I agree with Dave. I purchased one of these a few months ago based primarily on the quality of the unit (I bought the canteen with the plastic cup, the PTFE-coated stainless steel cup, the clear plastic lid, and the stove). I choose not to get the NATO carrying bag that BestGlide sells, as it seemed a bit large, and didn't really fit well with my intentions for wilderness or survival use.

My two primary (lightweight) B.O.B.'s are a Camelbak Alpine Explorer and a North Face Recon II daypack, both outfitted with 3L internal reservoirs, along with a 1L Nalgene LC-2 (military style) canteen and stainless steel cup in each side mesh pouch. My extended (heavier) B.O.B. is a 85L North Face internal frame backpack that also has a 3L Camelbak internal reservoir, and once again, a 1L Nalgene LC-2 canteen and stainless steel cup in each side mesh pouch.

The BCB Crusader system currently resides in my vehicle B.O.B. so weight and size really aren't of much concern to me. I keep it stored in a Sea to Summit XS (4L) stuff sack that serves as my "water storage and purification module", along with (25) REI stormproof matches, a Mini Bic lighter, (10) Tinder Quik fire starters, (8) Esbit fuel tabs, (10) Katadyn MP1's, a couple of Gerber bags, and a Stansport flat-folding 2 gallon water storage container. The entire kit weighs 1,149g (2.5lbs) without water. It stays in the car kit except when I am camping or otherwise using the larger internal frame backpack, at which point I simply toss it one of the backpack's zippered side storage pockets.

The only complaint that I originally had with the Crusader was keeping the stove kit attached to the canteen during use. Both cups snap securely onto the canteen, although the stove just kind of hung there due to friction, and would fall off as soon as I started walking. I solved this problem by placing the handle of the stove under the butterfly handles of the cup, and then attached a short elastic velcro strap between the two butterfly handles (connecting one end of the strap to the first handle, wrapping the strap around the front of the cup, and then attaching the other end to the second handle).

I've only used it a couple of times to boil water for coffee and tea, but I am very pleased that I went with the PTFE (black) stainless cup instead of the standard stainless finish, as it cleans up like new after use. The stove seemed to do a pretty reasonable job shielding the wind, but I would generally opt for boiling my water over a small fire instead of using the stove if I were set up in camp for the night.


Suck it up Dave -- Bear Grylls actually carries his with paracord. Then again, he drinks his own urine, so maybe a pad is a better idea.

Jim