We checked on our water storage one time - it had been on the pantry floor, and it was a cold winter. The water had frozen, expanded into small cracks in the plastic containers and then leaked slowly into the wooden floor when they thawed again. What a mess! I would keep the jug in the house where you can grab it on the way out for car trips. Sounds kind of a pain I know, but you grab your keys on the way out, right? And I would leave headspace so the water expansion doesn't crack your container(s) if you forget to bring them in 🙂

deleted

We leave a case of water in the car in the winter and they have never leaked or burst even when frozen solid. However, some of the newer botles look like the plastic is much thinner so maybe you would have to test those out. The problem with frozen and then defrosted water is the salts in the water seperate and the taste is affected - of course in an emergency water is water!

I had heard that storing the car supply of water in Mylar bags actually would help keep it from completely freezing in the winter and cooler in the summer. New to all this so I havent tried it yet but I plan on doing so soon.

My pack for the car has 1 litre of water rolled in the fleece blanket and packed in the centre of the bag. Iced up a bit last winter but did not freeze solid.

This year's experiment is under way.... I bought a 12 of 500ml bottles, wrapped it in plastic, and placed in my trunk. I park indoors at home, and outdoors at work, and outdoors most weekends, so they'll be exposed to plenty of freezing temperatures. If there's one thing Winnipeg is good for, its freezing stuff! The bottles are the cheap thin 'new' plastics, and I'll let everyone know if they leak all over my car, or manage to survive intact.

Here is the solution I came up with as my car sits outdoors all year long. Yesterday, I bought a small sports bag big enough to hold 4 1.5l bottles of water, my instant coffee & tea and my drink mix powder...basically my drinking kit. This small bag can be lashed to the backpack when needed. I just take it out of the trunk when I get home and drop it in when I leave in the morning. But I'm still interested in everyone's experiments.

Yes, Plastic water bottles can be frozen and thawed. The plastic seems to stretch because when my bottles thaw back, the plastic feels kind of mooshy, as though it didn't return to its original shape. With the gas prices as high as they are, we probibly should'nt be driving around with to much water in our cars. I have 1 litre of water and a very good water purifier/filter ( by Sweetwater). Our cars should be to get us home, where the rest of our supplies are, or to drive North to our bug out base. Just my humble opinion ... I keep a good supply of fresh water at home along with a small bottle of bleach.

I agree that cars should be to get us home, but there are cases where you're stuck where you are, with what you have. There was that winter storm in quebec last year that had people stranded in their car for days, and we've heard horror stories of people taking their car off the road and not being found, or able to get out of what ever ditch or gully they're caught in for as much as a week.

I try to keep enough gear, food and water in my car that I can survive, (somewhat) comfortably in up to -40 temperatures for three days. I may have to thaw everything before I drink or eat it, but it beats the snot out of having nothing to eat, drink or to thaw it with

Then be sure to have candles with a sturdy base and matches, this will keep the interior of your car above freezing. Because you are preparing for a "winter" emegency remember never to drink ice cold water, warm it up first over the candle in a metal cup. Drinking water that is ice cold will reduce you core body tempreture. Since you will only be sitting until help arrives (highly recommended) you will need very little water for three days. If your car is completly covered in snow don't turn the engine on because carbon monoxide will enter the cabin and you will be poisoned. Rest assured that the odds of you being trapped in your vehicle for more than three days are very very slim. Prep your car is good but don't over do it .. only my humble opinion