leaky water cans

I decided on having 2 days water supply, which means approximately 8 gallons for four people.

I recycled a translucent plastic 2-3 gallon jug originally purchased from Costco. After about 6 months of use, I checked on the container. The plastic cracked in the car and about 1/3 of the water leaked out. Water jug to be discarded.

I purchased a Walmart blue/green 6 gallon plastic can, similar in size as a Scepter gas can (made in Canada so I suspect that it is also made by Scepter).

My questions:

1. The can I keep in a SUV is still full but I am worried about a rollover accident. What is a good way to keep the 40+ lbs of water properly secured? There are no good tie down points in the back of an SUV!!

2. The can I keep in a 4 door sedan can not be stored upright. It needs to be stored on its side. Unfortunately this means that the thing LEAKS from is cap. Is there superior water jug available or a way to keep the current water can from leaking?

Thanks.
Conway Yee

I recycle one liter soft drink bottles, especially Gatorade. They are quite tough. I have never had one leak and the price is right. I prefer a dispersed water supply (lots of smaller bottles). A leaky container does not mean loss of your entire water supply. I usually wedge them under a seat or in the trunk.

Conway... I find it more convenient to just use a flat of 1L bottles..it's more convenient that way to rotate the stock... I use a couple of bottles each weekend at shooting matches... I try to not let the supply get to less than 18 bottles...they fit in a real milk crate along with a tarp, GI poncho, and mosquito net

For a thin, flat container, the Water Bricks look like they would work well. Haven't tried one yet, but they look pretty decent. For attachment, how about a ratchet strap across the rear of the back seat? I have everything ratchet strapped down in the back of my Jeep and have them hooked to the seatbelt mounting points, body edges (no plastic back there), seat mounts, anything I can hook to.

It's good to carry water in the car. But maybe you can carry less water and add means of purifying groundwater to meet the same goal? That's what I do. Unless I'm going camping or off into the dessert, I usually only keep 1.5 gallons or so of water in .5L disposable bottles in a latching cooler strapped in the rear of the Jeep. Then I have an MSR Miniworks filter tucked into a saddle bag mounted over the rear fender.

Adding new tie-down points isn't hard to do. Just be sure to use appropriately-sized hardware with fender washers underneath so they don't snap or pull through. Find a good spot, look underneath for obstacles, then drill the holes. Spray the holes both sides with Rustoleum to prevent rust, and secure using fender washers and nylock nuts.

Another solution many off-roaders use is Rotopax containers from Outdoor Products (http://bit.ly/xisY3l). They have a unique mounting system that goes through the center of the container and has proven quite strong, even during rollovers. But the mount doesn't take up a huge amount of room when the container isn't needed.



They are a bit on the spendy side but do make for a safe and neat storage system. Aside from water and fuel containers, they also have storage modules you can fill with tools, food, first aid kits and other gear.

Oh, and as a bonus, they sell non-CARB/ECO replacement spouts that appear to fit standard containers.

I looked at the water bricks and like them, too. I especially liked the house built out of water bricks.

My son is a certified Legomaniac; even at 19 he still occasionally pulls out the bricks to model something. I think he would have a blast building a storage shed out of those things, but I don't think they'd be long-term UV stable.

I don't know where the OP expects to travel but two days' water doesn't sound excessive to me, especially if there isn't much groundwater to be found.

We keep flats of bottled water in our vehicles. In the absence of a trunk and tie-downs, I'd consider a barrier to hold cargo in place.

I would agree that a gallon a day is about right. As a matter of fact, in summer desert conditions (southern Arizona, for instance), a mere gallon a day will be insufficient. It can be useful to supplement your water supply with alternative sources - canned fruit and similar.

I would definitely obtain some type of dedicated water carrier like the Scepter products and not rely on cases of water in standard consumer containers like Zephyrhills or the like. These companies are using thinner and lower quality plastic in either an attempt to reduce costs or go green. They are not durable and subject to leak in adverse conditions.

Although it is unlikely for every container to leak, they cannot be depended on for multiple uses.

Reliance makes some inexpensive containers as well. I found those at bigger sporting goods stores. They have a 1/2" pipe thread in the lid so I was able to replace their plastic valve with a laundry valve from a hardware store which allows me to screw on a hose.

A couple comments above brings up another issue, safely carrying things in the back of vehicles. Someone mentioned a cars trunk, but most of the car trunks I've ever seen the front wall of the trunk is simply the back seat of the car which means its just some thin strips of spring steel and seat fabric separating you from cargo in the trunk. That might hold a few bottles of water but as you start adding more gear such an an ax or shovel those could easily come through the seat in an accident. You need to secure things in your vehicles no matter what kind it is to insure yourself or others are safe. And securing means more than a bungie cord, those tend to snap when pulled too far such as in an accident. You can buy cargo straps for very little now a days and those should be one of the first items you get.
Even things such as screning a flashlight or fire extinguisher mount to the sheet metal with screws can pull out during the forces of a wreck. Likewise using wood to make cargo carriers, screws and nails can pull out. Always bolt or otherwise secure from the other side whatever you add in/on.

All the dedicated water containers I have purchased have failed, often fairly quickly. Usually the problem has been with the cap or fancy spigot provided. The one exception has been Platypus, which flatten nicely for storage. Recycled plastic pop bottles are far more dependable. I prefer Gatorade 32 oz. because the mouth is fairly wide. The last time I shopped they were only 88 cents on sale, prefilled with some mildly pleasant fluid that did not contaminate the bottle for further use.

2 Liter Coke bottles work pretty well.

Nalgene bottles have been really good in my experience.

Any water I've purchased in a translucent container has failed. Same with translucent containers with kerosene or the like from the hardware store.

HJ

Water is abundant enough that I carry only 1-2 quarts. Steel bottles or naglenes, upright in cupholders

For what it's worth, buying water-container Scepters can be done from Canada. Also, LCI offers 5-gal Jerry Cans for about $20/each.

What source for Scepter have you used in Canada? Very few sources in the US and pricey.

Thanks.

I agree that how much water you carry depends on your travel plans and outside sources. In hot, arid climates 2 gallons might not be enough, given driver and passengers for two days. (When I stock emergency supplies in my vehicle, I plan to reasonably accommodate my passengers as well as myself.)

But most parts of the country I've visited outside the southwest, groundwater is never far enough away to be a concern. As long as I have ways to make it safe to drink, a reasonable starter supply seems more appropriate. Less space and safety concerns, and space is always an issue in my vehicles.

Not trying to convince anyone, just explaining myself (probably needlessly).

Also, in my experience there are no reliability issues using the new, thin containers used in disposable bottles of water. I think that Poland Spring was the first to reduce their plastic content, and I use that brand almost exclusively (please don't tell me nasty things about them, I like the taste). I have had both opened and unopened bottles of this type in my Jeep for months without ill effect, through this summer's record high temperatures (over 100*F for a week, a record in NJ) and multiple freeze/thaw cycles in the Winter. I've even refilled and reused them for weeks. I wouldn't trust the milky, translucent containers in extreme temperatures, but I have some in storage at home that are over a year old.