Historical review of US military hydration systems

The shape of the 1910 canteen also became the standard that is still represented by today s molded polyethylene 1-quart (0.95-1) canteen, NSN 8465-00-889-3744 (Fig. 14.3). The 1910 1-qnart shape went through material changes thronghout its life cycle. Aluminum, corrosion-resistant steel, plastic and porcelain were used at different periods of the canteen s history. During World War II, aluminum was 

1 US Army canteen style 1775-1910 (illustration by S. Smith, US Army Natick Soldier Center). 

The molded 1-quart canteen 8465-00-889-3744 (Fig. 14.3) of the 1960s came with a corrosion-resistant steel cup 8465-00-165-6838 which the canteen snugly nested inside. The canteen and cup fit inside the nylon 1-quart canteen carrier 8465-00-860-0256 (Fig. 14.4). While the basic design of the carrier was static for decades, the hardware used to hang the carrier on the soldier s fighting load and the top closures changed with time, as shown in Fig. 14.4. The final LC-2 design of the carrier added a small pouch on the front for water purification tablets. There was also a canteen cup stove (Mil-S-44221, NSN 8465-01-250-3632) used to heat 

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