Adventure seekers need to pack a few critical things when heading out into the outdoors: proper gear for the trip, food, and water. Without any of these, an exciting excursion could turn into disparity. H20 is everyone’s best friend. It keeps us hydrated and alive. Finding a solid way to carry it when on the road is critical; this is where Australian-made Wavian water cans come into play.

Wavian makes heavy-duty plastic five-gallon water carriers. These BPA-free jerry-style water canisters are a secure way to carry your liquid gold. Wavian water containers incorporate several neat features. They include UV protection to guard against degradation if you use them outside for long periods of time and boast a rough exterior texture that improves grip and looks cool. Wavian water jerry cans are also constructed with an opaque resin—preventing bacterial growth.

Wavian water canisters also feature an oversized top-mounted fill cap and small air vent for no “glug” water usage experiences. The air vent, when unscrewed, helps prevent slow or uninterrupted water distribution. The Wavian jerry can’s size is 13 ¾” long x 6 7/8″ wide x 18 ¼” high.

Spigot Usage

The Wavian water can is designed with a concealed water spigot (which is threaded into the bottom of the oversized top screw cap). Before operation, simply remove the spigot and replace it with the bottom-treaded bung, or cap. Tip: The Wavian water canister should be laid on its side to switch the spigot and cap, or better yet, do it before you fill it with water for easy installation.

Note: While the spigot is easy to unscrew from the bottom of the top cap, the bottom cap that houses the spigot can be a bit tricky. After multiple attempts to unscrew the plastic plug from its home with coins or screwdrivers, we were able to loosen it via our key chain bottle opener. The plastic surrounding the indented slot was roughed up slightly due to the effort to unscrew it. Perhaps making this cap in metal would be better? It helps to find a wide, sturdy tool to open it up before you head out on the road with it for the first time. Better yet, Wavian offers up a special tool that can help users unscrew the large top cap as well as the spigot cap. It would be nice to see this included in the purchase of the jerry can.

Once the bottom plug is removed, it can be screwed into the top cap (nifty feature) so Wavian users don’t lose it. The spigot easily screws into the bottom hole; however, there isn’t a good terminating point to stop tightening it. While tightening it, it pops out of the tread and gets looser again. The spigot works well in this position—we discovered it doesn’t have to be super tight for non-leaking usage. Re-designing the treads to create a “stop” function once screwed in tight enough would be useful.

The water spigot itself was easy to use, but a two-handed operation is a must. The handle controlling the water is designed to move in the same direction as the spigot’s threads, making it difficult to use with one hand as the spigot wants to “walk” upward, in the same direction as the handle when twisting it. We needed to hold the spigot in place with one hand and twist the handle to the on position using the other hand. Having your cup or pot readily available underneath the canister is key, otherwise, you’ll waste water once the spigot is in the on position. If the design of the spigot handle was changed, perhaps one-handed operations could be done.

Is Wavian Worth It?

The Wavian five-gallon jerry can easily slip into most jerry can holders and its modular size makes it a breeze to stow inside your adventure rig. This Aussie-made canister can easily be hauled and stored. Once users understand its quirky features, it proves to be a solid H20 carrier.

If you’re looking for a wonderful water can, the five-gallon Wavian water container should be considered. It’s durably constructed, is BPA-free, and is easy to fill with its oversized top-mounted opening. If you don’t mind bringing a tool with you to open the bottom plug and using the spigot with two hands—you’ll be set for many water-filled adventures to come with it.

The Wavian jerry can is available at Atlantic British, a great place for your Land Rover parts, too.

All photos by Mercedes Lilienthal.