The humble jerry can is one of those iconic objects that has been around longer than anyone alive today can remember, with the possible exception of Kane Tanaka. The word Jerry has been used to describe Germans since World War I, and is most likely a bastardization of either the word German or the word Jeroboam, the latter of which has its own interesting story, for Jeroboam was a man who "pisseth against the wall." But we digress, and we do so with apologies to Mr. Geils and his fine band.
There have been many attempts to improve on the original jerry can, some of which we like, but it still pretty much exists unchanged because it just works, dammit. Wavian cans are the gold standard, and if they're good enough for the Wehrmacht, NATO and the United States Army then they're good enough for us. In fact, Wavian cans are still made in Latvia where the factory was moved to from Germany during WW2.
The Wavian jerry can is EPA, CARB and DOT compliant and comes in 5, 10 and 20L – that's 1.3, 2.6 and 5.3 gallons to those of us who like our coffee black and our tea in the harbor. Joking, we love our former colonial overlords friends across the pond! It's available in colors specific to the contents and comes with Wavian's patented safety spout for gurgle-free pouring. The spout has a plastic clip to secure it to the handles, and the bayonet cap is captive and requires a certain level of commitment to open. Word to the wise: as with any sealed container, changes in temperature and altitude can build pressure so release the cap slowly to let the pressure bleed off without geysering.
Wavian jerry cans are welded steel with a rust-proof lining and three grab handles on top, and because of their ubiquity there are a lot of ways to mount them to a vehicle. Our favorite for the Gearflogger Jeep is the Moryde side mount tray. One day we'll get around to testing some RotopaX, but for now the good ole jerry can is riding shotgun for us and we're pleased as punch and feel the need to pisseth not.