What do you use for a canteen?

[davemcg]

I didn't want to high-jack the gourd thread but one of the guys mentioned using a glass water bottle canteen, so now I'm curious about the pros and cons of various P/C H/C water containers that a person would carry while trekking or hunting.

Personally I don't have anything of the sort, so that's why I'm wondering about options.

Does a wooden canteen need to be soaked and swelled like my old wooden keg did?

Does a leather canteen leave an aftertaste?

I'm looking for something that would have been perhaps used and available to the trappers in,
say mid 1830s in the Rky. Mtns. of course since those guys were in and around water most of the time it probably wasn't a concern for them.

Being ever frugal I guess I'm also looking for something that I could possibly make myself, without having to wait two years for a gourd to grow and dry out :haha:

Thanks

 

[tg]

I use a flat whisky bottle with a cork stopper wrapped in wool to prevent breakage, don't know if it is PC or not, I don't know when that type of bottle came into use.

 

[Swampman]

I prefer a copper military style canteen. It's hard to document, but at least your water doesn't taste like manure.

 

[Desert Rat]

They are not PC or HC (unless you are doing a WWII British soldier) but with a great stretch of the imagination the enameled WWII British canteens can be used. It's one thing that I haven't "fixed" about my own kit yet but I made a leather carrier and have been using one for about 10 years now. One of these days I'm going to change to something else but I haven't put a whole lot of effort into it....yet :hmm:

 

[paulvallandigham]

The added plus of a copper canteen is that the copper kills bacteria on contact.

 

[boar]

I use a old stopper bottle covered in soft deerskin. Not a big one, I thinking it is a pint. Dilly

 

[tg]

I think this is a pint bottle with cork stopper and a leather cover, I used an old wool sock to cover one also, with a small hole cut in the right spot the sock pretty much conforms to the shape of the bottle, I could not find that one, good for a day hunt but not for much longer with out a source for refill.

 

[musketman]

I use a flat whisky bottle with a cork stopper wrapped in wool to prevent breakage, don't know if it is PC or not, I don't know when that type of bottle came into use.

Here is a antique bottle dating chart...

Dating Antique Bottles

 

[flintlock75]

I carry an 18th century British military tin canteen with a cork stopper, these were used for a long time and should fit in to the 1830s.I made a wool cover to cover the tin, makes it quiet in the woods.

 

[Muskeg Stomper]

I have a wooden slat canteen that I made. When well lined with wax, it doesn't leak at all and I don't bother to swell it. When the wax starts to chip away how-some-ever, I do swell it the night before until I get around to recoating the inside again.

I've been considering one of those stainless steel, somewhat tin-looking canteens of late since the wood canteen is very heavy all by itself not to mention when full. Seems like every new real tin canteen that I've ever looked at though had rust inside before they were ever used! Anyone else ever seen that? Maybe copper is the way to go.

I've also been thinking about getting a traditional leather wineskin for the winter months. That way, I could carry it under my coat to keep my water from freezing up.

 

[swedepie]

Are the tin canteens soldered or how are they put together? Same with the copper? If they are, do you actually drink from them? Should there be any concern with metal contamination? I have read all the do's and don'ts about handling and snorting fumes etc., as far as lead and the warnings on the chemicals associated with rifle cleaning. I am just a newbee, but the bottom line is it doesn't matter how many B.P. rifles, period correct this or that you have or do, if you don't have your health. They don't mean squat if you can't use and enjoy them. How do the more learned collegues here address this? Just wonderin and trying to learn with the rest of the newbs. Mac.

 

[boar]

TG Almost a twin to mine. I forget to add I use a pure Scottish fax linen canvas water bag for camping at the doing's. Holds about 2quarts. It leaks for a while the swells tight. Water stays cool. Dilly

 

[ameling]

Most people making tin/copper canteens, cups, kettles, etc. use a "food safe" grade of solder in construction. So there should be no problems with that.

But most modern tin items are made from "tin" that is waaaaay toooo thin! "Tin" is sheet iron that has a coating of the specific metal called TIN on it. That TIN coating helps protect that sheet iron from rusting. But modern tin is made by electro-plating that TIN onto the sheet iron. And that coating is VERY THIN. So it is easy to scratch/nick it and allow rust to start forming. The old tin ware items were made from HOT DIPPED tin. The sheet iron was dipped down into a vat of molten TIN. This put a coating on the sheet iron that is many times thicker than that modern electro-plated stuff.

Hot dipped TIN is now available again. And many tinsmiths are using it to make up items like cups, kettles, and canteens. Once you've seen and used something made from true hot-dipped tin, you will understand why the old tin items had such a good rep. It costs more initially, but it is well worth it in the end. And it is more historically correct - because they did not have electro-plating back then.

How thin the coating is on that modern "tin" is also why some tinsmiths are starting to make items out of un-polished stainless steel - so they don't rust away so fast. Stainless Steel is tougher to work, and it is stronger in use. But it still can "rust", it just takes a whole lot longer.


Canteens are just another of those "everyday" items that didn't get mentioned much, or even included in drawings/paintings. So we have to wonder if they just weren't mentioned/drawn, or if they weren't there at all. A "detail" lost in history.

But modern realities of clean drinking/cooking water now dictate that we do something to either carry water with us or to carry along a "filter". Or to boil our drinking/cooking water. So then it becomes a matter of personal choice - canteen or other options.

Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

 

[Black Hand]

I carry a canteen that I made from leather and waterproofed with wax. No, it does not leave an aftertaste to the water when properly coated. It is light, tough, doesn't rust or crack, and is not as noisy as other types of canteens. Is it appropriate for your time period? Probably not, but then again, canteens aren't proper for most portrayals. Why do I carry one? Because I don't trust the water....

 

[tg]

Here is the one useing an old wool sock for a "holder" a combination of wool and leather might offer more insulation and protection from breakage, one does want to use caution and try to carry in a manner that if one falls the chances of injury is reduced, I usually have a piece of cloth (same as patching) for wiping things,marking trails and whatever 2'x2' in my haversack that I wrap around the bottle for xtra protection

 

[Black Hand]

The added plus of a copper canteen is that the copper kills bacteria on contact.

If that was the case, then why can bacteria survive in tap water when dispensed through copper pies? I wouldn't stake any money or my health on this statement.

 

[flintlock75]

The one i have is soldered on the seams. It is also lined with bees wax. I bought my first one 15 years ago and only now did i have to buy another. the old one was just to beat up to fix anymore and sprung a few leaks. Since i have a military persona it is correct for me to carry it.

 

[BobKrohn]

The added plus of a copper canteen is that the copper kills bacteria on contact.

I just left a question on the cookware forum about my concern about copper cookware. I have heard that there is some danger of "copper poisoning". That is why they tin coat the cookware. Any info on this? I'm really curious.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Copper has long been known to kill bacteria. Its one of the major reasons that boats have copper sheeting covering their bottoms- to kill off algae, and shell fish that would otherwise attach and grown there, harming the outer layers of the boat, and creating drag. It turns out that Medical science has just found out about this and there is serious consideration being given to recommend that the doorknobs on hospital rooms be changed from steel or brass, to copper- at least copper plated finishes. This would be an attempt to reduce the communication of staph infections, which occur more than 99% of the time, ONLY in hospitals, and is the result of unsanitary practices by the lowly paid, and poorly trained and supervised cleaning staff.

 

[Many Klatch]

Cooking in an unlined copper pot is bad for your health, especially if the food is acidic. You will wind up ingesting a lot of copper oxide.

Water in copper is OK since it is not acidic. Don't put anything in a copper canteen except water.

Many Klatch