6 Best Emergency Water Storage Containers for Apartments That Maximize Every Inch
Living in an apartment? Maximize your emergency water supply with our top 6 space-saving containers, including stackable, slim, and collapsible options.
The boil water advisory flashes across your phone, or worse, the water from your tap just stops completely. In an apartment, you’re entirely dependent on building infrastructure you don’t control, making you uniquely vulnerable to disruptions. The question isn’t if you should store emergency water, but how you can do it without sacrificing precious square footage.
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Smart Water Storage for Apartment Prepping
The biggest hurdle in apartment prepping is the space itself. You’re dealing with weight limits on floors, a lack of garage or basement storage, and sometimes, rules from a landlord. Forget the 55-gallon drums you see in suburban garages; our game is about efficiency and integration.
Your goal is to turn dead space into active storage. The forgotten floor of the coat closet, the void under your bed, the awkward corner behind a dresser—these are your new reservoirs. It’s about finding solutions that fit the life and the space you already have.
Before you buy a single container, grab a tape measure. Know the exact dimensions of that closet floor or the clearance under your sofa. The best water storage container is the one that perfectly fits a space you aren’t otherwise using. This simple act of measuring first will save you from the frustration of a container that’s half an inch too tall.
WaterBrick: Modular Storage for Tight Closets
WaterBricks are the answer for anyone with an awkwardly shaped closet or a deep pantry. Think of them as the building blocks of water storage. They are heavy-duty, stackable, rectangular containers that lock together, creating a solid, stable unit.
Each 3.5-gallon brick is 9 inches wide by 18 inches long, a perfect dimension for sliding under many bed frames or stacking in narrow spaces where a round jug would be useless. The interlocking nubs and grooves mean you can stack them high without worrying about them toppling over. They also have a large, comfortable handle, making them far easier to carry than a slippery, round jug.
The main tradeoff here is cost. WaterBricks are a premium product, and you’ll pay more per gallon than you would for a simple cube. However, for maximizing every last inch of a rectangular space, their modular design is unmatched. They turn a chaotic pile of jugs into an organized, solid block of life-sustaining water.
WaterBOB: Turn Your Bathtub Into a Reservoir
The WaterBOB is one of the most brilliant inventions for apartment dwellers. It’s a temporary, high-capacity solution that uses a space you already have: your bathtub. It is a large, food-grade plastic bladder that you lay out in the tub and fill with water from the faucet right before an emergency.
This simple system instantly gives you up to 100 gallons of potable water, safely contained and protected from the dirt and grime of an open tub. In an emergency where the water is about to be shut off, this is your lifeline. When the crisis is over, you simply drain it, let it dry, and fold it back up into a tiny package that fits under the sink.
It’s crucial to understand this is a "just-in-time" solution, not a long-term, pre-filled storage option. You need advance warning, like an incoming hurricane or a planned utility shutdown, to deploy it. Think of the WaterBOB as your emergency reservoir, not your immediate-need supply. You should always pair it with a few gallons of ready-to-drink water for the first few hours.
Reliance Aqua-Tainer: The Classic, Sturdy Cube
The 7-gallon Reliance Aqua-Tainer is the undisputed workhorse of water storage. This stout blue cube is tough, affordable, and incredibly practical. I’ve had the same ones for over a decade, and they’ve survived everything from being tossed in the back of a truck to years of sitting in a closet.
Its cube shape is inherently more space-efficient than a round container, allowing you to store them side-by-side with no wasted air gaps. The reversible spigot is a fantastic feature; it tucks away for clean, protected storage and flips around for easy, glug-free pouring. Two of these fit perfectly on the floor of most standard closets, giving you 14 gallons of water in about two square feet of space.
The only real consideration is weight. At over 8 pounds per gallon, a full 7-gallon container weighs nearly 60 pounds. Make sure you can safely lift it and that the surface you’re placing it on can handle the load. For a simple, no-fuss, budget-friendly option, the Aqua-Tainer is very hard to beat.
Coghlan’s Carrier: Folds Flat When Not in Use
If you’re in a studio apartment where every single inch counts, a collapsible carrier is a viable option. Products like the Coghlan’s Collapsible Water Carrier are essentially tough plastic bags that fold down to the size of a thick magazine when empty. You can stash half a dozen of them in a single drawer.
These containers shine as a secondary or transport solution. Keep them empty in your emergency kit. If you need to get water from a public distribution point or want to decant water from your large WaterBOB into smaller, more manageable containers, they’re perfect. They allow you to scale your water carrying capacity up and down as needed.
Their primary weakness is durability. They aren’t as puncture-resistant as a rigid container and can be floppy and awkward to carry when full. I wouldn’t rely on them as my sole source of long-term storage, but as a space-saving supplement to a more robust system, they are an excellent tool to have.
Saratoga Farms Jugs: Maximize Vertical Space
For those looking to go vertical, the stackable jugs from companies like Saratoga Farms are a game-changer. These 5-gallon containers are tall, slender, and feature a rectangular footprint designed for one purpose: stacking.
Unlike the flimsy, single-use jugs from the grocery store, these are made from thick, durable, BPA-free plastic. The top and bottom are molded to interlock, creating a surprisingly stable column of water. In a secure corner of a closet, you can easily and safely stack them three or four high, giving you 15-20 gallons of water on a footprint of less than one square foot.
The key is to ensure they are on a perfectly level surface and in a location where they won’t get bumped. While they are designed to be stable, physics is still physics. For pure gallon-to-footprint efficiency, especially if you have vertical space to spare, these stacking jugs are one of the best solutions on the market.
AquaPodKit: Another Great Bathtub Liner Option
The AquaPodKit operates on the same principle as the WaterBOB and is another fantastic choice for mass water storage. It’s a heavy-duty liner that turns your bathtub into a clean, safe water reservoir. It’s an essential piece of gear for anyone with a tub.
One of the standout features of the AquaPodKit is the included siphon pump. This simple device makes it much easier to dispense water into smaller pitchers or bottles without contaminating the entire supply by dipping things into it. It holds about 65 gallons, which is plenty for a family for over a week.
Ultimately, the choice between the AquaPodKit and the WaterBOB often comes down to small differences in design, price, or which one is in stock. The core concept is identical and equally effective. Having one of these systems tucked away in a linen closet provides an incredible amount of security for a very small investment in space and money.
Calculating and Rotating Your Stored Water Supply
The standard rule of thumb is to store one gallon of water per person, per day. Plan for half a gallon for drinking and the other half for basic hygiene and cooking. A 3-day supply for two people is a minimum of 6 gallons; I strongly advise aiming for at least a 7-day supply, which would be 14 gallons.
Commercially bottled water has an expiration date, but water you store yourself from the tap doesn’t truly expire. However, it’s best practice to rotate it every 6-12 months to keep it fresh and prevent any plastic taste from leaching into it. Use a permanent marker to write the date you filled the container directly on the side. When it’s time to rotate, simply use the old water for your plants or to cook with, and refill the container with fresh water.
Don’t forget to account for pets in your calculations; a medium-sized dog will need about half a gallon per day. It’s also wise to store a small bottle of plain, unscented household bleach. In a dire situation, you can use it to purify questionable water sources, adding another layer of resilience to your plan.
The right container isn’t the biggest or most expensive one; it’s the one that tucks away neatly into the unused corners of your apartment. Start small this weekend by picking up a single 7-gallon Aqua-Tainer or a pair of WaterBricks and finding them a permanent home. That simple action buys you a level of security and peace of mind that no other prep can provide.
