The best low cost canteen

The Rothco 3 Piece Canteen Kit comes with a sturdy plastic army-style canteen, an aluminum cup, and an insulating cover all for about $12.

The Rothco 3 Piece Canteen Kit comes with the same iconic olive green hard plastic canteen that tens of thousands of soldiers have carried into battle and untold numbers of hikers, campers, field guides, loggers, and others have carried into the wilderness.

There's nothing stylish, modern, or all that interesting about this canteen, but you won't much care about that when you're tired, hot, and thirsty and it's ready to deliver 32 ounces of water right into your stomach.

The kit comes with the aforementioned one-quart canteen and an insulating cover in a matching shade of green. The cover can be attached to a belt or pack strap, but it's not durable enough for long-term use and is better treated as an insulating sleeve than a holster for the canteen, frankly.

The included aluminum canteen cup, on the other hand, is well made and versatile. It can be used to cook and for boiling water, as a reservoir for brushing or shaving, or for scooping water up from a stream or lake. Or you can just use it like a cup, too.

The Rothco Canteen Kit has a respectable 4.2-star rating on Amazon, with most owners making similar claims along the lines of this: It's certainly worth the price. One nostalgic owner named Jimmie said the "canteen is a spot on match to the ones I was issued in the Marine Corps."

A writer with Hunting and Tactical Knives called the Rothco canteen noted the quality construction of the canteen and other hardware in the kit, while in a video review from Texas Gear Reviews, a product tester called the canteen and the canteen cup "quality" products that were, not surprisingly, worth the price.

Pros: Very low price tag, comes with cup and case, lightweight plastic canteen

Cons: Imparts flavor to water, weak belt straps on case