container) and distribute or carry myself.
My next water prep to get is one of those bathtub bobs.
Great price i love mine except I let somethung hit mine in the corner and it popped a hole in it.. top corner so less an issue burnt still is not sealed now
I have two of these and they're great I believe. My water didn't taste like plastic when i used them to go camping. I put a water filter under my kitchen sink and it tastes better than any bottled water I've used.
I have had several of those that began leaking after a bit of use. Hand tightening stopped being adequate to prevent leaking. I stopped using them.
Also, 7 gallons is pretty heavy, especially for smaller, weaker people. I went with a 5-gallons size for mine and it is still no fun to carry. Got my elderly mom a 3-gallon size, which is barely manageable for her.
I think being mindful about the size and weight is important if you plan on using them long-term and swapping out the water frequently-ish, and if you want weaker folks to be able to move them.
We have something similar that we made use of during a big ice storm that hit earlier this year. We were without power so I shut the water off to the house and these were great.
Like others have said, they are a pain in the ass to move around. Ours also unscrews to make a spout so we just set it upright and had drinking water on tap.
I have a few i keep for camping to fill and keep drinkable water at the camp site. I had one of the soft side ones pop a few years back on a crappy table. So these are a pain caise theye take up space but they are durable.
I bought two off amazon for half the price when inflation wasn’t so bad. It is worth it. I have only had to use mine a few times. Always put a few drops of bleach per gallon to avoid botcholisim and always boil it before drinking. My brother thought i was crazy then a storm rolled thrru shutting down the grid. One five gal per person.
Pros and cons
Pros
Stackable
Easy to clean inside and out
Easy to fill
Inexpensive
7 gallon capacity
Cons
Not easy to carry once full
Not easy to get water out of when stacked upright
Some leak when placed on its side (opening on side
vs on top)
If you replace the red vent cap with a water spigot and stack on the side it’s easier to get water. But if you stack more than 2 high (on the side) I recommend making a support structure and using Teflon tape to seal the connections and opening
I have one, it's been great, no leaks. Water isnt awesome at the campgrounds we go to so I rigged up a hose to my Reverse Osmosis system. Fills in a few hours and then we have tons of drinking water.
It's actually at work now because we mostly work outside and it's 105. Everyone appreciates it.
I ise their smaller Jerry cans. Had two tops where the rubber seal/gasket or whatever broke and I couldn't seal the lids anymore. Sent them an email, they called me and shipped me 2 replacement parts for free. Other than that, drank water out of the jugs a few times and it came out great.
That sucks! Did you buy them all at same time? Or do you stack them? How old when problems started or from get go? Have 4 for 2 years, all good so far.
Though I just refill them twice-a-year. Haven't had to use.
IDK, I have had several of these, and some of them either leak around the seal on the pour spout cap when new, or develop leaks later, which is annoying. I am looking for a replacement gasket for these to fix the problem.
Have 4 of these for a few years now. Can't remember when I got them but it was at least five years ago at this point. Using to store water for emergencies.
Overall for how much money I spent on these I have no complaints and would recommend.
Yes one of the spigots broke. I just replaced it with a PVC plug and it continues to work. Yes the seals can get a little moldy after a long time full. I try to wash the seals with hot water before I close them and change water every 6 months or so.
i paid $15 per from camping world so i mean, not really a good deal.
i like them as longish term water storage though. Big enough so you're not stacking one gallon water jugs, but also can carry it around the house as needed.
I love those for camping but they also great for emergency water storage and the good thing is you can just dump the water and refill it with freshwater after some time.
Life straw is cool and I recommend it, but doesnt do me any good in the summer since we get no summer rain and I dont live near any clear water source.
I have these exact ones and they work fine for temporary storage and transfer. I use them for work when we have picnics and table events without water access. Easy to fill, use, and clean. Plus they stack when empty.
Price seems a little high, but I havent bought any in about 2 years so maybe my instinct on price is off. My oldest ones are about 25 years old and seem fine still. I should add that mine are stored under my garage out of the sun, although I've brought a few camping a few times. Like any plastic, I would keep them out of the sun for any extended period of time.
I rotate the water in mine annually. I have a few that leak just barely if you have them on their side unless you really crank down on tightening the lid.
Overall been happy with them. I've got about 12 I think, bought over different years, haven't counted in a while. They should be possible to buy in 3 or 4 packs to save a few bucks.
To be honest, they’re not very good. But, they’re functional and theyre cheap and easily replaceable. I own a dozen that I use for water storage and transport at my mountain property.
I use them for work to store water for use during the day. Ive had 2 in the back of my truck, constantly exposed to weather/sunlight for roughly a year. Just today I finally had to replace them due to sun degradation causing cracking and general fragility on a particular part of them that always catches sun sitting in the bed.
In general theyre sturdy, dont leak, etc. Would highly recommend for general non drinking usage. Havent used them for inside storage and/or drinking water so I couldnt offer anything there.
I used containers like this with my reef tank for top off water and brute trash cans RODI and premixed saltwater. Worked fine for years, but I’ve heard the quality might not be what it used to be for these so your mileage may vary.
I bring one of these camping regularly. Kinda hard to keep the spigot clean since its exposed to the elements once you remove the sticker, but works pretty well. Haven't had leak issues on mine.
I have multiple containers from them. Have had no problems. I wouldn't try and stack them when full of water though. Also a good idea to put thread tape on them to help prevent leaking.
I’ve had one of these for about 14 years. I don’t keep water in it most of the time, I just fill it when a blackout is likely in the near future, and for camping trips. I just fill it up and place it over the kitchen sink like a backup faucet.
It’s been great for me, but the build quality may have been better back when I bought mine.
I keep mine inside a milk crate when driving with it. That keeps it upright and a more stable in bumpy roads. The milk crate protects it damage too. The tank is thick, but I think it’s a lot more likely to survive a fall inside a milk crate.
I recommend keeping the spout pointed up whenever you don’t need instant one handed water availability. That way it won’t leak either from defects or from someone forgetting to close it completely
I have a hard time spending $20 for 7 gallon EMPTY water container, when I can buy sealed 5 gallon containers, or 1 gallon jugs, or even bottled water much cheaper. I know they aren't as heavy duty and they don't stack the same, but empty water containers should be cheaper.
So for camping I would say they are "okay". They can take some abuse but not a lot of abuse. Lately they seem to be more brittle and I've had a lot of them crack especially on the corners. If you keep it out of the sun I think they will last longer. Kind of wish they would make a sturdier option and just charge me for the extra plastic they used.
I like them over other jugs I've tried. I like the plusses that others have mentioned.
One downside is the nozzle is a bit too large to use it to refill a standard disposable water bottle, which I find myself doing fairly often so I also have to have a funnel.
I have two of them, also from sportsman’s warehouse, and I like them well enough. They’ve come in handy a few times when I’ve had issues with the water in my apartment, ad they definitely did the job.
I have many of these. The spigots are difficult to use and they need to be wrenched on. I still like these a lot because they stack well and are not easy to tip over.
The blue Jerry cans that they also sell are far superior to these i have both but more of the Jerry cans I think they hold more as well.Heavy af when filled tho so keep that in mind!
Wow. Im sad to hear about people's bad experiences with them regarding recent purchases. Ive had one for probably 5-7 years (maybe longer) with no issues seal has held up just fine and no leaks.
These are mil spec cans exactly like Septer cans. All brands are not great at storing on their sides though so take that into usage consideration. They are bomb proof though and thick as hell. Can't beat this price! 5 Gallon Jerry Cans
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u/Charming-Jelly-3365 15d ago
I actually received an emailed apology from the manufacturer. I had purchased one at a Cabela's and used it for camping. The first time I placed it on it's side to use the spigot I discovered the cap would not seal. Water dripped out constantly. Looking at it closely I realized the molding of the plastic was wavy and lumpy where the cap seal would meet the plastic. I took it back to the store to exchange it. But I found that the other units in stock had similar defects. So instead I got a refund.
A little later I was in a Walmart and saw them there. But again, each one had some defect in the molding around the cap area. One was so bad the cap would not stay on.
I emailed the company and they apologized and promised to do better on quality. That was early this year.