Rubbermaid Commercial Products Brute Stock Tank, 100-Gallon

Most backyard stock-tank plunges start with this tub or one like it. The Brute 100-gallon is a black oval farm tank, 53 in long, 31 in wide and 25 in deep (135 × 79 × 64 cm), made of Rubbermaid’s structural foam plastic with a ribbed base, stiffeners molded into the walls and a 2 in drain plug in a protected recess at one end. The listing gives a 10-year limited warranty and says it is made in the USA.

It is sold for cattle and horses, not people, and the listing never mentions plunges. What makes it the usual choice anyway is the size: it fits a patio corner, it is deep enough to sit in up to the chest for most adults, and the insulated stock-tank covers on Amazon are cut for its oval. Set it on a level, firm pad before the first fill – once it holds water it is not moving.

Tip: Put the drain-plug end toward the lowest corner of the yard or the nearest bed, so a water change runs away from the house and the path.