LifeSaver Wayfarer Water Purifier – Compact Military Grade Water Purification System up to 5,000L – Perfect for Camping, Hiking, Backpacking, Survival and Emergency Preparedness

My husband, an avid outdoors enthusiast with decades of camping and multi-day hiking experience, and I both really like the functionality of the Lifsaver Wayfarer water purifier. This model is a lot easier to use than the squeeze bottle type of purifier we’ve used previously. Although the Wayfarer is slightly heavier and bigger than the other type, it’s still quite lightweight and easy to transport. One really great feature is the long hose with foam swimmer that acts as a prefilter, making it possible to collect water from below the surface and not worrying about clogging. The squeeze bottle uses surface water, which sometimes has debris in it and easily clogs. The other advantage is that the mechanism of the Wayfarer is different (the system gets pressurized) and it requires very little effort to pump the water through and filters unlimited amounts of water as long as you pump. The squeeze bottle requires a lot of muscle strength to squeeze (or even sit on it) and it only filters 1 liter at a time. If you want to fill a big pot to make spaghetti, for example, the squeeze bottle is cumbersome, but it’s very easy with the Wayfarer filter to purify as much water as you want. The instructions on how to clean the filter apparatus were not totally clear in the manual, but the manufacturer responded very quickly to my email to describe the proper procedure (use baby bottle sterilizer), and also where to buy more activated charcoal filters. The only (minor) caveat is that once you use it, the membrane must stay wet to remain effective, so you need to store it with water in it. But overall it’s a great product and we’re ready to to get rid of that squeeze bottle purifier and upgrade to the Wayfarer Purifier on a permanent basis!

Although I’ve bought many different water filters and purifiers in the past, this is just the product I need! Many filters are fine for North America as they filter bacteria. And many water purifiers that filter both bacteria and viruses (crucial for international travel) are straw or bottle type personal devices only. The Wayfarer allows me to not just filter, but also purify, water for my whole travel group. Although compact it seems solidly built. A lot of thought has gone into the design. I especially like that the tubes are color-coded and have their own pockets in the carrying case to avoid inadvertent cross-contamination. It will come with me in a couple of weeks on a backpacking trip through Namibia where space (and safe water) will be at a premium. On my return it will form a crucial part of my emergency preparedness pack until my next adventure!

This filter worked great on a 28 mile backpacking trip in Montana- & us perfect for hiking-you can travel lighter! It's easy to use and there is no need to carry water for the entire trip. I was impressed with how good the water tastes! Easy maintenance when done too - disassemble and let dry. I think it out-performs the gravity type filtration & I feel safe having it on hand at home if I ever need it for emergency water. I think everyone should have some type of emergency filter... and ever backpacker should have one of these, especially since they are so well made and works so well. *The 2 pockets for dirty/clean hose was smart too.

LifeSaver Wayfarer Water Purifier Likes: Compact size; Carrying bag with separate compartment for Scavenger In Hose; Handy storage area under handle for tiny dust cover; Rotating handle allows you to switch hands to pump. Dislikes: Included instructions are limited; Two pieces are not listed or pictured. Had to download product guide. Had to watch multiple how to videos. Carbon filter was not assembled, though pre-filter and ultrafiltration cartridge were. Priming was difficult (definitely should be done before packing it to camp. Eight liters is a lot of water to pump! Had to stop several times to use the pressure release valve, even though the pre-filter was always totally submerged. Device dripped water out the bottom. Normal use was difficult to pump, also. Concerns: Water droplets remain in hoses and device. Will this cause mold or bacteria to grow? First use after priming, the water in the glass was discolored. Will it be discolored after pumping from outdoor (muddy) water source? The description lists all the contaminates that will be filtered out, so it sounds like the water will be pure. But, is there a way the consumer can verify this? Wishes: Would be reassuring if a water testing device was included, to verify pureness.

Did a few test on this unit. We bought it for "emergency" use, but I wanted to make sure it worked as advertised. It does fill faster than some other units and seems to filter very well. Short of sending water out to a lab for testing, it seems to do the job. Whether or not the unit can filter 5000 liters is impossible to test, but I will assume their claim is correct. I will say the claim is subject to how contaminated the water you filter is. We intend to filter rain water we caught during an emergency, so it will likely meet that claim. Easy to use and seems quite sturdy.

Five star on this product’s weight, compact design, and overall general ease of use. However, it deserves a 1 star for durability. We purchased this last minute for a 5 day backpacking trip in the Wallowas this past week and the handle snapped off on our last day (literally as we were pumping water for our 7 or so mile trek back to the trail head). Fortunately we brought backup water purifying tablets. The replacement filter for the purifier we normally take (purchased in 1996 and still going strong) wasn’t going to arrive in time hence this being a last minute purchase. Not sure if this was just a fluke or the result of a cheap design … either way it seems a $90 water purifier pump was too good to be true.