The mess kit (ešus) has become an essential piece of camping and outdoors equipment over here (every summer camp has them listed as a mandatory thing to bring as well). Some use the army aluminium ones, but there's also a lot of commercial versions based on the same design with some changes (stainless steel body, rubberized grips, etc.)
Thanks John for these great videos. I am Czech and honestly, we have no reason to love our comunist era army. BUT the canteen, mess kit and bread bag are still in good use. Just to add some of my user experience. The mess kit - handles were usually fixed between two stones at the side of the camp fire, so they held the posts nicely when cooking and they didn´t get hot. the bread bag - the strap was long enough to be used as shoulder straps. You put the strap just below your shoulder blades (having the pouch infront of you) and you flap it over your head. it holds thight and it is comfortable to carry. All the best. Tomas
Tomas Navratil Thank you for sharing your experience with the equipment! I enjoyed your reading your post. I can understand not loving the army of that era but I really enjoy using the equipment. The mess kit is the top three of my collection that gets the most use. It performs awesome. The canteens work great and have a cool visual appeal. But the piece I use on every outing is the bread bag. It works very well for me to keep my small gear organized that I want easy access to. The webbing on the flap works great for attaching numerous kinds of canteen kits to. It is my very favorite of the three. Thanks for watching my video and for your informative comment!
Thank you Sir for a wonderful video and I always carry some butter so that I can fry my spam and then my eggs also it keeps things from sticking and I carry my salt and pepper along with it. God bless you and anyone reading this from Detroit Mich...
Great video 👍Got my Czech canteen today. Really pleased with it. Perfect condition. It's unissued cork stopper. It has 1955 stamped at the top of the canteen with the Czech military sword stamp. And my leather strap is 1987. And you have convinced my to get the Czech mess kit too. Now I've seen it over yellow flame 👍
john Doe Sorry for my late reply. I think the Czech canteens are some of the coolest looking ones out there. I enjoy both of mine a lot and they work well! If you pick up a mess kit, I think you will like it too. The two pots work great for anything you need pots for. The lid/plate will work for frying but it is not the best. Make sure it’s real surplus aluminum and not the remake stainless steel. The steel remakes I have seen seem to be of lower quality. Thanks for watching!
Czech here. The rubber stop is definitely newer. It should have gas mask output too. FYI only suicidal cases used the canteen. By closer inspection with flash light you found new species forming in there. I used plastic sprite (green) PET bottle for storing liquids.
Great idea. I thought about using a green oak stick and cutting a slot with my saw to slip onto the rim of the plate/fry pan. The only thing was I didn't bring my saw that day. Oh well.
The Top of The Rubber Cap does open to carry Water Purification Tabs, U don’t need a knife, U just push down on the rim of the cap and the center tab will open enough to put a finger nail in there and it pops off and back on…👍
I use the one with the plastic stopper a lot. Its been very good to me. Collecting and getting to use old military surplus in the field lots of fun! Thanks for watching and for your comment!.
The Chinese make a canvas carrier for their light MG that you can often find in surplus stores or at gun shows. That Czech cook kit fits very nicely in one of them.
of all the mess kits I have tried, I like the Czech kit and the French (square) kits the best. I found a site on eBay that sells the Czech kit in stainless steel; good stuff -- the sizes are right for me.
Thanks for your comment. I still agree after all the kits I have collected and used that the Czech is in the top three of the kits I like to take with me (when not doing a review of a new kit in my collection). The set I use the most is still my US GI canteen cup set together with the US mess kit. Then the other two being my all steel 1940s Boy Scout kit and the Czech kit. I rarely use my square French kit although I do like it. I think I just have too many to choose from for the amount of outings I can go on. Thanks for watching my videos and for sharing what you use!
Thank you! I still use the canteen with the plastic stopper a couple times a month. It's part of my day walk kit with my Czech bread bag. Thanks for watching and for your kind comment!
Good job man. I like the canteens, very compact and look easy to carry. And of course the Czech mess kit is one of my favorites. It is finally starting to cool down a little here in FL....
Thanks for watching another one of my videos. It was still a hot out there yesterday but not as bad in the shade of the scrub oak hammock we were in. I have a thing for surplus canteens and mess kits and I like to collect them. These Czech canteens are in my opinion are one of coolest. They are a little heavy but are durable. They look good on the display shelf too with my other kits.
4:15 it is hollow to simplify production, because there is another version of this cap, issued with M-10M Gas Mask. This cap was used together with mask's drinking system.See pic: www.armatex.cz/image/cache/data/ostatn%C3%AD/poln%C3%ADlahev%20%C4%8CA%20%C5%A1punt%202-500x500.jpg
Thank you for the information! That is very interesting. I have never seen one of those type caps. Your explanation of the hollow cap I have makes a lot of sense. Thank you for your comment!
Do not forget that those caps were not part of a canteen but part of a M-10M gas mask, intented to use only in case of chemical attack. I have been told during my service that the hole in cap was for water purification tablets. Gas mask attached to the canteen : postapo.cz/wp-content/gallery/m10-m/m104.jpg
Thank you for your further explanation of the special cap being part of the gas mask system. That explains why I could not find one with the canteens on the internet. Also, thanks for confirming what I read about the water purifying tablets in the hollow cap. I wasn't sure if it was true or if someone was just trying to sell more Czech canteens. Thanks for watching and have a great day!
Thank you too buddy and if you have any other questions about czechoslovak surplus do not hesitate to ask! Good job with all those reviews btw, subscribing... :-)
Been put off buying older aluminium surplus bottles/canteens as I've received too many that are oxidised (anyone out there who knows how to get rid of the oxidisation I'm all ears!). Like the look of the mess kit though, might be a future purchase!
I have been lucky with getting stuff in pretty good shape. I did receive a Bulgarian "coconut" canteen for Christmas this year that is a little questionable in it's condition for use. Cool for my collection though.
I picked up one of these canteens and it was pristine/unused and a good price, very happy with it. It would be great as part of a belt kit when in rougher terrain, great stuff!
Fill the canteen half full of coarse salt and 3/4 full of water. Shake for an hour or so. Rinse until the salt in gone. Always works on scout canteens.
John, loving the reviews. Super cool hobby of collecting these kits. If you were to recommend the best functional vintage kit, what would it be? I'm by no means a collector, so I don't need a pristine kit. However, I can certainly appreciate a cool conversation piece around the campfire. So, please let me know what your thoughts are. I do seem to like this mess kit, but many are all about the swedish kit. The swedish kits seem fairly pricey for a working kit. Thanks, and keep up the good work!
I don't know about more historically but I did eventually swap them because I wanted to carry one with my day hike kit and preserve the cork top. Thanks for watching my video and for you comment!
@@John-Sherwood-W4JFS I was in CZ army in 1994 and we had both tops, cork and plastic. Plastic top was also in two version. One like you have, second with adapter to connect to gas mask M10 for drinking with Gas mask on the face. We god same information that plastic top with hole and cover is for pills for dirty wather cleaning. Usualy we god from stock separate bottle with top, woolen cover and carry strips.
If you had hiked a little further, I'm almost certain you would have eventually found a McDonald's! They serve breakfast all day now ya know!? ...Another fun video John!
Thanks for watching and enduring yet another video. If I was at home, I could walk in any direction and run into the golden arches within minutes. I guess that's Florida life. Its a good thing when it's McRib season!
Johny Mielohny every once in a while it leaks a little. But I usually carry all my canteens on the outside of my pack just in case. I have learned the hard way a couple of times. Thanks for watching.
Helsinkipop has a great channel. Check out the things he eats. I think canned peas and spam would be better. Just throw in some wheat thins and you've got a full meal. It may not be Kosher, but it's better than not having enough protein. I hate the smell of pork because it doesn't wash out of my hands very easily, but I do plan to have a little in my bug out bag.
I have seen some of Helsinkipop's channel. I discovered him when I searched for Veshmeshok videos. He has a good channel! I like spam occasionally but I prefer the Spam Light with lower sodium. I find the regular too salty for me. Thanks for your suggestions and for watching my video!
I did a previous video after I first bought the kit where I cook lunch in both pots and used the lid as the plate. Check out that video here: ruclips.net/video/s8DdqUxsxtY/видео.html Thanks for watching and commenting on my videos and for your sub!
Shame on you guys no Bow drill how modern of you just like me gave up bow drills after scouts about 60 years ago .as for the gear all the Cezch stuff is great even the clothing. Happy Trails.
Yeah, bow drill use is a good skill to know but I'm also for ease and fun when trying to get out and rest in the woods. I agree. Most of the Czech gear is great stuff. I have a lot in my collection. But I don't have and clothing yet. Thanks for watching and for your comment!
Perktube1 I agree. Probably when they were being cleaned and refurbished for storage, they took good components from broken sets and made good sets with them. Thanks for watching and for your comment!
Josh Wright You technically could boil water in it but the bottom is not flat, but rounded which would be difficult to keep vertical and not spill your water. You could possibly hang it over your fire by the cork stopper anchor brackets on the neck of the canteen.
Adam Nacht usually first I will use a white distilled vinegar and water mixture and left it soak inside the canteen for sometimes up to a day. Then I wash the mixture out. Second, I pour boiling water into the canteen to sanitize it. Then last, after it cools off I wash it out with fresh water and let it dry completely inside. Thanks for your question!
really dumb design for the canteen as you cant take off if its on your belt without unbuckling your belt, sliding all your other gear out, then slide this canteen out, take a drink, then do it all again in reverse. Really bad design unless im not using it correctly.
The mess kit (ešus) has become an essential piece of camping and outdoors equipment over here (every summer camp has them listed as a mandatory thing to bring as well). Some use the army aluminium ones, but there's also a lot of commercial versions based on the same design with some changes (stainless steel body, rubberized grips, etc.)
Czech military surplus is always outstanding. And the Czechs make high quality weapons. Can't go wrong!
Thanks John for these great videos. I am Czech and honestly, we have no reason to love our comunist era army. BUT the canteen, mess kit and bread bag are still in good use.
Just to add some of my user experience.
The mess kit - handles were usually fixed between two stones at the side of the camp fire, so they held the posts nicely when cooking and they didn´t get hot.
the bread bag - the strap was long enough to be used as shoulder straps. You put the strap just below your shoulder blades (having the pouch infront of you) and you flap it over your head. it holds thight and it is comfortable to carry.
All the best.
Tomas
Tomas Navratil Thank you for sharing your experience with the equipment! I enjoyed your reading your post. I can understand not loving the army of that era but I really enjoy using the equipment. The mess kit is the top three of my collection that gets the most use. It performs awesome. The canteens work great and have a cool visual appeal. But the piece I use on every outing is the bread bag. It works very well for me to keep my small gear organized that I want easy access to. The webbing on the flap works great for attaching numerous kinds of canteen kits to. It is my very favorite of the three. Thanks for watching my video and for your informative comment!
Thank you Sir for a wonderful video and I always carry some butter so that I can fry my spam and then my eggs also it keeps things from sticking and I carry my salt and pepper along with it.
God bless you and anyone reading this from Detroit Mich...
Love your videos. All you were missing was a cup of coffee. Perfect hiking meal.
Thanks guys for the detailed rundown of those canteeens, including using metric for us other folk
Thanks from new zealand!
You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed my video and found it useful. Thanks for watching and for commenting!
Hello from Slovakia :) I have this mess kit is super
Filip Hello from the United States! Thanks for stopping by!
#John Sherwood Your videos about army mess kits are super
Great video 👍Got my Czech canteen today. Really pleased with it. Perfect condition. It's unissued cork stopper. It has 1955 stamped at the top of the canteen with the Czech military sword stamp. And my leather strap is 1987. And you have convinced my to get the Czech mess kit too. Now I've seen it over yellow flame 👍
john Doe Sorry for my late reply. I think the Czech canteens are some of the coolest looking ones out there. I enjoy both of mine a lot and they work well! If you pick up a mess kit, I think you will like it too. The two pots work great for anything you need pots for. The lid/plate will work for frying but it is not the best. Make sure it’s real surplus aluminum and not the remake stainless steel. The steel remakes I have seen seem to be of lower quality. Thanks for watching!
Czech here. The rubber stop is definitely newer. It should have gas mask output too. FYI only suicidal cases used the canteen. By closer inspection with flash light you found new species forming in there. I used plastic sprite (green) PET bottle for storing liquids.
Hi John , get yourself one of those Trangia type pan grips to use with your pot lid, makes life a little easier . Thanks for the great video.
Great idea. I thought about using a green oak stick and cutting a slot with my saw to slip onto the rim of the plate/fry pan. The only thing was I didn't bring my saw that day. Oh well.
The Top of The Rubber Cap does open to carry Water Purification Tabs, U don’t need a knife, U just push down on the rim of the cap and the center tab will open enough to put a finger nail in there and it pops off and back on…👍
I recently bought one of these Czech canteens and really like it. Enjoy your videos. I also like collecting military gear and using it outdoors.
I use the one with the plastic stopper a lot. Its been very good to me. Collecting and getting to use old military surplus in the field lots of fun! Thanks for watching and for your comment!.
The Chinese make a canvas carrier for their light MG that you can often find in surplus stores or at gun shows. That Czech cook kit fits very nicely in one of them.
of all the mess kits I have tried, I like the Czech kit and the French (square) kits the best. I found a site on eBay that sells the Czech kit in stainless steel; good stuff -- the sizes are right for me.
Thanks for your comment. I still agree after all the kits I have collected and used that the Czech is in the top three of the kits I like to take with me (when not doing a review of a new kit in my collection). The set I use the most is still my US GI canteen cup set together with the US mess kit. Then the other two being my all steel 1940s Boy Scout kit and the Czech kit. I rarely use my square French kit although I do like it. I think I just have too many to choose from for the amount of outings I can go on. Thanks for watching my videos and for sharing what you use!
I have one like you do with the plastic stopper and I took a screwdriver and popped off the insert and there is so.e storage in it
Excellent video. The canteens are definitely nice items :)
Thank you! I still use the canteen with the plastic stopper a couple times a month. It's part of my day walk kit with my Czech bread bag. Thanks for watching and for your kind comment!
Good job man. I like the canteens, very compact and look easy to carry. And of course the Czech mess kit is one of my favorites. It is finally starting to cool down a little here in FL....
Thanks for watching another one of my videos. It was still a hot out there yesterday but not as bad in the shade of the scrub oak hammock we were in. I have a thing for surplus canteens and mess kits and I like to collect them. These Czech canteens are in my opinion are one of coolest. They are a little heavy but are durable. They look good on the display shelf too with my other kits.
I like that Kit. Nice and round.
4:15 it is hollow to simplify production, because there is another version of this cap, issued with M-10M Gas Mask. This cap was used together with mask's drinking system.See pic: www.armatex.cz/image/cache/data/ostatn%C3%AD/poln%C3%ADlahev%20%C4%8CA%20%C5%A1punt%202-500x500.jpg
Thank you for the information! That is very interesting. I have never seen one of those type caps. Your explanation of the hollow cap I have makes a lot of sense. Thank you for your comment!
Do not forget that those caps were not part of a canteen but part of a M-10M gas mask, intented to use only in case of chemical attack. I have been told during my service that the hole in cap was for water purification tablets.
Gas mask attached to the canteen :
postapo.cz/wp-content/gallery/m10-m/m104.jpg
Thank you for your further explanation of the special cap being part of the gas mask system. That explains why I could not find one with the canteens on the internet. Also, thanks for confirming what I read about the water purifying tablets in the hollow cap. I wasn't sure if it was true or if someone was just trying to sell more Czech canteens. Thanks for watching and have a great day!
Thank you too buddy and if you have any other questions about czechoslovak surplus do not hesitate to ask! Good job with all those reviews btw, subscribing... :-)
Great video. THIS IS NOT MUSIC
Been put off buying older aluminium surplus bottles/canteens as I've received too many that are oxidised (anyone out there who knows how to get rid of the oxidisation I'm all ears!). Like the look of the mess kit though, might be a future purchase!
I have been lucky with getting stuff in pretty good shape. I did receive a Bulgarian "coconut" canteen for Christmas this year that is a little questionable in it's condition for use. Cool for my collection though.
I picked up one of these canteens and it was pristine/unused and a good price, very happy with it. It would be great as part of a belt kit when in rougher terrain, great stuff!
I'm glad you were able to find on in great shape. I hope you enjoy it a lot on your upcoming adventures!
Fill the canteen half full of coarse salt and 3/4 full of water. Shake for an hour or so. Rinse until the salt in gone. Always works on scout canteens.
jelkel25
I've been told Vinegar works wonders. Maybe pair it with Steel Wool.
Good review. Should the cork stopper wear out in the field one could carve a wooden plug. It may not be ideal but it should work.
That would work. I would guess that a soft wood would work best. Thanks for watching!
John, loving the reviews. Super cool hobby of collecting these kits.
If you were to recommend the best functional vintage kit, what would it be? I'm by no means a collector, so I don't need a pristine kit. However, I can certainly appreciate a cool conversation piece around the campfire.
So, please let me know what your thoughts are. I do seem to like this mess kit, but many are all about the swedish kit. The swedish kits seem fairly pricey for a working kit.
Thanks, and keep up the good work!
Very Good Review , Good Job
Those are cool. I'd swap the tops on them, it would be more historically accurate
I don't know about more historically but I did eventually swap them because I wanted to carry one with my day hike kit and preserve the cork top. Thanks for watching my video and for you comment!
@@John-Sherwood-W4JFS I was in CZ army in 1994 and we had both tops, cork and plastic. Plastic top was also in two version. One like you have, second with adapter to connect to gas mask M10 for drinking with Gas mask on the face. We god same information that plastic top with hole and cover is for pills for dirty wather cleaning.
Usualy we god from stock separate bottle with top, woolen cover and carry strips.
Josef Šilhavý thank you very much for the information about these great canteens and thanks for watching!
great video gents that spam looked great :P
Thanks very much!
You might consider switching the corks to make them more in line with the dates on the canteens. Thank for the reviews.
If you squeeze the sides of the plastic cap the top cap thing pops off and pour up a shot
If you had hiked a little further, I'm almost certain you would have eventually found a McDonald's! They serve breakfast all day now ya know!? ...Another fun video John!
Thanks for watching and enduring yet another video. If I was at home, I could walk in any direction and run into the golden arches within minutes. I guess that's Florida life. Its a good thing when it's McRib season!
LOL!
This canteen is in Czech Republic realy cheap, works good and seems good but is little bit heavy
I agree with you. Also looks good. Thanks for watching my video and commenting!
Love the different mess kits. I've been using a swiss for a while and just bought a German to try popcorn in. Thanks for sharing, I subbed! Atb Sean
Hi John, is the plastic cap leaking? For example in backpack
Johny Mielohny every once in a while it leaks a little. But I usually carry all my canteens on the outside of my pack just in case. I have learned the hard way a couple of times. Thanks for watching.
Helsinkipop has a great channel. Check out the things he eats. I think canned peas and spam would be better. Just throw in some wheat thins and you've got a full meal. It may not be Kosher, but it's better than not having enough protein. I hate the smell of pork because it doesn't wash out of my hands very easily, but I do plan to have a little in my bug out bag.
I have seen some of Helsinkipop's channel. I discovered him when I searched for Veshmeshok videos. He has a good channel! I like spam occasionally but I prefer the Spam Light with lower sodium. I find the regular too salty for me. Thanks for your suggestions and for watching my video!
I wonder if someone got an old style canteen but put a newer cover and strap on it?
i live in czech republic and my friend own one canteen
Just a suggestion: how about cooking in the pot and eating from the plate? ;) Great channel. Subbed.
I did a previous video after I first bought the kit where I cook lunch in both pots and used the lid as the plate. Check out that video here: ruclips.net/video/s8DdqUxsxtY/видео.html Thanks for watching and commenting on my videos and for your sub!
Thanks for the answer... I wrote that after wathing just 4 or 5 of your vids. Missed that one. Keep on the good work and the good fun. Cheers!
Ariel Valsagna When I use these mess kits I cook and eat from the same pan/pot. Food stays warmer and one less pot to clean! Each to their own tho!
Shame on you guys no
Bow drill how modern of you just like me gave up bow drills after scouts about 60 years ago .as for the gear all the Cezch stuff is great even the clothing. Happy Trails.
Yeah, bow drill use is a good skill to know but I'm also for ease and fun when trying to get out and rest in the woods. I agree. Most of the Czech gear is great stuff. I have a lot in my collection. But I don't have and clothing yet. Thanks for watching and for your comment!
Just got one got the open cap no lid on it fits in to us gi cover too looking for a cup for it any help on this ty
Maybe the straps were swapped.
Perktube1 I agree. Probably when they were being cleaned and refurbished for storage, they took good components from broken sets and made good sets with them. Thanks for watching and for your comment!
Hi. Can you boil water in the canteen? I understand that you may need to remove it from the case to do that, wondering if it can be done?
thanks
Josh Wright You technically could boil water in it but the bottom is not flat, but rounded which would be difficult to keep vertical and not spill your water. You could possibly hang it over your fire by the cork stopper anchor brackets on the neck of the canteen.
Hello how do you cleaning aluminium bottle ? Thanks for answer.
Adam Nacht usually first I will use a white distilled vinegar and water mixture and left it soak inside the canteen for sometimes up to a day. Then I wash the mixture out. Second, I pour boiling water into the canteen to sanitize it. Then last, after it cools off I wash it out with fresh water and let it dry completely inside. Thanks for your question!
@@John-Sherwood-W4JFS My thanks for answer.
this is oddly unnerving
Burn some green onions in it first so nothing will stick..
Drex Ferguson Haven’t tried that before. Thanks for the tip!
really dumb design for the canteen as you cant take off if its on your belt without unbuckling your belt, sliding all your other gear out, then slide this canteen out, take a drink, then do it all again in reverse. Really bad design unless im not using it correctly.
Dammit we can't hear you ! Your to soft spojen.
Cork isn’t really pointless. Big lie