I have a USGI canteen and the stainless steel canteen cup in the A.L.I.C.E. cover and it ,to me is not too bulky or heavy. although i havent been able to experiment with lighter altermatives. The quality is good, although i do not like the resenous gunk the Esbit tabs leave behind on the cup. i have seen and am thinking about getting a soft plastic canteen and was wondering if anyone has been able to use one of these? I will later post my whole military setup BOB. another issue most people have is the 4 pound wool military blanket, too heavy? i think it adds less bulk than a sleeping bag and is more efficient.

Well i bought my first blast match and have never had trouble with it!! i have used it in the freezing cold, rain, snow, and frozen ground. it lit everything i wanted it to, even slightly damp dead grass!

well i hope to get an honest opinion of the equipment in my BOB and a good lighter equivilant (sp?) of the equipment. I do have a relly major budget restraint until 3/15!! so, thanks everyone!!
777

I will be watching this thread intently. I too am concerned about weight issues with DS's BOB. We assembled the items, as detailed in wildman's thread over here

http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=192002#Post192002

and lo and behold ... it's too heavy for DS, almost too heavy for me. And it's not even complete yet. Still a lot of components missing. So time to reevaluate and start shaving some pounds here and there. On the BOB, not me.
Unfortunately 777, cutting weight usually costs $$$$. Any budget-minded alternatives would be greatly appreciated for both of us. And DS too.

I know there is GI style soft canteen out there. It was billed to be less bulky, lighter, and not bruise paratroopers who landed on it. A guy I know had one - the issue was that it leaked after repeated hard use. The seam parted and it became useless.

Personally, I ditched the canteens in favor of a camelback. It holds just as much if not more, is easier to carry, fits my water filter, and it handier to drink from.

Four pounds for a sleeping bag is incredibly heavy.Good quality sleeping bags weighing half as much are rated reliably to 20 deg. Granted, they are typically not cheap, but they will repay their outlay many times over when used. A wool blanket is tough, versatile, and if you are not carrying it, the weight isn't that significant. They are far less efficient that a mummy style sleeping bag, the best type to have.

You can save a lot of weight in your canteen, as well. A really great canteen is a recycled Gatorade quart bottle - light and tough. Match it up with a stainless steel GSI cup ($6) or similar size titanium (expensive, but tough and lighter). The standard here is a liter size Nalgene water bottle, so common that it has become a standard module for pack pockets, etc. The GSI cup is specifically designed to slip over the bottom of a Nalgene.

You can fabricate any of several alcohol stoves at negligible cost that will outperform an Esbit tab and not deposit gunk on your cup.

While there is expensive lightweight gear, there are also functional, cheap alternatives that work quite well.

i could never wrap up in a blanket and not have it slip around at nite and leave part of me uncovered.yes i have seen the "how too" posts on Youtube and used a WW2 canvas gizmo with blankets when i was a kid but with a bag you just get inside and your covered all the way around..have you tried Trixo tabs in that stove?

"Ounces turn into pounds and pounds turn into pain."

The weight of water carriers adds up fast when you start to carry more than one.

The Nalgene Oasis canteen is patterned after the classic US military canteen. It is a little more flexible but still weighs a little over 4.5 ounces. IIRC the popular 32-ounce Nalgene Lexan bottles weigh 5 or 6 ounces. Too much dead weight in my book.

The Gatorade bottles are a good, tough, cheap and lighter alternative. I've settled on the 1-liter AquaFina bottle as my canteen of choice. If you cut off the label and the remaining ring from the cap's initial seal, it weighs right at 1 ounce. It is pleny tough and the wid(er) opening is handy.

I hear they even come pre-filled with water...!

The 1 quart Gatoraid bottle is almost exactly the same height and diameter as a Nalgene bottle. A standard coffee can fits over it, so you can always start cheap and see if you like that size and form factor.

Another option, somewhat pricier, are Platypus containers. They are collapsible and take up very little space when empty. They do not leak, even when compressed while stowed within a pack. I am not sure they would resist cactus spines. The one and two liter sizes are the most useful.

I’m putting together a Molle II canteen system; ACU Canteen/Utility Pouch, Nalgene/Black Hawk Coyote Brown Oasis Canteen, Issue SS Canteen Cup, USMC Cup Base, x2 Alcohol Gel Packs, and x12 MicroPur Water Purification Tablets. The Gel fuel packs and MicroPur tablets ride in the side pockets of the ACU Pouch. Also, the Nalgene/Black Hawk Coyote Brown Oasis Canteen threat pattern is compatible with the GI issue NBC ready canteen cap.

Cheers,
W-W

Nothing wrong with a USGI canteen and cup. For day hikes I carry one, sometimes two if the weather is hot. Only one canteen cup to boil up a spot of tea.

A quart or two of water, a couple peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a couple granola bars for sustenance. A zip-lock sized necessary pouch for odds and ends - sunscreen, chapstick, tiny FAK, etcetera. It all fits into a USGI butt pack with a shoulder strap fitted to carry everything. Strap a jacket or poncho over the top and I'm good to go dawn to dusk. Add a simple bedroll and I'm good for 24 to 36 hours.

I have thought of substituting a semi-collapsible two-quart USGI model I'm familiar with but the difference in weight isn't much and the standard plastic canteens are working pretty well. Two smaller canteens actually helps with rationing. Three-quarters of a canteen out; the same back. If it works out according to plan, half a canteen in reserve.

Way back I even carried an OD green USGI wool blanket. The Florida bugs finally ate holes in the blanket and I switched to a poly-fleece number and a small lightweight tarp, sometimes a small ground cloth. All three together are roughly four pounds but much more flexible than the wool blanket.

Yes, I could save weight on equipment and carry more water with a bladder system. A titanium cup would save an ounce or two. But I'm comfortable and familiar with my present setup for this sort of light hike and that counts for a lot.

Some people seem to take great joy in buying, trying out new equipment, and generally tweaking and changing their system fairly often. I tend to find something that works and then stick with it. Those USGI canteens are better than twenty years old and may outlive me.

One thing I have tried a few hikes is substituting bottles of water for canteens. Three one-liter bottles are about as bulky as two quart canteens. They are nowhere near as tough as the USGI canteens but they take a considerable beating, unlikely to be damaged if they ride inside a pack, and if one leaks I'm still up on quantity. Cheap. But then again I own the plastic canteens and they are working pretty well.