In the autumn I was approached by the team at LifeSaver and asked if I would like to try out their Jerrycan. It seemed like an interesting item and something that would go well in the van so it’s something I’m now incorporating into my water system.
I’ve not had enough time yet to write a full review, but I’ve collected my “First Thoughts” and will detail them bellow, then after a few months of use I’ll write a review, compare back to how I imagined it would help, and see if it’s lived up to my expectations.
What is the LifeSaver Jerrycan?
I was sent the 10,000L version of the LifeSaver Jerrycan, plus a shower attachment and some carbon filters. The LifeSaver website describes the Jerrycan as:
“A robust and portable water purifier capable of filtering 10,000 litres/2,641 US gallons of clean drinking water, removing viruses, bacteria, cysts and parasites instantly.”
Essentially the Jerrycan has a built in filter and hand pump so you can fill it with dirty water - and store dirty water in there until you need it - then use the pump to pressurise the water, forcing it through the filter, and out into your clean water container ready to drink/wash with/bathe in.
My first thoughts…
It seemed at first glance to be aimed at a slightly more adventurous type of traveller than me; someone who would be overlanding for months on end through South America, Africa or the Far East where potable water is perhaps harder to find. But the more I’ve thought about it the more times I remember in my last van being in places in the UK where I was running low on water and couldn’t find a drinking tap to fill up from and I had to change my plans pretty quickly to put refilling water at the top of my priorities. It is so easy to take water for granted, until you don’t have an infinite supply at the turn of a tap.
Previously to find drinking water I’ve just kept my eyes peeled constantly; petrol stations, ferry terminals, public toilets and church yards have always been the most likely places. I’ve even walked onto campsites to fill up my water containers before now, walking as briskly as possible whilst still trying to “just act natural” until I’m out of the gates and back in my van.
In hindsight that last method is a bit naughty, and to be honest the others can sometimes feel kind of uncomfortable anyway even though you’re doing nothing wrong. It can feel a bit awkward waiting for 25L of water at the one tap in the public toilets on a busy day!
So actually I can see it being a really nice to just chill out by the river or lakeside, where I’d probably be spending a day or night anyway, and just topping up the water there on my own in nature. It’s also a nice piece of mind that when a convenient water tap cannot be found, I won’t have any pressing reason to find one as I can just pull over by an open body of water on my travels. Undoubtedly more convenient.
Size, Design, Practicality
The Jerrycan can hold 18.5L of water at one time and is approx. 47 x 34 x 17 centimetres and weighs in at 4kg when empty.
It looks just like any other water container, with a carrying handle on the top and screw-top opening for filling/emptying, it also has a couple of holes through the middle which are for attaching it to a vehicle when in transit. On the visual side of things it’s a dark blue colour, which feels slightly less practical than if it was transparent as you can’t tell how much water is inside without picking it up and having a feel, but that’s the case with a lot of water containers.
It’s definitely portable and will be easier to fill by carrying to a tap than a tank built into a vehicle that needs to be filled up directly via a hose, and can also be carried short distances to open water sources, provided you’re happy to carry 20ish kilos of water back the way you came.
I haven’t yet tried to fill it from an open water source, but I’m slightly concerned about how tricky it would be to completely fill without getting the nozzle (where the clean water comes out of) wet/submerged and therefore contaminated. I personally don’t think this would be an issue for me as I’d never be filling up from somewhere particularly sketchy, but I’ve had backpacking filters where this has been an issue and as the Jerrycan is marketed towards those intrepid far-flung long-term over-landers it’s probably worth taking extra care to make sure this doesn’t happen.
Durability
When I first received the Jerrycan I was quite surprised at its weight, especially when compared to my other water containers, but now having had a bit of play with it I think its seems very robust, which is reassuring considering it might be your only source of clean drinking water in some parts of the world.
Ease of use
As I’ve already mentioned I haven’t had a proper try with the Jerrycan yet, and to be honest this is partly because of the process required for maintaining it. The filter, once used, has to be kept moist, which means water needs to always be present in the Jerrycan. If it dries out it can be damaged and need replacing. Once used it also can’t be allowed to freeze for the same reason of damage to the filter. And whenever possible during periods of use it is to be cleaned, checked and maintained. Instructions of how and when to do all of this are provided and I’m sure that once I’m in the swing of it this will be easy to do, but as I’m busy with other things and not yet ready to set off in the van and use it regularly, I have yet to give it a whirl.
The actual process of using it to purify water seems as simple as filling with dirty water, pumping the pump, and collecting and using the clean water that flows out.
I’m looking forward to testing the Jerrycan out for a while this year and getting used to these processes. I’ll write a proper review then and see if the convenience of being able to fill up anywhere is greater than the requirement of keeping the filter well maintained.