How to Make Your Own Canteen

A canteen is used to transport or carry water from one point to another with a minimum of water loss. Outdoor activities such as camping, hiking and survival situations often dictate that drinking water be carried. A wide variety of canteens and water transport containers are available for purchase at stores with outdoor departments. However, making a canteen is a project suitable for a range of ages and is also a valuable skill in an outdoor emergency situation.

Things You'll Need

  • Gourd
  • Hot water
  • Sponge
  • Drill with bit
  • Cork
  • Sandpaper
  • Wire coat hanger
  • Sharp rocks
  • Paraffin wax
  • Stove top
  • Old coffee can
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Instructions

    • 1

      Choose a gourd that will be used to make the canteen. Use traditional gourds such as the Mexican Water Bottle Gourd or Canteen Gourd varieties for making a canteen.

    • 2

      Leave the vine on the gourd. Hang the gourd to dry by the vine in a cool and dry location. Allow the gourd to dry between 6 months and 2 years or until the surface is dry, hard and the seeds inside rattle when the gourd is shaken.

    • 3

      Prepare the gourd for turning it into a canteen by washing the exterior with hot water. Wipe down the outside of the gourd with hot water and a sponge to remove any mold, dirt and debris.

    • 4

      Choose a cork to use as a stopper for the gourd. Use a cork with a tapered end. Carefully cut the vine from the gourd with a knife and place the smaller end of the cork in the stem location. Trace around the cork with a pencil to mark the gourd.

    • 5

      Drill around the mark on the gourd with a hand drill and small drill bit. Make holes around the outline until the round shape breaks free for removal.

    • 6

      Bend a wire coat hanger into an elongated loop shape that will fit into the opening cut in the gourd. Scrape the inside of the gourd to loosen fibrous tissue and seeds. Empty the loosened contents and add several small sharp rocks to the gourd. Cover the opening and shake the rocks to remove additional material.

    • 7

      Melt paraffin wax in a coffee can on a stove top. Pour the melted wax inside the cleaned gourd. Swirl the wax inside the gourd as it is poured in to create a protective coating around the inside of the gourd. Place the cork in the gourd when the wax has cooled.