WaterBrick 1833-0003-12 Stackable Water and Food Storage Container, Holds 3.5 gal of Liquids/Up to 27 lb. of Dry Foods, Tan (Pack of 12)

I have been shopping around for a while to find a replacement for the 5 gallon plastic jerry cans that I currently use for water while camping, and for emergencies.Initially I was excited about the WaterBrick, as it seemed well made (in the USA), and very rugged. The bricks are supposedly meant to be stored on their sides (so that they can be stacked), which suggested to me that a lot of thought went into designing a leak-proof lid. Sadly, this is not the case.As a test of their leak-proof-ness, I filled my two new water bricks with water and put the lids on. They were tightened by hand, but I think I got them pretty tight (I'm 6'4", 200 lbs., and my hobbies are carpentry and spearfishing, so my hands are fairly strong). I then leaned the bricks over on the counter and left them there for one hour. Upon my return, there was a puddle of water beneath each one, completely encircling the containers. I'd guess that in one hour, perhaps an 8 ounces of water leaked out (see picture).This is a real disgrace. The waterbrick.org website markets these bricks as an emergency preparedness product, even positioning itself as a supplier to humanitarian missions and the military. I would not take these camping to the beach down the road, let along on a humanitarian mission. It's a joke.To the folks at WaterBrick: the whole water storage product is a waste of effort if the single most important part--the lid and associated seal--is badly designed. The thin membrane that comes with each container to be used as a sealer is a joke. Seriously, science found a solution to this problem decades ago: it's called an o-ring. This is a serious design flaw. The container is completely useless as a storage system for water if it does not seal.I was going to give a one star review, but I might be able to use them for food, so I gave it a 2 star. My guess is that it won't leak beans when I fill it with food. But only time will tell.

Well I missed the return window because I was out of the country. Filled these with water and stacked them for when we returned - two are leaking through the seal on the sides. (If it was leaking through the screw-on top I could say maybe we didn't tighten it down - but nope, through the plastic seal. What a mess. Would not buy again. Bought a couple several years ago (for our rural homestead and camping) and loved them - but they must be using a cheap vendor now. Don't waste your money.

Use: I got this for dry camping and offroading. I tried this because of the form factor and manageability. It's small enough to fit in crannies, or it stacks together to keep them secure in the truck bed. I like it, but the dispenser spigot is super awful. I drilled a whole in the bottom of one brick, and put a 1/4 turn hose spigot on it. It was difficult to make it seal since I can't fit my hand to the bottom, and this solution reduces the space flexibility. Cracking the lid for venting, I get high flow for 95% capacity.Pro. Stacks really nice, relatively light (3.5 gal is more manageable than 5), holds shape well even in 120°F, relatively robust for sliding around in the truck bed, and has a wide mouth for very fast fill/empty.Con: Cannot evacuate all the water when inverted, cannot reach the bottom inside with my hand, has thin spots at stress concentration areas, the handle is .... interesting, the dispenser lid/spigot is horrible, and the lid seal is poorly designed and falls inside.

Bought 4 of these for camping and weather related preparation. The size is good and the ability to stack them with the interlocking shape is convenient. The handles are indeed a bit fiddly and I find that for taking the cap on/off it's best to just take the handle off temporarily. One of the 3 has a slight leak, something that was mostly (but not completely) fixed by wrenching the cap down tighter but I'm still glad I put a tarp down under them in my vehicle. Due to their size they are easy to carry when full using the handle.With the water dispenser cap you have to tilt or otherwise incline it once the water level goes down below the halfway point, and it's a bit of a challenge to get all of the water out completely, I will probably look at switching to a siphon or hand pump instead of using the dispenser cap in the future. Rinsing them out requires some acrobatics because the molded supports for stacking get in the way.They serve their purpose, but if I was buying again today I'd probably look harder at the Aquabrick product instead.

I like the size and shape. They stack great and are easy to carry. They seem durable and well built. The design of the end with the opening is poor. It is impossible to pour out the last half liter or so of water. I replaced the wire in the handles with 4mm cord which is much nicer. The gaskets in the lids tend to fall out if you're not careful to it's easy to loose them.

The size is perfect, they stack well and have plenty of tie downs. I normally carry two lashed down to the rear wheel well in a open top CJ-5 in the desert or out rock crawling. If you get one I recommend the spigot to make things easier and less wasted water. When we get into camp we put it on the top of a tire and angle it slightly down where the top of the body holds it securely in place so people can wash their hands or get water to cook or clean dishes. Can't have enough of these on hand! If I could give them 10 stars I would.

I bought four of these to augment my water storage. I like the size; at 3.5 gallons, they are small enough for my wife to handle if need be. These stack well, but I am standing them up longways behind my couch to take advantage if the gap behind it and the wall.