Canteen Covers
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M1910 Eagle Snap Canteen Cover
The M1910 canteen covers made from 1911-1916 used eagle snaps to secure the flaps and they were made with light olive green canvas from 1912-1916. From 1910-1911 the color of the covers were khaki. This canteen cover has rimless eagle snaps. Though the date on this cover is unreadable it probably dates to 1912 because the wire hanger is the thin 1910-1912 type and it passes through a brass tube secured by the webbing.
M1910 canteen cover
This canteen cover was manufactured by L.C.C. and Co., dated 1918. The cover was lined with felt and the canteen and cup were carried inside. Pre 1917 canteen covers employed eagle snaps rather than the common lift-the-dot snap.
M1910 Mounted Canteen Cover
This is an early mounted canteen cover which later evolved into the M1917 Mounted pattern. The front of the cover with rimless eagle snap fasteners is identical to the early M1910 covers before the lift the dot snap fastener became standard in 1917. However the rear of the cover has a single spring hook secured with a 'V'-shaped piece of webbing. This is the key distinguishing feature of the mounted cover. Mounted soldiers who were issued with the canteen cover found it impractical when actually used in the field. The webbing was not as durable as intended and the canteen would flop about attached to the horse's saddle while in the horse was in motion. Many of these were modified in a M1917 pattern fashion with a leather strap supporting the cover. Keystone Collection
M1917 Mounted canteen cover
As mentioned above, the original mounted canteen cover did not stand up to the rigors of actual field use and an improved configuration was designed for use among mounted soldiers. The M1917 featured a leather strap which supported the canteen while it was suspended from the saddle. Attached to this strap was a larger swiveling hook, versus the smaller, restrictive spring hook of the M1910. The canteen cover also had a leather thong which was tied to the botton of the cover and secured to the saddle. This eliminated the M1910's problem of flopping around. Keystone Collection
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