I’m just putting it out there for those who may not have thought of this. It’s best NOT to use an ‘insulated’ (double wall) canteen (or water bottle) for outdoor survival. Here’s why…
While reflecting on the article, 11 Most Popular Tools For Outdoor Survival, in which a stainless steel canteen with a screw-on lid is #4, I realized something:
There are a lot of those stainless or aluminum water bottles nowadays that are insulated to keep contents cool. People may use them for hiking, camping, other activities. But there’s a problem…
For outdoor survival preparedness, you want to look for a non-insulated single wall stainless steel canteen. But not just any canteen! Here’s what I mean…
STAINLESS STEEL CANTEEN – CAN YOU BOIL WATER IN IT?
Only use a single walled metal container to boil water.
CAUTION: Since it is single walled (non-insulated) the container will become too hot to touch directly when boiling or for awhile afterwards. This is where “not just any canteen” fits in…
You want a stainless steel canteen that you can work with or manage while it’s hot! And the best one (or any with this feature) that I found for this purpose is as follows.
See if you can figure out why I like it:
Pinty G.I. Army Stainless Steel Canteen
Stainless Steel Canteen – Features
The answer is the chain, and the fact that it also has a separate cooking pot with fold-able handles. The canteen fits right inside it. I’ll explain about the chain in a minute…
One of the best things about a stainless steel canteen is that you can boil water in it during an emergency situation if you need to – for water purification.
A stainless steel container could be hung over a fire (or set in the coals) to boil water to purify it for safe drinking.
Aluminum will work too but I prefer stainless. Stainless Steel will not rust or corrode and will resist denting and breakage.
By the way, this is how long you only need to boil water for safe drinking.
Why the chain? Because even if you didn’t have the separate cooking pot, you could use the canteen for boiling AND be able to handle it while it’s hot.
How? After the water has reached a boil, that chain could be wrapped around a small stick to lift. You could then get it off the heat to cool down. You could also use a second stick to tip the bottom while holding it (with your first stick) by the chain – and pour it into another container.
The chain could also be used to hang the canteen over a fire (with a stick or some paracord, etc..).
What about the plastic cap? Just be sure not to melt the plastic cap (I wish it were metal). I would advise to remove the plastic cap from the chain, a few links down from the fastener. Rig up a small clip for instant removal and re-installation of the cap (use your imagination – several ways to go about this).
Build a smaller fire to avoid high flames. Or set in coals to boil.
Of course, a good portable water filter will solve your drinking water problems. Though I do want to support the concept of boiling water and the right container choices and considerations.
Read more: The Sawyer Mini Water Filter
DOUBLE WALLED INSULATED CANTEENS NOT GOOD FOR BOILING WATER
A problem arises if you’re using a double wall insulated canteen.
The double walled construction of such a canteen presents a barrier between the outside wall and the inside wall of the canteen (typically vacuum sealed).
The same principle that keeps your water cool (insulated) will also restrict it from heating to a boil while over a fire.
A double walled, insulated water bottle canteen is great for keeping a chilled drink. But it’s not ideal for the general purpose of emergency survival.
Container – One of the 5 C’s of Survival
Do you know the 5 and 10 C’s of Survival?
One of the ” C’s ” is Container. The idea is to have some sort of container that will hold water that you could boil for purification (or cook a meal or whatever).
Maybe it’s simply your mess kit. Or just a metal cup. Or possibly a stainless (or aluminum) water bottle.
It’s something to consider for any general purpose survival kit.
Read more: How to Make a Survival Kit
I thought that was the purpose of the cup
Heat the cup to purify the water – store in canteen for later use. That makes sense. But I had never thought to use the chain as you describe above – good thoughts !
Some of the surplus canteens (Swedish blanket covered) have a metal cap, but I think it is aluminum. Might be able to be re-purposed for this though.
The cup – yes it could serve the purpose.
I like the containment aspect of the canteen itself too (with the screw on lid) for on-the-go after having purified some water.
No the purpose is to drink from cook and boil water
All the more reason to carry a Leatherman or equivalent multi-tool. Handling objects such as a metal canteen being heated on a fire? The pliers function works wonderfully for this. The wire-cutters will handle the task of separating the plastic lid from the chain if needed.
Can cut out a link and put a couple small key rings in there, couple because of that two is one thing
I look at the canteen in the photo and remember the one I have of my Father’s.
Tis the one he carried in WWII all through Europe, it’s covered in suet and all black from the hundreds of fires it was set in.
It’s a treasure for sure.
Good article Ken, as a reminder, do NOT put a double walled thermos in a fire, it may/will split open and you’ll lose that $60 Yeti into a pile of scrap.
Living in the deep south Texas locale, I also use the U.S. 2 quart bladder type of canteens, especially in the summer. Has anyone seen a metal cup unit for this size of canteen ? I’ve tried restaurant supply stores (steam table food container) but have not found one that fits the bladder / bag like the 1 quart cup version has. I asked the Canteenshop many moons ago about this and never got a response.
Julio Guerra
Have you tried the Army Navy stores? Several special military groups have sites on line where one may find what they are seeking.
Put in your parameters on a search engine, such as Start Page, or check Amazon through the site here.
Did you verify if it has a serial number or model number to help with this search? Good luck
I’ve never seen such a thing. That would be cool because I’ve still got my issue one.
I had two surplus metal canteens with the good fold out single handle.
There is one company that makes a similar item (canteen has bigger cap/opening)
You can see it at: Pathfinder Canteen Cooking Set
I have their SSteel bottle/cookset on a couple of bags I have made up: Stainless Steel Bottle Cooking Kit
One nice thing about the bottle sets with strap is you can fill a couple half full, place them at an angle in the freezer then the next day, fill them with water and have ice water for most of the day.
24 years in the Army, all in combat arms (and I have the bad knees to prove it!). 2 tours in Alaska taught me several things… even when they issued us both the green plastic and the Arctic canteens (almost worthless) we still went down to ‘Rocket Surplus’ in Faibanks and bought our own WWII surplus canteens (there were plenty of’em in the 70’s for around $5 ea.) you carried two, one for boiling water and the cup(s) for drinking and cooking your Ramen Noodles or Cup-O-Soups.
We also carried a ‘survival water bladder’ around our neck, with 550 cord under our parka. That kept it thawed out. (you could accomplish the same thing with a new ‘hot water bottle’ from your local Mega-Low-Mart store).
Another trick was, we also went out and bought both brands of coffee thermos’ mentioned above (Thermos brand and the green Stanley brand) and also bought a Euro surplus pouch (from the same Rocket Surplus) that fit the thermos perfect (I think they were a Brit or French surplus gas mask bag from the early 60’s). and then strapped it to our rucksacks. Before going to the field, we would put boiling water in the thermos (pre-heating it as stated in the instructions) and after 24+- hours at -50 below 0, you still had unfrozen water, and that made the weight of carrying the thermos worth every ounce… again, much better than the worthless issued Arctic Canteen.
To this day I still carry either the WWII canteen & cup, (I have several), or I have replaced some in various BOB’s with Kleen-Kanteen’s with matching nesting cups.
Cooking / (snow melting) containers are one of the most important and mandatory items in my packs and BOB’s. Few things are more of a moral booster than a hot beverage or meal when your cold and hungary.
P.S. No, I’ve never seen any type of cup or pot that would fit the issue 2qt. bladder. (not even the Arctic Canteen cup fits the 2qt.) I’ve looked…many times. Sorry
Forgot to mention, the Kleen-Kanteen,s are the single wall model, not the double walled insulated version.
Try to get a canteen with a metal cap, instead of the plastic.
I carry the Guyot 32 oz. SS Canteen (Now Nalgene).
While the plastic wide mouth cap is plastic attached by a paracord-ish rope instead of a chain, it is completely removable.
The 32 oz. size made it perfect to add Aqua Tablets to (as it is almost 1L).
A popular mod is to wrap a SS wire around it (using the same lip for the cap rope) to hang it for boiling or taking it out of the fire.
I also use a GSI cup that can nest with it (although not as snuggly).
I’m wondering if you could boil water in a plastic bottle? Sounds pretty stupid huh? Fill a baggy with water, hold it over a lighter. The plastic will not melt.
I remembered reading about the native Americans using folded Birch bark containers to boil water in. Got me to try the plastic bag thing.
me,
The answer is yes, you can. I was a skeptic, but it works. The convection currents of cooler water replacing hotter water as it rises inside the container keeps the temperature of the plastic below it’s melting point.
To further explain above, polyethelyne plastics vary from 266-288 degrees F. Water boils at 212 degrees F. As long as there is water present, even boiling water, it will keep the plastic at “cooled” to around that 212 degree point.
insert “melting point of” before polyethelyne plastics above.
Me,
You can boil water in the plastic water bottles. Done it more times than I can count showing people how to do it around a camp fire.
First ,pull the paper or plastic label off. Fill the bottle to the top. Put the top back on . Snug but not too tight.
Place it in the hot coals of a fire.
Will start to boil pretty quick.
Heat transfers through the plastic to the water without melting the bottle.
Interesting enough, freezing water bottles leaches more plastic into the water than doing this…
Around the camp fire one day we decided to see what would happen if we put a paper cup of water in the camp fire. Well it started to boil after a few minutes. The paper above the water line burned but the cup held.
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