I've seen a lot of threads looking for NATO cans lately

Major Surplus has them on sale here

If you join their mailing list you get 10% off and if you buy enough the shipping cost spreads out. Total cost for mine came out to $24.64 each shipped. I've bought NATO cans from this source before and never received one that wasn't a legit NATO can.


Edit: my cans arrived...I'm not yet sure how I feel, still deciding. They are Euro cans as advertised, they are rusty as advertised but not as bad as the ad makes it sound. The part I'm a little disappointed about is the manufacturer. They are FFA cans (French occupation in Germany) from the 50's. The French cans have a bit of reputation (I'm not sure if it's deserved or not) for the inside coating peeling and internal rusting. I'm going to go inspect closer in a bit. I was expecting that these would be Valpro and Belletino cans like the last cans I bought from Majors. I'm not sure I would have bought these if I would have known they were French.

ETA2: just internally inspected all of them. If they've been used it hasn't been in the last few decades. Other than a very small amount of minor "dust rust" in the necks of most the red coating is spotless. The caps are very well stuck on and took some effort to get free and open...no buyers remorse.

Somehow I was thinking ammo cans

So how many to I need to buy to get cheeper shipping ?

Thanks

I found that 16 cans was the sweet spot of lowest cost per can on shipping. Lower than 16 and the cost didn't go down much, higher than 16 and it went up about $20 per extra can.

16 was more than I wanted to buy but they're good to have around.

You can put whatever you want in there.  Ammo, cat urine, soup, pocket sand.  Sky's the limit.

Anybody receive these? According to the webpage, they are used - rusty outside, but new inside. How rusty?

Made in Poland

Just got a four pack of these today. They are newly made and seem very stout.

Enjoy

I was wondering that myself. Also they don't have spouts, so hopefully spouts from some other source would be functional.

1st NATO cans I got 30 years ago were german surplus, they were used but not rusty and perfect inside...i still use those cans

They are legit European surplus NATO cans.

The last NATO cans I got from this source arrived with minor dings, paint chips that showed some minirvrust, etc. About what you would expect for real surplus items. I think they report the condition worse than it is so that you aren't expecting new, spotless cans.

But if you would like, I will happily report the condition when mine arrive so you can decide for yourself if they meet your desires. If they arrive as rusty as the description makes them sound I will be very disappointed.



That is certainly an option for those that desire new cans. But at double the cost I'll settle for surplus, but that's just me. I have my cans to use & abuse. They will no longer be "new" the first time i use them so new just doesn't appeal to me.



For the most part NATO spouts are universal. Some spouts don't fit the Swiss cans well and some "cheap" spouts may have problems but generally the interference is with the various air venting styles and a little "adjustment" to the offender will usually help.

I use Swiss spouts and I have a variety of cans that all work great with the swiss spout.

Just ordered 12. It says they won't ship to Virginia but we will habe to see if I slip through.

I just ordered 5. Only wanted 3, but same shipping cost for up to 5 cans.  Shipping nearly doubled at can 6.  Using coupon code MSSWELCOME10 for 10% off, I got 5 cans + a free first aid kit. They didn't have the free spout in stock, so they offered a $13 first aid kit for free. I won't turn it down, but would have preferred a spout.  Luckily there are tons of options on Amazon.

Total cost delivered to my door was $25.97/can.  I'm sure you can do better if you order more (someone above mentioned 16 was the sweet spot).  If you factor in the value of the free first aid kit, the price drops to $23.40 per can.  Not bad considering new knock offs with thinner metal run almost twice that, and even the red plastic containers are more.  I say, as long as the inside is good, I don't care about the outside.  Crossing my fingers.  I'll try to remember to report back on the condition once I get them.

I've been eyeing Jerry Cans for several years now, and this is the lowest price I've seen.  If you are reading this thread, you are probably interested as well.  I passed a few years ago on some surplus NEW water cans, and now I'm hitting myself for not stocking up on them.  Lesson learned, so my order was placed for these.

Keith



Edit: Thank you SigOwner_P229 for sharing the sale and providing a link.  Much appreciated!

@SigOwner_P229 can you post up pics of the cans you received? I never received an order confirmation email but I saw my bank account was charged. I'm hoping these just show up at my door soon.

@mp_moody I don't have a picture hosting account and don't care to get one. If I send you pics can you post them up?

I just received my cans from Major Surplus and they are FFA French cans, not Wavian.
Not sure what changed, but I'm not real happy with these as I've heard of the interior coating flaking, although they apoear fine right now.

Does anyone have any issues with spouts from one brand of can not fitting the neck of another brand?   I ask because my Wavian spouts don't seem to fit well on the last batch of cans that I just bought.  

Thanks,

2Hut8

There can definitely be issues between manufacturers.  Wavian spouts are generally compatible with true Nato surplus cans, to include Valpro and Bellino.  The Gelg cans may or may not work but if not, the Gelg spouts are usually available.  Then there are the surplus cans from all over the place including the eastern block countries built during the Soviet era.  Obviously none of them were ever in Nato but they built to the original jerry can design and they were sold as Nato cans.  This batch of French cans may fit (maybe) because they were in Nato in the 50’s when the cans were made.  They dropped out in 1966 so a newer French can might not.  It’s a bit of a mess but Super Siphon to the rescue.

My Swiss spout fits the FFA cans but it has to be aligned better, it seems the rim around the edge of the FFA neck might be a bit larger, even the lids on the FFA cans have to be well aligned to latch on properly.

Looking at the air tube there should be no problems with that causing spout issues, it's small like the Swiss breather tube, much smaller than the Valpro and Bellino cans I have.

The Swiss spout is really nice, I don't remember it causing any problems with my Valpro or Bellino cans.  Do you have a Wavian spout to try with these French cans?  I think that's the one most commonly available and the one most folks probably have on hand.  From your description of the breather tube I'm guessing it probably won't work.

Got my 5 cans in today.  All dated 1954, FFA. They look like they were thrown off a cliff about a dozen times.  Rusting is BAD - >30% of the exterior is severely rusted and pitted.  Hard to tell they are even green from a distance - seriously.  I pulled the first one out of the box and my hand was covered in rust.  I would put these in poor to very poor condition.  Insides look okay with the red sealant, but the sealant has a chalky texture to it and leaves a residue on my fingers when I finger wiped it for feel. I need to water test these since there are so many deep dents (1/4" - 1/2" deep - can't believe it didn't puncture), so I don't know if they are even liquid tight.  The caps are loose sealing, severely pitted, and don't latch tight which is a huge disappointment.  I honestly question its ability to contain liquid if a can was knocked over.  The cap feels like it would pop off, as it takes no effort to open the caps. A strong jolt could easily open these, and one came out of the box with an unlatched cap. Was it shipped that way, or did it come undone just from shipping - I don't know. New gaskets have been ordered.

Also, no free first aid kit provided, even though it's listed on the packing slip and was part of the order. Fairly bummed about that, too.

I have plenty of surplus containers and I am used to the worn and beat up old rusty look, but this is a whole different story. These are so rusty that I will need to have them chemically treated to stop the rust, or have them media blasted and re-painted just so you can use them without getting rust all over your hands or around area they are being stored. Believe the listing when they say they are rusted. My wife won't let me keep them in the garage they are so bad and drop "rust dust" when you move them around.  I've never seen surplus this bad. What is most peculiar is that the cans have bright red/orange rust.  Some of this rust isn't 50+ years old rust - it's recent. So the cans have a mix of good ole' patina and fresh rust.

I like the look and hope to salvage one or two of these, but I will probably try to sell half at the next community garage sale and hope to just break even; unfortunately.

I have to say this was my first experience with this company and will most certainly be my last. Buyer beware. These were not what was expected and look nothing like the photos.

I've heard Major's will take care of problems if these really were that rusty and beat up, especially if they leak etc. Give them a call and give them a chance to correct it first.

I’ve had good experiences with Majors Surplus in the past so don’t write the company off. Looks like the ones you got were as described in the ad so I don’t see where you got taken advantage of.

Personally I avoid that by buying new. I do have a few metal NATO cans that as I recall came from Majors years ago and they were fine. But, they weren’t advertised as rusty either.

New is more expensive but once you have them, as long as you don’t use them in a salt environment, they will last your lifetime.

Update:

I spent the last four hours cleaning these things up.  I pressure washed them really well.  This got off all the bright surface rust, a bunch of caked on dirt in the seam welds, along with what appeared to be the root-like thing that vines use to climb with.  It was obvious these were outside in dirt with vegetation growing on them.

I hit the rusted areas with some steel wool and light oil.  This seemed to work well, but I want to stop the active rusting and restore the original paint.  I took the first can and hit it hard with steel wool.  This gave excellent results, but damaged/dulled what was left of the original paint finish.  So I took out the automotive rubbing compound and buffer and went to work.  Using Compound-> Polish -> and Glaze, the finish came out good and resembled the proper patina of a well kept can.  Knowing this works,  I hit all the cans with steel wool.  Hit em' good and hard knowing I can repair the damage it does to the finish.  I used a Dremel w/ wire brush to clean up all the caps and fill necks and crevices', welds, etc.  I now have them all wrapped in towels soaked with Evapo-Rust.  This stuff works miracles with stopping and preventing rust.  After 24 hrs, I'll hit them with a good cleaner/degreaser and buff out the paint.  Once buffed, a light coating of oil will bring them back to life. I might even add a coat of auto polish to help them out.

Ongoing concerns: The cap hinge/clamps are loose.  I will try to work the metal to tighten it up.  My existing spout which I have for my other cans doesn't fit easily.  It's too snug.  If I mash it on to clamp it securely, I'm worried that it may stretch out the hinge locks even more; or damage the spout and cause problems with my existing cans.  I decided to order up a new all metal spout from Amazon and intend to grind down the clamps on the spout flange so I don't ruin the flange on the can.  But, the good news is that it appears the spout will fit well when slightly modified.  I'd rather have dedicated spouts that seal well over having one spout for everything.

Putting the time in to restore these was time well spent, but the cans are pretty dented and most all have the sides crushed in.  I would not recommend these to anyone unless they have the ability and desire to do the work.  I'm not upset at the company for the rusty cans, they clearly state that in the description, but they failed to disclose how dented these would be.  Nearly every can has every corner deeply dented and sides crushed in.  I ordered five. One would think that 2-3 of those five would be in normal "used surplus" condition as they advertised.  Not a singe handle is still tubular.  All fifteen are crushed, flattened, dented, pierced, etc.  The fact that they left out the free first aid kit was just insult to injury. If I decide to order from them again, I'm taking their descriptions literally and cautiously.

As delivered, I would value the cans at $15 if I found them locally at a surplus store or a yard sale.  The amount of work I had to put into them was excessive, with plenty more ahead of me. I am in no way expecting a beauty queen of a can.  If they were not dented so badly, I'd keep them all, but I will most likely end up selling 2 or 3 just because I want to actually use them and they are simply 'just that beat up' that I am concerned how long they will last if I go banging them around when full.  In the end, we all know buying surplus sight unseen is always a risk.  

I got these about 5 years ago for hurricane season. If I remember correctly it was free shipping. I added a set of seals and two spouts.

here

ETA free shipping on orders over $200.

What spouts and gaskets fit these? These are my first NATO cans. Thanks.

I can recommend this company and these gaskets and spouts

https://www.roverparts.com/off-road-accessories/jerry-cans/GJC007/


https://www.roverparts.com/off-road-accessories/jerry-cans/GJC99K5/

These appear to be the same gaskets and spout I purchased, but I got mine from Amazon for a little cheaper and free shipping.  The spouts will be very snug and the paint will scratch off the first few times you use them; or at least in my case.  I actually filed the hook area down a few thousandths so they lock into place rather than get continuously snugger.  That will make a lot more sense when you install them.

Good luck.

I received mine the last week of February but didn't open them up until today due to a sudden unanticipated move. Both had a decent amount of rust on them. I hit the rust with a wire wheel and it looks like there is more rust under the green gloss paint...I sprayed the bare metal with some flat rustoleum then will reassess later. At least I live in a dry climate and don't have to worry about these rusting further.