Lifesaver jerry cans

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Ropeman

Ropeman

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Has anyone had any direct experience of them?

The Lifesaver Bottle

Some of my mates have been really taken with the idea of them and, to be honest, I really rather like what I've read but don't know anyone who has actually used them yet.

My only quibbles are with the relatively short stated shelf life at five years once primed but I'm sure that's a case of liability dodging overcautious estimate. The cost is a bit high too but it compares pretty well with a smaller filter and a jerry. They have apparently sent a lot of stock to Haiti so I think it will be a while before stock is really available in the UK.

if you have used one, is the 2 litre per minute fairly accurate or is it a bit optimistic?
 
Ropeman said:
Has anyone had any direct experience of them?

The Lifesaver Bottle

Some of my mates have been really taken with the idea of them and, to be honest, I really rather like what I've read but don't know anyone who has actually used them yet.

My only quibbles are with the relatively short stated shelf life at five years once primed but I'm sure that's a case of liability dodging overcautious estimate. The cost is a bit high too but it compares pretty well with a smaller filter and a jerry. They have apparently sent a lot of stock to Haiti so I think it will be a while before stock is really available in the UK.

if you have used one, is the 2 litre per minute fairly accurate or is it a bit optimistic?
Click to expand...

Why not just get a portable hiking water filter and use a few regular jerry cans? Filter the water as it goes into the can. Then your pour rate is fast.

Did you know that if you fill a clear 2 liter soda bottle and set it in the sun for a couple days the water in it will be safe to drink? The sun's UV light will kill off all the bacteria and viruses. What it doesn't remove is chemical contaminants, but most filters also don't remove them either. Yep, it's the third world water purifier...
 
For solar disinfection to work you need clear water - cloudy water will remain unsafe and you need continuous cloud free sunlight for at least ten hours. Great if you are in an ideal situation and have enough clear bottles to deal with all your water needs but not a gamble I fancy taking. Perfect for use in a village in a sunny environment, less perfect in a vehicle travelling across, for example, central Asia. SODIS is also ineffective against amoeba so hello amoebic dysentery unless you want to also boil all your water (or get it above 50 Celsius/122 Fahrenheit for at least an hour). Also, how do you know when the effect has been achieved, unless you also have a gram staining kit and a microscope or a lot of petri dishes and an incubator? It certainly seems to lower, if not actually eradicate a lot of water borne pathogens in villages but it is simply too haphazard to rely on if you have to fend for yourself.

A few regular jerry cans take up load space, a single jerry can takes up less load space = more fuel able to be carried for a given GVW. Also, using, as an example, a Katadyn Pocket which is a very popular model, you need to take at least 20 minutes per jerry to fill. With the one I am asking about, the flow rate is double and you don't need to get all your water filtered at once, you can take 30 seconds to pump a litre and that's enough to cook, wash the pans and make a brew after.

If you are heading somewhere that absolutely has no water and you need a reserve then you can just grab whatever water storage options are available at your last water point and recycle them after you've poured the contents into the jerry for later filtering.

I take it you haven't used the Lifesaver?
 
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as long as you have a water source (always do in the south east) I like this one, much more compact, I carry a nalgene bottle, soft bladder, spare ceramic and maintenance kit, in my pack.

I like the high reliability and field maintenance, catcheses everything but viruses so I would not use it heavily populated areas but should be OK in back country,
 
SW US desert dweller here, haven't used the product you're asking about.

I travel w/dogs, and thus haul more water than others. Generally return home w/half the water load. I do keep the purifiying tabs handy, will drink that water before I ask the dogs to do so
 
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