(Welcome...to the Cheap Side, young Luke!)
Okay, it's time to come out of the closet and admit I'm a little on the hyper-thrifty side.
I looked at water storage costs long ago, and decided I didn't want to pay more than the value of the water for the container it was stored in.
That was a real challenge, but I've solved it on several levels.
For camping, I dismissed commercial five gallon jugs because they were too heavy to handle easily, and very expensive.
Five years ago I proved by demonstration that re-using plastic milk jugs for water storage is harmless, as long as the milk was fresh at the time the jugs were thoroughly rinsed out.
(Note: Don't want to re-open that issue here--it's really a personal-choice thing.)
But plastic milk jugs are a little fragile, although they do have their uses when camping.
For example: Why spend roughly $13.00 for one 5-gallon Super Solar Shower when 5 "free" one-gallon milk jugs tied up in a black plastic trash bag heat up just as well and are a LOT easier to handle, individually? (Do the old shower nozzle with a flow valve trick, and your solar shower will cost you a total of about $2.00.)
And it's a lot harder to safely hang 35lbs seven feet in the air than 6lbs. I have found thru personal experience, BTW, that one gallon of hot water is quite adequate for a good shower, including when the ladies do their hair.
But, I digress.
The perfect camp jug, IMO, is free. It's a 1-gallon anti-freeze jug.
Yep: The same kind a lot of people use to carry extra radiator-water in their cars, just in case.
Anti-freeze jugs are super-sturdy, easy to carry, and (did I mention it?) free.
And, yes, anti-freeze is poisonous, so you shouldn't drink anti-freeze.
But it's also completely water soluble, so after about three simple rinses, there isn't any left in the jug.
(For the technically-minded out there, after exactly seven rinses, there will be not one molecule of antifreeze left in the jug. I learned that in kollige, 'way back when I studied radiation protection.)
And, of course, every subsequent shower constitutes another rinsing.
And, yes, you can safely use the well-rinsed jug for drinking water, as well as for shower water.
In fact, you can use them for holding almost any liquid, according to the needs of the moment. Just be consistent with your labeling, or use color-coded containers--anti-freeze jugs are available in a veritable rainbow of designer hues.
Zerex is available in tan or silver-grey, Prestone is good if you like bright yellow, or transparent. Peak is blue, and O'Reily brand is black or white. And Motorcraft is bright red. And let us not forget Everest brand, which is available is a truly bilious electric green.
I just wish somebody out there sold anti-freeze in a camo jug.
Or, better yet, gave them away for free.
