ALFA 1 Military Stainless Steel Canteen & Kidney Style Cup

For over a year now, I’ve been using this canteen for camping trips and regular walks with my dog, and it’s done its job keeping us both hydrated. I paired it with Rothco’s vintage canteen carry, because the shoulder strap makes it really convenient to throw on and keep your hands free.So first off, this canteen doesn’t leak. That’s high up on the list of priorities for me. I discovered the ALFA 1 because I was looking for an alternative to my plastic Nalgene canteen that had disappointingly started leaking.Second, it’s sturdy. That cap IS heavy duty. Could you pop it into a sling and use it to slay Goliath? Probably. But I don’t understand others complaining that it’s tooooo heavy. I mean what kind of noodle-armed weakling is gonna have a problem carrying a canteen cap that weighs a few more ounces than a plastic one? Canteens get dropped sometimes, and I like ones that don’t break.And lastly, the company’s customer service was impressive. You need to pop out the cap’s silicone gasket occasionally to clean under it. I mistakenly didn’t do that for a long time, so it got a little gross under there and scrubbing didn’t quite bring the gasket back to pristine condition. I emailed the company, and they quickly sent a couple of replacement gaskets free of charge. Can’t beat that.

Sturdy build for a canteen.

Better than the Rothco canteen, my only gripe is that the threaded mouth is made from pressed sheet metal rather than having actual machined threads... the cap is however pretty much indestructible. The cap is machined from a single piece of steel and will never break. I suspect the first thing to fail on this canteen would be the threads on the pressed steel mouth wearing out over time, however it should last a very long time. I bought two of these canteens just in case, should last me a lifetime.

I wish a lid and a stove stand were available for the canteen cup. Otherwise, it's quite sturdy and unlike the two plastic lid canteens I tried (and returned) before buying this one, it doesn't leak at all. I'm sure the stainless cap will last forever. I do have a couple of relatively minor complaints: first, the canteen lid can be a little difficult to unscrew, especially when I'm sweaty. However, the lid I got is the one that only had a few raised ridges around the circumference to grip; it's entirely possible that the fully-knurled lid shown in the manufacturer's first picture may be easier to grip. Stainless steel on stainless steel has a tendency to gall anyway, there's no getting around that. Second, the canteen cup handles are very loose and flop around with the slightest movement. Not an issue when it's in the canteen cover, of course. I'm toying with the idea of finding a way to tighten the fit of the handle's hinge points, but I haven't decided on anything permanent yet. Right now I'm thinking a small shim made from a can would probably do the trick. Minor complaints, as I admitted, but at this price point I think there really shouldn't be any.

It’s a great canteen if you are car camping or doing short walks or on an ATV. However if you are hiking it will get to you that the cap seems to weigh one third the weight of canteen.