Review by Michelle Dodd, May, 2008


Specs:

  • 9.5 x 10.5 inches
  • 4.5 ounces
  • Holds about 3 gallons/11.4 liters

Pros:

  • Folds up very small – we rolled it to about 4″x1.5″
  • Light
  • Because it’s flexible you can get water from a small sink faucet or just about anywhere
  • You can take the water to any comfortable place to filter it for drinking or use it for washing
  • Allowed us to conveniently filter water throughout our 4-month SE Asia bike tour, saving an estimated 1,440 1-liter plastic bottles.

Cons:

  • Does not stand up on its own so you have to hang it from something
  • Leaks a few drips through the bottom, but that’s usually no problem

Recommendation:
Highly recommend it for camping or bike touring in countries where you need to filter the water. Why sit down at the river when you could be sitting by the fire?

Review:
We used this handy little bucket every single evening of our SE Asia bike tour and would have been very helpful on our Great Divide Mountain Bike Route tour. We actually learned about it from another couple on that tour and had bucket envy until we got our own! You do have to find something to hang it on, or if you’re sitting on something and cross a foot over the other knee, you can hang it off your foot. It’s made quite well and looks no worse for wear post-trip, so we think we’ll be using it for a long time to come.

Where to find:
REI has the very same bucket, as well as others with different features that may work well if you’re not as worried about weight or size. Also, you can sometimes find these on sale on Amazon.com, so it’s worth a search.

Seattle Sports Pocket Bucket

Seattle Sports Pocket Bucket

This compact, space-saving bucket carries three gallons of water, yet takes up little more space than a deck of cards in your pack. Perfect for use as a reservoir for your water filter system or dousing a camp fire. Tough, lightweight nylon body with durable nylon webbing handle for easy carrying.



 

Gear Reviews: