How do these compare to the 7 gallon aquatinaers sold at sporting stores for $8 ($11 @ Walmart's "low" prices). I have a couple of the aquatainers and they seel a little thin, got a hole in the top of one of mine and the plasitc valves broke on both. I do like though that they use a standard pipe thread in their caps so I screw in a 1/4 turn petcock designed for water heater drains so I have hose hookup.
Aquatainers are a step up from most collapsible water jugs. The top-quality collapsible units are close to that quality and reliability. Then again there are some Aquatainer look alike knock-offs that won't meet that standard and you never know then a major conglomerate will buy out a reputable brand and plow the name through the dirt for fun and profit.
Aquatainer, last I handled one, was good and solid. Suitable for a moderately rough handling and the sort of scratches and abrasions they might get routinely transferring water to and from a dry camp site by truck.
We used collapsible five gallon jugs to carry water on a boat to an island. They survived filling by kids on a dock, loading onto a cart, hauling out to a shrimp boat, loading hand-to-hand onto the boat, two rough days on the boat, unloading onto a dock, man packing a couple of hundred yards to a site, Florida sun and sand spurs, camp use, and a rather rough repacking and only two out of over twenty leaked. One got a pinhole from a cactus thorn and one had a mis-formed cap. We didn't lose but a few ounces of water. All in all they did their job well and easily would last for a few weeks. Longer if you are careful or lucky.
But, as good as they were Aquatainers, at about three times the cost would have been more secure. Mil-spec water containers are about ten times as expensive and pretty much immune to anything short of fire or gunfire. I have seen a truckload of full ones unloaded by the simple expediency of the driver dropping the tailgate, backing up at a considerable rate and slamming on the brakes. Deuce-and-a-half full of them unloaded in about five seconds. And, as far as I could tell, not a drop spilled. I don't think the collapsible jugs or Aquatainers would have fared as well.
There is tough. Then there is GI-proof.
Then again neither the Mil-spec of Aquatainers are collapsible. You could fit perhaps eight or so collapsible jugs folded down into the space of one Aquatainer and for equal carrying capacity the jugs are, by WAG, maybe a quarter the weight of the Mil-spec units.
Cost-wise collapsible jugs go for $8 to $12; Aquatainers and similar $14 to $25; Mil-spec $35 to $55.
It comes down to what qualities (size, shape and collapsible or not) and how much ruggedness, you need and are willing to pay for.
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