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Exceptionally Thick Member
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Posted: 9/6/2026 12:47:24 PM EDT
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Recently purchased one at a good price from a member here as the color and setup meet my needs. I’d like to use the NVG pouches as water bottle carriers, but the old Platatac 1 litre bottles are too tall to secure. I have 1L Nalgene & Platatacs on hand, and don’t want to mount a H2O bladder on the harness. Anyone done this? Will a GI or UK canteen fit? Smaller size? Suggestions? Thank you. Attached File |
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Originally Posted By SSG-69: Recently purchased one at a good price from a member here as the color and setup meet my needs. I’d like to use the NVG pouches as water bottle carriers, but the old Platatac 1 litre bottles are too tall to secure. I have 1L Nalgene & Platatacs on hand, and don’t want to mount a H2O bladder on the harness. Anyone done this? Will a GI or UK canteen fit? Smaller size? Suggestions? Thank you. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/597879/IMG_8304_jpeg-3823188.JPG Looking at that picture, and I have some of those water bottles - I don't think the canteens will fit in there. Also, those canteens are not that much shorter than those bottles. You could try various gatorade and powerade bottles - they're actually pretty durable. Popular in the long range backpacking world. You could also put in a water bladder IN THAT POUCH that is designed to fit in canteen pouches. I think Source makes one? You can also fab up a simple extender for that flapped lid - IE, a piece of cordura fabric with velcro to mate to the lid on one side, and on the other side - on the opposite side of the fabric - one to mate to the velcro on the body. |
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Thanks guys. Yeah I have not used a GI canteen for years. Researching this rig online, I had no idea these were GWOT fetish items. (I did sell my old 2002 Surefire E2E for more than I paid for it…). I was issued an SOE rig 20 years ago, but didn’t retain it. My current personal light rig is a Helikon-Tex in Rhodie camo. Also: all your suggestions were helpful & practical! |
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What are the pouch dimensions? I know what would be perfect, but no longer made. Guyot, who made the original stainless steel Nalgene compatible water bottles made short version, kind of hidden in the upper right of this picture. I could do some comparison photos, but most of my shit is in storage pending a move...next freaking year (thank you lovely wife  ): If you don't mind a smaller mouth bottle (and metal), the Pathfinder M34 Canteen has a smaller profile (and capacity), but also includes a nesting mug. I actually like this for a smaller kit. Even smaller is the 16oz Nalgene, but that would probably be wasted space for less capacity (16 vs 18oz), but the Pathfinder is pretty heavy in comparison.  The M34 Canteen dimensions: Material: 304 Stainless Steel - Single Wall Stainless steel screw cap for secure seal Dimensions: 7" H × 3.5" W × 2" D Capacity: 18oz (532ml) Weight: 7.3oz Another option is the cheap Pilot's Water Flask Dimensions: 6.5″ Tall 4″ Wide 1.4″ Deep If you're Gucci and willing to look and pay, Silverant has a very nice titanium flask  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GZT331L?tag=arfcom00-20 ROCK6 |
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants" - Thomas Jefferson
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I have these for when a 32oz Nalgene is too big. I've also used gatorade bottles.   Failed To Load Product Data |
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Originally Posted By Stryfe: I have these for when a 32oz Nalgene is too big. I've also used gatorade bottles. www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPGRPTWP I have some Nalgene-made bottles like that. We never used them in the lab and my boss told me to take what I wanted. Handy to have some around. |
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Originally Posted By Stryfe: I have these for when a 32oz Nalgene is too big. I've also used gatorade bottles. www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPGRPTWP There are some smaller pouches specifically for the 16oz Nalgene bottles. These are a great option when space is at a premium. I know many would like "more" water, but one or two of these are much easier to carry with some rigs and 16oz (or 32 with two) is better than no water. The wide mouth makes them easier to fill as well. While a slide PITA, some water purification tablets are designed for 32oz, so you might have to get creative if using those methods. With a smaller bottle like the 16oz Nalgene (or the others I posted), I like a 1L collapsible pouch and what I typically use is Purinize (purification treatment) after prefiltering and then run the stuff through a capillary filter into my bottle. Lots of ways to do it, just figure out what fits and what works for you. The bigger water containers are best suited to places with fewer water sources; smaller ones need to be refilled more often but there's a balance if one's environment is suited for that. ROCK6 |
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants" - Thomas Jefferson
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Originally Posted By marnsdorff: Yup. And the 'heavy chest rig' concept is coming back into popularity as people are looking at full scale war instead of GWOT style loadouts. So the concept is getting trendy again, and there aren't a ton of new options out there atm. This is interesting. Is this a military thing or civilian thing? |
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Originally Posted By GaryT1776: This is interesting. Is this a military thing or civilian thing? Both? Probably more military though, alot of civilians are still doing lighter chest rigs. Look at the war in Ukraine. Troops aren't rolling around in vehicles all day, they aren't getting resupplied for sometimes days or even weeks at a time. They are being forced to carry larger loads of ammunition and sustainment gear basically at all times while they are at the front. Throw in everyone looking at the possibility of a large scale war in SE asia - China specifically - and suddenly the same things become relevant. During GWOT we were able to roll around in vehicles stocked with supplies and to be able to have relatively easy resupply and medivac. Troops were able to pair down their gear to a minimum because of this. Most people had forgotten what large scale war looks like - especially one where you might not have easy resupply all the time. So lighter kit was popular. Even paring magazine loads down to 4 magazines and the like. Spiritus Systems came out with a new plate carrier earlier this year, and they directly said that it was built to carry heavier loads because people are watching the full scale war going on in Ukraine and the potential for war with China. I'm not saying there isn't a place for smaller chest rigs and stuff - I keep a Haley micro rig next to my bed. But if you are building something to actually go to war - ie, in the military or you really truly believe in US citizens being prepared - then doing something heavier is something to look at. You can always down-load what you are carrying. It's hard to carry more stuff if you suddenly have to and you don't have something to carry it in / on. |
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Originally Posted By marnsdorff: Both? Probably more military though, alot of civilians are still doing lighter chest rigs. Look at the war in Ukraine. Troops aren't rolling around in vehicles all day, they aren't getting resupplied for sometimes days or even weeks at a time. They are being forced to carry larger loads of ammunition and sustainment gear basically at all times while they are at the front. Throw in everyone looking at the possibility of a large scale war in SE asia - China specifically - and suddenly the same things become relevant. During GWOT we were able to roll around in vehicles stocked with supplies and to be able to have relatively easy resupply and medivac. Troops were able to pair down their gear to a minimum because of this. Most people had forgotten what large scale war looks like - especially one where you might not have easy resupply all the time. So lighter kit was popular. Even paring magazine loads down to 4 magazines and the like. Spiritus Systems came out with a new plate carrier earlier this year, and they directly said that it was built to carry heavier loads because people are watching the full scale war going on in Ukraine and the potential for war with China. I'm not saying there isn't a place for smaller chest rigs and stuff - I keep a Haley micro rig next to my bed. But if you are building something to actually go to war - ie, in the military or you really truly believe in US citizens being prepared - then doing something heavier is something to look at. You can always down-load what you are carrying. It's hard to carry more stuff if you suddenly have to and you don't have something to carry it in / on. I see a lot of silly bikini rigs with 2-3 rifle mags (and usually 4 handgun mags which is going full retard on your tactical planning). However, I also see a lot of people with a ton of extraneous crap. I try to keep my signal to noise ratio clean, and use scalable gear. I laughed at the 3 mag crowd for many years as I looked over my monitor at a gladiator style rig with 4x that number of mags. More recently I have trimmed everything to an uncomfortable level mostly because gear fabricators are catering to the instagram 3 mag crowd. For example; I have a Velocity Systems Scarab PC but their max capacity M4 placard only holds 4 mags. This means either adding them to the side of the cummerbund (rib raker) and/or belt order and/or MAP. I keep 4 on my PC, recently switched to 3 on my belt and 5 in my MAP. My chest rig holds far more which I prefer. Packs and misc pouches carry MEK and sustainment items. On my 13.1 mile ruck this morning I experimented with different ways of carrying two Nalgene bottles. Oddly, some of the gear I used 20 years ago seems more viable than the “rule no 1 - Always Look Cool” stuff I have now. |
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Originally Posted By GaryT1776: I see a lot of silly bikini rigs with 2-3 rifle mags (and usually 4 handgun mags which is going full retard on your tactical planning). However, I also see a lot of people with a ton of extraneous crap. I try to keep my signal to noise ratio clean, and use scalable gear. I laughed at the 3 mag crowd for many years as I looked over my monitor at a gladiator style rig with 4x that number of mags. More recently I have trimmed everything to an uncomfortable level mostly because gear fabricators are catering to the instagram 3 mag crowd. For example; I have a Velocity Systems Scarab PC but their max capacity M4 placard only holds 4 mags. This means either adding them to the side of the cummerbund (rib raker) and/or belt order and/or MAP. I keep 4 on my PC, recently switched to 3 on my belt and 5 in my MAP. My chest rig holds far more which I prefer. Packs and misc pouches carry MEK and sustainment items. On my 13.1 mile ruck this morning I experimented with different ways of carrying two Nalgene bottles. Oddly, some of the gear I used 20 years ago seems more viable than the “rule no 1 - Always Look Cool” stuff I have now. Yup. You don't have to have over-encumbered gear loadouts, but the ability to carry more magazine, more water, and some other basic sustainment stuff is important. You CAN do this in various ways, including just throwing it all into a pack. But that's not optimal. Belt kits are coming back into popularity again - full sized belt kits. (the modern stuff is way way way better than the ALICE and such people here in the US are used to) as are heavy chest rigs - especially split rig chest rigs. Especially with war in SE asia brewing - it's going to turn out that serious troops won't wear armor there, at least not infantry. Heat casualties from the high heat / high humidity combo will force that. I know early on in the GWOT, before gear started slimming down, alot of guys were running slick plate carriers and a heavy chest rig over it. If you don't want to load down the cummerbund and don't want to go full on belt kit, that's always an option. |
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Originally Posted By GaryT1776: I see a lot of silly bikini rigs with 2-3 rifle mags (and usually 4 handgun mags which is going full retard on your tactical planning). However, I also see a lot of people with a ton of extraneous crap. I try to keep my signal to noise ratio clean, and use scalable gear. The placard on my plate carrier holds 2 rifle mags (and potentially 1 pistol mag)- that alone is likely to cover 99% of any scenarios I am likely to encounter. But...the cummerbund (which collapses flat when empty) holds 4 more mags for a total of six if I feel I need them. Adding a belt adds even more mags. Scalable. |
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Originally Posted By GaryT1776: I see a lot of silly bikini rigs with 2-3 rifle mags (and usually 4 handgun mags which is going full retard on your tactical planning). However, I also see a lot of people with a ton of extraneous crap. I try to keep my signal to noise ratio clean, and use scalable gear. I laughed at the 3 mag crowd for many years as I looked over my monitor at a gladiator style rig with 4x that number of mags. More recently I have trimmed everything to an uncomfortable level mostly because gear fabricators are catering to the instagram 3 mag crowd. For example; I have a Velocity Systems Scarab PC but their max capacity M4 placard only holds 4 mags. This means either adding them to the side of the cummerbund (rib raker) and/or belt order and/or MAP. I keep 4 on my PC, recently switched to 3 on my belt and 5 in my MAP. My chest rig holds far more which I prefer. Packs and misc pouches carry MEK and sustainment items. On my 13.1 mile ruck this morning I experimented with different ways of carrying two Nalgene bottles. Oddly, some of the gear I used 20 years ago seems more viable than the “rule no 1 - Always Look Cool” stuff I have now. I like scalability unless I have a dedicated rig. I ran with just 3-mag on my plate carrier in Afghanistan as a contractor (advisor mission). My role wasn’t direct action, combat type shit, so the loadout matched the mission requirements. I didn’t necessarily feel “comfortable” but understood the purpose. If all you train is direct action, combat operations, a bigger loadout makes sense for ammo. If you’re doing mostly surveillance and reconnaissance, your field kit will likely increase, especially water. If you’re doing any vehicle or more dynamic stuff, you’re going to want a slimmer, lighter kit loadout. To be honest, training with 3-4 mags gives you an idea of your capabilities, you can double that or you’ll know your break-contact points if you are carrying larger/double loadouts. Of course, for me these days, it’s more about counting grams I’m carrying than adding more plates to the bar. This is another reason I like the smaller water containers is that my AO has plenty of water sources so unless my mission is to establish a hide and minimize movement, I just refill more often and keep weight down. This is very similar to backpacking where you simply carry a couple of water bottles (not the 1L size, the smaller 500mL) and rotate between what you’re drinking and what’s been treated and/or waiting for chemical treatment decon times. I also prefer wearing a small assault pack for extra ammo, water/decon kit. I also realize we are all a product of our own personal experiences… ROCK6 |
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants" - Thomas Jefferson
Exceptionally Thick Member
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Since there is some flex, pouch measures 5.5x3.5x3.5 with the square Platatac bottle inserted. Best way to measure. Top of pouch is at about the 850ml line. Velcro (only) flap is 5”. If there was an 800ml bottle with a lid with very little neck, it would fit. I can certainly hand jam a couple smaller bottles in each. ROCK6, my own Afghan loadout was similar, however because of what I was doing I had a manpurse (I think TT active shooter bag) with TQ outside, magazines for Colt Commando, radio, IR and visible chemlights, and who knows what else (I think I somehow field stripped the huge IFAK and put it within or in the flap zip pocket). Threw a couple of Kinley water bottles ;) too. My Iraq kit was better rigged, and that IFAK, a HSG bleeder pouch, lives in my truck today. Intention for the rig is minimalist truck rig: magazines, water, blowout, couple other things, but not much. Belt is separate, old Mystery Ranch ruck last.)? |
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