View Full Version : British army issue water bottle.
Hi! I have a few questions about the water bottle.What kind of material in the cup and why the four horizontal "markings" in the middle around the bottle (four of them is seen just above the copyright "C" text on the picture)?
http://www.factsurplus.co.uk/10481.html
About the cup, I´ve heard that there is a teflon coating on the inside and metal outside. /Swede :cool:
firebreather
16-02-2007, 19:40
the four raised lumps just hold the cup in place when its on the bottle as for what its made out of ....sorry dont know some hard plastic but what type i dont know .Hope it helps
@ firebreather
Thanks! About the cup, I wondered if it was possible to warm water in it directly. I´m sure of I´ve seen a esbit burner (or something like it) which fits a cup similar to the one in the picture, /Swede
I think that the cup in yiour link is just the standard plastic one, for the metal cup with teflon coating you need the crusader mug.
http://www.strikeforcesupplies.co.uk/stock.php?page=bigpic&item=2005
Swede
Most British Forces just get the plastic cup as in your picture, its not that great and cant be used to heat stuff in.
The one I think your after is the metal issue one which is only issued to units who spend more time in the field. These are avalible from surplus shops and Ray Mears's site, they are made from aluminium. Some companys make copies which maybe not as good and are not genuine issue? In the nineties Survival Aids of Penrith made a non stick version, I still have one of these ten years later, along with an ali one both are great on the stove or fire. Ta ed
desert_emperor
16-02-2007, 20:21
Hi All,
I have read in a few places now that the teflon coating on the crusader mug chips off very easily and that you might as well just buy the un-coated version.
Any experiences or thoughts???
Cheer....P
The coating on mine lasted a good wee while and is only missing from the bottom as I used to use a metal spoon. To be honest though I think its a bit superflous anyway as if im doing any real cooking I use a steel billy. I only really use the mug for hot drinks. Ta ed
Just as a side note, I was given mine by a friend of the family when i was 11 years old and in the cub scouts.... I still use it today..... 22 years later... as far as I'm concerned its a great piece of kit and will last you a long time :D .....
As for the teflon on the cups, I cant comment as I have the stainless steel version, but I have the new cooker which is teflon coated, and its peeling away. I also have the old style hexi cooker with the top attachment so the metal mug fits in there.... and that is ok (not great, but usable.)
:)
Ed
Hi Swede, i have the full set up .Bottle ,plastic mug, metal mug and round burner.It's pretty compact when fitted together.The burner is very solid as it isn't hinged as such (apart from the cross piece that acts as cup stand) like a hexi or esbit.Don't know what the bottle is made of but seems to be very hard plastic.As far as the metal mug i use a cut down wooden spoon as metal will chip it quickly.Just for interest you can make a 35mm film container water filter(black ones with grey top)The top fits snugly onto the bottle opening.If i can help with any other questions ask away. :)
Actually, it's not a simple plastic. Army issue bottles are made from HDPE - High Density Polyethylene. It's a porous material, which explains why plastic bottles/canteens tend to retain the odours of the liquids placed in them. This issue can readily be fixed by filling them with hot water and either a tablespoon of lemon juice or baking soda. Swish everything around, let it sit for an hour, rinse, and the bottle is clean. HDPE has a low resistance to heat and it's not a very good idea to fill army canteens with hot liquids. It effects the molecular structure and you end up with a very hot, very soft bottle.
Modern canteens such as the Nalgene brand are made of Lexan, which is a polycarbonate that is extremely impact resistant. Nalgene has a very high resistance to heat and does not retain odours.
I have both types, a CF issue canteen and a 1 liter Nalgene bottle. I prefer my canteen. It's cheaper, tougher, and it's not even worth a third of what the Nalgene bottle is. I just have to be careful not to put anything in the army HDPE bottle except for water.
I hope this helps!
Adam
Thanks you all! I managed to buy an old aluminium US water bottle a while ago. It comes with a cup and on the inside of the pouch it says 1941. To bad the set aren´t in stainless. /Swede
I have one of these bottles though I don't use it much as it leaks. The lid doesn't screw onto the bottle very well.
gregorach
17-02-2007, 16:58
I have one of these bottles though I don't use it much as it leaks. The lid doesn't screw onto the bottle very well.
Have you perhaps lost the rubber ring that seals it?
It should be made of cork, not rubber. And the benefit of using aluminum is hey, everything you drink may taste metallic but at least it doesn't smell like HDPE.
Cheers,
Adam
Have you perhaps lost the rubber ring that seals it?
There isn't one on it, I think I bought it in that condition, probably from some dodgy army surplus shop.
Danceswithhelicopters
21-02-2007, 11:20
There a 4 seperate mugs available for the UK waterbottle.
First off is the matching black plastic mug that fits on the top.
Next is a teflon coated aluminium mug with a removable plastic lip called the '85 pattern. It fits on top and the lip stops burns and makes it easy to clean.
Thirdly is the Crusader mug in stainless steel which fits on the bottom of the bottle.
Lastly is the teflon coated version of the Crusader.
The stainless is the best option as you can abuse it without any teflon coming off. I never found the teflon that much of a bonus.
It should be made of cork, not rubber.
Deffo not cork ;)
PhilParry
21-02-2007, 11:56
I have both the stainless steel "mug" and the bottle. Got a cammo pouch that they sit in neatly.
I've used the mug directly over a fire and stove before and no problems (although you need to remember to use suitable insulation e.g. gloves when you're picking it up!!! :eek: :yikes: :o :lmao: )
Would never try this with plastic, for obvious reasons. Had to clean it out with Bicarbonate of soda to remove odours (particularly onions for some reason) from time to time.
Be careful though - it's huge so if there's a group brew on be polite and don't nick all the hot water or..... :twak:
Phil
Would never try this with plastic, for obvious reasons. Had to clean it out with Bicarbonate of soda to remove odours (particularly onions for some reason) from time to time.
Washing soda will strip tea stains out of the stainless mugs if it is left to sit for a while.
I have both the stainless steel "mug" and the bottle. Got a cammo pouch that they sit in neatly.
I've used the mug directly over a fire and stove before and no problems (although you need to remember to use suitable insulation e.g. gloves when you're picking it up!!! :eek: :yikes: :o :lmao: )
Would never try this with plastic, for obvious reasons. Had to clean it out with Bicarbonate of soda to remove odours (particularly onions for some reason) from time to time.
Be careful though - it's huge so if there's a group brew on be polite and don't nick all the hot water or..... :twak:
Phil
I managed to find different styles of cups at Silvermans :D. Very nice stuff. Big risk that I will order from them in the future. /Swede
If I was you I would just stick with the stainless steel crusader cup, they are heat resistant which means you can use them as a billycan aswell as on the crusader stove or hexi burner, in fact any small stove you have!
As for the issue black plastic - lasts forever - bottle you can't beat them I was issued mine in 1990 and they are still going strong, and I have a couple that I had before I joined the army!!
I don't rate the american canteen and mug as highly as the British version, I had the aluminium bottle and it split.
I hope this helps you Swede.
Ive got three and they are very useful.
(my ali one rotted when I put cider in it...)
gregorach
21-02-2007, 17:55
This is probably a good time to plug my crafty crusader cup hanger (http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=8257) again... I'm rather proud of it! :) No metal, no drilling, no chains - just a stick!
PhilParry
21-02-2007, 20:34
This is probably a good time to plug my crafty crusader cup hanger (http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=8257) again... I'm rather proud of it! :) No metal, no drilling, no chains - just a stick!
Now that's a neat trick. I'd probably make a mess and put the fire out! :o
Usually I just nestle the cup at the edge of the fire if I want to heat something up (not sure I'd want to cook in it - bit too small for my liking) and it's usually boiling within a couple of minutes....
gregorach
21-02-2007, 21:02
I'm pretty sure you can get a quicker boil with less firewood if you get the cup over the fire. Not a problem if you've already got a cracking blaze going, but handy sometimes.
A trick I used to use for a brew off very little wood was to find two flattish stones about the same height, sit 'em next to each other so that the cup sits happily across a gap of a couple of inches, and then light a very small fire underneath. A handful of dry twigs will get you a brew provided you feed it carefully - it's all about keeping the flames the right size.
I've got a Natick stove for my canteen cup and bottle. I usually just burn a half of a hexy tab under it and supplement it with thin twigs. It gets a brew going half way decently.
Sorry to bring this up again.
Where can you buy the stainless steel version? I see the plastic bottle version on outdoorcode but don't know where to get the steel one :confused:
Sorry to bring this up again.
Where can you buy the stainless steel version? I see the plastic bottle version on outdoorcode but don't know where to get the steel one :confused:
If you're talking about the stainless steel crusader mug: also available @ Outdoorcode.
If you're talking about a stainless steel bottle ... dunno :confused: On occassion they pop-up on E-bay. They are old, very old ... IIRC they date back to somewhere around WW2 :eek: Though I could be wrong on this one :rolleyes:
HTH
ah ok, if there's no new steel bottle I won't bother. Ij ust use a coloured plastic 0.5l bottle (spa water) with a round steel cup fitting around the base ;). But I'd really like a steel bottle, thought it'd be handy to put hot drinks in and insulate with a woolen sock around it. Or to put hot water in and put at the feet at night.. also just like steel more then plastic.
TwoFourAlpha
25-04-2007, 23:49
Gunnix,
it may interest you to know that I used to regularly fill my black plastic waterbottle from the BV (boiling vessel) in the vehicles, stuff it in a sock and use it as a hot water bottle. Just the thing for those long Soltau nights.
It's warm enough when you get up to wash/shave with, too.
And for the record, I owned an '85 pattern mug ( with the plastic lip ) The lip burned first outing and split ( I forgot to take it off. ) It was pants, and I don't regret giving the mug away for a second.
Next I got a Stainless mug, and it's probably one of the best bits of kit I have. I've had it for maybe 12 years, and it's faultless. I've regularly scrubbed the grime off it with the sand at the bottom of whatever stream I'm washing up in. Try that with a teflon.
I also bought one of those cooker thingies to fit, which is OK. I wanted stainless, but they sent teflon.
The first time I lit it up with hexy, half the teflon burned off. I made a little pepsi-can stove that fit it. More teflon came off. I burned it up with sand and petrol. There was barely any teflon left, so I chucked it on a fire and burned the rest off.
Now it's stainless.
Hi All,
I have read in a few places now that the teflon coating on the crusader mug chips off very easily and that you might as well just buy the un-coated version.
Any experiences or thoughts???I orderd an ally one last year but they were out of stock and sent the back one instead. Initially little black flecks kept coming off in my food but I gave it a good rub with a spongtex plastic scrubber and I havn't noticed any since.
Its simple, efficient, reasonably priced and resiliant, what more could you want :)
Z
Ogri the trog
26-04-2007, 02:58
Just for interest you can make a 35mm film container water filter(black ones with grey top)The top fits snugly onto the bottle opening.If i can help with any other questions ask away. :)
How did I miss this little nugget, come on then Disco, tell me more. Plans, photos hints all welcome!
Cheers
Ogri the trog
anthonyyy
26-04-2007, 10:56
I got an aluminium cup from Highlander. It fits the bottle ok. However, I find that aluminium conducts heat better than stainless steel - so the rim is too hot to drink out of. I havent had this problem with stainless steel cups.