Pattern 58 bottles - differences?

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Hello all,

I have an Osprey Pattern 58 one-liter bottle which I use constantly, after having both a one-quart and a two-quart U.S.-issue canteen fail on me. (In the Arizona desert that's just not acceptable.) The 58 is so much more rigid and durable it's worth the insane prices we have to pay on this side of the Pond.

I'd like to buy one or two more; however, I'm a bit confused as to makers. I know the Osprey is standard military issue there. Is the BCB bottle also an Osprey, or is it BCB's own manufacture? If the latter, is it as good as the Osprey?

Also, on BCB's site I notice two references to their Pattern 58 bottle, 'standard' and 'NATO.' Can anyone tell me the difference?

Thanks for any insight . . .

Jonathan
 

beenn

Banned
Nov 16, 2009
1,092
0
South Wales
NATO is the osprey bottle, the cheaper bottles are copies which dont have the same cap and always tend to leak
I would go for a bottle with osprey in the bottle as you know its not a copy :)
 

wizard

Nomad
Jan 13, 2006
472
2
77
USA
Have you tried the nalgene 1qt canteens? They are the same shape as the US GI canteen and made of better materials and caps. I have been using one for a couple of years without an issue. There is also no nasty plastic tastes and they are reasonably priced at about $8.
http://www.bepreparedtosurvive.com/WaterContainers.htm#Tritan Oasis - Green & Brown


I have also bought an Osprey NATO from Ray Mears and it is a great bottle but it is expensive and shipping to the USA is 10 to 15 pounds depending on how many items you order. I have had great service from Ray Mears online and they carry only proven, quality gear.
 
An interesting thing happened in the middle of this thread. A couple of weeks before I posted, I ordered what appeared to be a genuine NATO Pattern 58 water bottle, here:

NATO bottle

It was advertised as 'current army issue,' and the size was given as one litre.

Well, I just received it, and it's a 'Web-tex' bottle, clearly smaller than my one-litre Osprey bottle, and clearly nowhere near the same quality. exactly the kind of cheap copy that has been described above. I'm annoyed, mostly at myself for not wondering about the low price, but also because the ad was definitely wrong on several points in the description. No point in returning it as the shipping wouldn't be worth the refund. But I'll contact the business anyway and see what they have to say.

Wizard - yes, thank you, I've seen the Nalgene canteens and they look very good. I've just become really fond of this bombproof Osprey bottle. I think I could drive my Land Cruiser over it with impunity. I also like the wide mouth and the Crusader mug and cookset.

I bought two of Ray Mears's bow saws and was extremely happy with their service and fast shipping.
 

sasquatch

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jun 15, 2008
2,812
0
47
Northampton
Shame you got the wrong one, web tex are hopeless. You can make a seal that works for them though. I accidentally got one once and it leaked everytime I looked at it wrong. A bit of innertube and it's alright now. Rarely sees the light of day as I prefer to use the Osprey, bullet proof as mentioned...
 
Feb 15, 2011
3,860
2
Elsewhere
An interesting thing happened in the middle of this thread. A couple of weeks before I posted, I ordered what appeared to be a genuine NATO Pattern 58 water bottle, here:

NATO bottle

It was advertised as 'current army issue,' and the size was given as one litre.

Well, I just received it, and it's a 'Web-tex' bottle, clearly smaller than my one-litre Osprey bottle, and clearly nowhere near the same quality. exactly the kind of cheap copy that has been described above. I'm annoyed, mostly at myself for not wondering about the low price, but also because the ad was definitely wrong on several points in the description. No point in returning it as the shipping wouldn't be worth the refund. But I'll contact the business anyway and see what they have to say.

Wizard - yes, thank you, I've seen the Nalgene canteens and they look very good. I've just become really fond of this bombproof Osprey bottle. I think I could drive my Land Cruiser over it with impunity. I also like the wide mouth and the Crusader mug and cookset.

I bought two of Ray Mears's bow saws and was extremely happy with their service and fast shipping.





Yes you're right,......it's.fraud.....Web-tex is absolute crap......I personally wouldn't buy anything from Mr. Sunshine. No point in sending it back, your'll just loose more money.
331 sold, & no complaints, hard to believe, either he thinks, because you're an American, you wont be able to tell the difference or think it worthwhile complaining OR he's taking everyone for a ride.
If & when you contact the seller, don't forget to mention that you have discussed the matter on this forum, it may change the outcome........the last thing Ronnie wants, is a bad reputation......bad for buisness.
 

slasha9

Forager
Nov 28, 2004
183
3
54
Cannock
woodlife.ning.com
A few years back I bought three Osprey bottle from Ebay for about £3 each, I was pretty dubious but they were the real deal. The caps were brand new but the bottles themselves looked like they had been buried for a while then dug up, recapped and then sold on! One quick blast with Fairy liquid and they were ready for action (I used to know a girl like that...)

The place that I got them from doesn't have any left but I did find two other offers that SEEM similar (never traded with either so I can't recommend)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BRITISH-ARMY-58-PATTERN-WATER-BOTTLE-MUG-/370516416360?pt=UK_Collectables_Militaria_LE&hash=item56447fd768#ht_500wt_949

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/British-Army-Surplus-Genuine-58-PATTERN-WATER-BOTTLE-/320709973476?pt=UK_Collectables_Militaria_LE&hash=item4aabcdd5e4#ht_500wt_949

Hope that helps


Sean
 
The more I look at the two bottles, the more annoyed I am. To be fair, the material on the Web-tex bottle seems sturdy. But it's most assuredly not a one-litre bottle as the ad said, much less military issue. And as Sasquatch mentioned, the cap gasket looks to have been made from thin white foam. Note how much thinner and floppier the cap leash is. At least now I know to look closely at any photo for the different style of cup ribs.

I'm going to contact the seller and see what he says.

Canteens.jpg
 

Rabbitsmacker

Settler
Nov 23, 2008
951
0
41
Kings Lynn
another option is the dutch 58 pattern water bottle, i've always used british ones, and i've had my current pair for over 10 years without fault, and they were second hand when i bought them! but.....

the dutch ones are the same build quality, complete with rubber gaskets, and nbc tops so you could fit a tube and use them as a source, still a spot on litre of water, and made by AVON. they are the same shape as american GI 1 quart but a little taller and thinner. very pleased with mine and they have replaced my ospreys as my daily user. you can get a stainless mug for them also like the crusader option on the osprey.
 

Totumpole

Native
Jan 16, 2011
1,066
9
Cairns, Australia
I got 3 from here,

http://www.strikeforcesupplies.co.uk/index.php?method=stock&id=2001&from=52

think the bottles are about 6 quid each, (no connection etc,just used store a few times no problems) they sell on ebay to.

Cheers for the link. I never realised their was a difference. I am on "NATO issue" water bottle mark 2, as the 1st one leaked, mark 2 still leaks, just not as bad. I will be piurchasing a true osprey bottle in the near future.
Thanks to all on this threat for enlightening me, now I should really get back to working on my presentation on rectal cancer (enthrawling as it is), only gotta present it in 8 hours.
 
Dave, are you referring to your Osprey bottle or a Web-tex bottle? I filled my Osprey bottle and poured it into the Web-tex bottle, which overflowed quite convincingly. But I didn't actually check to see that the Osprey had taken exactly a litre.

Totumpole: Good luck with that presentation . . .
 

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