The military-style canteen design is probably the most under-rated piece of basic military kit every devised. The contoured design holds an entire quart of water in a much smaller profile than a cylindrical water bottle. With the contoured design, you can affix the canteen in a pouch against your body comfortably and without it hanging off. It's also much more comfortable and natural to hold. The canteen cup is also under rated, taking up almost not additional space. It can be used as simple cup or mug, with hot or cold beverages, or as a bowl for your soup, or as a pot to cook with. It's brilliant. Folks who use your standard 32oz Nalgene bottles struggle to find a cup that nests with it-- yet there's a great solution that has been around for decades. However, Nalgene does make a great canteen out of their material, which I am a fan of.Where the Rothco Vintage Canteen Carry comes in hand is when you want to carry your trusty canteen as a standalone item (that is, not attached to a cartridge belt or a pack). The canteen carry gives you a strap so you can carry your canteen where ever you go. The styling is reminiscent of the classic carry pouch that the canteen came with, but it has a shoulder strap instead of ALICE clips.Is this a military grade item? No. It's made from a relatively soft material. I think it will hold up fine for most folks, but I wouldn't 100 rely on it to hold up in a military environment (which to be fair, you shouldn't/wouldn't be using it in that environment anyway). But I'm not in the military anymore. This canteen carry great for those civilian life adventures for us gear nerds who appreciate the GI style canteen. It's a great accessory for when you're hiking, camping, or hunting. I can keep a MOLLE-style canteen pouch on my daypack, main pack, or gun belt (at the range), and easily pull out my canteen carry when I don't need to bring my daypack, main pack, or gun belt. I don't have to fumble around for my water bottle or for my cup, because they are always right there, together, where they belong.
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!]