Best Emergency Water Storage Containers in 2026: Tanks, Jugs and WaterBricks for a Home

For a house that wants real water on hand, buy a WaterPrepared 55 Gallon Stackable Tank, fill it from the hose, and forget about it until the next storm. If you would rather have water you can carry to the kitchen, the Aguaprep 5 Gallon Stackable tanks and the WaterBrick 3.5 Gallon bricks store the same water in pieces one person can lift. For a hurricane you can see coming, a bathtub liner turns the tub into a sealed tank and packs away to nothing afterward. Specs here come from each maker's own page.

How much water a North Carolina house should keep

Ready.gov says to store at least one gallon per person per day for several days, and the CDC's emergency water page says three days minimum with two weeks preferred. NC Emergency Management's kit list says one gallon per person per day for three to seven days. For a family of four, three days is 12 gallons, a week is 28, and two weeks is 56, which is why a 55 gallon tank is the common first purchase. Add more for pets, anyone pregnant or sick, and for a hot July outage. The full math, plus how to treat and rotate it, is in our how to store water long term guide.

A Carolina house loses water in plain ways: a hurricane or ice storm knocks out power to the pump station or the well, or a main breaks and the county issues a boil-water notice. In each case you want water you already own, in a container you already cleaned.

What matters when you pick a container

Can you move it full

Water weighs about 8.3 pounds per gallon. A 55 gallon tank full is north of 450 pounds and lives wherever you filled it. A 5 gallon jug is about 42 pounds of water alone, which is a carry most adults can manage to the kitchen. A 3.5 gallon WaterBrick is about 27 pounds full per WaterBrick's spec page, which most teenagers can carry. Decide where the water will be used before you decide how big the container is.

Food-grade plastic and a lid that seals

The CDC says to use FDA-approved food-grade containers with a tight-closing lid, made of unbreakable material, and never a container that held bleach, pesticide or other chemicals. Every container in this guide is described by its maker as BPA-free or food safe, and the Reliance Jumbo-Tainer is FDA compliant. Opaque plastic blocks light, which slows algae.

How you get the water out

A tank with a built-in spigot near the floor drains by gravity into a pitcher. A drum with two bung holes on top needs a hand pump or a siphon, and if you forget to buy one you will be dipping a cup through a two inch hole. Jugs with a pour-through lid or a threaded spigot are the easiest of all. Check what is in the box, because some containers sell the spigot separately.

Where it will sit

The CDC's storage guidance is 50 to 70 degrees, out of direct sun, and away from toxic substances such as the gas can and the pesticides. That rules out most garages in August and the shed. A closet, a laundry room, under a bed, or an interior basement wall is better. Stackable tanks exist because floor space is the thing most houses are short on.

The containers

WaterPrepared 55 Gallon Stackable Utility Water Tank

Best Overall

WaterPrepared 55 Gallon Stackable Utility Water Tank

• 55 gal, stackable
• 22 x 28 x 30 in, per WaterPrepared
• UV-resistant HDPE, BPA-free
• Valves thread onto a garden hose

For a house with a closet corner, a hose, and a family that wants two weeks of water in one fill.

Check price on Amazon

Sold by Spreetail (third-party reseller)

This is the tank that made 55 gallon storage practical in a house. Instead of a round drum it is a flat-sided block that stacks a second tank on top. WaterPrepared's product page lists 22 by 28 by 30 inches, UV-resistant HDPE that is BPA free, a large fill cap, and valves on the front that thread onto a standard garden hose. You fill it with a hose, treat it, and drain it with the hose or a bucket. What it does badly: once full it is roughly 460 pounds of water alone, and a hose-thread valve suits a hose better than a pitcher, so keep a short hose or a shallow pan with it. The Amazon seller is Spreetail, a third-party reseller, so check the seller before you buy. If you have the floor space and a tap, this is the pick.

Emergency Water Tanks 55 Gallon Stackable Tank

Easiest to Clean

Emergency Water Tanks 55 Gallon Stackable Tank

• 55 gal, stackable
• 27.75 x 21.75 x 29.5 in
• 22 lb empty, 490 lb full
• 5 in threaded vented lid
• 3/4 in GHT lead-free brass spigot

For the same job with a lid wide enough to scrub between fills, bought from the maker.

Check price on Amazon

Sold by Hive Innovations

The Emergency Water Tanks brand is a division of Hive Plastics in Cedar City, Utah, and the maker's page lists 27.75 by 21.75 by 29.5 inches, 22 pounds empty and 490 pounds full, a 5 inch threaded vented lid, and one 3/4 inch GHT lead-free brass spigot, in rotationally molded plastic that is BPA-free. The 5 inch lid is the reason to pick it over the WaterPrepared: you can get an arm in to scrub it between fills. The maker also says every tank is pressure-leak tested and offers a five year warranty on registration. What it does badly: one spigot instead of two, and like every 55 gallon tank it is a permanent resident once filled.

Aguaprep 5 Gallon Stackable Water Containers

Spigot in the Box

Aguaprep 5 Gallon Stackable Water Containers

• 4 x 5 gal tanks (20 gal)
• 5 lids plus 1 spigot in the kit
• BPA-free, food-safe HDPE per Aguaprep
• Flat top and bottom, nest together

For the same carryable jugs with a spigot included.

Check price on Amazon

Sold by Aguaprep

Aguaprep's 5 gallon tank is a carryable jug sold from Aguaprep's own storefront; the kit is four tanks with five lids and one spigot. Aguaprep's site describes the tanks as flat-bottomed and flat-topped so they nestle together, in BPA-free food-safe HDPE, and sells a 3/4 inch spigot separately. What it does badly: 5 gallons of water weighs about 42 pounds, and the single spigot means you swap it between tanks. This is the one for water you can carry to the kitchen without a pump.

WaterBrick 3.5 Gallon Containers

Best for Small Spaces

WaterBrick 3.5 Gallon Containers (6 pack)

• 6 x 3.5 gal (21 gal)
• 9 x 18 x 6 in each
• 2.52 lb empty, about 27 lb full
• 3.25 in lid opening
• HDPE, BPA-free, cross-stacks

For an apartment or a house with no spare floor; they go under a bed.

Check price on Amazon

Sold by WaterBrick International

WaterBrick is a different shape: a 9 by 18 by 6 inch brick with interlocking knobs so they cross-stack like building blocks. WaterBrick's spec page lists 3.5 gallons, 2.52 pounds empty and about 27 pounds full, HDPE with a polypropylene lid and a TPE gasket, BPA-free and FDA compliant, and a 3.25 inch lid opening an adult can reach a hand through for cleaning. The 6-pack on Amazon is 21 gallons that slides under a bed or stacks in a closet corner. What it does badly: 3.5 gallons is the smallest unit here, so you handle more containers, and the spigot lid is a separate purchase. Sold by WaterBrick International's own storefront. This is the container for an apartment or a small house with no spare floor.

Bathtub liners for a storm you can see coming

A bathtub liner is a food-grade bladder you lay in the tub when the storm is a day out, fill from the faucet, and pump from as you need water. It stores far more than a closet shelf can, and it packs away flat. We do not recommend a specific liner, so check the maker's own page for the food-grade statement and capacity before you buy. What they do badly: a liner is a single-event product in practice, it needs a working faucet before the water goes out, the pump is slow, and the tub is out of service while it is full. In a hurricane you have days of warning to fill it.

Reliance Jumbo-Tainer 2.0 7 Gallon

Kitchen Counter

Reliance Jumbo-Tainer 2.0 7 Gallon

• 7 gal (26 L)
• 15.3 x 8.5 x 18.0 in, 2.9 lb empty
• Leak-proof hideaway spigot
• Dual handles for pouring and tie-down
• LFGB certified, FDA compliant, BPA and PFAS free

For the jug that sits on the counter or rides in a truck bed while the big tank stays in the closet.

Check price on Amazon

Sold by Amazon.com

The Jumbo-Tainer 2.0 is Reliance's 7 gallon jug, sold by Amazon.com. Reliance lists it at 15.3 by 8.5 by 18.0 inches and 2.9 pounds empty, with a leak-proof hideaway spigot, dual handles for pouring and tie-down, and a slender design. It is LFGB certified and FDA compliant, and PFAS and BPA free. Seven gallons of water alone is about 58 pounds, which is a two-handed carry and the main complaint with jugs this size. What it does well is sit on a counter or ride in a truck bed and dispense, so it is the jug for the kitchen while the big tank stays in the closet.

Reliance Fold-A-Carrier 5 Gallon

Collapsible Carrier

Reliance Fold-A-Carrier 5 Gallon

• 5 gal (20 L), collapsible
• 11.3 in cube, 0.55 lb
• Leak-proof on-off spigot
• Transparent, tip-resistant
• Stays flexible in cold

For hauling water after the storm and a last-minute fill, not for years in a closet.

Check price on Amazon

Sold by Amazon.com

The Fold-A-Carrier is a collapsible 5 gallon container that Reliance lists at 11.3 inches on each side and 0.55 pounds. It has a leak-proof on-off spigot, a transparent body that shows the level, an integrated handle, and a tip-resistant design, it stays flexible in cold weather, and it is food safe and PFAS and BPA-free. Sold by Amazon.com. It is the one container here that is not a long-term storage container. Keep two folded in the hurricane kit and fill them the day before landfall, or use them to haul water from a neighbor's well or a distribution point after the storm. What it does badly: thin collapsible plastic is not what you want to leave full for years, and a full 5 gallons is about 42 pounds of water alone. Treat it as a carrier, not a tank.

Side by side

What to skip, and who should skip this

A round 55 gallon drum does not stack, has no spigot, and needs a drum pump through its bung, so it is a poor first buy unless you already own a pump. Aquatabs and other treatment tablets, and every filter, belong to our sister site Pure Flow Lab, which covers purification in depth; a container is only half of the plan.

If you live in an apartment with no closet to spare, skip the 55 gallon tanks entirely and buy a WaterBrick 6-pack and a bathtub liner. If you have a well with a generator, your problem is fuel, not water storage, and our sister site's best generator for home guide is the better read. The rest of the storm gear lives on the storm prep page, and the rest of the storm box is in our North Carolina hurricane kit.

Questions people ask about storing water

How long can I keep water in these containers?

Ready.gov and the CDC both say to replace self-filled water every six months. A water preserver concentrate is sold to extend that to five years, per its maker (7C's Safety and Environmental); we cover it in the long-term storage guide. Municipal tap water already has chlorine in it, which is why a clean container filled from the tap keeps as long as it does.

Is a 55 gallon tank enough for a family?

At one gallon per person per day, 55 gallons is about two weeks for four people, which is the CDC's preferred supply. It does not cover washing, flushing, or a dog, so most families pair a tank with a bathtub liner for the non-drinking water.

Can I store water in the garage?

You can, but a Carolina garage runs well above the CDC's 50 to 70 degree range for much of the year, and gasoline and lawn chemicals usually live there too. An interior closet or a basement wall is better. If the garage is the only option, keep the tank away from the mower and off the concrete on a pallet or boards.

What about the water heater?

The CDC lists water from your home's tap water heater tank as an emergency source, meaning the tank that feeds your faucets and not the one that feeds old radiators. A typical tank holds 40 to 50 gallons. Shut the inlet valve and the power or gas before you drain it.

Our pick, and why

Buy the WaterPrepared 55 Gallon Stackable for the closet and a WaterBrick 6-pack or an Aguaprep set of 5 gallon tanks for the kitchen, and plan to fill the tub with a liner when a hurricane is on the way. If you only buy one thing, make it the 55 gallon tank.