Gear Scout: Flexitank

alt

Water. It is arguably the single most important item you can bring for your health and safety on a trip. It regulates your body temperature, lubricates your joints, and cleanses impurities from your system, yet for some reason it is often under-packed or overlooked when planning for an off-road excursion. The fact is that water takes up a lot of space, so if you’re like most people and don’t have a custom water storage tank, you are probably losing a lot of valuable room. So what do you do if you want to be prepared while on the trail? Do you load down the roof with extra water, or maybe leave behind the stove, the recovery gear, or god forbid the beer? Well thanks to the Flexitank, you may be able to bring the gear you want and the water you need.

Made from odorless heavy-duty vinyl, the Flexitank is a pliable bladder system that can withstand the punishment of off-road use while mounted in your truck, on the roof rack, or just about anywhere you can fit it. This method of flexible storage is a great way to solve the ever-frustrating space utilization issues of carrying water without having to spend a fortune on a custom tank. You can use the foot wells, the wasted space underneath the seats, even the quarter panels in certain SUVs, allowing you to keep your usable space up and your wasted space down. The Flexitank comes in sizes ranging from 35 to 100 liters (9.2-26.4 gallons for those of us on the imperial system) and is not only available for water, but can be used for diesel fuel as well. Though we strongly recommend not switching back and forth.

Available from ARB USA. [link]

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Chris didn’t receive a real taste of the outdoors until moving to Prescott, Arizona, in 2009. While working on his business degree, he learned to fly and spent his weekends exploring the Arizona desert and high country. It was there that he fell in love with backcountry travel and four-wheel drive vehicles, eventually leading him to Overland Journal and Expedition Portal. After several years of honing his skills in writing, photography, and off-road driving, Chris now works for the company full time as Expedition Portal's Senior Editor while living full-time on the road.

One Comment