Reliance Products Desert Patrol 3 Gallon Rigid Water Container

We have used a couple of these as freshwater backups when off the grid and they are the perfect size to fill up just about anywhere. They are easy to handle weight wise (25lbs) when full and are very durable. One jug is enough drinking/cooking water for two people for a couple of days. They store pretty easily in most RV garage areas we've had or strapped to racks, ladders etc.The only problem we've encountered over time is the pesky weep hole plug is made of plastic and has a clothing tag like tail at the end and can detach from the jug pretty easily. If you don't notice when it happens you now have a leaky water jug. Easily fixed, but also could be addressed by better design or fabrication of a different kind of plug (silicone?). If stored and secured properly, weep hole plug included, you will have minimal leak issues.All in we get good practical use out of these jugs and they've held up well in all kinds of conditions and over many miles. They have been in the sun in 100+ F, and they've been below 0 F, yes the water got hot and or froze, but was fine when brought inside out of the elements. I plan to replace mine as I break them, wear them out etc. They have become very hard to find since 2020 and I am glad they came back in stock because I wanted to add another one to my rotation. This is a must have on our packing list.Yes our RV has a water tank, yes we use it, but these jugs allow us to extend our stays by days and have a dedicated drinking water source which allows us to manage the RV water tank for everything else.

UPDATE - After using this product for about 14 months, I'm reporting I'm reasonably happy with it. The size is great - it fits nicely in the step up into my van. When full, this jug is very awkward to pour accurately and it is really happiest when it is in its upright position. It's survived thousands of miles in the back of the van and the initial smell is gone. It feels like a sturdy product still and people who see it often comment on it.Keeping track of the tiny plastic disk that seals the water in for travel was making me crazy until I discovered that it makes a great temporary cap on the tip of the pointed spigot! I don't know why Reliance doesn't mention this anywhere and I wanted you readers to know about it because it took me months to figure out that the little disk could fit on there. You can't leave it there for traveling, but if you are stopped somewhere, having that little cap will keep bugs out of your container without having to go through the rigamarole of totally resealing the container and taking apart the spigot assembly. The only further improvement I would make is to figure out some way to have it on a tie or chain so it doesn't wander too far. Given that you need that small part to make sure no water spill out when you are fully sealed up, it seems ludicrous for it to be so easy to misplace.Here is the original review:Just a quick note - the one I received in July 2016 is the darker green, kind of gray color. Everything else seems the same as the other green one. But the price doubled from $13 and is fluctuating rapidly. (UPDATE: mine now resembles in color the image amazon.com is using so I'll assume they updated the listing).Seems sturdy, definitely has an odor. I plan to rinse repeatedly with water and baking soda. I haven't had enough time to judge it otherwise.

(will copy this review to all 3 products used)Decided to go with a cheapo ATO system for a small aquarium. Didn't want to spend much, and three products from Amazon seemed perfect (Reliance Desert Patrol 3 Gallon, Tom's Aqua Lifter, and the Hydrofarm Digital Timer). All 3 were around $40 shipped.The Aqua Lifter works well, placed behind the tank at base level. A silicon intake line fits perfectly into the Water Container's vent after removing the cap. From what I can tell, there is basically zero water lost to evaporation since the main pour cap remains tightened. In fact, the fitting over the silicon tubing is so tight, that it will crumple the Water Container if the Aqua Lifter is left on. I wanted to judge the estimated 3 gph flow of the Aqua Lifter and forgot to check on it, belatedly discovering a crumpled Water Container. After turning off, the Water Container regained normal shape in about 5 minutes with no lasting issues. I believe the lifter is now rated at 3.5 gph, which is closer to what I found.I currently have the digital timer set to turn on the pump once a day for 7 minutes, replenishing approximately a half gallon of water. No crumpling noticed on short stints. This has worked great for about a month now. Once a week I refill the tank, add some dechlor and fertilizer and am good to go. I have a pretty well planted tank, with massive root clouds from surface plants as well, so end up doing monthly water changes instead of weekly. Add in an automated feeder (currently using the Aqua Chef from Amazon), and these products will easily allow you to travel and not have to worry about your fish or plants for weeks at a time based on the size of your Water Container.

Most liquid containers are built not to tip over. Gas, kerosene, diesel containers all will stay upright in a vehicle. The exception is water containers. For some unknown reason, any water container less than five gallons is built tall and tippy. I have searched many websites trying to find a water container designed like a gas container.For me, it's on its side when making the turn out of the driveway.I could have lived with it in this container if the cap was easy to screw on and watertight. But great care has to be taken to get the cap seated exactly right. You can't unscrew it, use a bit of water and put the cap back on in a hurry because you will probably have a leaky cap. It wouldn't matter so much if it was designed not to tip.