7 Best Food Grade Water Tanks For Campers That Nomads Swear By

You’ve spent weeks framing your van, insulating every cavity, and running wires, but the moment you turn on the faucet for the first time and clean water flows, the build finally feels like a home. Your fresh water tank is the heart of your camper’s plumbing system, a decision that dictates how long you can stay off-grid and how self-sufficient you truly are. Choosing the right one isn’t about finding the biggest or most expensive tank; it’s about matching the container to your rig, your travel style, and your daily water needs.

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Choosing Your Camper’s Food-Grade Water Tank

The first thing people get wrong is thinking bigger is always better. A 40-gallon tank sounds great for long showers, but that’s 334 pounds of water sloshing around. You have to consider how that weight impacts your vehicle’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), handling, and fuel economy. The real goal is to find the sweet spot between capacity and practicality.

Think about your water usage in days, not gallons. How long do you want to be able to stay off-grid without refilling? For a solo traveler who is conservative with water, 15-20 gallons might last a week. A couple who enjoys longer showers might need 30-40 gallons for the same period. This calculation is your starting point.

Finally, consider the material and shape. All fresh water tanks must be made from food-grade, BPA-free plastic. Beyond that, the form factor is crucial. Will a rectangular tank fit neatly over your wheel well, or do you have a strange, unused cavity where a flexible bladder tank might be the only option? Don’t just buy a tank; map out exactly where it will live and how you’ll secure it before you click "purchase."

RecPro RV Water Tanks: The Versatile Choice

When you’re staring at an empty cargo van, a standard, boxy water tank can feel like a clumsy obstacle. This is where RecPro shines. They offer a staggering variety of sizes and dimensions, including tanks specifically molded to fit over wheel wells, saving you precious floor space.

Their tanks are made from durable, food-grade polyethylene, which is the industry standard for a reason—it doesn’t impart a plastic taste to your water and stands up to the constant vibrations of the road. Because they’re a major supplier for the RV industry, you can trust their quality control. For many builders, a RecPro tank is the simple, reliable, and perfectly-sized solution that just works.

Scepter Water Can: Rugged and Road-Tested

Sometimes, a permanently installed tank isn’t the right answer. If you’re building a smaller rig, or if you want a more flexible system, the Scepter Water Can is a legend. These are the military-grade, high-density polyethylene cans that can be dropped, frozen, and abused without failing.

The beauty of a Scepter-based system is its modularity. You can start with one or two 5-gallon (20L) cans and add more as needed. This allows you to distribute weight easily and makes refilling a breeze—you don’t have to find a place to park your whole rig next to a spigot. Just grab a can and walk. Many nomads use these for their primary water source, linking two or three together to feed a 12V pump for a fully functional, yet portable, plumbing system.

Vetus Flexible Tank: For Awkward Van Spaces

Every van conversion has that one weird, unusable space. It’s too small for a cabinet, too oddly shaped for storage, but too big to ignore. The Vetus Flexible Tank is designed for exactly these situations. Think of it as a heavy-duty, reinforced water bladder that can be squeezed into a locker, under a bench, or into the bilge of a boat.

These tanks conform to the shape of their container, maximizing water storage in places a rigid tank could never go. They come with fittings for both the inlet and outlet, making plumbing relatively straightforward. However, there’s a tradeoff: they are more susceptible to punctures than a hard-shell tank. You must ensure the compartment is completely free of screws, sharp edges, or anything that could chafe a hole in the bladder over thousands of miles of vibration.

Reliance Aqua-Tainer: Top Portable Solution

The blue Reliance Aqua-Tainer is an icon of camping for a reason: it’s simple, cheap, and effective. While not as indestructible as a Scepter can, its rigid, stackable design and hideaway spigot make it incredibly practical. At 7 gallons, it holds a substantial amount of water while still being manageable to carry from the fill station to your camper.

Many nomads use an Aqua-Tainer as their entire water system, placing it on a countertop and using the spigot for gravity-fed water at the sink. Others use it as a backup supply or for easy refilling of their main tank. It’s the most affordable and accessible entry into a reliable water storage solution, and you can find them at almost any big-box or outdoor store.

Class A Customs: For Large Capacity Systems

If your goal is maximum off-grid autonomy, you’re going to need a big tank. Class A Customs specializes in large-capacity, food-grade polyethylene tanks, often in the 40 to 100-gallon range. These are for serious rigs—skoolies, box trucks, and large vans where water independence for a week or more is a priority.

Installing a tank this large is a significant engineering challenge. You’re not just finding a spot for it; you’re planning your vehicle’s entire layout and weight distribution around it. A 50-gallon tank adds over 400 pounds, so it must be mounted low, centered, and securely baffled and strapped to the vehicle’s frame.

These tanks often come as blank slates, allowing you to install your own fittings exactly where you need them. This offers incredible customization for complex plumbing systems with multiple water lines, but it also requires more tools and know-how. This is the pro-level choice for builders who are confident in their fabrication skills and have the space to spare.

Front Runner Slim Tank: A Space-Saving Pro

Floor space is the most valuable currency in a camper van. The Front Runner Slim Tank is designed to use vertical space instead. These brilliantly designed, narrow tanks can be mounted against a wall, behind the driver’s seat, or even on a roof rack, freeing up your living area.

Made from the same tough, BPA-free polyethylene as other top-tier tanks, their genius is in their form factor. A 13-gallon upright tank, for example, can provide enough water for a long weekend while having a footprint smaller than a shoebox. This makes it a perfect solution for weekend warriors or compact builds where every square inch counts.

Valterra ABS Tanks: A Reliable, Simple Option

Valterra is one of the oldest and most trusted names in the RV parts industry. Their ABS plastic tanks are the workhorses you’ll find installed in thousands of factory-built RVs. While they also make grey and black tanks, their food-grade fresh water tanks are a no-nonsense, reliable option for any build.

You won’t find the innovative shapes of Front Runner or the vast size selection of RecPro, but you will find dependability. Valterra tanks are built to standardized RV sizes and fitting locations, which can simplify the installation process. If you’re looking for a straightforward, off-the-shelf tank that has been proven over millions of miles on the road, Valterra is a safe and solid bet.

Ultimately, your water tank is more than just a plastic box; it’s your lifeline to freedom and comfort on the road. The best choice isn’t found on a list, but by honestly assessing your build’s constraints and your travel ambitions. Start with your space, calculate your needs, and choose the tank that lets you forget about water and focus on the journey ahead.