I too like the 3 liter (96 oz) Nalgene "Cantene" (why on earth do they have to spell it weirdly?). It's free standing (as in the below photo).
It drains well and drys out well. It packs reasonably well. HOWEVER, I usually can only get a couple of years worth of use out of them. I've had two of them fail at the seams.
I've been trying the MSR Dromedary in the 4L size since my last Nalgene Cantene gave out. It is not free standing, and it does not drain and dry as well. However, the material seems like it's a lot more durable. The jury is still out at this point.
I've used the gallon jugs of water plenty of times. I guess they're as good as any, particularly if you need to carry large amounts of water consistently. If on a particular trip I need to sometimes carry a lot of water and some times not, then I'd rather have something like a Nalgene Cantene or an MSR Dromedary that can be folded up compactly.
HJ