Canteen cups

Shotgun

Shotgun

Joined
Feb 3, 2006
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8,250
Looking to get one. Is there one brand of better quality or are they all pretty much the same? I did a search on a website and all of the cups were by Rothco. Never heard of them. Opinions? Where do you guys get them? Do these have the same splitting issue that the nalgene stow-away cups have over multiple boils?
 
Rothco is the cheapo military manufacturing brand. Some of their stuff is just fine-I have some of their shemaghs and the manufacturing quality is fine. Are you looking for a USGI style canteen cup? The Space Saver is what I use for my Nalgenes, they fit perfectly right over the bottom. Bushcraft USA has them for maybe 7 bucks.
 
PayetteRucker said:
Rothco is the cheapo military manufacturing brand. Some of their stuff is just fine-I have some of their shemaghs and the manufacturing quality is fine. Are you looking for a USGI style canteen cup? The Space Saver is what I use for my Nalgenes, they fit perfectly right over the bottom. Bushcraft USA has them for maybe 7 bucks.
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Yep, looking at the USGI style. Thinking of switching over to the USGI style Nalgene in the other open thread.
 
I have both the Rothco and genuine USGI, the Rothco will not seat in the canteen stove. The USGI ones fit just fine, not sure what the issue is or if this is an anomaly, but if I buy again I will pay a few extra bucks for the real deal. If you don’t plan on using the stove it might not be a problem for you. I just ordered a couple Nalgene Oasis Canteens to replace my old GI ones. I like the GI canteen form factor but never got used to the slight plastic taste that never seemed to go away.
 
Bill_Mead said:
I have both the Rothco and genuine USGI, the Rothco will not seat in the canteen stove. The USGI ones fit just fine, not sure what the issue is or if this is an anomaly, but if I buy again I will pay a few extra bucks for the real deal. If you don’t plan on using the stove it might not be a problem for you. I just ordered a couple Nalgene Oasis Canteens to replace my old GI ones. I like the GI canteen form factor but never got used to the slight plastic taste that never seemed to go away.
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Yeah I'm done with cheap plastic. Nalgene for me. So there is a difference you say? I don't plan on getting the stove for it, just want something that can go over the fire that won't split on me a few boils in.
 
I ended up picking one up at a local surplus store. If you are looking to put it over an open flame, I would suggest one with the butterfly handles. The handles are longer and work well over a fire. Mine has made lots of tea and soup!
 
I picked up a couple from Andy & Bax not too long ago, the seem to be good quality.

5 or 6 bucks if I remember right.
 
Bushcraft USA has Nalgenes for like 5 bones, and the Space Saver Cup. I used mine this weekend for making probably 15 cups of pine needle tea boiled over a longfire. It's light and sturdy and cheap enough that you aren't going to cry if it gets a little abused. FWIW, the Maxped 40 oz Nalgene pouch fits it just fine.
 
So the answer is "Yes, There is a difference". Bill answered that for you. Thanks Bill. The problem may be in finding the "real deal" since many surplus stores don't sell the real deal. They sell the Rothco or coleman or stansport or whatever.
 
I just did a search on Amazon and guess what I found? Nothing. Turns out tracking down government surplus crap is harder than it looks. Most of them just sell junk made in China that appeals to idiots. You will most likely have to go the nalgene/space saver route if you want quality. The canteen is cool and I'd prefer it over a cylinder shaped bottle. But the reviews on the rothco cup say it's basically crap.
 
I did see a review on woodsmonkey that was on the canteen shops new cup stove that they are having made in the US. Looks to be a really thoughtful piece of gear.
 
Just a little FYI, the Snow Peak 700ml solo kit fits perfectly on a Klean Kanteen 40 oz. Making it an excellent kit! You've got a small guyot squishy bowl, canteen cup & bottle, & it all nests in a LL Bean neoprene cover!
 
Try canteenshop.com as suggested above. I've bought a number of things from Rob he's a good guy and all the stuff I've gotten from him has been top quality.
 
For bottles I prefer the Guyot. Easy to clean, accepts standard lids and filters, safe in the fire.

For cups I prefer the army canteen cup. It’s far more versatile than a GSI cup on a Guyot bottle. Some canteen cups are aluminum. Stainless is better. It’s stronger, and with a hot drink it’s less eager to burn your lip.

With a Guyot style bottle you can open the top and see how much water you have left. With an army plastic canteen you’re peering down a well and guessing. Or you’re weighing the thing in your hand and guessing. A Nalgene canteen is translucent. You can see how empty it is. Also, water from the Nalgene tastes better.

I got a set from The Canteen Shop—listed above. Nalgene canteen, Army cup, new model stove, new steel lid. It’s a great kit.
 
I can recommend Best Glide too. Crazy fast shipping and good customer service.
I just ordered the US Heavy lid from them for my canteen cup.
 
eBay is chock full of them, from aftermarket to Genuine G.I. back to WWII depending on what type you are looking for. A search just now returned 433 hits. You can pretty well pick your manufacturer and style.
 
On the topic of USGI cups there are two stainless steel models. The older one with a zinc coated handle and one that has a stainless wire handle.

Old USGI cup.

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I also have the newer one which is works great.

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