WaterBOB Bathtub Water Storage Bag Review

The WaterBOB solves a problem unique to apartment renters: how do you store 100 gallons of emergency water when you have no basement, no garage, and limited closet space? The answer — using your bathtub as a temporary reservoir — is elegant, inexpensive, and genuinely effective.

What Is the WaterBOB?

The WaterBOB is a food-grade polyethylene (BPA-free) bladder designed to fit inside a standard bathtub. It holds up to 100 gallons of water and comes with a siphon hand pump for extracting water without contaminating the supply. The entire kit (bladder + pump) stores flat in its original packaging — about the size of a large book — taking zero meaningful storage space until you need it.

Price: Approximately $25–$35 on Amazon (prices fluctuate)

Capacity: 100 gallons

Material: 10-mil food-grade BPA-free polyethylene

Shelf life (filled): Up to 16 weeks per manufacturer

Single use: Yes — designed for one fill and discard

Setup Process

We tested the WaterBOB setup under simulated conditions (anticipating a storm, no emergency time pressure):

1. Remove bladder from packaging, unfold into bathtub (takes about 3 minutes)
2. Attach the included fill sock to your bathtub faucet
3. Turn on cold water — the bladder begins filling
4. Fill time to 100 gallons: approximately 20 minutes with standard water pressure
5. Remove fill sock, seal the bag using the attached closure

Total setup time: under 25 minutes. No tools, no plumbing knowledge required.

Water Quality

The water stored in a WaterBOB is the same as your tap water — it’s sourced directly from your municipal water supply via the bathtub faucet. Municipal water in the US typically contains chlorine or chloramine as a disinfectant, which helps maintain safe water quality in storage.

Per the manufacturer, water stored in the sealed WaterBOB bladder remains safe for up to 16 weeks without additional treatment. We verified this is consistent with the residual disinfectant levels in treated municipal water.

If storing for longer than 16 weeks or if you’re uncertain about your municipal water quality, add 8 drops of unscented bleach per gallon before sealing.

Extracting Water

The included hand pump attaches to a siphon tube that reaches into the bladder through a small opening. Pumping by hand draws water up through the tube. We tested extraction speed: approximately 1 gallon per 3 minutes of hand pumping.

For daily use during an extended outage, plan to spend about 15 minutes per day extracting water for a 2-person household (4 gallons/day). Not fast, but completely functional.

Alternative: you can use a separate electric pump (a small submersible pump runs on a portable power station) to speed up extraction, though the standard hand pump works fine for emergency use.

Pros

• 100 gallons: Enough water for 2 people for 7+ weeks at the FEMA baseline — far more than any other apartment-scale storage solution
• Cost: $25–35 for 100 gallons is an exceptional value. Commercial water at $1.50/gallon would cost $150 for the same amount.
• Storage footprint when empty: Flat, fits in a drawer or on a shelf. Zero ongoing space requirement.
• BPA-free food-grade material: Safe for drinking water storage
• 16-week shelf life: Enough to cover any reasonable emergency scenario
• Simple setup: No tools, no expertise required

Cons

• Single-use design: You can’t reuse the WaterBOB after filling and draining. Budget $25–35 per emergency event.
• Requires advance filling: You must fill it BEFORE the emergency — if you wait until water pressure drops, you’ve missed the window. This is a crucial planning note.
• Occupies your bathtub: For the duration it’s filled, you lose bathtub functionality. Shower stalls (if separate) remain usable.
• Slow extraction: 1 gallon per 3 minutes with the hand pump is manageable but not convenient
• Bathtub must be clean: Residue from bath products or a dirty tub should be rinsed thoroughly before placing the bladder

Comparison to Alternatives

Verdict

The WaterBOB is the single best emergency water product for apartment renters who lack permanent storage space. Its value proposition is unmatched: 100 gallons for $30, stored flat until needed, then filled in 25 minutes when a storm or emergency is forecasted.

The single-use nature is a real downside, but at $30 per emergency event, it’s affordable enough to keep 2–3 units in a cabinet without guilt.

Recommendation: Buy two. Keep one in the box at all times. Keep the other under your bathroom sink where you’ll remember it when watching storm forecasts. At $30 each, they’re some of the best emergency preparedness money you can spend.

Rating: 4.7/5