This is a great option if you want / need flexibility in where you collect and/or dispense water.It works pretty well (in terms of collection) once there's a bit of water in the bottom which (1) provides enough weight to resist wind and (2) more important, exerts enough pressure on the walls to help the barrel hold its shape.**NOTE: This listing is under LUKAR. Looks like it is now LLKAN.WHAT YOU GET: The body of the barrel is thick PVC and forms a cylinder about 28" in diameter and just under 40" tall. Seven (07) support poles, each with a conical foot attached, slide into evenly spaced sleeves on the exterior of the reservoir. A fixed ring (think of a flexible tent pole) installs through loops at the bottom of the reservoir interior. The kit also contains plumbing type with fittings for overflow, discharge, and dispensing as well as a couple of patches to repair small holes.DESIGN FLAW: I will pause here to say I think the biggest opportunity to improve the design would be to have a 2nd fixed ring at the top just below the zipper. And perhaps a 3rd somewhere around halfway up would probably be good too. One or two more rings wouldn't make it appreciably heavier or require much more time to assembly or disassemble. They would provide more structure when the barrel is relatively empty. That is important because if the top is misshapen due to the barrel not holding form, collection in the center of the top is less effective.SET UP & BREAKDOWN: Relatively easy and can be completed by one person without tools. There are no instructions, but the product page has two videos from LUKAR that run through it pretty clearly. The whole set up collapses down to a relatively compact foot print. Empty it out, remove the fixed ring, and let it dry before rolling it up and storing. It packs down even smaller if you remove the support poles, detach the feet, and unscrew the spigots. The fixed ring broke during install and we were missing the 7th support - it was a couple of months before I got this set up, so I could not return it and replacement parts are not available from the manufacturer.FUNCTIONALITY / APPLICATIONS: The top opens and closes with a double zipper and has a screen at the center for receiving water. The barrel has an overflow at the top, a discharge near the base, and a spigot in the middle. The placement of the spigot at middle height allows for relatively easy access to 50 gallons from a full barrel. Below that line, the weight of the water still provides enough pressure that you can hook up a short hose to the discharge to prevent having to stoop to fill a container. The zippered lid also provides added flexibility over a lot of hard-side options on the market. I run the tube from my downspout diverter directly into the reservoir, which saves the hassle of adjusting angles to prevent kinks in the line.This can also be used as large water bladder to store and dispense water in various scenarios (camping, emergency preparedness, etc.). You can also daisy chain multiple barrels together by connecting the overflow of one to the discharge of the next (though you'd need to pick up a couple of fittings for that sort of set up).

no fixed ring, vedio, or instructions.

I bought this for emergency water for my horses in case I lose electricity to my well. Since this is just for emergencies I'm not going to stress over it.... one of the foot supports cracked the very first time I use it :( Read the directions in full before you assemble it. It didn't mention the plumbers tape until I had already put everything together and it's a pain in the arse to take the faucets off after you have already put the support bars in. There were also three small rods included and I have not idea where they are supposed to go.....

Not the most stable or indestructible rain barrel. But large capacity

This is a great way to store water when faced with a possible emergency, where you need to have water on hand, such as a storm, or anything where your water supply may be cut off, or compromised.

I had a missing part for my leg. And the feet for said support legs do not stay on. Also the round pole for the bottom of the barrel 2 separate peices splintered while attaching.. and cut me.

I overwinter my plants in our shed in a grow tent, and it has no running water. I set up this tank to use to water my plants throughout the winter, and it's working great. It was easy to set up, and the only part I needed help with was installing the spigots and that was because I couldn't reach both sides to tighten them into place. I attached a hose to fill my watering can. Now I can water my plants without having to hook up a hose in freezing weather and running it out to the shed. I'll only have to do it a few times during the season to refill the barrel.

Well, I say OUGHT to work really well because I don’t know for sure… I’ve got to put a bit of guesswork into this… but I THINK it’s going to work very well for our purposes. The reason I can’t say for certain is because it won’t be set outside until next spring when it’s time to plant the garden again. We’ve got several VERY COLD months between now and then and I don’t want to wait 6 months before I write my review. So, I’ll do my best in reviewing this rain barrel without actually having the opportunity to set it outside.I was a bit taken aback when it arrived and it had no instruction sheet with it. But, since I’m a visual learner… I was VERY pleased to find out that the instructions were in video format in their description. It was REALLY easy to assemble once I watched the video! Thank you, lukar, for making the video (as well as the set up) simple and easy to follow!The barrel itself is made up of a very thick pvc material. It looks to be reinforced with some sort of interior ribbing… so, it appears that it will be very durable.Everything fits together easily and fits properly. There isn’t a bunch of wiggle room and all the pieces fit tightly together.I like that there is a mesh filter to keep leaves from being washed down into the barrel. That mesh isn’t fine enough that it’s going to keep all the debris out… but it will keep out the larger pieces.They’ve included a drain at the very bottom. The only thing I wish they had included was an attachment so that a regular garden hose could be attached to that drain. As it stands, I’m going to have to find the right kind of adapter in order to be able to attach my garden hose to the drain.They also included another drain about halfway up the barrel. I’m guessing this is to be used for filling a bucket if you so desired. I probably won’t be using that very much… but it could come in handy if we decide to fill our watering can.This is a GREAT way to utilize the rain water we get in order to water our plants. I’m quite excited to give this a try next spring! It appears to be well made and that it should last us for several planting seasons to come!