Canteen question

R

Rich_S

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Dec 3, 2005
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I'm putting together a canteen based kit, so I picked up a GI 1 qt canteen, stainless steel cup, aluminum cup stand, cordura canteen case, and some esbit tabs.

The cup stand doesn't seem to fit all the way down on the cup - the cup won't go in the last 3/4". Any ideas? Should I split the stand with tin snips where the big notch is? I want it all to fit inside the cover.

Also, what is the general opinion of esbit stoves (compared to alcohol stoves, multi-fuel camp stoves, etc.?
 
Hi Rich,

I had one like that. I just used a piece of wood to knock it all the way on and then knocked it back off. Soon it fit like a glove.

Esbit is fine, just don't breathe the smoke.
 
Your cup has to be of recent vintage for the stove to fit over it. The old straight sided cups don't work.
 
Mine is tight too, it took alot of banging it on and off to get a good fit, Dont be discouraged.

I don't have an alcohol stove but i have used an ezbit for a few years and i like them, for the following reasons. 1 i dont have to mess around with liquids in the feild, 2 i can use any trioxane tabs or bars, 3 they adjust for different size pots or cups, 5. they heat up quickly and cool down quickly for packing 6. They fit in a pocket including fuel.

Im sure there are more reasons
 
With the esbit, stay away from the trioxane fuel, as it's very toxic. The white esbit fuel is much easier on the lungs. A tip on getting max proficiency from the esbit, is using HD foil as a wind barrier and using a small flat stone to raise the fuel, closer to the cup.
 
The esbit tablets work great with the GI canteen cup/combo. Also if you can find the mini Sterno fuel cans, those are good too. I carry the set, even though it's heavy, it's tough, and it's cheap. Had it since I was in Scouts :)
 
longbow50 said:
With the esbit, stay away from the trioxane fuel, as it's very toxic. The white esbit fuel is much easier on the lungs. A tip on getting max proficiency from the esbit, is using HD foil as a wind barrier and using a small flat stone to raise the fuel, closer to the cup.
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I bought some trioxane tabs last summer, they definitely work but the formaldehyde stench is pretty unnerving. I'll try the Esbit tabs next. Sterno does burn pretty clean as far as I know, but it's a bit heavy. In my limited experiments with Sterno, I never quite got water to really boil, so I think it's kind of limited.

I also "splurged" on some Reynolds Wrap Heavy Duty aluminum foil for camping and stuff, worth EVERY penny extra than the regular foil. It's way stronger. Much better for wrapping up taters to bake in the coals, candle lanterns, whatever. Good tip on using a spacer to bring the heat source closer to the cup, thanks!
 
The Last Ezbit tabs i bought had a wierd "Fishy" smell is that normal ?

PS Sterno is another great one as you can also scoop it out at a fire starter.
 
Ok, I tried banging it on with a piece of wood and a hammer. It still wouldn't go all the way on, and it became almost impossible to remove. So I decided to break out the tin snips and snip the metal in the front where it's already notched in. Voila, now it fits perfectly and I can always squish it back to shape with my hand since the aluminum is so thin.
 
EMS the last package of Esbit fuel I bought I took out of its cardboard and nicked the plastic. For two days the entire family searched for the dead fish in the house. I bacame convinced one of the dogs had puked up something he found at the ranch. I finally found it was the Esbit.
 
i got a surplus canteen i just cant seem to rig myself a drinking hose for the cap on it any ideas?
 
all the canteen stuff thats on that page is compatible with each other. theres no reason why your little mini cooker wont fit on. a lot of the times, the cooker gets smashed a little, and loses its shape. the only thing that that little frame has to fit, is totally around a canteen, or just about a half inch onto the bottom of the canteen cup. i cant see why it wont fit on there. thats weird. if it doesnt fit on there with a moderate amount of force with your hand, i wouldnt beat it. cuz then ya cant return it. return it, and go to the local surplus store with your stuff in your hand, and hand fit one. or, go to ebay, and find all usgi stuff. theres always a ton of it on there. it all fits.

even though i relied on my camelbak, and one litre bottles of water in my pack, i always kept my issue canteens, with cup and stove and trioxane on my lbe. they always worked, and never failed me. i like the fact that in a minutes notice, i can whip up a cup of hot tea outta nowhere. its an unbeatable set.
 
Buddiiee said:
all the canteen stuff thats on that page is compatible with each other. theres no reason why your little mini cooker wont fit on. a lot of the times, the cooker gets smashed a little, and loses its shape the only thing that that little frame has to fit, is totally around a canteen, or just about a half inch onto the bottom of the canteen cup. i cant see why it wont fit on there. thats weird. if it doesnt fit on there with a moderate amount of force with your hand, i wouldnt beat it. cuz then ya cant return it. return it, and go to the local surplus store with your stuff in your hand, and hand fit one. or, go to ebay, and find all usgi stuff. theres always a ton of it on there. it all fits.
Click to expand...

There's no way it was going to fit all the way on. After I snipped it with the tin snips and put it on, the gap between the two snipped parts was about 3/4", and that's after force fitting it to the steel cup.

I'm not real worried about it, I paid less than $5 for it, and it still works just fine after snipping it.

even though i relied on my camelbak, and one litre bottles of water in my pack, i always kept my issue canteens, with cup and stove and trioxane on my lbe. they always worked, and never failed me. i like the fact that in a minutes notice, i can whip up a cup of hot tea outta nowhere. its an unbeatable set.
Click to expand...

I agree. Camelbacks, Nalgene bottles, and Platypus collapsible bladders are all great - until they're empty, you come upon a questionable water supply, and your only way of purifying it is to boil it.
 
The cup stands were made to fit the newer aluminum cups and will usually not work well with the older ateel cups.
 
Sgt. Art said:
The cup stands were made to fit the newer aluminum cups and will usually not work well with the older ateel cups.
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Ah, well, that would explain it.

Maybe one day I'll try and pick up one of the older stands (also steel presumably?) but for now, the modded aluminum one is fine.
 
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