June 2008 - Coleman 5-Gallon Expandable Water Carrier

Water is essential on any camping trip. Coffee, lemonade, soup -- every meal requires water before, during and after. Pets even need water from home as unfamiliar waters may upset their stomach.

You should pack at least a gallon per day, per person -- so a five gallon jug is a good size for a two-person, two-day excursion.

Packing space is also important. Having a water container that collapses as the supply diminishes is convenient -- easily packed away when empty.

We have two of these carriers, and we use them often. Unfortunately, they leak where the spigot screws on to the bottle.

Still, water and packing space are important, so here are the methods we’ve adapted to keep the containers in use.

First, don’t fill the container with five gallons of water. Fill it with four gallons. This leaves "splashing space" in the top of the container, keeping water from swirling up around the lip.

Second, place a piece of cling wrap over the hole at the top and secure it with a rubber band before installing the spigot-cap.

After installing the cap, place the entire container inside a sturdy trash bag (you can use the bag later at camp for actual trash). Tie the bag securely at the top.

When loading the water container in your vehicle, if it’s not going in a truck bed, then lay another trash bag on the floor of your vehicle beneath the bagged container.

When you arrive at your location, use the trash bag protecting the floor for camp trash, and take the bag from the container and hang it upside down to drain and dry. Place the water jug, spigot side up, on a sturdy, flat location.

Remove the spigot, then remove the cellophane and rubber band, and your camp water-source is ready.

Always keep the spigot side up, except when you tip the container over to get water from it. (See photo at right) This is an essential point, or you’ll slowly lose your water supply, and will discover a mud puddle in the middle of camp.

When you do tip the jug over to pour water from the spigot, try to open the spigot first, then align your receiving container with the spigot outlet as you tip the jug over. This will prevent "dribbling" and keep pressure of the screw-rings where the cap attaches to the jug.

Tip the jug easily and gently, as four gallons of water, when the bottle is squeezed or pressured, can blow the whole cap right off. As the amount of water in the jug gets smaller, the blow-off risk and dribbling amount decreases.

When finished drawing the needed water from the jug, immediately tip the jug back up, and close the spigot.

As the water in the container is depleted, the jug walls relax. Pressure against the jug walls and the cap connection diminishes and the container becomes easier to handle. It helps to push air out of the bottle and compress the container as you go, because when it gets low, it will have to be tipped further and further forward to get the last of the liquid to flow out of the spigot with any speed.

When the container is empty, remove the cap, drain out any remaining water, collapse the bottle, and replace the cap. Make sure the spigot is in the closed position, and pack the jug with your other cookware for the trip home.

When you get home and unpack, remove and wash the spigot, rinse the container with hot water, and allow it to dry, while expanded, upside down.