The short answer
Allow around 5 litres of water per person per day for drinking, cooking and washing up, more like 10 litres if you include personal hygiene. For carrying, a 10-litre canister is the most practical size; in the car or on a fixed pitch, 20 or 25 litres with a tap make more sense. Look for food-safe, BPA-free HDPE, keep the water in the shade and replace it every two or three days in summer. Dry supplies belong in jars and drums with screw lids, where they stay dry and out of reach of animals.
How much water do you need?
As a rule of thumb, per person per day:
- Drinking: 2 to 3 litres, more in hot weather and on hiking days.
- Cooking, coffee, tea: about 1 litre.
- Washing up and brushing teeth: about 2 litres.
- Washing: another 3 to 5 litres, depending on your standards.
On a campsite with a water point, one canister that you refill every day is enough. If your pitch has no water connection, multiply the daily requirement by the number of days and spread the amount over several canisters. Two people therefore need a little over 20 litres for a weekend without refilling.
Which canister size for what?
Water weighs one kilogram per litre, plus the empty weight of the canister. That matters more than the volume:
- 5 litres (just over 5 kg): for day trips, the rucksack and festivals.
- 10 litres (around 10.5 kg): the all-rounder. Easy to carry one-handed from the water point to the tent.
- 20 litres (almost 21 kg) and 25 litres (just over 26 kg): for the car, the caravan and a fixed pitch. Put it down once, then draw water from the tap.
Several small canisters are often more practical than one large one: they are easier to stow and carry individually, and a leak only affects part of your supply.
Food-safe, BPA-free, UN approval: what the labels mean
Food-safe means that the material is approved for contact with food and does not release anything into the contents that does not belong there. For drinking water, this is the basic requirement. More on this in the guide What does food-safe mean?
BPA-free is a given with polyethylene (HDPE), because bisphenol A is not used in it at all. The label is still useful, as it rules out confusion with other plastics.
The UN approval is actually intended for dangerous goods. For campers, it is a good sign of quality: the canister has passed drop and leak tests and stays tight even if it tips over in the boot.
Natural white or blue?
Natural white canisters are translucent, so you can see the fill level from the outside. The downside: light encourages algae to grow when water stands for a while. Blue canisters block the light and are therefore better for supplies that are kept for several days or longer. The blue 20-litre canister with sight strip is a good compromise: light-proof, but with a narrow window for the fill level.
Wide opening or standard thread?
Most canisters have a standardised DIN thread: DIN 45 on the 5 and 10-litre canisters, DIN 61 on the 20 to 30-litre canisters. The guide Canister caps (DIN) explains which thread you have and how to measure it.
If you clean your canister often while travelling, take a look at the 10-litre canister with wide opening: 75 mm in diameter, so a hand fits inside. That makes cleaning and drying much easier, and it also works for ice cubes or thick contents.
Dispensing without glugging: the AFT tap
A tap turns your canister into a small water station: lay the canister on the table or in the boot, tap facing down, and you are ready. The AFT tap has a built-in air vent, so the water flows evenly, without glugging and without you having to loosen the cap. It is available for DIN 45, DIN 51, DIN 61 and for the wide opening 96 OV-A. If you want to build up a supply straight away, take the set of three 25-litre canisters with one tap. How the tap works and how to fit it correctly is explained in the guide AFT tap for canisters.
Collapsible canisters: compact in your luggage, but less robust
A collapsible water canister weighs next to nothing and, when empty, is no bigger than a book. Ideal for backpacking, festivals and as a reserve in the car. Filled, it stands securely, but it is not as hard-wearing as a rigid canister. For water that stands for days or slides around in the car, the rigid canister is the better choice. Collapsible canisters are available with 5 litres in a set of 4 and with 10 litres.
How to keep the water fresh
- Only fill with drinking water, ideally straight from a designated drinking water tap.
- Store in the shade. Heat and light make germs and algae grow. Under the table, in the awning or covered in the boot is better than in the sun.
- Replace regularly. In summer, refill with fresh water every two to three days at the latest. For longer storage, camping shops sell silver-based preservatives; dose them according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Clean before the season and leave to dry open after the trip. The guide Cleaning canisters and drums explains how.
- No boiling water. Let hot water from the stove cool down first.
- Do not fill to the brim when it freezes. Water expands by about a tenth when it freezes, so leave enough air.
Never mix drinking water and non-drinking water
If you take water for watering plants, cleaning or the chemical toilet, you need a separate canister for it, and permanently so. Make them easy to tell apart: for example, a blue or natural white canister for drinking water and a red or green one for everything else. For DIN 61 canisters there is also a set of coloured caps in red, yellow and green. And: water canisters are not fuel canisters. For petrol, there are specially approved canisters.
Supplies: dry, sealed and safe from animals
Pasta, rice, muesli, coffee and bread like it dry. Mice, ants and raccoons like open bags. Containers with screw lids solve both problems:
The pack barrel: lidded drum with clamping ring
For large supplies, canoe trips and anything that must not get wet in the car, the blue lidded drum with clamping ring is the most robust solution. The lid sits on a rubber seal, and a galvanised clamping ring with lever closure presses it down all the way round. Two side handles make it easy for two people to carry, and the wide opening lets you empty it right down to the bottom.
- 30 litres: the classic size for canoeing, fits in any boot and can still be carried when packed.
- 60 litres: for a family's weekly supplies, for sleeping bags and clothes or as a feed bin on the pitch.
Both drums are food-safe, BPA-free and UN-approved. The difference to the screw-lid drums is important: some of them have no lid seal. That is enough against rain and splashes, but not if you capsize. For canoes and boats, therefore, take the lidded drum with seal and clamping ring. Also pack documents and electronics in a waterproof bag, and check once more that the clamping ring is tight before you set off.
Bucket with lid: the underrated all-rounder
A 10-litre bucket with lid is a washing-up bowl, laundry tub, transport box and seat all in one. With the lid closed, wet things stay where they belong in the car. If you need more space, take 20 litres.
Packing list for water and supplies
- Drinking water canister (10 litres for carrying, 20 or 25 litres for the car and pitch)
- AFT tap to fit the thread
- Collapsible canister as a reserve
- Separate, colour-coded canister for non-drinking water
- Storage jars with screw lids for dry food
- Wide-neck bottles for oil, washing-up liquid and spices
- Bucket with lid for washing up and transport
- For boats, canoes and large supplies: lidded drum with seal and clamping ring
Frequently asked questions
How long does water keep in a canister? Tap water in a clean, closed canister kept in a cool place is fine for several days. In summer heat, in the sun or if you open it often, replace it every two to three days. The same rules apply to an emergency supply at home, just with longer intervals in a cool cellar.
Does the water taste of plastic? A new canister may smell slightly at first. Rinse it with warm water before first use and leave it to stand filled once; after that, food-safe HDPE is neutral in smell and taste.
Can I leave the canister in a hot car? The canister can take it, but the water suffers: heat speeds up the growth of germs. So do not keep drinking water for days in a car that has heated up.
Does the tap fit every canister? Only the matching thread. Measure the outside diameter of the canister neck or check the product description. The sizes are explained in the guide Canister caps (DIN).
Not sure which canister or tap suits your trip? Write to us at info@wilaigmbh.de and we will be happy to help. All items are in stock at our warehouse in Wiedemar.
As of: September 2026
