20 Best Long Term Water Storage Containers (2023 Updated)

Great Emergency Prep item to have on hand. Comes sealed up in a box and plastic wrap, so it stays “preserved” for long term storage as needed. The benefit for getting this now when we don’t have an emergency is I am getting it at normal value; a lot of people discuss that when disaster strikes, demand for this item skyrockets and people pay an inflated cost for this.

It has the pump included for you to attach and easily get water out of the reserve. This is one-time-use, so plan on just the one use for it if you ever need it.

Yes I thought I would buy this item in case we ever had a storm and lost power for any period of time we would have clean water and plenty of it. Well that did happen and I was so glad that we saw the storm coming and I got the item and thought perfect timing, and it was.

This 100 gallon surivial kit work great and fulfill the purpose without a lot of toil and stress. We used it for 7 days without a bit of problems. Now it has been put away for the next emergency. Recommend it highly especially living off the grid somewhere, mountains living etc.

easy, purposeful for the needs at the time. Nowaskie.

This water bob is exactly what you need to have on hand in an emergency situation in which you might not have access to clean water for drinking and cooking. Just put this in the tub and fill it up and you have 100 gallons of clean water at your disposal.

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.

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.

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.

We haven’t had the opportunity to use these so far, however, we are very pleased with the sturdiness of the containers. We compared other brands for the price and these fit our budget for camping. My husband is very impressed that the water containers came with pouring spouts and sealing caps.

The positive reviews were outstanding in helping us decide in making our purchase. We will update our review on a later date. We purchased 2 for us and 2 for our daughter.

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.

Excellent product for back up water supply- would absolutely recommend this to anyone. The plug opener that is included allows for tightening and/or removing the top plugs. One of my plugs was extremely tight and I could not have removed it without the opener, but with a few hard poundings with my palm, it finally loosened, and I was able to attach the pump.

Very happy with the purchase.

We live in earthquake prone Southern California and after our pretty good shakers on July 4 and 5, 2019, we just took stock of our emergency supplies. The previous plastic water containers that we had for emergency water were old and leaking.

They were inexpensive 7. 5 gallon containers. When my husband checked them they were half full so time for a replacement. We also figured it was time to upgrade to a container that would hold more water.

Read all the reviews on this container and Walmart’s price was hard to beat. The best part of the whole deal was it arrived a week ahead of schedule. It’s all clean, filled and waiting for an emergency, that we’ll be thankful never to have.

Complete instructions on how to initially clean the container came with the kit. Only improvement, according to hubby, would be a hose attachment at the bottom. They are available, but at a much increased cost.

I ordered three barrels. They each came in their own cardboard box. Arrived fine. Bungs are snug. I didn’t bother or order a wrench because I don’t plan on opening and closing the bungs except to fill the drums ( which I will use for emergency water storage ).

BTW, the bungs are the white plastic screw in plugs you can see on the top of the barrel. They can be unscrewed by putting the handles of a pair of pliers in the recessed notches and then twisting ( either by hand or with a screw driver through the pliers ).

If you expect to open and close the barrels frequently then a bung wrench would be much more convenient. The barrels had no smell, looked very clean, and were in great shape. The price fluctuates some, so if you are price sensitive watch out for sales.

Make sure you place them on a wooden palate or equivalent to insure nothing can get absorbed or react with the bottom of the barrel. Otherwise, its a plastic barrel folks.

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 received my six 5 gallon Coleman containers very quickly from Walmart. I recently filled all of them and stored them in the basement. They are a little heavy as water weighs about 8 pounds per gallon.

So take this into consideration when deciding on your choice of storage areas. It comes with a convenient valve that is included with each container attached to the cap , even though that valve is not that noticeable in the picture supplied by Walmart.

I washed them out initially with a small amount of water before doing the final fillup of each container. What can I say further. They do not leak and they feel like pretty thick plastic. And they are the right type of plastic for water storage.

They carry easily. A quality product.

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.

Here in the USA we take for granted our drinking water. Most of us are one disaster away from not having clean drinking water. These Coleman 5 gallon containers are just the right size to fill up with water and carry.

These Coleman containers are made from heavy duty thick plastic with a built in grab handle. Each has a removable lid with a built in spigot. I hope we never have to resort to filling these jugs every day or so for hydration.

Should a major disaster come our way these will do nicely until such crisis is over. These are also excellent for camping, sailing or traveling on a long trip. We can never be too safe when it comes to drinking water.

Humans in average shape and perfect conditions (not too hot or cold) can probably live for three to five days without any water if they’re not physically exerting themselves. Healthier people can live a day or so longer, while those who are unhealthy or exposed to particularly hot or cold weather may not survive as long.

To stay healthy, you need to continually replenish your fluid supply. Experts recommend drinking approximately two quarts (64 ounces or about eight glasses) of water each day. Of course, if you live in an extremely hot or cold area or if you exercise a lot you may need to drink a gallon or more of water every day.

I figure about a gallon a day per person. I may just order two more just in case.

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.

We bought two of these to prepare for future Snowmageddons and hurricanes. The “briefcase” form factor with grab handles attracted us to this container, but the spigot is a giant fail. It leaks constantly, won’t line up properly for pouring, and my (otherwise plenty strong) wife can’t even turn the spigot to open or close it.

These are going back. We bought a 5-gallon Coleman hard shell Coleman cube and it’s light years better, so we’ll be getting two more of those.

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.

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.

They leak. I put the lid on very carefully and tried several different times, and I tried putting the lid on very tight, then tighter, then so tight that it was difficult to get off, and they still leak.

With the lid carefully aligned and extremely tight I could get it not to leak as long as I didn’t move them, but when moving, as if you’re laying them down or stacking them, the flexing causes them to leak.

Maybe a better gasket in the lid would make them function properly. They aren’t really suitable to be stacked as shown when full. They might be OK if you keep them upright, but even then they might not be sealed tightly for long-term storage, and the purpose of getting these was to stack them.

They also take up a lot of room, nearly as much as a 5-gallon container, due to the odd shape and the holes through them. After experimenting with these I think I want containers designed to be stored upright and I can get 5-gallon containers that can be stacked or stored with more efficient use of space.

It is also a bit difficult to fully tighten or loosen the cap since there is not much room to get your hand on it the way that area is recessed, and the handle makes it even more difficult. It is easy to remove the handles but they also fall off easily unless you bend the ends together more, and then you couldn’t remove them to get your hand on the lid more easily.

I bought this to replace my longtime container that no longer seals properly. Unfortunately when I was out camping I discovered that when the lid and tap are tightened securely the tap points sideways which is obviously not functional, if I adjusted it so the tap points down then it leaks.

When I returned it the store clerk suggested that I didn’t use it properly and would only give store credit since it was used. How else would I know it didn’t work if I didn’t use it?!? I would have bought another one, but in the store there is a sticker covering the lid, so there is no way to test the function before buying.

Maybe I got a dud since these get such good reviews, but I might as well use my old leaky one rather than a new leaky one.

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.

Only problem I had was there were no instructions for the set up process. Fortunately, YouTube has videos available. Tip I learned from the videos. Use a led free drinkable water safe hose to put water into the barrel.

Before you start make sure to rinse out the barrel and add then prepare the enclosed drop mixture as package recommends then pour into the bottom of barrel then fill up to the top with the water. Pretty simple.

Keep in mind this does weigh almost 500 lbs when full and place it on a sound base. If you think you may want to move it from one area to another I would recommend a dolly like base. As an other review stated there is a delay in shipment.

I used the fastest shipment available and it still seemed delayed by a day. WalMart did have a telephone number and I spoke with someone and they were helpful in letting me know when I would expect the shipment.

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.

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!.

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 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.

Material is thin and the nozzle was leaky (when turned to close side) when it was sitting on the side. I had to always turn it upright so it wouldn’t leak all the water out. Please be advised.

He is dead on in his assessment. The manufacturer should write that on the side. It’s a very affordable solution. During season, when not in use, I try to leave mine full enough to keep it in shape. This seems to help with pin hole leaks.

I used the large for 10 seasons and only had to slap one piece of duct tape on it.

The container does a nice job as an inexpensive way to carry extra water for a short trip. I used mine to carry water for my dogs for a four day trip to South Dakota. Being soft sided, it is difficult to use them like a hard plastic water container.

You also have to be very careful to tighten the cap and make certain the spigot is in the closed position. The spigot got twisted when one of my hunting partners moved the containers and we lost half the water in two of the containers before he realized that he had accidently opened them.

That said, for the occasional trip, they are well worth the price.

Got this tank to use as a water transport for new plantings that require more watering than the programmed drip system. Fits great in the back of the Stallion UTV I use for getting around on 7 acres of mountain property.

The bulkhead fitting takes a standard outside bib faucet and will drain down to about a half gallon (maybe just a little more) without having to tip up (Stallion has tilt bed and the tank is strapped down).

Tank is water tight at all factory openings – no leaks even after travelling over rough terrain. Large top opening makes it possible to drop a pump pick up in if you need to deliver water/contents above the tank.

Tank is kept inside out of sunlight, so I don’t know how UV resistant it is, but I imagine it would be resilient to a point. I expect to have this for several years as it is well made/sturdy. Will probably get another to use for fertilizer applications and will fit next to the other tank with a little room to spare in the bed of the Stallion.

Exactly as described and high quality polyurethane material, with no leaks and a solid construction. Had the fitting I needed at the bottom and large filling cap on top, strap guidelines along the outsides and gallon count measures on the front for precise filling as needed.

The tank stays very stable on its own weight with its square flat bottom, of course it is well straped onto a trailer, no issues at all. Shipping was quick too.

Can’t beat the price for a 100 gallon tank. Tends to lose a bit a shape when full but remains water tight and functional. Would buy again

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.