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Best rainwater collector

Updated: 23 October 2026

You want one best rainwater collector from the soft tanks and hanging cloths in this set, not a lecture on every downpipe size in Britain. This page names a top pick for large pack-flat storage, a best-value 200 litre option, and clear who-should-skip lines, including why the cheap tarp is not a primary buy. Scores come from amazon.co.uk listings on the [rain collector comparison](/hub/garden-watering/rain-collector). We did not fill the tanks in a lab. Criteria without a named winner sit on the [rainwater collector buying guide](/hub/garden-watering/rain-collector/sub/rain-collector-buying-guide). A purchase through our links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You want one best rainwater collector from the soft tanks and hanging cloths in this set, not a lecture on every downpipe size in Britain.

Our top picks

Normodic Normodic 200 L collapsible rain barrel

Best overall

Normodic Normodic 200 L collapsible rain barrel
6.2/10about £41.99
View offer
BeGrit BeGrit collapsible water butt, 380 L

Rank 2

BeGrit BeGrit collapsible water butt, 380 L
7.4/10about £59.99
View offer
Mekturm Mekturm 200 L collapsible collector, green

Best value

Mekturm Mekturm 200 L collapsible collector, green
6.6/10about £41.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.How we shortlist
  2. 2.Top pick for large soft storage
  3. 3.Best-value 200 L soft tank
  4. 4.Hanging cloths and who should walk away

How we shortlist

Best here means review depth, named kit parts, and honest limits. It is not the highest star average from a handful of ratings. BeGrit is 4.4 from 25 reviews at about £59.99. Several 200 litre rivals show 5.0 from one or four reviews. Those averages are real, and they are not equal evidence. A thin sample cannot show a bent strut, a snapped foot, or a tap that only drips once the barrel is full. Kit print matters: poles or a stand, a tap, a mesh lid, and an overflow or drain named on the listing. Price comes after those checks. We do not claim verified cuts to water bills. The install sequence is the how to set up a rain collector page.

Top pick for large soft storage

The top pick is the BeGrit collapsible water butt, ASIN B0GCY6PB77, about £59.99. The title is near 380 litres and a detail field also prints 350 litres. Keep both as printed. Five poles, ground stakes, straps, a zip mesh lid and an overflow path are named, so you can sit it under an existing spout without cutting the downpipe. Across 25 reviews at 4.4, buyers praise the volume once it is pegged on flat ground. The same sample says an empty tank can blow away if stakes stay unused, and that mid-tap pressure is too low for a hose. Cans or dipping work better. Bent-strut notes appear too. Choose it when you want the largest soft store in this set, will peg it, and accept gravity draw-off. Skip it for hose pressure, a tiny patio, or a permanent rigid column. Against the 200 litre tanks at about £42 you pay more for capacity and the deepest soft-tank sample here.
Normodic Normodic 200 L collapsible rain barrel

Testsieger

Normodic Normodic 200 L collapsible rain barrel
6.2/10about £41.99
View offer

Best-value 200 L soft tank

The best-value pick is the green Mekturm 200 litre collector, B0G3WNS2Q7, at about £41.99. The title names a stand, screw-in tap, filter and overflow kit with a zipped mesh lid. It is 4.2 from 10 reviews. UK reviews praise easy assembly and useful collection. The same sample includes snapped stand feet, a short set of feet on a multi-buy, and a tap that only dripped. Check the carton on arrival. Take it for mid-size soft storage if you will inspect the feet and spigot. Leave it if you need about 380 litres or a deeper review sample. The black Mekturm, B0G3WRB4MQ, is the same £41.99 pattern with 4.4 from three reviews and no UK review text in the file. Normodic, B0GVMM2WTJ, names four rods and an overflow spout at 5.0 from four reviews, with only two short praise texts, so it is a competent alternative, not the value pick. LengSuaa, B0H5JT796B, adds a brass spigot at about £45.99 with one silent 5.0.

Hanging cloths and who should walk away

Skip the blue generic tarp, B0H6FS8NLZ, at about £8.99, as a primary collector. It is 2.0 from two reviews. Both say legs or sticks implied by the photos were missing, and one reports collapse in the first rain. The 100 × 50 cm hanging cloth, B0H6LXL6B3, at about £13.99, has no star line on the saved listing and no stated litre capacity. Use it only as a DIY catch into a bucket if you already have strong fixing points. Leave the soft-tank set when you own the house and will fit a measured diverter with overflow return. A rigid butt is then the longer-term buy. A 5.0 from one review is not evidence of feet and taps under load, and seller drinking-water bullets do not apply. This cluster is non-potable garden storage.

Common questions

What is the top pick in this set?
The BeGrit soft tank at about £59.99, 4.4 from 25 reviews, with poles, stakes, a zip mesh lid and an overflow named. It suits large seasonal storage under a spout if you peg it and fill cans. Skip it for hose pressure or a tiny footprint. The title prints about 380 litres and a detail line also prints 350 litres.
Best 200 L soft tank on a budget?
The green Mekturm at about £41.99, 4.2 from 10 reviews, with a stand, tap and overflow named. Inspect the feet and the spigot on arrival. The black colour twin is the same shelf price with only three reviews and no written UK review text in the file.
Should I buy a hanging tarp?
Not as your main store. The tarp at about £8.99 in this set has two critical reviews and missing supports. A hanging cloth only makes sense for low volume with DIY fixing you supply. It is not a 200 litre barrel.
Who should skip collapsible tanks?
Owner-occupiers planning a permanent diverter install, anyone who needs hose pressure from the tap, and buyers who will not peg or ballast a soft barrel. Soft PVC is a seasonal or tenancy store, not a leave-it-forever column.
Do thin review counts matter?
Yes. A 5.0 from one or four reviews cannot show the failure modes that appear in a 25-review sample. Prefer depth when the kit must survive winter storms. A silent perfect score is not stronger evidence than 4.4 from 25.
When do I leave this set for a rigid kit?
When permanence, child-oriented lids, and neat overflow return to the downpipe matter more than folding flat. Soft tanks remain right for renters and seasonal allotments. Measure the plastic pipe before you buy the diverter.

Related pages

Collapsible vs rigid water butt

Water butt diverter

Rain collector

Rain collector buying guide: capacity and overflow

How to set up a rain collector and skip the pipe cut

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, plus the amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts in the display file dated 21 October 2026. Last reviewed 22 October 2026.

  1. Mersey Direct, water butt diverter buying guide (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. GRAF UK, downpipe diverter (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK, rainwater harvesting regulatory position statement (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK, when you do not need Building Regulations approval (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. Wessex Water, how to install a water butt (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. Screwfix, how a water butt diverter works (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. BBC Gardeners' World, water butts (retrieved 21 October 2026)