21 Emergency Water Storage Container Ideas For SHTF

Amazon| GEO Sports Bottles Store

Nine: Allentian Stainless Steel Water Can

• It comes in 5, 8, or 10-gallon sizes
• Weighs approximately 50 lbs when full 
• Not stackable
• Portable 
• Spotty build quality
• Known to leak

Amazon

Ten: Portable Water Storage Cube

5 Gallons/18.93 Liters

• Holds 5 gallons 
• Weight full: approximately 42 lbs
• Flexible and somewhat foldable for storage 
• Somewhat challenging to fill with water and unstable when it’s partially full
• Flimsy and will roll off of a table if not secured 
• Carrying when full is challenging
• Not as tough as the rigid-bodied jerricans

The Fold-A-Carrier is a great bag to have on hand for backup or to fill if you know an emergency event, like a hurricane or tropical storm, is on the way. I wouldn’t use it for long-term water storage; it’s just too delicate and difficult to store.   

Amazon| Water Storage Cube Store

Eleven: Samson Stackers

5 Gallon/18.93 Liters

• Dimensions: 11.25″ x 10″ x 14.25″ 
• Hold 5 gallons of water 
• Approximate weight full: 42 lbs
• Stackable
• Solidly Built
• Spigot is not included, but there are all-inclusive kits available
• As with all square-shouldered containers, it is more challenging to get all of the water out and to clean

Amazon| API Kirk Containers

Twelve: Saratoga Farms

5 Gallon/ 18.93 Liter

• Solidly Built
• Stack well 
• Spigot not included 
• Lid wrench not included 
• Weigh approximately 42 lbs when filled with water 
• Lids may leak 
• It does not have a vent like some of the jerrican style water containers, so water glugs out. 
• As with all square-shouldered containers, it is more challenging to get all of the water out and clean.

Container shape is a trade-off; if you want your containers to be stackable, they are more likely to be square-ish and, therefore, a little harder to clean.

Amazon| Saratoga Farms

This type of store-bought water is popular for emergency preparedness because the bottles are solid, stackable, and reusable.

• 3 liters in each bottle
• Pre-filled with spring water 
• Stackable
• BPA free 
• 2-year expiration date
• Requires stock rotation
• Unavailable when an article written

Amazon| Ice Mountain

At the time I’m writing this article., I was able to find IBC totes selling on Craigslist for $75 to $100 per unit. Finding these is worth the footwork if you have the time and the space to store them. These are pretty popular among homesteaders and are used for everything from water storage to building dog houses.

• Food-grade IBC totes are used by food manufacturers to store honey, cane syrup, and other food-grade items for manufacturing food.  
• Make sure you know what was in the totes before you purchase used ones for storing drinking water.   
• IBC totes also work well for rainwater collection and can be converted for aquaponics.

Amazon

If you are looking for one or two water storage containers that are bullet-proof and portable, these Scepter are the best choice on the list. Scepters are tough enough to withstand the extreme conditions encountered by our troops. A good way to store water long-term.

• Dimension: 18 3/4″x 13 1/2″ x 6 3/8″
• BPA Free
• Made by a military contractor to military specifications 
• 5.2 gallons (20 liters)
• 1 wide-mouth opening
• 1 air-vent
• 1 small pour cap
• No o-rings
• Heavy-duty handle
• Weight empty: 5 lbs
• Weight full: 50 lbs
• Stackable 
• Extremely heavy-duty 
• Easy to clean
• Expensive but worth it

Amazon| Scepter Store

Sixteen: Re-used Food Grade Containers

Re-used containers include 2-liter pop bottles to 55-gallon drums previously filled with honey.

• Make sure you know what was in the containers before you use them. You don’t want hazardous chemicals in your drinking water.
• Avoid using plastics that have an expiration date
• BPA-free only
• Make sure the re-used container is food-safe 
• Clean well
• Sound method for storing hygiene and sanitation water
• Re-used containers can transfer the flavor of what was in the bottle into the water. No matter how well you clean the container, it will give taste to the water

Seventeen: WaterBOB

Bathtub Emergency Water Storage Container 100 Gallons/ 378 Liters

The WaterBOB is a giant water bladder that you fill in your bathtub for temporary water storage—used to prepare when you have advanced notice of an event like a hurricane, tropical storm, or flooding. As the bladder fills, the walls of the tub provide support. You can fill the bladder without treating the water if your municipal water is clean.  

• Holds 100 gallons of water in your bathtub
• Weight filled: 800lbs
• It only works in standard bathtubs
• Does not filter or treat water
• Considered a one-use item
• BPA free
• Use if you expect flooding, groundwater contamination, loss of municipal water source or a loss of power
• Use before your water supply is contaminated, or treat the water if it is contaminated 
• Use in place of store-bought water if you know a hurricane or tropical storm is coming
• Water will stay fresh for up to 12 weeks (if it’s clean when it goes in)
• Siphon pump included

waterBOB.com

Eighteen: Above Ground Emergency Water Tanks

If you have space and want to get serious about water storage, look into the types of tanks used by farmers, ranchers, and those living off the grid.  

• A company like Plastic-Mart (I have no vested interest) offers emergency water tanks that start at 50 gallons and go up to 10,000 gallons.
• Tanks are UV stabilized, so you can use them outdoors
• Commonly used for drinking water, fire protection, irrigation, disaster preparedness, and rainwater collection

I’d never heard of these tanks before writing this article, but they are pretty cool for the right application.

Designed so you can carry the tank through a conventional household door. These tanks are usually left in place once installed.  

• Also known as wall tanks, closet tanks, or slimline tanks.
• 100-1000 gallons when filled
• Designed to fit through most conventional doors
• Installed to stand upright
• Constructed of polyethylene resin that is FDA approved for potable food-grade water
• Check out Tank-mart.com if you are interested in looking at these (I have no vested interest)

Twenty: Mobile Water Storage Tanks

Maybe you are considering having mobile water storage. Many have cabins that do not have a water supply. A portable water storage tank placed on a utility trailer or in the back of your pickup might be a good option for flexible water storage.  

• Portable storage tanks come in all shapes and sizes, from 2.8 gallons up to 1000 gallons, and every size in-between.
• Consult the Maximum Payload Specification for your vehicle before deciding on a mobile storage tank
• The Maximum Payload for a Ford F-150 bed is 1,142 lbs to 2,309 lbs, so the top-water weight you could store would be 136 gallons to 276 gallons, respectively (less the weight of the storage tank) 
• You can check these out on plastic-mart.com ( I have no vested interest)

Twenty-One: Pickup Truck Bed Tank  

305 Gallon/1154 Liter

These tanks aren’t practical for most of us, but you never know what someone’s needs are. I don’t like that these units take up the entire truck bed and eat up most of your Maximum Payload when full.

• Holds 305 gallons when full
• The tank weighs 107 lbs
• Weight full: 2650 lbs
• This tank will only work on heavy-duty trucks (check your Max Payload)
• These tanks take up your entire pickup bed
• It fits in most standard truck beds
• Dimensions: 60″ Diameter x 30″ Height
• FDA Approved for drinking water
• You can check these out on NTOtank.com (I have no vested interest)

Water Storage Tips: 

• If your municipal water is chlorinated and clean, you don’t have to filter or purify it before storage
• For water storage, look for food-grade, BPA-free, HDPE plastic
• Sanitize whatever container you use to store water
• Don’t use containers that were used to store any type of hazardous chemical
• Keep clear containers out of the light
• Fill large containers like 55-gallon drums where you plan to store them. They will be too heavy to move after filling.
• Store water in a cool, dry location with no direct sunlight or considerable fluctuations in temperature
• If you store emergency water outdoors, take extra precautions to protect water from extremes of temperature and sunlight.
• Clean and fill your bathtubs with water if you have prior warning of an emergency like a hurricane or tropical storm.
• If a hurricane is coming, fill any containers you have available (any extra water you have will help)
• If it’s legal where you live, collect rainwater.
• Most models of water containers, spouts, and spigots leak at some point
• Water containers may leak if turned on their side or if stacked when they aren’t designed for that purpose
• Weight and compression can cause leaks through vents and o-rings, so keep an eye on water storage the first few days after you fill
• Have a method to purify and filter found water. You never know when you will have to walk out of a situation  
• Calcium hypochlorite can be used to make a bleach solution that you use to chlorinate drinking water. It stores much longer than store-bought bleach, which has a shelf-life of only six months
• Consider how much each container weighs before using them for water storage. A 5-gallon water jug weighs approximately 40lbs when filled
• Water weighs: 8.34 lbs per gallon
• Water weighs: 2.20 lbs per liter
• Water containers may burst if they freeze