I have several systems: three kinds of water filters on hand, a case of .5 literbottles and am going to add 10+ 2 L soda bottles as back-up.

TRO

If you have any dollar stores near you, keep an eye out for their bottled water. They have 1 gallon clear PETE bottles that are tallish (5.5x5.5" x 12"tall) and without a built-in handle like the milk jugs.

Their 'handle' is a sturdy plastic ring attached to the collar around the neck. Compact, easy to store.

Lily, that Humanure Handbook is GREAT!

Sue

My local supermarket has bottled water in 2.5 gallon rectangular ptfe containers with a spigot on the bottom, normally about $3 each but occasionally on sale for $1 each, so I have a few of those. I also used to drink bottled water (1 gallon crystal geyser) but have since decided it's a scam. Anyway those 1 gallon bottles are reasonably durable and refillable (pretty sturdy screw top). So I'd drink the bottled water, then refill the empty bottles with tap water and stash them away. I have about 6-8 of those. Plus I usually pick up a 24-bottle case of 0.5l bottles when they go on sale ($3.99 fairly regularly). I keep a case of or so of those in the car and drink them when I get thirsty on the road, and add more when supply gets low. That takes care of rotation all by itself.

An item I rarely see discussed here is marine desalinators. I keep thinking I'd buy one if I hit the lottery. For $2000 or so on ebay you can get a unit that turns 20+ gallons/hour of sea water into fresh water using 12 volt power. Since I live near the ocean that would provide basically unlimited drinking/washing water for a few people as long as there was some fuel available to run a 12 volt generator (e.g. automobile) with.

I'm in an apartment so having a water tank is impractical but if I were in an owned-house-with-yard type of environment, I'd think of installing a 500+ gallon underground cistern. There's a place on ebay that sells those prefabbed (plastic) for a few hundred bucks. It seems very practical, out of sight, fill via garden hose and rotate by pumping some out to water the lawn with a few times a year.

I have a "multi-prong" water plan. Every 6 months, all stored water is dumped and the containers refilled. Potable water consists of a 55 gal drum and 2 liter soda bottles that have been cleaned & refilled as they were emptied of soda. After Dec 1st, each year, I dump the "extra" 2 liter bottles (keeping a certain number always) and recycle the jugs. Starting May 1st of each year, I again start saving empty soda jugs and fill them with water. IRT non-potable water, I have quite a few 5 gal jugs that hold this water & I refresh them every 6 months when I change out the potable water. IRT sewage, I have a porta-potty that is filled from the non-potable water jugs and I will dump the filled porta-potty reservoir down the toilet, as long as the sewage lines continue to flow. When the sewage lines stop flowing, I'll have to resort to the storm drain in the front of my home for my dumping ground. This is not the best of plans but it is the most realistic plan available.

The best luck is what you make yourself!