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Slimline or collapsible water butt at 100 litres

Updated: 22 October 2026

Both can say 100 litres and still be different objects once they are full. A slimline or collapsible water butt choice is about the passage you have, and whether the tank must pack away. A rigid slimline stays against a wall. A collapsible is a PVC skin that folds flat. The Plant!T flexi tank in the [100 litre water butt comparison](/hub/garden-watering/100-litre-water-butt) is a third thing, sold for hydroponics. Prices on 19 October 2026 run from £29.99 to £49.88. Peter F. used the kept listings, plus the RHS and RoSPA. If you use our amazon.co.uk links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Both can say 100 litres and still be different objects once they are full. A slimline or collapsible water butt choice is about the passage you have, and whether the tank must pack away.

Our top picks

Bowers Bargains Bowers Bargains (100l-slim-wb)

Best overall

Bowers Bargains Bowers Bargains (100l-slim-wb)
7.5/10about £39.99
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Plant!T Plant!T (GN334)

Rank 2

Plant!T Plant!T (GN334)
8.9/10about £33.89
View offer
GJGSW GJGSW (WGIZBUGZZ-100L)

Alternative

GJGSW GJGSW (WGIZBUGZZ-100L)
5.8/10about £49.88
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Same 100 litres, two builds
  2. 2.When a slimline is the one to buy
  3. 3.When a collapsible is the one to buy
  4. 4.What this choice does not decide

Same 100 litres, two builds

A rigid slimline here is a hard plastic shell, tall and shallow. Bowers Bargains prints 36 × 32 × 96 cm and 5 kg. Vision4ever prints 41 × 92 × 41 cm. The Plant!T GN334 is the same class of oblong butt, and its 10 × 10 × 10 mm row is a catalogue error. A collapsible uses a flexible skin and a tap. The GJGSW listing is that type: PVC, 1.4 kg, a zipper lid and a tap, £49.88, rated 4.0 from 3 reviews. The title says 100 litres and a capacity field says 26 gallons, about 98 litres. Dimensions are not stated. Full, both hold about 100 kg of water. A rigid wall does not depend on a seam the way a PVC skin does. A side return under half a metre is why slimlines exist.

When a slimline is the one to buy

Buy the rigid slimline when the tank can live in one narrow place. About 32 to 41 cm of depth is the band the credible sizes print. Bowers at 32 cm deep is the clearest fit figure. Vision4ever at 41 cm is the wide end. The Bowers stand bullet is about 30 cm, if that stand arrives. A rigid lid that clips is the normal answer. The GN334 at £33.89 is the slimline with the review history, 4.5 from 2,120. The parcel is the butt, not a stand and not a diverter. Bowers at £39.99 claims the stand and the downpipe kit, on 23 reviews, and one verified buyer says the stand was missing. For a permanent spot, the GN334 is the known shell. A slimline is the wrong buy when you must store it flat. Waterwise says empty the tank when freezing is a risk. Only the PVC one can then leave the patio.
Bowers Bargains Bowers Bargains (100l-slim-wb)

Testsieger

Bowers Bargains Bowers Bargains (100l-slim-wb)
7.5/10about £39.99
View offer

When a collapsible is the one to buy

Buy the collapsible when the 100 litres has to disappear. The GJGSW bullets say it folds for a garage or shed and should sit on a flat surface. At 1.4 kg empty, that is a different carry from a rigid tank. One UK review says it holds water and suits a smaller garden. Three reviews cannot tell you how the seams last a second summer. Do not paste comments from another PVC butt onto this ASIN. You still need a flat base and a tap a can can reach. The listing does not say a stand is included. Do not drag it full. The lid here is a zipper. Close it. An open zip fails the RoSPA cover point. The flexi tank is not this choice. The Plant!T Flexi Tank, £34.19, is 80 × 40 × 80 cm, rated 3.5 from 5 reviews, and the title says hydroponics storage. One review reports a leak at the tap connector. If the job is a downpipe, leave it.

What this choice does not decide

Rigid or PVC does not decide whether 100 litres is enough. Both run out if you dip a can every evening through a dry fortnight. A larger tank, or linking two butts, is the buying guide. Who should open which listing is the best 100 litre water butt page. The choice also does not fit the pipe. A slimline still needs a diverter for 68 mm round or 65 mm square plastic, and overflow back to the drain. A collapsible needs the same diverter, and you cannot mark the inlet from a size the GJGSW page does not print. Those steps are on the how to install a water butt page. If the tank can stay, buy the rigid slimline. If it must pack flat, buy the collapsible and treat three reviews as a thin start.

Common questions

Which one sits in a side passage?
The rigid slimline. Credible depths here are about 32 to 41 cm. Bowers is 32 cm deep and 96 cm tall. The GJGSW page does not state a width, so you cannot promise it will fit a tight return. Measure the passage, then the listing that prints millimetres.
Which one packs into a shed for winter?
The collapsible PVC. The GJGSW listing says it folds, at 1.4 kg empty. A rigid slimline does not. Empty either tank before a freeze, as Waterwise advises, and only the PVC one then stores flat. Do not fold it while grit is trapped in the skin.
Is PVC as tough as a rigid butt?
You should not expect it to be. A moulded slimline is the permanent wall tank. PVC packs away and is easier to puncture on a sharp edge. One short GJGSW review says that tank holds water. That is not a multi-year trial.
Does a collapsible need a stand?
It needs a flat surface and a tap a can can reach. The GJGSW listing does not say a stand is included. A frame holds the bag up. It is not automatically the 30 cm stand a slimline uses. Check the height with your own can before you connect a downpipe.
Where does the flexi tank fit?
As fold-up hydroponics storage, at 80 × 40 × 80 cm and £34.19. It is not the slimline and not the zip-lid PVC butt. One review reports a leak at the tap connector. Skip it when the job is a gutter and a watering can.

Related pages

Water butt and a hosepipe ban

100 litre water butt

Best 100 litre water butt: the job before the stars

100 litre water butt: what to check before you buy

How to install a UK water butt on a plastic downpipe

Sources

Public UK sources used for hosepipe bans, child safety, non-potable rainwater and garden practice. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved on 19 October 2026. This is not a lab test.

  1. Water Industry Act 1991, section 76 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  2. The Water Use (Temporary Bans) Order 2010 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  3. Ofwat — hosepipe bans (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  4. Thames Water — hosepipe ban FAQs (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  5. RoSPA — garden safety (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  6. BS EN 16941-1:2024 scope (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  7. Environment Agency / Waterwise rainwater guide (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  8. RHS — collecting and storing water (retrieved 19.10.2026)