In some recent PMs the topic of different cans came up so I thought it would be useful to post a part of my reply here. There are primarily three types of 20L cans worth talking about. 1) Wehrmachtskanister (aka “NATO” or “Wedco”), 2 USGI steel (aka “Blitz”) and 3) USGI plastic (aka “Scepter” or “MFC”).
Of course German canister is what started it all. The rest are literally inferior copies. Many historians say Blitzkrieg would not be possible without the jerry can. Germans did their best to keep it a secret, kind of like Soviets with AK-47. EE has a reasonably nice write up on can’s history (
http://www.expeditionexchange.com/wedco/). It is a shame that EPA is messing with this awesome design. Kind of like MA AG with Glock.[sad2]
There are two main differences between NATO and Blitz. Blitz has rolled seems and NATO has welded seams. This could lead Blitz to leaks especially if the can is dropped or hit by a branch, badly vibrated on a hard off-road trail, or just old and rusty. However, the bigger design difference is the neck and the cap. Blitz is a screw in and NATO is press in. That means that NATO always gives a positive seal and much less susceptible to internal versus external pressure difference. Blitz on the other hand could be difficult or even impossible to open if the pressure difference is too great and some of them sometimes leak. Bottom line IMHO there is no contest between NATO and Blitz. I only buy NATO.
Scepter is currently our military issued can. It is unquestionably far superior to Blitz. And some would argue that it is even superior to NATO. I however still prefer NATO. The main advantage of Scepter is also its disadvantage. It is made from plastic, so it does not rust or ever leak at the seams. However, unlike metal, plastic expands and contracts with changes in temperature/pressure and it is vulnerable to UV. Do not be misled, they are not made from some cheap plastic, so UV will not destroy them over a few years. They will unquestionably less for many decades, but no one knows how many. On the flipside, there are some WWII cans still in use today. Also, no matter how good the plastic is, it is more porous than metal. Scepter is a screw in design, but with a healthy gasket it does not leak. However, even so, nothing says closed like sliding the closing lever on the NATO can. Size wise Scepter is lighter but larger. If you have limited space, NATO is the king. If you are loading an airplane, Scepter might be the way to go. Choosing between these two is tough, but my choice is NATO.
Some more info about all three cans here
http://www.survivalmonkey.com/portable-fuel-storage.html
And about Scepter here
http://www.pangaea-expeditions.com/scepter/index.html
Note that NATO is made by many countries and over 70+ years there have been many minor design differences. E.g. minor differences in handle shape, neck position, neck style, closing pin design, thickness of coating, etc. To avoid potential headaches, I recommend to buy the same cans and get extra gaskets and spout. If you are buying used and want to restore them because you like the DIY projects, I recommend Damon RED-KOTE for the inside (
http://damonq.com/TechSheets/Red-Kote.pdf) and the Line-X for the outside (
http://www.linex.com/xtra_6.shtml).