Water storage idea

[tjeeper]

Typically when overloading I take a 5 gallon cube that I store on a shelf in the back. I have to mount it upright to make sure it doesn't leak, and it is kind of a PITA to get in and out because of a tight fit between the shelf and the hard top. I was thinking it would be nice to have something mounted on the shelf with a hose. I found a water tank at Front Runner, 11 gallons, and easy to mount. $200 seems a lot for a plastic tank though.

Looking around for a cheaper solution, I found a place that sells RV water tanks. A 13 gallon tank will fit on my shelf. Needs an air hose for ventilation because of the thin wall plastic, which I can strap to the roll bar. With all the fittings and hoses, it looks like it will be about $50. Any concerns about longevity using this kind of tank? I've had an off road trailer with a similar tank for over 20 years, never leaked.

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[Moregone]

Typically when overloading I take a 5 gallon cube that I store on a shelf in the back. I have to mount it upright to make sure it doesn't leak, and it is kind of a PITA to get in and out because of a tight fit between the shelf and the hard top. I was thinking it would be nice to have something mounted on the shelf with a hose. I found a water tank at Front Runner, 11 gallons, and easy to mount. $200 seems a lot for a plastic tank though.

Looking around for a cheaper solution, I found a place that sells RV water tanks. A 13 gallon tank will fit on my shelf. Needs an air hose for ventilation because of the thin wall plastic, which I can strap to the roll bar. With all the fittings and hoses, it looks like it will be about $50. Any concerns about longevity using this kind of tank? I've had an off road trailer with a similar tank for over 20 years, never leaked.

13 gallons is a lot of weight. Right around 100lbs.
I'd be concerned with the strength of the mounting points. Plus when the tank is not full there is going to be a lot of sloshing and weight transfer without any baffles in the tanks.

Not trying to sway you but just hoping to give you some other considerations.

 

[tjeeper]

The shelf is rated for 250lbs, I don't think weight will be an issue. I would have to make some straps to hold it in place.

I typically bring 5 gallons with me, and only use 2-3. I don't cook much, so I would only bring about twice as much as I expect to use. But my wife has "suggested" she would like to come on our trips in the future. The size of this tank fits on the shelf perfectly, using all the space to the top. That is the only reason I picked this one, not for the total capacity.

The sloshing is inherent to any water storage inside the Jeep. The lower the water goes, the louder it gets. I'm used to it. I would rather keep it outside the Jeep, but I'm not sure where. I have LOD's rear carrier system and I am carrying 10 gallons of gas on it. Now that I think about it, I used to mount a jug on a carrier with my TJ. By the time we got to camp, it was coated in dirt. That's when I started to carry water inside my Jeep.

 

[GrumpyBadger]

Here are couple options you may or may not have stumbled across:

https://www.lexingtoncontainercompany.com/Military-Water-Cans.html

https://www.waterbrick.org/

https://www.thermofisher.com/order/catalog/product/2212-0020#/2212-0020

All these have the advantage of being scalable depending on your trip. I can vouch for the Scepters, but not the bricks or carboys... I just thought the bricks were kind of cool and the name stuck in my noodle, and being around labs you see these carboys used everywhere and hold up to some abuse and nasty things they don't want spilling!

Also... surf some "prepper" web sites... those folks get clever too, and have all kinds of different ideas and sources for stuff.

 

[INCRHULK]

Have you looked at bumpers with integrated water storage? Some ever are pressurized.

 

[Moregone]

I absolutely love this guys setup -

 

[Blu bi Kong]

Works perfect. Two 2-1/2 gallon cans.

 

[dustdriver]

I carry 3-gal. Aquabrick containers (not to be confused with similar product Waterbrick), secured with two NRS cambuckle straps. This is the most convenient and secure way I've found yet for water storage that is not taking up other valuable storage space elsewhere. If you run the straps as shown, you can really cinch them down tightly and they don't move around. (I sometimes stuff a jacket or something behind them just as a precaution anyway, but it's probably not needed.)

The Aquabrick does not leak, even upside down, and is extremely tough.
(I quit using the Scepter jugs because they were too rigid- pressure changes caused by elevation and temperature changes resulted in the jug flexing, which caused the lids to become loose over time and leak.)

aquabrick

 

[jessedacri]

I've been thinking of mounting a water tank under the chassis where the torque battery typically sits on the 2.0 models - there's quite a big empty space that tucks up atop a crossmember/skid even in my 2 door model to the left of the gas tank that could easily fit a nice RV-style water tank. It'd sit nice and low on the Jeep and be relatively protected by the crossmember - could feasibly route the lines up and put a small faucet / valve somewhere convenient. I've seen some setups that do this on older Wranglers where they run an inline pump and it looks great.

 

[KansasJL]

Has anybody tried the garvin wilderness roll cage rotopax mount? It looks like an ideal solution for me but I’m just curious how easy it would be to get the rotopax on and off the mount with the hardtop on. Here is a link
https://www.wildernessracks.com/ind...t-interior-roll-bar-mount-2-gallon-water.html

 

[GrumpyBadger]

I've been thinking of mounting a water tank under the chassis where the torque battery typically sits on the 2.0 models - there's quite a big empty space that tucks up atop a crossmember/skid even in my 2 door model to the left of the gas tank that could easily fit a nice RV-style water tank. It'd sit nice and low on the Jeep and be relatively protected by the crossmember - could feasibly route the lines up and put a small faucet / valve somewhere convenient. I've seen some setups that do this on older Wranglers where they run an inline pump and it looks great.

Check out The Road Chose Me - he outfitted his Jeep with a filtered water system to drive around Africa:

 

[LooselyHeldPlans]

I've been thinking of mounting a water tank under the chassis where the torque battery typically sits on the 2.0 models - there's quite a big empty space that tucks up atop a crossmember/skid even in my 2 door model to the left of the gas tank that could easily fit a nice RV-style water tank. It'd sit nice and low on the Jeep and be relatively protected by the crossmember - could feasibly route the lines up and put a small faucet / valve somewhere convenient. I've seen some setups that do this on older Wranglers where they run an inline pump and it looks great.

I'm right there with you... been considering this as well. Before seeing the post below, I was going to link you to Dan's content.

Check out The Road Chose Me - he outfitted his Jeep with a filtered water system to drive around Africa:

This is where it's at. Low to the ground. The only downside I see to it is that you might have temp problems in COLD weather. This is leading me towards the solutions that put a tank across the trans tunnel.

Water is heavy... you really need to think about how this will affect weight distribution. You DO NOT want to fo off chamber and then have your water slush causing a potential tip.

 

[chacomaya]

We use this:https://www.frontrunneroutfitters.c...dren are to be,normal ratchet tie down straps. Along with a Rotopax (mounted externally)that we refill from this tank. It's a little pricey but works well. We had to build a small platform to sit it on as the cut out for the driveshaft tunnel is not quite deep or wide enough, though.

 

[jessedacri]

We use this:https://www.frontrunneroutfitters.c...dren are to be,normal ratchet tie down straps. Along with a Rotopax (mounted externally)that we refill from this tank. It's a little pricey but works well. We had to build a small platform to sit it on as the cut out for the driveshaft tunnel is not quite deep or wide enough, though.

Shape of that tank definitely looks ideal to run underneath, do you have any photos of the tank installed on your Jeep?

 

[beachbumm78]

So depending what you’re looking for with your water I came across this the other day. Maybe a possibility.... water stored in the bumper.

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