The Life Saver Jerry Can

By Budd Stanley

Not your average water carrying Jerry Can

This is not what you would call your run-of-the-mill water carrying Jerry Can. The LifeSaver Jerry Can consists of five separate parts that all come together to offer lovers of the outdoors a water filtration and storage device like nothing I’ve ever experienced. LifeSaver say you can fill this can with the dirtiest water you can find, pump up the internal pressure with the supplied hand pump, and produce clean sterile drinking water in seconds. They go on to claim that the filtration technology removes all bacteria, viruses, cysts, parasites, fungi and all other microbiological waterborne pathogens without the aid of any chemicals like iodine or chlorine or any need for power.

Attached below the nozzle is a hydrophilic hollow fiber tube that screens water through a .015 microns or 15-nanometre filter. To put that in perspective, it’s 67-times smaller than a human hair. The 10,000UF Jerry Can is capable of filtering 10,000L of water, while the 20,000UF is capable of… you guessed it, 20,000L. Once the filter comes to the end of its life, a failsafe auto shut-off prevents any further water from flowing through the system. Filters are easily replaced when the lifespan has come to an end.

The cost of these water cans is high, with the base 10,000L system ringing in at $349, a 20,000L unit such as this one that I am testing costs $449, while a Family Survival Pack adds an extra 20,000L replacement filter and carbon disc for $694. To put these prices in perspective, the 20,000L can sustain a family of four for four years with fresh and safe drinking water.

Not sold on the whole filtration abilities of this system? I wasn’t completely convinced myself, but I decided to play Guiney Pig and put LifeSaver to the test. This isn’t a cheap water can after all, so it better do what LifeSaver say it should do for the $449 asking price. So, I loaded the can in the truck and headed for the hills to find the nastiest, filthiest, mosquito larva infested swamp I could find.

I found the perfect test pond, a scummy puddle just off a logging road that not only stunk to high hell; it even had a bit of an oil slick on top as well. I dumped the LifeSaver Jerry Can straight into the muck and filled it with about 10L of nastiness. With the cap back on, I pumped the charging handle and brought up the pressure in the can, pulled out a nice clean glass and opened the nozzle. What came out was not exactly crystal clear, but it was a hell of a lot cleaner than what went into the can.

Inspecting my beverage like a wine snob holding a fine Pino up to the light to check for colour, I first studied the H2O with my eyes. No particulate, just a slight tint to the water. I then took a sniff. The muck that went in smelled horrific, but the filtered water was surprisingly void of any smell. Finally, and reluctantly, it was time for the taste test. Slowly sipping back half a glass of water, I was expecting the worst. However, while it may not have been glacier fresh water, what was produced from the LifeSaver was pretty damn good tasting water. So much so, I finished the glass and had a couple more.

So, it passed the vision test, the smell test and the taste test, what about the illness test? I must admit, after my taste test I was not entirely convinced that I would not wake the next day without some sort of debilitating stomach virus that would have me running for the toilet. But I’m happy to report, not only am I still alive, I didn’t even have a trace of any ill effects from my little experiment.

My impressions of the LifeSaver Jerry Can are extremely good. So good I now consider this Jerry Can one of the most important items for RVers who love getting off the beaten path. Much like a first aid kit or fire extinguisher, a Jerry Can that can produce filtered water is a supremely valuable piece of equipment that can safely extend a boondocking stay – whether it’s planned or not. Not only is it a useful item to have in the rig, it also compliments a survival kit. It’s nice to know that I have access to fresh water in the event of a natural disaster or forced to evacuate my home.