For drinking water, buy a container that says it's food-grade or safe for drinking water. A rigid 20 to 25-litre container with a tap, such as the Sirsa 25-litre at about £21, is easiest to use once it's full. A collapsible one folds away when you don't need it and is handy for collecting from a standpipe or a water company's bottled supply.
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How much to keep, and for how long: the water calculator and storage guide.
Prices from the shop named on each button. Specs from the makers' and shops' listings.
A 25-litre container with a tap, a pouring spout and an air inlet cap. The shop says it's made from polyethylene "certified for contact with foodstuffs". Full, it weighs about 26 kg, so it's for filling where it will stay.
A drum that rolls along the ground, for moving 40 litres from a standpipe or tanker without lifting it. Hitchman says it's made from certified food-grade materials; Parkers advises against storing drinking water in it.
A rugged 20-litre can with a spout that tucks inside; you lift and pour. It was out of stock at the shop we checked.
Sold out at Wavian when we checked on 4 November.
An 18-litre food-grade container with a tap and two handles, to sit on a worktop. On pre-order until February 2027 when we checked.
Folds flat when empty, with a built-in tap, a level indicator and a locking lid. Colapz says it's food-grade, frost-proof and "safe for storing drinking water".
A plain folding carrier with a tap, the shop says in food-grade polyurethane. Good as a spare for collecting water.
A similar 15-litre folding carrier with a tap in the lid, described the same way by its shop.
A fabric bag with a food-grade lining that packs small; Live for the Outdoors found a fast flow but a taste that was hard to shift.
A cheap expanding carrier with a tap. We found no food-grade or drinking-water statement for it, so it suits washing and flushing water.
These are findings other testers have published, credited with links. Live for the Outdoors timed each container's flow by filling a 1-litre bottle.