By Jim Lavalley

Anyone who has ever spent time away from civilization will surely be aware of the basic human needs for survival: air, food, shelter, clothing, tools, fire and water. When addressing primary survival needs, outdoors-men and survivalists use the “Rule of Threes.” The rule summarizes the time limits that a person can live without various requirements. In general, people in relatively good health can live:

  • Three minutes without air
  • Three hours without shelter from severe environmental effects such as bad weather or exposure to cold
  • Three days without water
  • Three weeks without food

These are just general rules. For example, some people have recovered after 7-10 days without water. However, in almost all cases, I found that at that longer length of time, the person was immobile and sheltered from other influences. They didn’t have to remain comfortable or coherent to survive.

Obviously, water is important, since it makes up 65-70% of our body. To meet our water needs, canteens and water bladders have been around for as long as people have been fashioning tools. Military personnel spend more time than most away from civilization, so fighting forces have always used canteens. Military canteens are still employed, virtually unchanged from the same basic design they have had for thousands of years.

In this issue I am reviewing the Soviet military surplus canteen, which is a classic example of a simple, durable and useful design. Like most Soviet military equipment I have seen, this canteen was made from relatively inexpensive materials. Surprisingly unlike the Soviet equipment of my experience, this canteen was carefully manufactured, lacking the rough edges and crude assembly that was typical of the Communist Russian industry.

The canteen has four basic parts: an oval green-painted aluminum canteen flask with threaded mouth, a matching cap with rubber internal water seal, 4-inch chain securing the cap to the flask and a green, almost denim, cotton cover with a button-down securing strap with cinching strings. It is stamped with the year of manufacture, 1976. If not for the dent, it would look like new. The canteen does not leak, though, and looks like it can take much more damage without doing so.

This particular canteen holds 850 milliliters of water, or around ¾ of a quart. One side is flat; the other is rounded. The stitching on the cover is simple and almost excessively durable. There is little chance that the seams in this cover will come apart. All fabric edges have been sewn under the seams. The securing button is sewn with heavy-gauge thread and the nylon cinching cords have been burned at the ends to prevent fraying.

This canteen is comparable to the US Army 1-quart canteen in functionality, with some interesting differences. First of all, it’s aluminum. The Army’s canteen is heavy plastic. I have seen Army canteens (especially 2-quart bladders) get damaged and develop leaks. Second, this canteen is an oval flask. Unlike the Army’s 1-quart canteen with a beveled bottom, it will not stand on its own. Instead, it lays flat on its side. Second, it has no canteen cup. The iconic US Army canteen cup is the ultimate water-heating and cooking utensil. However, if I had to I could heat this flask directly without a cup, taking care to shield the rubber seal in the cap. Unlike the plastic US canteen, I would have no problem the Soviet version with something other than water and washing it out for reuse later. For me, even unflavored water from US Army canteens has always imparted an unpleasant polymer taste and smell. The water in this canteen comes out clean. Finally, the simple strap design of the Soviet is versatile, able to secure the canteen almost anywhere on a person’s gear. The US Army’s canteen cover uses metal clips that are designed for particular size straps and grommets. The clips often get bent and/or lost and can be hard to replace.

In summary, I feel that the Surplus Soviet Military canteen is a great bargain. US military canteen components are often sold separately, averaging over $20 for cover, cup and flask. This canteen and cover bears a price that is half that. For Boy Scouts, military, hunters, campers/hikers and bikers, the Soviet canteen is a bargain of utility and durability that’s hard to beat.