I have about 30 gallons of drinking water hauled in from town and stored in cool darkness at Ian’s place, and when I lose water at the Lair I end up spending some of it on utility measures other than drinking. It never made a lot of sense to me but I never got around to fixing the deficiency before today. Those blue food-grade bottles are expensive and a little fragile.
I’m going to label these two 5-gallon jugs “not for drinking.” I can fill them at any neighbor’s, rather than having to haul them all the way to town and spend a buck filling each. And they’re stout enough that even bashing around in the back of the Jeep they’ll probably outlast me.
Those look pretty durable. What brand are they?
Home Depot and Lowes sell the white “food grade” 5 gallon buckets with lids for pretty cheap money. Lids are available with a screw on pour caps. They are quite a bit more durable than your clear water jugs.
I like Mike’s suggestion. That plastic won’t be harmed by UV (as quickly) as the clear jugs. Of course, the blue ones aren’t either, but as you say they are expensive.
I hate to be the voice of “Its only money” but I wound up purchasing some Scepter water cans offa Amazon and they are about the most rugged and durable water container you’re gonna come across. Drawback is that they aren’t cheap. But, if you buy one every other month or so, you can spread the pain out a bit. ( https://amzn.to/4g6XToh ) Useful features include an enormous mouth that will let you get your whole arm in there for cleaning, or for filling with ice. Smaller pour openings for regular use. Fits on an ALICE pack frame. Aftermarket accessories available. And just pretty much impervious to the kind of wear and tear you might inflict in your usage. But…almost $50 each. Pretty much guaranteed to outright outlast you, though.
Commander ZEE, as I wrote in Joel’s last post, If Joel is going to buy water jugs, which I doubt, he would be better off with Reliance Aqua-Tainers at $19.88 verses $48.99 for the Scepter. They are half the price, and I’ve learned through the experience of owning both that Aqua-Tainers are just as tough. I have one that, through my forgetfulness of leaving it outside full of water, froze solid a few years ago, and I still use it.
https://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Products-Aqua-Tainer-Gallon-Container/dp/B001QC31G6/ref=pd_rhf_dp_s_pd_sbs_rvi_d_sccl_2_5/134-4582240-5478865
I had a 5 gallon Reliance jug spring a leak at a bottom corner. Switched the remainder to non-potable usage, and (before they got too expensive), bought a handful of Scepter water jugs.
Coleman sells a 5 gallon jug. We gave a couple to our neighbors, and they’re pretty happy with them. (We also have one from 2000 that was in our old tent trailer. Haven’t used it lately, but it seems to be OK. It seems to be the same as what’s sold now.)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09HN15V31/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The Coleman jugs are (were?) mid-priced, as memory serves a bit more expensive than the Reliance, but much less than the current assortment of Sceptres.