I guess that when I started tripping I probably used a Nalgene water bottles to carry water, then I switched to empty Gatorade bottles. They worked fine, but in the late 90s I started using a gallon canteen.
When I first moved to Ak. I went on a little gold prospecting trip with a friend and a friend of his. His friend was an older guy who drank whiskey with a water chaser. He had a gallon canteen that he hung from the side mirror on his pick up truck and I was impressed with this. The guy, Jay, worked in a liquor store and I would see him from time to time. Years later when I moved to a different house Jay became my neighbor. He still had his canteen which was always handy. He told me I should get one and related a story when he was in New Mexico and suffered severe dehydration in the desert and ever since has always had his canteen available. He said there was a gun store in Anchorage that could order me one. Actually the minimum order was for two, for 30 bucks, so two is what I got.
I started using them on trips. On portage trips I would only bring one and typically didn't fill it up to save weight. On river or big lake trips I would bring both of them filled up. They worked out good. I didn't filter water, preferring to boil it. Every evening I would make sure to boil enough water to fill the canteen. That was enough to get me through the next day until I got to camp.
These canteens were not only good for tripping. I used them at home too. I always had one in my truck from May to October. The other one was usually in my Baker tent that was set up in my yard. In the winter I would keep one in my bedroom. Always having them around made it easy to keep on on my water intake. When I was thirsty or felt dehydrated I could guzzle down a pint and still have plenty left. For almost thirty years I've never had to worry about needing to get water, it was always with me.
You don't need a dedicated canteen for this. You could always use a plastic jug, but having a dedicated container enabled me to develop the habit of always having it around. For tripping it was nice to have the capability to have two gallons available. They are very light when empty and I sometime would bring an empty one to have the ability to store water later in the trip, like after the portages were done. I still use my two original ones after 25 years. When I brought one to Pa. I replaced it with another, so I still have two in Ak. The new one I got is lighter and cheaper than the original but will hopefully hold up as well. What are you guys using for water containers?
2001
2021 This one was chewed on, by probably a mouse.
October 2025
When I first moved to Ak. I went on a little gold prospecting trip with a friend and a friend of his. His friend was an older guy who drank whiskey with a water chaser. He had a gallon canteen that he hung from the side mirror on his pick up truck and I was impressed with this. The guy, Jay, worked in a liquor store and I would see him from time to time. Years later when I moved to a different house Jay became my neighbor. He still had his canteen which was always handy. He told me I should get one and related a story when he was in New Mexico and suffered severe dehydration in the desert and ever since has always had his canteen available. He said there was a gun store in Anchorage that could order me one. Actually the minimum order was for two, for 30 bucks, so two is what I got.
I started using them on trips. On portage trips I would only bring one and typically didn't fill it up to save weight. On river or big lake trips I would bring both of them filled up. They worked out good. I didn't filter water, preferring to boil it. Every evening I would make sure to boil enough water to fill the canteen. That was enough to get me through the next day until I got to camp.
These canteens were not only good for tripping. I used them at home too. I always had one in my truck from May to October. The other one was usually in my Baker tent that was set up in my yard. In the winter I would keep one in my bedroom. Always having them around made it easy to keep on on my water intake. When I was thirsty or felt dehydrated I could guzzle down a pint and still have plenty left. For almost thirty years I've never had to worry about needing to get water, it was always with me.
You don't need a dedicated canteen for this. You could always use a plastic jug, but having a dedicated container enabled me to develop the habit of always having it around. For tripping it was nice to have the capability to have two gallons available. They are very light when empty and I sometime would bring an empty one to have the ability to store water later in the trip, like after the portages were done. I still use my two original ones after 25 years. When I brought one to Pa. I replaced it with another, so I still have two in Ak. The new one I got is lighter and cheaper than the original but will hopefully hold up as well. What are you guys using for water containers?
2001
2021 This one was chewed on, by probably a mouse.
October 2025
