French Army Military Surplus Canteen, Cover / Cup

I have purchased a few of these from different sellers. I have noticed there are 2 types of these French canteens. The canteen shown in the photo are the older canteens. The ones here are the new issue, which are wonderful canteens, but not as robust as older issues, most noticeably the quality of threading on the canteen and the robustness of the chain. The older ones are also a tad larger and have a deeper canteen cup. Also, these do not come with an o-ring in the lid. Another reviewer mentioned using a flat piece of rubber like a bicycle tube to place in the lid, and it looks as if that would work. I used a flexible silicone cutting board as a gasket material. I used two-one on top of the other-to ensure a good seal and to have a spare seal under the one being used in case the primary gets damaged. These canteens were sold as new, but the cover of one was obviously used, as it had worn through in many areas, so I left an email asking to switch it out. This is currently in work. The other was described accurately, so be sure to inspect all items. But all in all, a good piece of metal. I know I harped a lot here, but as far as overall quality, it is a 5 star item. It seems it's getting more difficult to find quality camping/survival items. Grab a few of these. They will last at least as long as you. Note: I have added a photo to show the difference between the new and old style canteens.

You get the canteen, the pouch, and the cup. You will probably have to replace the rubber stopper because it is worn out. It looks great and when the rubber is replaced works fine. Get it while you can get something of this quality for this price. Just the canteen cup alone is worth it. It works fine to make Ramon Noodles over a bed of coals and flame. I LOVE IT! hint... just order a new 1/8 inch piece of rubber and use an exacto knife to cut out a new stopper for the lid and your canteen is restored. This is a great way to get noticed by chicks who love camping as much as I do. That's the kind of girl I'm after.... one I can take camping with me. :)

Well this was the most expensive aluminum canteen I could find - I wanted the best quality and most durable possible. The canteen body itself seems sturdy; it does not lock or wedge into the cup so unless you use the canteen carry cover the two peices will fall apart. However at some point - as another user pointed out and posted pictures, this newer version of the canteen has a much cheaper lid and chain/chain-hook construction. This will still serve its purpose but since I searched high and low for a high quality canteen and this was the best I could find, I am a bit disappointed.

The big French metal canteen sold by a German distributer, ironic but then these were apparently not dropped too many times - versus 1 quarter US style canteen 3PC CANTEEN KIT W/COVER &ALUMINUM CUP-BLACK Volume, French win. Weight, with less water volume, US style win. Ability to boil water (canteen direct) - French win (Both can be hung above. Most plastic bottles can, even basic water bottles, but get the distance/heat level wrong and a bottomless bottle fails the water tight test every time which is not a worry with metal - both also have canteen cups but see below on that) Bad taste - plastic version wins - with metal, there is no residual taste from coffee, juice, etc after rinsing out/sanitizing is much easier. Strength - rigid against semi-flexible - really depends on the oops Between these two it is really the canteen cups that add value to the French version - longer handles, a heat damper between the cup skin and the handle brace, roughly the same volume for the cups. The US case has a pocket for some sort of small purifying bottle or packet. It also has thicker insulation. I had no quality issues on any I bought and basically bought for the extra volume and ability to boil the entire bottle at a go, and yes old fashion, so I like to boil even if it came up through a filter. It takes a few tries to figure out that you have to pop the lid on so it is on the threads level and then tighten it down - no leaks after that. There are other metal US style canteens offered, but again less volume and seams that separate on some. Look around and see if metal helps and I hope this did on at least about what this French version offers.

This canteen is one of the biggest I've been able to find, and the body and nesting cup are both made of solid aluminum, and mostly indestructable. However, the plastic cap is both relatively flimsy, and has a metal pin where the chain attaches the cap to the canteen. This pin protrudes from the top instead of being recessed into a concavity. This might seem like no big deal, but if you happen to drop the canteen on the cap, the pin transfers the entire force of the drop into one tiny point, which makes the cap very likely to shatter. (I dropped mine onto relatively plush carpet the first week, and the cap shattered into a million pieces.) Other than the flaw in the cap, this canteen is great. Big, sturdy, and the nesting cap and canvas cover are both great. If it came with a sturdier cap with a recessed pin, I would recommend this highly. Instead, I would recommend the Swiss M32 canteen. Although it's a good bit smaller, it's much sturdier. I was apprehensive about the cork stopper, but after some heavy use, I actually much prefer it to screw-on caps.

The plastic cap disintegrated into four pieces on the first use, and not from dropping or abusing it. This rendered the canteen useless, so I returned it. The metal body of the canteen itself has a nice feel to it, and the cloth sleeve it comes in looks to be quality as well.