travel essentials: canteen

On my last day in the office my boss in Boone gave me a gift. He and his wife had spent a few years serving in Africa and he had lived in Vietnam prior to that. He said there were two things he really appreciated in the field: his knife and his canteen.

He said he didn't think it was appropriate to give me a knife.

I told him women's clothes often don't have pockets or belt loops so I wouldn't have anywhere to put a knife anyway.

Why is a canteen such a good travel accessory? Because it keeps your water colder for longer than any plastic bottle available. They also often come a handy carabiner so you can attach it to any bag you may be carrying.

Above is a photo of a canteen we bought after I received one as a gift so we could each have one. My mental image of a canteen is what you see army men drinking in movies, but I quickly discovered that canteens are all the rage in our environmentally conscience society. Even Old Navy sells them with trendy designs on the outside. So far, it has worked very well to provide us a handy source of water in our new location.

What is your favorite travel accessory?