M-1956 Load-Carrying Equipment - Canteen Cover

Canteen Cover

With the adoption of the M1956 equipment, the older M1910 1-quart aluminum canteen and WWII-production steel canteens remained in service well into the 1960s, later replaced by a plastic variant introduced in 1962. Both were of similar dimensions and slightly curved to sit comfortably on the hip. As a result the M1956 canteen cover was not fundamentally different from the earlier models with the exception of the use of two slide keepers in lieu of a wire hanger and metal snaps for closure instead of lift-the-dot fasteners. Constructed of heavy canvas with cloth-taped edges the M1956 canteen cover had a synthetic wool felt lining for insulation, and was slightly oversized to accommodate both a canteen and the metal canteen cup in which it nested. Covers produced after 1967 have nylon-taped edges. Typically canteen covers also demonstrate the most visible signs of age, fading easily due to continuous wetting and drying. Originally a single canteen and cover was issued and worn either on the belt between the Small Arms Ammunition Case at the front and the Field Pack (see below) at the rear, or mounted on the side of the Field Pack. Troops in Vietnam generally wore two or more canteens, and this practice largely continued after the war, as, with the adoption of larger complementary rucksacks (see Complementary Equipment below), Entrenching Tools (see below) often migrated to attachment points on the rucksack, freeing space on the pistol belt for another canteen.