I recently got a mess kit from 1945 for 18$ but the only thing that sucks about it is that it didn't come with the fork or spoon, and I didn't even know you could put the lid on the handle.

@manletopia4801

Жыл бұрын

"SE Survivor Series" Amazon 5$

@aceofthewest5884

Жыл бұрын

Look around some military surplus stores, I have a 1944 mess kit it didn’t come with the utensils either, I got some from a surplus store

@gregorytozer5038

Жыл бұрын

This was a great design for the few that got to use it, most went weeks or sometimes months on field rations that were intended to only be used for 2-3 days

@jasonp3478

Жыл бұрын

dont sweat it im 45 and have had one since i was about 10 and never knee it slid onto handle. mind blown

@patrickmcelrath4962

Жыл бұрын

Make a spork

He forgot one thing, the plate part with latch/handle on it could be used as a pan over an open fire in the field. However, take care the handle got hot.

@MonsterElf

Жыл бұрын

I saw that and was like why didn't you mention it

@patrickdell6577

Жыл бұрын

@@MonsterElf IKR 🤣

@jacobius9280

Жыл бұрын

It could also be used for some good old fationed fightin'

@Octivity11

Жыл бұрын

I was thinking that

@BloodSteed

Жыл бұрын

I'm pretty sure he didn't mention that cuz it's common sense... lmao

I still use my grandfathers mess kit, still has all the original utensils too. Love that piece of kit!

We were issued those in Basic in’84. All the way through’90. They were awesome. I bought one and still use it to this day.

@latewizard301

Жыл бұрын

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

@snapmalloy5556

Жыл бұрын

Same....We used them through the late 80's

@unkledoda420

Жыл бұрын

Works great for camping.

@kevinsullivan3448

Жыл бұрын

I still have one from my active duty time in the late 80s.

We used a similar multi-bucket cleaning system in the Boy Scouts. A lot of our dads had been in the Boy Scouts during a time when many of the adult leaders were WWII veterans.

@rustomkanishka

Жыл бұрын

You got out okay? Nothing sad happened there i hope.

@spreaderniter0130

Жыл бұрын

​@@rustomkanishka just because he was in scouts doesn't mean he was raped

@kevinsullivan3448

Жыл бұрын

@@rustomkanishka Homosexual grooming by Boy Scout Leaders is a relatively modern thing. It really depended on who sponsored your troop. It wasn't till American Communists infiltrated the Scouting program that homosexual men were even allowed to be Scoutmasters. I also spent 15 years as a Scoutmaster and I predicted the fall of the BSA after they chose to allow openly homosexual scoutmasters despite the protests of most sponsoring organizations and the parents of 90% of the scouts. No wonder the Liberal Groomers of America are in court for thousands of charges of molestation.

@sandgun3269

Жыл бұрын

yeah, I am currently a boy scout and the 3 bucket method is still the standard for the BSA

European countries generally had the same kind of mess tins. In Finnish it's called "Pakki" and it's shaped like a bean or a liver with a metal carryhandle. It's used to this day. I have personally used one from the year 1940 during my service. Other names are: Kochgeschirr (Ger), Kokkärl(Swe) and there are more names for this item.

@kostekrokossowski2366

Жыл бұрын

Yup, kidney mess tins are more common in Europe, used one in Polish army which was made in 1970's during my service and it was made of aluminium and were forbidden to eat from in early 2000's, but no one cared about it when they were issued and we used them. Newer ones are made of stainless steel, but still they are rarity, and mostly we are eating in field using plastic trays or rations, so mess kit isn't as much needed.

@falkus7yt293

Жыл бұрын

I am a German soldier and we are still using mostly the same gear of "Kochgeschirr" as in 1914

I remember for the longest time you could go into nearly any thrift store or a flea market and pick those up for a dollar. Now, they go for upwards of $20 in some places.

Never knew they went together like that.

I’ve never seen the actual mess tins fully in use until now. I saw what they made for the Action Man/GI Joe action figures in the sixties and seventies. They did a pretty good job recreating what soldiers actually used!

I Scouts in the 1980s I had a mess tin of very similar design, and an aluminum canteen with a canteen cup. Venerable heritage of really useful personal kit.

I remember being shown those kits in the scout troop storage unit and getting a history lesson on a few different ww2 items that they had. However our troop were classy and we ate off metal prison trays and had a custom built kitchen trailer.

@CraftHarlot

Жыл бұрын

Classy! Love that!

the down side of the mess kit was if the food was actually hot the heat could go right thru the metal ether burning the holding hand and the food got cold quick . although hot chow was rare . you were lucky if it was any where near warm .

Those I was using on Active duty in the early 90's still. They worked great

I remember going through boot camp at Ft. Dix New Jersey and our drill sergeants taught us how to put your utensils in a clean sock so you couldn't hear it rattling in the tin.

@kevinsullivan3448

Жыл бұрын

When I went to Boot at Ft Dix in '86 we didn't get silverware, the 2nd Gen MREs came with a plastic spork so they stopped issuing the metal utensils.

I've got that same M1 shirt on right now. Wow. In Boy Scouts in early 70s and also camping in 80s I used one of these and never knew the 2 half slid together with the latch. Good job and keep them coming.

My dad's family used those kits to go camping in the Catskills from '46 to 49. And, Dad and my uncle used them when they were Boy Scouts. Sure wished I had one of them now.

I've had one all my life! I always look for surplus things because they don't make em like they used to!

Whoever designed those deserves an award. It's a really thought through piece of kit.

I have one of these, I think mines more around Korean war or Vietnam war era, but it might be WW2. Also, I didn't know about all the uses you could do, that's very interesting!

That’s pretty cool! Definitely worth a buy for the outdoors and backpacking!

We still used them when I was in the Army in the mid to late 90s.

Holy shit I never realized how many things can happen to that thing

I used to have one of these that I used a ton. I got it from my grandpa and I had a set of camping utensils that I kept inside it along with a collapsible cup. It was great as a compact piece of cookware and plate, and easy to clean and maintain.

The moment when u look in ya bag and u got one but ur in active service

Still used that mess kit on deployments in the Air Force not too long ago. I loved it.

Had that when I was a Boy Scout in the 1980s, bought the whole kit from a surplus store, loved it.

I use that. I have sense i was a kid. We found a few somewhere and i think its the best mess kit you could get for camping and hunting. Yes i also use a jet boil.

We had those in basic training in the 1980s believe it or not-

Okay, me and this guy NEED to be friends

I have one of those right in my camping backpack, but I had no idea it work like that

Actually done this before. Basic trading in 1986. And while serving in Germany . Then the army stopped using them. Wish I still had mine

I was in the USMC, 83-87. I was only issued a canteen cup. 🙁

@Christopher-ii6tr

Жыл бұрын

Well the Marines are supposed to be the toughest! You could have eaten out of your helmet.🤡

@selvbilde253

Жыл бұрын

@@Christopher-ii6tr Your head sweat is your seasoning

Only use my mess kit a few times in over 21 years in the Army. In the field and in war we ate on paper plates.

We use these for camping and Scouts. I had no idea that everything could stack together for serving and cleaning!! Thank you so much!!

My Great uncle fought in World War II and I have his old backpack. In it, it has the mess kit and a really old rusty combat knife

I think the only reason these stopped being so ubiquitous is most of the time nowadays you'll get MREs instead of a field kitchen

WW II?!!!! We were issued em in Desert Storm!!! lol. mine I still have, it's stamped 1945!!

Enjoy your videos. They used to put some good thought into mess kits. The US one, coupled with a canteen cup gave a pretty versatile system. Especially when you were feeding fresh rations from a field kitchen or hay box. Other nations made theirs deeper which provided other options. The Commonwealth nations used nesting rectangular mess tins that gave each soldier 2 x shallow pots or deep pans for cooking your own food when needed and allowed you store rations inside so no wasted space. The Germans had a nesting pot, fry pan, bowl mess kit that had the pan and bowl hook together and hang like side saddles over the pot allowing you to carry the whole thing in one hand. The higher walls on these would also make it less likely to spill if you stubbled or tripped. The US one was easiest to clean and well designed for it's intended purpose (centralized feeding soldiers fresh rations) and was a more traditional plate configuration while possibly provided some familiarity for homesick soldiers but some of the other European designs, offered greater versatility, especially when feeding yourself in the field but were not as easy to clean and dry. Both had pros and cons.

WW2, Korea, Vietnam, and into 80's, right up to MRE's. I actually went from Mess kits to MRE's and T-Rats.

That line right there at Conneaut is where I learned this and it made reenacting as a whole so much more fun. Hope to meet you next year!

Love seeing someone as young as you into this stuff. I'm not that old but you are my daughters age... history is awesome

Bro, kids used them all the time on scout trips when I was a kid in the 2010’s. Good piece of kit ngl

Been watching your videos lately. Really enjoying your content. I'm 62 now but as a kid back in the 70's we used to play Germans and Americans war games out in the woods in Virginia. Always been interested in WWII.

Soldiers: fighting so their future generations don't have to Cosplayers:

Vietnamese soldier: 1 small bowl and a pair of chopsticks

I’ve still got mine from my time in the army during the 80s. Still got the silverware, too. The spoon is so big, it doubles as a shovel.

Genius simplicity!!!

They worked as pans, too. My grandfather never cooked in anything but a shallow pan because he said he got used to coming in shallow pots in the war.

In the '60s, my Girl Scout mess kit was very similar.

I still use the kit, with silverware, I got in 1968. Add a couple canteen cups, you can cook a good meal.

Still using mine that was issued to me in 1988. It was with me for my 21 years of service and I still use it for all my camping trips

I still have my grandpa's mess tin, and I still take it camping.

Dude I had one for years, I had no idea it was ww2 era

I was issued them when I served on the 80s

I still have several of these. They're great. Used them a lot camping and hiking

“Alright, so let’s get this out onto a tray..”

i went in in 1982 and these were still issued. in fact i still have one of the ones i got on active duty. never go out to the woods without it and my canteen cups.

That was part of my TA-50 field gear while serving in the US Army in the late 80s. We didn't have the water activated cooking thingies for our MREs so we still needed something to actually heat our otherwise cold meals in. I always took a small solid fuel stove to the field to cook with.

I actually have one of these that’s been passed down from my Great Grandpa who served in the marine corps during ww2, still looks and works great to this day.

Love your series...learned so much ❤️

we were still using the same design in the 80s.

Brazil still uses this things, they are awesome and reliable.

I have 2 of those from boy scouts years ago and had no clue they were military. I also didn't know they could attach like that. Thanks for teaching me something new today!

That's what I was issued and used the entire time I was in the Army from 1972 to 1993.

I love your videos. You inspired me to buy a original WWII uniform from the 44th infantry division. Anyway have a great week

My dad was taught you boil your mess kit in water hot enough to melt your skin off. He said one guy found out real quick why you just don't wipe them off.

Funny thing is that these are still issued. I got mine many months ago when I was out in the jungle for a month

Used to have one 40+ years ago when I was in the Boy Scouts. Never knew about hooking the two parts together to make a wider set of plates.

My grand father told me stories of WW2 and yes about the mess tin IF his platoon got the luxury of chow otherwise it's cold rations. They lived and fought a hard war for our freedom.

We were still using those in the 80's.

I have been using a mess kit exactly like that for years and I never knew you could hook it together like that

The Austrian army still uses the exactly the same mess kit, they even have a US stamp on it

Love your channel. It reminds me of the Sunny Surplus Stores In Baltimore City, when I was a kid and Boy Scout. It was my favorite store to visit. Literally tons of Surplus from WW2. I had 4 Uncles in in the US ARMY during that war. I was in from 1968-1971. I have been collecting surplus rifles of the 20th century since I was 18 yro. Mostly Mausers. I have a German mess kit that I store primers in for reloading cartridges.

I was in the army throughout the 80s and we use that very same mask it accepted it came with a fork and a spoon 🥄🥣. The downside was as they were very noisy.

We used the same setup in Vietnam in 1969 with 3/9 3rd MARDIV at Vandergrift Combat Base.

We used them when I was a kid in girl scout camp. We even used the same washing method. The only difference was we put them in a mesh bag and hung them on a line to dry.

It looks like you can even use it like a skillet

I use that same exact mess kit that was my grandfathers who served in WW2 on a minesweeper. then was handed to my father who gave it to me when I was in Boy Scouts. We still have the original utensils that came with it

I've probably sold 50 of these online. Had no idea how everything went together. That's cool

My kids love using these when camping

i got out of the US army in 2005 and we were still issued this type of mess kit .

They would always rattle everywhere you went

Holly crap I’ve had serval of these that I’ve used for camping, hiking and the sort. I never knew they hooked together like that!!

I had one of those as a kid. I think that it was issued to my stepfather when he was doing national service in the UK. I wish that I still had it.

This is brilliant!!! I wish they were still issued.

We had kits like that in BoyScouts in the 60s.

Some of us had very old mess tins in the army, from the 1940s

it also looks like you can use it as a skillet in a pinch

I am learning so much from these uploads, and having fun learning. Keep them coming mate.👍

I had one like it in the girl scouts as a kid.

I’m eating off a 1944 Mess Kit right now after cooking Supper on the Woodstove

Way back in the day girl scouts had almost the same thing. I had it for many years, took it camping,, very convenient.

Fond memories of getting stuff for Boyscout camping at Fort Riley, KS back in the 60's.

Good video; subscribed!

C rations was the end of the mess kit

I own one of threes and I never knew that you could do any of this lol, thanks

I ate outa one of these for years as a scout, got it at a yard sale an i still keep it in my camping kit.

That is not how you use an immersion heater. Yes you heat the water in it, you don't dip your dirty dishes in it.

In Band of Brothers during the Battle of the Bulge all they had were cups

Loving your videos I'm a big WW2 nerd myself.