Red off-road vehicle with open doors and a LifeSaver Jerrycan in a desert setting

Wayfarer

THE LIFESAVER WAYFARER

THE MOST COMPACT PURIFICATION SOLUTION

Born from the spirit of adventure, the LifeSaver Wayfarer™ is a compact and robust portable water purifier, making dirty, microbiologically contaminated water safe to drink. It’s our smallest and lightest water purification system yet. Feel the freedom to go further with a pocket-sized purifier, capable of purifying up to 5,000 litres of clean, safe drinking water.

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AFFORDABLE & FLEXIBLE

The Wayfarer is an economical choice for couples and small groups of hikers as it's designed to draw water from the source (a river, lake or stream), through the purifying filter and into the container of your choice. It means that with one of these in your hiking gear, you can provide a whole group of people with clean, safe drinking water.

If you're walking alone, the LifeSaver Bottle has the water purification system built in so you only need add one item to your backpack. Or enjoy the best of both worlds with the LifeSaver Liberty. It too has a built-in water filter, but can either store the water it cleans or pump it into another container.

EASY ACCESS to WATER

The Wayfarer is supplied complete with a scavenger hose - so you won't get wet feet trying to reach streams and rivers with steep sides - and an 'out' hose to send the purified water to your drinking bottle. Replacement filter cartridges ensure longevity while Activated Carbon Discs improve the taste while filtering out other potential nasties.

HOW DOES THE WAYFARER COMPARE?

We looked at four similar products available on Amazon, and collected all the specifications. It's up to you to decide how the Wayfarer compares. All details taken from manufacturers' websites Nov 2025.

  LifeSaver Wayfarer MSR
Guardian
Katadyn
Hiker Pro
Purewell
Water Filter
Survivor
Filter PRO
Made in UK USA Switzerland China USA
Type Purifier Purifier Purifier Purifier Purifier
Method Ultrafiltration Ultrafiltration Ultrafiltration Ultrafiltration Ultrafiltration
VALUE
Cost £104.99 £395.00 £116.09 £38.99 £79.95
Filters up to 5,000 l 10,000 l 1,150 l 3,000 l 100,000 l
Cost per litre 2p 4p 10p 1p 0.1p
TECHNICAL
Flow rate 1.4 l/min 2.5 l/min 1.0 l/min 1.4 l/min 0.5 l/min
Filter pore size 0.015 micron 0.02 micron 0.02 micron 0.01 micron 0.01 micron
PHYSICAL
Weight 323g 490g 233g 254g 363g
Size HxWxD 155x90x75mm 311x133x127mm 165x76x61mm 170x80x50mm 165x80x50mm
PROVEN CONTAMINANT REMOVAL TO EPA GUIDE PROTOCOL
Bacteria X
Viruses X X X
Parasites X
Particulates X
AESTHETIC EFFECTS (ACTIVATED CARBON FILTER)
Chemicals X X X
Heavy Metals X X X
Taste & Odour X X
SAFETY
FailSafe X X X
Independently tested to full NSF P231 or NSF P248 drinking water standards X X X