Not that I think this is in any way important stuff, but I like canteens, or any water storage vessels, really. I always have. I don't know why.
I have a hard time passing them up in thrift stores. Even those ubiquitous metal water bottles are hard for me to ignore.
I've had to fight the compulsion to buy kerosene lamps most of my life, but canteens come a close second.
My first canteens were plastic toys, but they worked (just not very durable). I later (and briefly) had an aluminum military/boy scout-style canteen that did unsettling things to water-- sometimes making it fizzy!
I've had beeswax-sealed wooden canteens-- which usually leaked badly until the wood swelled enough to make them water-tight, after which they only leaked a little. This left a refreshing wet spot on my side where the canteen rested. The water from these always had a pleasant woody/honey taste. All of those have disappeared over the years, though.
That gourd canteen above has served me well for a long time. Probably 30 years or so. But it is more fragile than the rest, so it doesn't get used too often.
The blanket-sided canteen above holds a gallon. It is plastic under the skin and originally leaked terribly. But I fixed it and it was worked well since then-- for 15 years or so now.
The Revolutionary War-style metal canteen was a thrift store find a year or so ago. It has a slow leak in a bottom corner, but I sealed the leak with melted spruce sap (in staying somewhat primitively correct) and it's fine now. Although I suspect the metal is historically incorrect stainless steel. I'll overlook that problem. It cost $10 and for that reason, I almost passed it up, but I'm now glad I didn't.
You might have noticed that leaks are a common denominator with many of my canteens. That's life.
If I see a canteen-- especially if it's a style I don't already have-- I'll check the price if nothing else.
At least, canteens are useful. And I sometimes even find them being given away-- as was the case with the plastic military canteen in the above photo that I found at a yard sale that was packing up and quitting when I got there.
I've found myself out on a walk without a canteen many times in my life. In such cases, I've sometimes ended up drinking water that you probably shouldn't even rinse your feet in (before water filtration straws). So, having a full canteen is something I value. I just think they are interesting.
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