Chris: I assume by Frenchy’s post that you were talking about the Coghlan Trailbox; but, maybe you actually were recalling something else. Ever since reading the post, I would periodically Google on “survival flask”. The other day I found
http://www.donrearic.com/ww2kits.htm and
http://bellsaviation.com (search on flask).
Yeh, I did buy one. The internal dimensions are roughy 5” deep x 4” wide x 1” thick (tapering down to ~3/4” at the bottom). The plastic seems “strong enough” and more flexible than a Witz box (like George VanOrden uses for his Pocket Pro Survival Kit (in the “very near future” available through Aeromedix)--
http://www.prosurvivalkit.com/pocketpro.html ). Overall, however, the survival flask is probably not as durable as a Witz box.
A flask that is metal (at least the lower portion of it) could be used for heating water. Put the top back on and one has a hot water bottle for cold nights.