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Mystery solved. 1990 CRS Arctic Canteen system.


BigMoose
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For the longest time, many of us have wondered about these "replacement" Arctic canteens. 8465-01-314-4284 1990 CRS Arctic Canteen

 

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They are not common. But I think I just found some documentation digging around some army sites that explains why.

 

CRSCANTEENDOCUMENTATION.JPG

 

That about explains it. And it fits. The covers and cups I have are all from around 1996. The Canteens I have are all dated 2002 and 2004.

 

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It took them over 10 years to get this item into the hands of troops in Alaska...... and by this time the Camelback/Molle carrier was in use and well established.

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Thanks for the info. I picked up one of these a few months back with a bunch of modern stuff from a guy getting out. No cup unfortunately. Always wondered what the story was behind them. Any reason for the switch from the other design you know off? Was it to have an NBC compatible version?

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Very cool info, the covers are pretty common but the canteens and cups are the tricky part. There are some on ebay that are pretty expensive. One day ill find one.....

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I have seen the covers with the old style canteen hiding in them quite frequently.

 

I have three canteens, one cup, and four covers. Been lucky I guess. These are bar none the best issue canteen ever made.

 

Here is the rest of that army summary I found, it explains the perceived issued with the first Arctic canteen

From what I can tell, this out of some officers study guide

 

canteen1.jpg

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canteen3.jpg

 

canteen4.jpg

 

canteen5.jpg

 

CRSCANTEENDOCUMENTATION.JPG

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Wow, a canteen and a cup alone sold for $114.95 on ebay.

 

A couple years back, there was a slight surge in these appearing on ebay. That is when I grabbed my stash of them. Prices were in the $30 to 40 range.

 

2001 dated Canteen, 1993 dated cup

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$_57.JPG?rt=nc

 

$_57.JPG?rt=nc

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DO you have any idea what the title of the publication is? I may know the guy that did the layout, and want to bug him if they did others along the same line.

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One of my canteens shows slight use, as does one of my pouches.

 

I have never ever seen a ragged out one... I am guessing that since they were issued well into the molle era that the Camelbacks quickly ran them out of service.

 

I was browsing thru random PDFs on a .mil website and found this.

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Ohh and one more thing I figured out. (Just noticed), I don't think the NBC caps on these are the originally designed cap.

 

8465-01-314-4284, 8465-01-314-4282, 8465-01-314-4286 The NSNs were established in 1988 (not 1990) The NBC cap and adapter 8465-01-364-7080 wasn't established until 1992. So I am going to guess the originally designed non nbc cap was some sort of huge plain cap of some type. By the time they actually got them issued, the non NBC cap was well forgotten by then.

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This is great information and I'll really appreciate it. I'd assume the missing link for this item would be the original canteen cap. Also seems that the cups are the hardest piece to find. I don't have any pictures or proof of field use. I do know the one I bought was in with the guy's other well used field gear. With that said the canteen and cover are in great shape so if it was field used it was certainly not abused or used for very long.

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There is no doubt in my mind that the covers saw field use. I have one that is faded and the mouth is opened a bit for the old round Arctic canteen.

 

As for the Canteens and Cups? If they ever did, it would have been very little.

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I was issued one of these in Alaska in 2005.

 

The camelback system is irrelevant in Alaska winter type cold, as the tube freezes very quickly at even moderately cold temps. The standard canteens were also known to crack when frozen. These metal ones could also be unfrozen on a small stove (which is standard arctic item)

 

We were always told to keep these inside our ruck, less likely likely to freeze that way. Might be why a photo is hard to find.

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I was issued one of these in Alaska in 2005.

 

The camelback system is irrelevant in Alaska winter type cold, as the tube freezes very quickly at even moderately cold temps. The standard canteens were also known to crack when frozen. These metal ones could also be unfrozen on a small stove (which is standard arctic item)

 

We were always told to keep these inside our ruck, less likely likely to freeze that way. Might be why a photo is hard to find.

Thanks for the info.

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  • 8 years later...

NSNs were issued 1988 but due to production delays the canteen & cup only became available in 1990

Carriers may predate 1990 as they were ready on time and as noted could be used with 1951 model

The NBC cap was always part of the assembly the 1992 NSN is for replacement parts

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Also the 1992 NSN is only for the white adapter part of the cap assembly. The M1 NBC cap & strap parts have their own NSNs

8465-00-930-2077 Cap, Water Canteen, Field, 1 Quart and 2 Quart Canteens

8465-01-082-6449 Strap, Cap Water Canteen

the standard non NBC cap will also fit

as will the the cap for the M50 gas mask 8465-01-529-9800 Cap, Water Canteen M50

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SGM (ret.)

I can attest personally to the impossibly of filling the early artic canteen with snow or ice.  We called them "artic popsicles."

Even if you could manage to get a few chips of ice or spoonful of snow into one, it was, of course, a metal vacuum bottle that was equally impervious to heat (like from a campfire), so you couldn't MELT the ice or snow in it.  Pouring snow-melt from the cup into one was nearly as difficult since the neck-mouthpiece was so small.

Once one of them became frozen (the inevitable outcome if it was exposed to the cold overnight - like when riding in its carrier on your LBE while making a long foot movement), it was impossible to THAW out.  Even a metal vacuum bottle will eventually freeze.  It was too expensive to throw away, and too heavy to carry when frozen solid - an absolutely worthless piece of equipment.

Frankly, we never carried them to the field after they were first tried out.  For years, the unit CIF was full of boxes of them, new as the day they were made.  No one would take them on issue.

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I was stationed at Ft. Wainwright in 1972-73. I recall getting issued one of those old arctic canteens (along with a shopping cart full of other gear) and being told to just stick in the back of my locker until I needed to turn it back in for PCS or ETS.

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  • 6 months later...
On 5/19/2023 at 5:50 AM, SGM (ret.) said:

I can attest personally to the impossibly of filling the early artic canteen with snow or ice.  We called them "artic popsicles."

Even if you could manage to get a few chips of ice or spoonful of snow into one, it was, of course, a metal vacuum bottle that was equally impervious to heat (like from a campfire), so you couldn't MELT the ice or snow in it.  Pouring snow-melt from the cup into one was nearly as difficult since the neck-mouthpiece was so small.

Once one of them became frozen (the inevitable outcome if it was exposed to the cold overnight - like when riding in its carrier on your LBE while making a long foot movement), it was impossible to THAW out.  Even a metal vacuum bottle will eventually freeze.  It was too expensive to throw away, and too heavy to carry when frozen solid - an absolutely worthless piece of equipment.

Frankly, we never carried them to the field after they were first tried out.  For years, the unit CIF was full of boxes of them, new as the day they were made.  No one would take them on issue.

 

So what did you use?  The standard plastic 1 Qt canteens?  What was your TTP for thawing them?

 

I had a number of soldiers who were stationed in Alaska at various points in my career.  I asked them about all sorts of cold weather tips, but I never thought about the canteens.  Living in Colorado, I keep a packed ruck in my Jeep for emergencies.  In the past, the plastic canteens regularly froze overnight.  I purchased the arctic canteens which do keep the water from freezing while sitting in my vehicle.  Outside of brief outdoor excursions for hunting, fitness and fun, I haven't really tested the arctic canteens to the extent that I ever had a problem with them.  I'm from Colorado, but sleeping in a tent in 3 ft of snow isn't my idea of fun, although I realize it may be a necessity.  So your input is appreciated.  

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I went to the Northern Warfare Training Center (NWTC) up at Ft Greely, Alaska in the early 80s in November. It was bitterly cold when our unit (101st 3/187 Inf.) was there but for the life of me I can't recall if we were issued the Arctic canteen or not. I do remember getting issued the skis, wax, over whites, VB boots (white), snowshoes, and all the components that went into the ahkio sleds, but as far as canteens, I am sure we were issued the Arctic canteens, cups and cover's. I just don't recall. I may still have a copy of my clothing issue sheet that may show what we used. Sorry not much help, but I would think that the arctic canteen would be sufficient in your vehicle up in Colorado, as I am sure the temps don't get as frigid as they were at Greely (-15/20 below) if I recall correctly..

 

Leigh 

 

 

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Thanks for the quick reply.  Colorado essentially has two climates in the winter.  The plains and foothills go through a freeze/thaw cycle.  At any point in the winter it could be anywhere from -5/-10 F to +50 F.  That swing can happen in the course of a few days.  So frozen canteens are definitely more of an annoyance but that could potentially lead to 24 hours without water if it's inaccessible.  Hence, the arctic canteens have been perfect in those conditions.

 

In the mountains, however, it's a different story.  My father lives in a rural area in the north central part of the state.  His snowpack for the winter is usually a persistent 3 - 4 ft.  Temperatures range from -20 to +30.  My family and I visit him monthly and when we do in the winter we snowshoe and sled on his property.  A couple years ago I had a Meal, Cold Weather (MCW) "picnic" with my son while sledding.  I used the artic canteens.  It didn't occur to me at the time that if we spent the whole day and night that they might freeze and create a bigger problem than the plastic canteens.  Like I said, I never had any interest in camping in the snow, but for my own toolkit, I'd like to know what to do with my water if I had to. 

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3 hours ago, Apache26 said:

 

So what did you use?  The standard plastic 1 Qt canteens?  What was your TTP for thawing them?

 

I had a number of soldiers who were stationed in Alaska at various points in my career.  I asked them about all sorts of cold weather tips, but I never thought about the canteens.  Living in Colorado, I keep a packed ruck in my Jeep for emergencies.  In the past, the plastic canteens regularly froze overnight.  I purchased the arctic canteens which do keep the water from freezing while sitting in my vehicle.  Outside of brief outdoor excursions for hunting, fitness and fun, I haven't really tested the arctic canteens to the extent that I ever had a problem with them.  I'm from Colorado, but sleeping in a tent in 3 ft of snow isn't my idea of fun, although I realize it may be a necessity.  So your input is appreciated.  

We were issued the old metal M1910 canteens which could be stuck into a campfire or put on a stove to thaw out.  Training also emphasized sleeping with your canteens (usually filled with hot water - again from a fire or off stove - to keep them from freezing overnight.  The problem with the M1910 was the same as the "Artic Lollypop," the neck was too small to get snow and ice into for thawing over heat.

A number of guys carried the West German metal canteens. but they were only about 3/4 of a liter, so kind of small.  Still, they had wide mouths that could be filled with snow or ice for melting.  The West German 3-part mess kit (Kochgeschirr) was (and still is) a superior field mess kit over the US Army mess kit (which is pretty worthless at best), and if anyone carried a mess kit, that was what it was.  (Again, I still have the one I traded for and carried for probably 20+ years.)  (There were a couple of other similar NATO mess kits carried, but the West German one was most common and easiest to obtain).  A few guys carried various civilian camping cook sets, but the common feature was that everything carried had a good fitting lid and could hold at least a liter of water.  From time to time, team SOP would be to carry at least one rather largish cooking pot with a lid just for melting snow and ice.  (A lid is essential to get ashes and other kwrap out of the melting snow and ice.)  Another standard piece of equipment was a small ax with about a 30" handle on it.  OK for chopping wood, but primarily used to chop holes in frozen over streams, ponds or lakes to get water.
 

Later we switched to 1 liter Nalgene bottles (issued) with the wide necks that could be filled with snow or ice (added into already hot water).  Heat the water in a canteen cup and pour into the Nalgene bottles, add a bit of snow by and by to replenish during the day.   Always heat extra water every time you stopped to cook a meal of make a hot drink to pour into your Nalgene bottles.

Our standard stove was the MSR XKG multi-fuel (I still have the last one I got issued), although a number of guys still used the Primus stove.  Over the years, we tried many different types of stoves, and actually the US Army M1959 Mountain Stove was a good one (and on the TO&E).  However, keeping one of the mountain stoves clean enough for IG inspections was nearly impossible, so they tended to remain back in garrison (in their original issue cardboard boxes, no less!  LOL!)  We learned that propane stoves that used the bottled gas were good until the gas ran out.  You could never carry enough spare bottles to last 3-4 weeks in the snow.  In the end, for sustainability, the liquid multi-fuel stoves always won out.  Change the jets and you could run anything from white gas (Coleman Fuel / naptha) to gasoline, to kerosean, to diesel, to alcohol (even fairly low % alcohols).  We usually carried at least one stove per two men, but almost always more than that.  Commonality was good, so spare parts could be swapped around along with fuel.

Shelters were usually the ECOTAT (a one-man Gortex shelter that had a set of shock-corded poles and could be joined together with another one to form a two-man tent).  Basically, the ECOTAT formed a something like an expanded "bivy sack" shelter that had extra room inside to move around while keeping the sides off of your sleeping bag.  However, in snow that was deep enough to ski on, a snow-hole with your skis and poles across the top supporting the ECOTAT (or poncho which was lighter than the ECOTAT) and pine-bough branches on the bottom for initial insulation was generally preferred since it was actually faster to pack up from and usually warmer than a tent-type shelter (down below ground level and the wind with more room).  The ECOTAT was good if the snow was falling, though, since a few inches of snow on top of it provided pretty good insulation.

 

We all used closed-cell foam sleeping pads after a couple of years trying to use the "self-inflating" type.  The self-inflating type was good until it got the inevitable leak in it, then it was totally worthless.  The main advantage was less bulk (weight was about the same), but reliability was too poor for serious, "hey, it's so cold you might die" conditions.


 

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Thanks for the thorough response!  My hat's off to you for training in those conditions.  I grew up skiing and dealing with cold winters, and I learned to adapt and even enjoy humidity in the south more than I ever enjoyed long, cold winters.   I hope never to have to be out in the open snow for 3-4 weeks, but one never knows.  I appreciate receiving the knowledge and I plan on passing that down to my son and my soldiers.  

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Was stationed at Ft Richardson from 85-88. We were issued the artic and regular canteens. I hated the artic one because the cap always got caught on a branch and would pop off soaking you in the process. I carried wide mouth Nalgene bottles in my cargo pockets ( body heat) and movement kept them from freezing. Water was always a problem in the winter because you had to heat it by using a stove( i used my Esbit that I brought from Germany) or placing the water can next to the Yukon stove and hoping it would thaw out. We always received 5 gallon cans that were frozen solid

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  • 2 months later...
Recon3690

I Canada we used 2 burner Coleman's and a pressure cooker, for water we used Small Aladdin Thermos with its own insulated carrier

 

 

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Shortly after I got out they used these canteen type thermos by Zojirushi Corporation Japan

The USMC also trialed these about the same time made by Gott/Zojirushi Corporation

 

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Then in 1999 they used a second version of the canteen type thermos by DEW Engineering

 

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USMC version

 

USMCversion.jpg.d218cc0a6092d24bbb176e01b0b9578c.jpg

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