The WaterBrick, a product name that gets the imagination running when you hear it for the first time, but makes an awful lot of sense after you familiarize yourself with these tough water containers. There is a lot more to learn about these handy water containers, simply continue reading our WaterBrick Review below…
The product is the creation of Wendell Adams, a floridian who took the challenge from Jacques Cousteau’s son to build a humanitarian product that would help distribute water to those in need. Wendell took it a step further and made the tough little containers into lego-block like pieces that interconnect and can build temporary shelters.
While I won’t be building any shelters with the 4 WaterBricks and 1 1/2 WaterBrick I own, I can quickly see the benefits that these products give to your average prepper looking for portable water solutions that also work well in shelter in place situations. The 3.5 gallon full bricks weigh in at 28 lbs when filled with water. Compared to a 5 gallon water container that is a weight savings of 12 lbs which is nice for me, for my husband I don’t think he cares… 28 lbs vs 40 lbs isn’t a lot to a man but for me I noticed the WaterBrick was a decent amount easier to carry.
Aside from the weight difference I liked the handles with the grooved finger slots. When you combine that along with the narrower width (vs a 5-gallon Reliance type container) it makes this product easier to carry as it sits closer to your body. Imagine holding a 10 lb dumbbell to your side, resting up against your leg for 5 minutes then swapping it out for a 13 lb dumbbell that you had to hold 5 inches from the side of your leg. These three things add up (weight, arm angle, and slotted handle) to make a nice difference when compared the ol’ 5 gallon stackable.
When you are not carrying the WaterBrick you are likely stacking them in lego-like fashion in a Tower of Pisa (minus the lean). While I only have 4 and 1/2 WaterBricks here I have seen videos and pictures of people stacking them as high as 7 feet. Word from those people is that there is plenty of stability and I believe it. The interlocking grooves are very tight and it creates a solid connection with no wobble.
Another great thing we learn when evaluating it for our WaterBrick review, was that you can freeze them. Like all water containers you need to leave some room for expansion but within 1 day our 3.5 gallon test brick was frozen and dumped into our ice chest. It worked as well as any gas station bag of ice in keeping the contents cold. A really nice capability.
Aside from all of those great features they come at a price, a significant price. At an average cost of $5.25-5.75 per gallon of water stored these tough containers are far from cheap. You can save money if you purchase bundle kits from WaterBrick.org or TheReadyStore.com but even then you are still around $4.75 a gallon (or $16.62 a brick). On the other hand your typical stackable 5-gallon Reliance container is going to run you on average $2.80-3.35 per gallon (about $14 a container) nearly half the cost of the WaterBrick per gallon stored.
While the WaterBricks will stack 2-3 times taller than the 5 gallon stackables, you have to decide if the extra tough plastic and comfort is worth paying the premium. For me it made sense to buy a few so I can move water easily (see image to right). With our 250 gallon water tank we can easily fill the WaterBricks and have portable potable water. While it would have been nice to have 71 of these instead of our 250 gallon tank it would have cost $1,200 to store that much water in WaterBrick containers, we only spent $400 on our emergency water tank ($1.60 a gallon) which makes a whole lot more sense financially.
What we liked:
- Super tough plastic, can take a real beating
- Most comfortable water container I’ve ever carried
- Can use to store ammo and food as well, versatility is a big plus
- Stack up solidly up to a purported 7 feet high
- Great for camping, boating, ATV riding, or storing in your trunk
- Work well with water preserver and/or chlorine treated water
- BPA free, Made in the USA
What we didn’t like:
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- Almost twice the cost of the stackable 5-gallon water container (on a per gallon basis)
- Lighter blue than I would have liked, dark plastics let less light inside which slows bacteria growth
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So there you have our WaterBrick Review,a great product. For most people it will make sense to have some but probably not a really good idea to use these as your only water storage containers if you plan to store lots of water as it is a pricey way to go.
Like always, let us know in the comment section if you have any questions or comments.
Check them out at Nitro-Pak.
