12L Camping Water Container with Tap Review

What’s in the box

A square 12 litre container in BPA-free, food-grade HDPE, with carry handles on the top and the side, a wide screw lid with an air vent, a smaller opening that takes either a cap or the tap, two clear extension spouts for the tap and a small cleaning brush. It comes in black (ours) and green, measures 35 × 30 × 16 cm and weighed 986 g empty on our scale.

Quick Specs

Build quality

The walls are thick and rigid, with no flex or creaks when you squeeze it, and the square shape makes it strong and easy to pack in your 4WD storage. I dropped it on gravel while loading, straight onto the tap side, and it didn’t crack or leak. After a day in direct sun there’s been no warping or discolouring, and the lid has a grippy edge that’s easy to open with wet hands.

Tap, cap and lid

The tap is the clever part. The smaller opening takes either a plain cap or the tap: fit the cap for driving and the tap at camp, and the one you’re not using screws into the inside of the big lid, so nothing goes missing in the gear drawer. The tap screws in smoothly without cross-threading, seals with a rubber ring and gives a smooth, controlled stream for filling cups, washing hands or rinsing gear. Open the small air vent in the big lid while you pour and the flow stays steady. Two clear extension spouts come with it. One pushes onto the tap to reach into a pot, a bottle or another container, and when you’re not using it, it clips into an indent in the side, so it doesn’t stick out, and it stays on well. The green budget 12 litre container we tested doesn’t come with one.

With the big lid off, the opening is wide enough to fill from a hose, a jerry can or straight from a stream, and to get a sponge inside to clean it. The tap doesn’t lock, though, so make sure it’s closed before you pack it.

In the car

I’ve driven more than a dozen kilometres of corrugated dirt road with it full and not a drop has escaped: no puddles in the back of the car. It lies flat and stable with both caps up, so it stacks with tubs and boxes in the back of the Prado, or stands upright when you want to use the tap at camp or on the tailgate. Its favourite spot is the floor behind the front passenger seat, where it fits perfectly, stays put and leaves the back free for heavier gear.

Using it at camp

Bottles and collapsible bladders are fine for ultralight setups, but a solid container like this is easier to stack, fill and pour from. At 12 litres it’s the right size for short trips. For two people over a 24-hour camp, ours broke down like this, with enough left for morning tea and a rinse before packing up:

It won’t cover a multi-day trip on its own, but paired with a second container or a jerry can it works well. Being small, you can put it where you need it: near the stove, under the awning, or next to the swag for brushing your teeth at night. It’s also our water supply for the camp shower. At 986 g empty and around 13 kg full, the strong handles on the top and the side make it easy to carry from the car to a campsite a little way off.

Cleaning

A small cleaning brush comes with it, made to reach into the spout, the corners and the threads. I gave the tap and the mouth a proper clean after a few days in warm weather. With the brush on hand it’s easier to keep the water clean over several camps without a full wash at home.

Water container comparison

We’ve tested several bigger water containers with a tap. The Aimall 18.5L and Aimall 20L hold more for longer trips, and the 20L adds a soap dispenser. The Weisshorn 25L holds the most, and the Upwoigh 19L comes with a rechargeable electric pump: one touch and the water runs, without lifting or tipping the container.

	This one12L with Tap	Aimall 18.5L→	Aimall 20L→	Upwoigh 19L→
Electric pump	No	No	No	Yes
Extension tube	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Capacity	12 L	18.5 L	20 L	19 L
Weight	986 g	985 g	1,340 g	1,073 g
Price paid	$40	$60	$72	$115
Our score	9.2	8.8	8.2	9.3

12L or a smaller container?

The budget 12L is almost the same as this one, with the same swap-in tap and cap, for a little less. The 5L Camping Water Container has the same tap and tube in a size that fits anywhere, for drinking water or a short trip.

	This one12L with Tap	5L with Tap→	Budget 12L→
Swap-in tap	Yes	Yes	Yes
Extension tube	Yes	Yes	No
Capacity	12 L	5 L	12 L
Weight	986 g	480 g	701 g
Price paid	$40	$22	$35
Our score	9.2	9.0	9.0

Conclusion: 12L Camping Water Container

This square 12 litre container is tough, survived a drop on gravel and hasn’t leaked on corrugated roads. The tap and cap swap over and store inside the big lid, the wide mouth makes it easy to fill and clean, and at 986 g empty and about 13 kg full it’s easy to carry. It fits perfectly behind the front passenger seat of the Prado. There’s no water level indicator and the tap doesn’t lock. For short trips, or as a second tank on longer ones, it’s a great container. I paid $40.