This is the Cactus Canteen™ from Giant Loop, an American company that was founded in Oregon right in the midst of the Great Recession back in 2008.
The Cactus Canteen™ allows you to carry safe drinking water with you, and it can be rolled up as the water is consumed meaning it takes up less and less space over time. When empty, the bag weighs in at just a few hundred grams, making it a lot lighter than a comparable plastic or metal food-safe jerry can.
This is the Cactus Canteen™ from Giant Loop, an American company that was founded in Oregon right in the midst of the Great Recession back in 2008.
History Speedrun: Giant Loop
Giant Loop was founded in 2008, with an initial investment of $5,000 USD, in the hopes of making enough money to make house repayments and avoid eviction. Harold Olaf Cecil founded Giant Loop, LLC in August of that year, built the website, and they had their first production run of Giant Loop saddlebags produced in autumn of the same year.
Within months, distributors from Australia and the UK had reached out, helping the small Oregon-based company gain international traction despite launching in the midst of a major global financial crisis. Growth came slowly at first, with Harold sewing straps himself and operating on the last of his personal savings.
Over the next several years, Giant Loop expanded its product line to include tank bags, soft panniers, waterproof pods, straps, and luggage options for snowmobiles. The company stayed committed to its original design ethos – minimal weight, high durability, and a clean fit that wouldn’t interfere with off-road motorcycle riding dynamics.
Most Giant Loop gear is developed and tested in extreme off-road environments across the American West, typically by the GL team itself.
Over the ensuing years, Giant Loop’s gear lineup expanded well beyond its original saddlebag offerings. Today, it includes rackless cargo systems like the Coyote and Great Basin, waterproof tank bags like the Fandango, and modular soft panniers like the MotoTrekk.
The Cactus Canteen™ allows you to carry safe drinking water with you, and it can be rolled up as the water is consumed meaning it takes up less and less space over time.
For fuel and drinking water transport, the company offers collapsible options like the Cactus Canteen for water and the Armadillo Bag for fuel. Smaller items like the Possibles Pouch and various dry pods round out the range, all designed for rugged off-road use without adding any unnecessary bulk.
The Giant Loop Cactus Canteen™
The Giant Loop Cactus Canteen™ model line includes sizes ranging from 1 gallon, to 2, 3, and 5 gallons. Each uses a food-grade TPU film (BPA free) bladder with an outer cover made from 840D nylon with laminated TPU, and reflective webbing to make it easy to lash down.
The Cactus Canteen™ also has a universal hydration quick-connect fitting, allowing it to be used as a giant hydration bag – this comes in handy on long rides in hot climates. The top of the bag has a strap designed to allow you to hang it while it’s filling up, and at the bottom you’ll find a dispensing hose with an on/off valve providing controlled flow when needed.
It has a wide filler neck and cap for easy filling and emptying, as well as easy cleaning and rinsing. When it’s empty the bag can be rolled up into a tight package that weighs only a few hundred grams.
The top of the bag has a strap designed to allow you to hang it while it’s filling up, and at the bottom you’ll find a dispensing hose with an on/off valve providing controlled flow when needed.
Although it was designed for adventure motorcycle use, the Cactus Canteen™ is also ideal for 4×4 overlanders and for people heading out into the desert in ATVs and on quads.
The Cactus Canteen™ can be bought direct from Giant Loop on their website here, all four sizes are currently in stock, and pricing ranges from $99 for the 1 gallon up to $159 for the 5 gallon.
Images courtesy of Giant Loop
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