Review of plastic surplus canteens for hiking

Plastic Army Surplus Canteens

Dana:

Fancy smanshy Nalgene bottles, too cool water bladders, hydration sipping systems I say PHOOEY! These are one of two bargain basement deals I still hold on to. Part of the original stuff I bought years ago, I have no plans to replace them. At $2 a piece, they've proven to be up to the task of holding water! Since they sometimes can add a plastic taste to liquids stored in them, I purchased a Nalgene bottle to hold my backcountry wine. They get a long quite well and can be seen being very civil to each other in the photo above.

Upside:

CHEAP! Holds a quart of liquid. Fits great in my backpacks mesh bottle pockets.

Downside:

Can't turn a couple of them upside down, because they have small leaks around the cap (probably created from our old practice of freezing the bottles the night before a warm weather hike). Water can taste a little like plastic sometimes.

Christopher:

Army Surplus Canteens - What can I say? We decided to go hiking, I needed canteens and Big Lots had these on sale for about $2 a piece. That was many years ago and I still use them today.

Upside:

Each one holds a quart; their short design allows them to fit snuggly in the pockets in my pack; the wide mouth makes filling them a snap.

Downside:

Two of the five have developed leaks around the top; the army green color makes it very easy to leave one sitting on the ground behind; they have a tendency to freeze pretty quickly when winter hiking.