Stainless steel cups with folding wire handles, sized to fit on the outside of standard 32oz Nalgene bottles (HDPE or Lexan), are very common these days. I have purchased them off-the-shelf locally and mail ordered them. They very much are the "water bottle equivalent" of a current issue US military canteen cup and canteen in terms of function. I'n not going to post any links because they REALLY are commonly available from many sources - note that this is fairly recently (say, the last two years) that they became widely available. I have found that they are not all of equal quality and none of them are as robust as a military canteen cup (go figure). But they work just fine. Capacity is a little less than a canteen cup (too lazy to go check, but I will hazard that they hold about 12 fluid ounces (US), which is probably about 2/3 of the capacity of a canteen cup).<br><br>I find that unlike canteen cup/canteen combos, they all rattle annoyingly. However, one can reduce or eliminate the rattle with a scrap of cotton cloth sleeved around the bottle butt (between the bottle and the cup). The cloth is my "cup cleaning" rag and "crud screen" for filling the water bottle from surface water sources... and I usually carry one in a canteen/canteen cup combo, too - the diff is I must use a very thin one (issue hanky works well) for the military gear combo and something thicker like a shop rag works better for the water bottle - cup combo.<br><br>I do NOT like these cups as well as the canteen cups. But they are very useful and do the job without robbing any space. They also cost less than canteen cups... no matter if you are buying a couple, but if you have lots of kids...<br><br>One thing I like about standard water bottles: Wide mouth - easier to fill, not as hard to thaw by pouring hot water in and cold slush out, very slightly slower to freeze up, etc..<br><br>IMHO wide mouth water bottles suck for use as a canteen - wrong shape and not as easy to sip from. YMMV... and there are probably hosts of reasons why 32 oz military canteens from around the world continue to have essentially the same form factor for the last 60+ years...<br><br>If you don't mind it flailing around a little bit, it is trivial to sew a strap onto a standard water bottle bag in order to sling the combo bandoleer fashion - like the old timer 2 quart "cowboy" canteens could be carried. I usually have one slung under my parka that way in the winter time much as Mac (I think) was describing in an earlier post.<br><br>Life was simpler when I wore web gear <grin>... I don't feel that either combo is perfect for all situations (no pack, day pack, big pack, etc.). I use them interchangably, as the mood strikes me. If I'm going on what I consider a "serious" trip, I always pick the military combo - no explanation; maybe just personal comfort level.<br><br>The cups are common; not so common on the market is a ready-made cover/carrier. Hope that helps.<br><br>Regards,<br>Scouter Tom