New Stainless Steel Canteen combo out next week

[ROCK6]

Well, I'll take back what I said about this canteen set not fitting USGI "MOLLE" canteen pouches. I have an issued (ACU camo) MOLLE canteen pouch and it fits. This version has the covering flap and Y-shaped webbing retention. You can used the covering flap or fold it inside the pouch. The canteen is a tighter fit and you have to do a little wiggling to get the cup out, but it works and at least this cover is much more substantially made. Good news at least for finding a more robust canteen cover than the crappy one you get with this set.

ROCK6

 

[Tixx]

I think I have an extra “heavy lid” laying around, but I’m going to try and make a lighter lid out of an extra aluminum plate I have; just need to see if I have any more rivets and latches for the lid. I think a thin piece of snare wire would also be a good addition to loop over the canteen mouth (I wish it had a cap-retaining ledge like the Nalgene/Guyot bottles to give you a more secure attachment) so you can make it easier to hang or retrieve from a fire without burning your hand.

ROCK6

You could use a fish mouth spreader to put it over the fire. Should be extremely secure especially since I see there is a rolled lip on the inside of the opening.

The canteen is 2 pieces welded together at that ridge that runs along the body horizontally. Stove and cup nest nicely. Everything seems sturdy enough except the lower end pouch. Guess I also would have liked it to be the same size/shape as an original canteen so everything was backward compatible. Something to keep the lid attached to the bottle so you don't lose it would be nice to have as well.

I don't see the stamp of the steel type on the components. Is this made in the US?

 

[ROCK6]

You could use a fish mouth spreader to put it over the fire. Should be extremely secure especially since I see there is a rolled lip on the inside of the opening.

I have one and will try that. I just like the idea of a thin stainless cable (leader) as it can be coiled up really small.

The canteen is 2 pieces welded together at that ridge that runs along the body horizontally. Stove and cup nest nicely. Everything seems sturdy enough except the lower end pouch. Guess I also would have liked it to be the same size/shape as an original canteen so everything was backward compatible. Something to keep the lid attached to the bottle so you don't lose it would be nice to have as well.

I don't see the stamp of the steel type on the components. Is this made in the US?

The weld looks good on this and it does fit nicely; kudos to them. I wish the lid had something to secure it as well and that additional "ledge" much like the Nalgene stainless bottles. I thought it was tooled and manufactured in the US, I may be wrong. Still, it's a well constructed kit (minus the cover).

ROCK6

 

[neeman]

The canteen I’ve really liked recently is the NATO Pattern 58 version

I got mine in 68, and it still holds water and the cup still boils water

Please explain what is different with this new kit, at a lot more money

 

[Tixx]

I got mine in 68, and it still holds water and the cup still boils water

Please explain what is different with this new kit, at a lot more money

If we had the specs and availability of your setup we could then compare and contrast using the info in this thread and on their website.

 

[ROCK6]

I got mine in 68, and it still holds water and the cup still boils water

Please explain what is different with this new kit, at a lot more money

I'll take some pictures and show the weights between the two tomorrow morning. I have both setups and can do that simple comparison. Biggest difference is the actual canteen itself. It again comes down to requirements; if you need to place your canteen directly over the fire, there's only the one choice. Sure, they both can use their steel canteen cups for the same purpose, but it's just another option...something I guess would be more important if you need to melt a lot of snow or ice.

ROCK6

 

[soapboxpreacher]

I got mine in 68, and it still holds water and the cup still boils water

Please explain what is different with this new kit, at a lot more money

I have the BCB Crusader mess kit, it is built pretty good and ness well but I have some reservation about it yet mine has the osprey bottle (the better bottle) and is the NATO kit if I am not mistaken. I dont know how close this design is to your pattern 58 for they are not in existence today. As for the BCB, the canteen is plastic..after while I can taste the plastic in my water..especially on hot days, it isnt that bad but it is there. The stove has a ton going for it but has flaws also. I doesnt work as well as the stove/grill that the canteenshop kit has when using broken branches and twigs for example isnt possible...at least I have figured it out. Also the ring in the middle will not fit my vargo or traingia stove...so it makes this stove only good for esbit, gel or other solid fuel...all of which and more I can do with the new canteenshop stove. As for the gel...greenheat sucks! That gel will not bring a liter to a boil. Also my BCB kit has a plastic cover for the SS canteen cup, it works but I have already melt it in a few spots so it isnt going to last...and you cant out the cup in a fire with that cover either. I do really like the additional plastic canteen cup on the BCB...so you can have coffee and a mean or something else at the sametime. This is nice. The BCB kit is bigger and it is heavier. I prefer a stainless canteen as well...not just for the flavor but another source you can boil in if need be. My BCB kit cost me over 80 bucks. It did include the cover which works but is cheap! If I didnt have anything however I would go with the canteenshop design. I would add the stainless steel canteen cup lid. The BCB is nice but I use my GI SS kit, stove and so on way more. The BCB SS Cup is a little nicer and seems to be built as well if not better. But once again, if I had nothing I would go with the canteenshop new design.

 

[ROCK6]

Here’s a quick comparison between some canteens (the USGI is the soft-sided Echo version):

Here’s the issued USGI MOLLE canteen cover (this version has three outside pockets):

Some weight comparisons:

Weight of complete kit (Lids not included):

NATO/Pattern 58: 23.5oz
Canteen Shop: 24.6oz
USGI: 15.7oz

Weight of the canteen:

NATO/Pattern 58: 7.5oz
Canteen Shop: 11.6oz
USGI: 5.0oz
Nalgene Canteen: 4.5oz


Weight of the Canteen Cup:
(Just the steel cups)

NATO/Pattern 58: 9.3oz
Canteen Shop: 8.8oz
USGI: 8.2oz

Weight of the Stove:

NATO/Pattern 58: 16.0oz
Canteen Shop: 13.0oz
USGI: 10.0oz

Capacity of the cup (filled to lip actual boiling capacity is about 150-200ml less):
NATO/Pattern 58: 900ml
Canteen Shop: 900ml
USGI: 750ml

Yeah, you can use the fish-hanger to pull the steel canteen:

ROCK6

 

[ROCK6]

Some canteen cup comparisons:

Difference between the Heavy lid and the aluminum plate lid:

ROCK6

 

[jonnyt16]

Rock6, quick question, where did you find the 3-pocket USGI canteen cover? US made (NSN) or overseas? Thanks.

 

[Tixx]

Thanks for posting all that! How much does the darn CS bakelite cap add to the package? That thing is pretty hefty.

 

[soapboxpreacher]

Awesome rock!! Thx!

 

[soapboxpreacher]

Is the size of the open and threads the same as a nalgene? I ask because many filter screw on to a nalgene thread making filling awesome!!

 

[Tixx]

Is the size of the open and threads the same as a nalgene? I ask because many filter screw on to a nalgene thread making filling awesome!!

Unfortunately no.

 

[ROCK6]

Rock6, quick question, where did you find the 3-pocket USGI canteen cover? US made (NSN) or overseas? Thanks.

It was made during the mid-90’s and the mad rush for ACU MOLLE gear. I can't even find the website and I’m sure a lot of manufactures had temporary divisions that made these. It was made in the US, but there were several contracted and some were sub-contracted overseas. I think most surplus MOLLE pouches would work. I have a couple woodland and old three-color desert I need to find and see if they’ll fit, but most should and you can find several on the web for around $5.00. It will just be a manageably-tight fit for the cup/stove.

Thanks for posting all that! How much does the darn CS bakelite cap add to the package? That thing is pretty hefty.

Ha, yeah I should have weighed that separately. It weighs in at a healthy 2 ounces:

As Tixx mentioned, the threads are not Nalgene compatible which is a disappointment; that would have been a great selling point. The mouth is the same size, actually slightly smaller as a Nalgene cap will just sit on top. Not sure if it would have been feasible, but it would have been a good addition.

What wasn’t mentioned in the stove comparison, the USGI and Canteen Shop stoves can use an alcohol, esbit/trioxane fuel or natural tinder. The only downside to the heavy Crusader stove is that it’s really designed just for esbit/trioxane/jell fuel. I do have an older Vargo alcohol stove that fits and it will work with a very small one, but it’s not set up or designed to work with natural fuel. For the weight, that’s a bummer and one of the reasons I rarely pack it along as I often just stick the cup directly onto a bed of coals to boil water.

ROCK6

 

[Bowman1911]

Thanks for the review fellas! Hate to hear about the lid! Wish it'd mate to my MSR hyperflow!!!

 

[LMT66]

I don't know why they didn't make the threads compatible with most filters but I still like it for what I'll be using it for. I gave mine my first burn out on a dayhike and like the setup.
Thanks ROCK for the taking the weights on all those cook kits!

 

[Tixx]