I've been carrying water differently in the last six months — two Dometic GO Hydration Jugs replacing the mismatched collection of 5 and 10 litre containers I was running before. Then JerryMax reached out and sent me their adapter kit to test. More recently I picked up the On Tap Roam. Three systems, three different problems they solve.
Dometic GO Hydration Jug
I've had two Dometic GO Hydration Jugs for about six months. One lives in the HiLux, one in the LandCruiser. Eleven litres of drinking water, on tap, in both vehicles — plus the 44 litre built-in tank in the Cruiser.
The case for the Dometic GO over a standard water jerry can comes down to a few practical things. The rectangular form factor fits into tight spaces a round jerry can won't go. There's a dedicated tie-down groove around the body so once it's strapped in it stays put. The wide-mouth top opening is big enough to get your hand inside and actually clean the jug — try doing that with a standard jerry can. It also has a breather port, a second capped outlet you could fit a manual tap to, and removable co-extruded handles. The construction is noticeably more robust than smaller jerry cans and far less likely to rub through on rough tracks.
The faucet is sold separately. I own two — an older version and a newer one. The newer is noticeably better: two flow speeds, an LED light that's handy in camp at night, and more reliable operation overall. The older is single speed, no light, and was temperamental from the start. Both faucets charge via Mini USB, which is a significant drawback. I don't carry Mini USB cables anymore. Neither should you — it's way outdated and should have been fixed years ago.
Battery life hasn't been a problem in practice. I've never needed to top it up mid-trip.
The cost is not trivial: around $119 for the jug and $100 for the faucet — roughly $200 to carry 11 litres. Worth it for the convenience, the ease of refilling, and how easy it is to clean. The only thing I'd change: Dometic only makes this in an 11 litre size. A 20 litre version would be an instant purchase.
JerryMax
JerryMax contacted me — one of the upsides of having the channel. They sent me the gear for free, which I'm disclosing upfront.
JerryMax is a jerry can adapter kit. You replace the existing lid on any jerry can with the JerryMax lid and add a pump — electric or manual. JerryMax provided me with two pumps and their Companion tap. The pump now lives in the HiLux alongside my older Dometic pump.
The Companion tap is not something I'd recommend. It's hit and miss in use and feels like a budget option. Unless you're really strapped for cash, go for the Dometic faucet — the difference in price is worth it. On the positive side, the Companion uses USB-C, which is ahead of the Dometic faucets on that front. Both taps have a cap to protect the charging port from dust when not in use.
JerryMax also offer a manual hand pump option, which I haven't tried personally. There's a real argument for it though — manual means nothing can fail electronically.
The JerryMax is the cheapest solution of the three. If you already own jerry cans and want tap functionality without spending much, it makes sense. The reason I don't reach for it as often is that the On Tap Roam covers the same outside-vehicle use case with more versatility.
On Tap Roam
The On Tap Roam is the newest addition to my kit. A friend had the older version — which required a 12-volt connection rather than having its own battery — and used it in the desert. I was impressed enough to buy the current self-contained version. I now own two units.
The system is a 16 litre black food-grade plastic container with a pump head that clips on via two wing flap latches. The pump head contains the lithium battery, hose, and spray nozzle with multiple water settings. All materials including the nozzle are food-grade.
Battery life is genuinely good. With a full 16 litre jerry can at the highest pump setting running through the shower nozzle, it kept going for 5 minutes and 47 seconds — which was the water running out, not the battery dying. I used it across a four-day camping trip including showers and general cleanup, and the battery was still showing full at the end. I've also used it on a trip to the NSW High Country.
Having pressurised water on tap is something I hadn't realised I was missing. Dishes, showers, washing mud off gear — it covers all of it without thinking about it. At this stage it's going on the rear jerry can holder permanently, and I'm considering keeping one unit inside the vehicle on the Kimberley trip in July.
The issues
The black container works both ways. Left in the sun it heats up fast — great for a warm shower, not ideal if that's your drinking water and it's mounted externally.
Dust ingress is a real problem with the twist dial mechanism. After one day on dirt roads, the dial was clogged enough that I couldn't turn it by hand — I needed a screwdriver. Water seeps out around the seal when the jerry is full, and if water gets out, dust gets in. A silicone seal or a neoprene cover over the dial would fix it. It's an easy addition and I'd expect On Tap to address it.
The hose storage arrangement creates another issue. The hose wraps around the pump head and is held with a latch. If you strap the jerry can down with the pump head already in place, you're strapping over the hose and can't access it. The solution is simple: strap the can first, then drop the pump head on. That would work if the wing flap latches had a slot for a cam buckle strap to pass through — currently they don't.
One more thing worth keeping in mind: the pump head can be moved between jerry cans, but don't move it between a grey water container and a drinking water container. Grey water residue stays in the pump lines and will contaminate your drinking water.
The unit is weatherproof — I've left it in the rain without any issue. Just make sure the USB-C charging port cover is properly seated before it gets wet.
Long-term durability is still an open question. The Kimberley trip in July — a month of corrugations, bull dust, and hard use — will give a much clearer picture of how it holds up.
What I use each for
JerryMax is the budget option. If you already own jerry cans and want tap functionality without spending much, it does the job. Pair it with a Dometic faucet rather than the Companion if the budget stretches. The manual pump option is worth considering if you want a backup that can't fail electronically.
The Dometic GO is my in-car drinking water solution — permanent in both vehicles. The form factor, ease of securing, and ease of cleaning make it the right tool for that job. The Mini USB charging is an annoying oversight that should have been sorted years ago, but it hasn't stopped me using them daily.
The On Tap Roam lives on the rear jerry can holder and handles everything else — showers, dishes, washing mud off gear. I wouldn't rely on it as primary drinking water when it's mounted externally in direct sun, but as an auxiliary pressurised water system it's a solid addition to the kit. The Kimberley trip will be the real test.
Full comparison on the AllOffRoad YouTube channel.
