1970's LC-1 Canteen Cover

This is an early LC-1 canteen cover. It is in used, very good condition. It is slightly faded, but the color is strong and there are no holes or frayed spots. This cover is clearly dated 1975. It still has the mellow olive green nylon that was characteristic of the Vietnam Era nylon gear.

The U.S. Military changed the canteen cover design in the mid-1970's as a result of the experience with the earlier M-1967 style designs. Unlike the canvas covers, it was discovered that when a canteen cup was inserted in the nylon covers for extended periods of time, the lip of the cup tended to rub a hole in the nylon. Therefore the midsection was reinforced. Initial versions retained the traditional vertical stitching and incorporated the horizontal reinforcement. The later versions ditched the vertical stitching. Additionally, the canteen cover flaps were reinforced to prevent them from folding down into the cover too easily. This design was officially incorporated into the LC-1 series as opposed to the previous labels of "Cover, Water, Canteen, Nylon" and "Cover, Water, Canteen, M-1967". This cover design was used concurrently with previous generations of canteen covers for many years. In spite of changes in OD color over the years of government contracts, this design soldiered on well into the 2000's.