hobson Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Can anyone tell me wether there's a difference between the NATO 20L water carriers which are going for around £20-£25 each (minus postage) and something that looks incredibly similar from a caravan shop like this: http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/caravanning-eq.../COREHUABJCN181 which is around a tenner? surely if they're stored and secured correctly and with proper protection around them there's hardly any difference? there seems to be a lot of kit at caravan shops which looks exactly the same as the 'overland' shops are charging far more for? granted a caravan doesn't get anywhere near the same driving as an expedition vehicle so this won't be the case with everything, but for a lot of stuff is there really that much difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 NATO 20litre are black & stop any light getting to the water inside thereby stopping any growth of fungus & other waterborne nasty things. there tough too. mine is same as these Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeds Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Whilst the black Nato water containers are tough I am not sure that I fully buy into the opaque container being a benefit to stopping algae growing it it as a practical consideration for the average user. Yes algae will grow in clear bottles but it takes many weeks if not months to grow. Is this really a practical issue since water will normally only be carried for a few days/weeks rather then long term storage? For long term storage of water yes opaque containers. Some of the best water containers I have come across are the 20l Swiss Army water bladders such as these Small when empty, tough, flexible and black. They do tend not to work after a road train has run over them! Anyone know of a decent UK supplier at a reasonable price? Trek has them at £26. Can only find them from America on ebay for about £12 but p & p is expensive! Brendan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Algae can form in a week or so if there's enough light (strong sunlight etc). Trust me, unfortunately I work in the aquatic/ponds business. Algae is my nemesis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobson Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 But if they were inside the vehicle with minimum sunlight, and you washed them out with milton steri fluid or similar every few weeks (which i'd recommend anyway after having mould in my camelbak!) then they'd be ok wouldn't they? i was basically wondering if there was a big difference other than price between the nato ones and the stuff from an outdoor shop, i've also seen solid coloured ones for a lot less then than the nato ones... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeds Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Interesting! There again in ponds etc there are other factors to introduce algae growth. I have only had algae growing in a clear water bottle after storing it for months. There again can always resort to the maxim of storing caving/climbing gear. Store in a clean, dry, cool dark place. Makes you wonder what the shelf life is on bottled water???? Brendan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobson Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 like this from silvermans: http://www.silvermans.co.uk/ProductDetails...10/Default.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobson Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 i read somwhere that bottled water goes funny beause of the bottles, something about the plastic degrading over time, i used to refill plastic bottles but noticed after a lot of refills the water tasted dodgy, same if you fill them with ribena etc, even after you wash them out you can still taste it... i used milton in my bike camelbak every few rides, it was fine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superpants Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 The Nato ones are the same size as the fuel cans which means the same holders could be used for both which may be an advantage to you- Not sure if the caravan ones are the standard size? The Nato ones (as well as the opacity already mentioned) tend to be thicker material, and therfore robust. I'd have no qualms about strapping a nato one down with a load strap- I wouldn't guarantee that with a caravan one. Price wise, new ones do come up surplus from time to time, so with a bit of shopping round you ought to get the price down. I paid £3 for mine, a new one (about 10 years ago!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v8bertha Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 We picked up our black nato ones at one of the shows a few years ago... paid a fiver each for them. Obviously this introduces the uncertainty of not knowing what's been put in the container, but a couple of washes with some sterilizing stuff should make the world fresh and fluffy again Having recently squashed one between our 110 and a Cross-channel ferry I can confirm that they are flippin' tough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeagent Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 I got new black NATO ones from a camping shop a few years back for £6 each... they are the strongest water containers I've ever used... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobson Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 Anchor supplies have them for £9.50 grade 1, think i'm going to have a look at both types to see how much difference there is strength and quality wise. i'll let you all know.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biodoctor Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Anchor supplies have them for £9.50 grade 1, think i'm going to have a look at both types to see how much difference there is strength and quality wise.i'll let you all know.... I've bee using the black jerry cans from anchor supplies for years,i clean them out once a year with milton fluid,i also have a small 10 litre container which is white plastic,this soon gets mould in it if water's left in for more than a couple of weeks,in my opinion the best ones to use are the black ones from anchor. http://www.anchorsupplies.com/jerrycans.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardAllen Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 A couple of weeks ago I bought 4 ex-army black jerry cans off a certain auction site for £20 used (still had army unti ID's painted on one or two), but definitielt very serviceable. As a devotee of both fish tanks and Tom Sheppard I second the algae question. If you get it on the glass of a fishtank, it is a b****r to get off with a scouring pad. Also see Godlykepower's recent thread on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 As a devotee of both fish tanks and Tom Sheppard I second the algae question. If you get it on the glass of a fishtank, it is a b****r to get off with a scouring pad. Sidetracking slightly, but I find at work that a sharp Stanley blade works much better than a pad, with one of these: Blades don't last very long before they start to rust, but it takes algae off like nobody's business. Useful when those plecos get lazy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobson Posted August 4, 2009 Author Share Posted August 4, 2009 just to let everyone know (in case anyone wanted any) that Anchor Supplies have a load of grade 1 nato water cans at their Ripley shop. i just got 4 for 48.00 including postage, and after a rinse out with milton fluid, they are spot on. i had a look at the camping shop ones, and even though they looked pretty good, i agree that the nato ones are superior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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