First off, thank you very much Mike! i really appreciate you taking your time to make this post to explain things to me. I thought i knew both systems already but i have found out even more than i thought i knew. The side by side comparisons really helped a lot!
The problem with buying the US kit is i don't know how to tell if its real or fake, i now know how to tell if the stove is real (the issue stove is the one i plan to buy, canteen shop one is just too expensive but very nice) however i have seen a lot of reports of fake canteen cups and when buying online its very hard to tell if they are the real deal. I have read some reviews where people say they have bought a canteen cup from a company and it was great but then you see the odd review from ex military personnel who then inform everyone that its actually a fake product as they also bought one and does not compare to their issue cup so customers happy with a fake product make it even harder to figure out the fakes.
Also i see there is a lot of 'made in china' water bottles too, i know on the bottom of them they should say 'U.S' along with a date but most online stores will not picture this and leave me guessing.
I plan to buy both systems as i am curious to try both but i also plan to use the US system attached to the outside of my bag or belt and use it for drinking water, simply because i like the design of the pouches better for this idea. Carrying a cup and stove on the bottom is a no brainier as its very compact and fits in neat so it would be used to make hot drinks/soup or whatever else i can think of + would be a simple backup stove.
The crusader system would be used mainly for cooking simple food as the size is just that bit bigger, tho i think i will buy the US system first (if i can).
I also notice when looking online a lot of cheap looking pouches coming along with units when they are bought in a bundle. I was just wondering if you had ever tested those? The US issue version looks the best deal tho, i like the idea of having nice pockets built in for keeping fuel/backup fire starter. I see they also come in a dew different colours too wish is nice.
I have tried looking online at US stores but its pretty hard to know where to look, i can imagine i am missing out a lot of stores when looking online, the only one consistently showing up is canteenshop but it is a little expensive when buying everything + the shipping to the UK is expensive. Do you know if the products rob sells are genuine US military or copies? (canteen cups & water bottles)
If you could suggest a few US stores online to check out i would really appreciate that if you can.
Again thank you very much for your help Mike, i has helped a lot.
-Chris
The problem with buying the US kit is i don't know how to tell if its real or fake, i now know how to tell if the stove is real (the issue stove is the one i plan to buy, canteen shop one is just too expensive but very nice) however i have seen a lot of reports of fake canteen cups and when buying online its very hard to tell if they are the real deal. I have read some reviews where people say they have bought a canteen cup from a company and it was great but then you see the odd review from ex military personnel who then inform everyone that its actually a fake product as they also bought one and does not compare to their issue cup so customers happy with a fake product make it even harder to figure out the fakes.
Also i see there is a lot of 'made in china' water bottles too, i know on the bottom of them they should say 'U.S' along with a date but most online stores will not picture this and leave me guessing.
I plan to buy both systems as i am curious to try both but i also plan to use the US system attached to the outside of my bag or belt and use it for drinking water, simply because i like the design of the pouches better for this idea. Carrying a cup and stove on the bottom is a no brainier as its very compact and fits in neat so it would be used to make hot drinks/soup or whatever else i can think of + would be a simple backup stove.
The crusader system would be used mainly for cooking simple food as the size is just that bit bigger, tho i think i will buy the US system first (if i can).
I also notice when looking online a lot of cheap looking pouches coming along with units when they are bought in a bundle. I was just wondering if you had ever tested those? The US issue version looks the best deal tho, i like the idea of having nice pockets built in for keeping fuel/backup fire starter. I see they also come in a dew different colours too wish is nice.
I have tried looking online at US stores but its pretty hard to know where to look, i can imagine i am missing out a lot of stores when looking online, the only one consistently showing up is canteenshop but it is a little expensive when buying everything + the shipping to the UK is expensive. Do you know if the products rob sells are genuine US military or copies? (canteen cups & water bottles)
If you could suggest a few US stores online to check out i would really appreciate that if you can.
Again thank you very much for your help Mike, i has helped a lot.
-Chris
