I've got the gas mask canister completed. After experimenting with different ideas, I decided that the best all-around solution was a post-WW2 Soviet-style gas canister of German manufacture. The advantage of this was to take advantage of the rotating nozzles that would allow me to disconnect the hoses at either end, making it easier to get in and out of the mask whenever I needed a break.
I found a canister on eBay for $15, shipping from Poland. The thing was covered in some sludge of uncertain origin, so I made sure to wear a mask around it at all times. Even after sandblasting, the interior still had a nasty smell to it.
I then had to convert it from one nozzle to two. I did this by cutting off the single nozzle, including the surface around it. Then, I cut a piece of tin to cover the entire top plate of the canister. I bought an extra set of hoses off eBay (Soviet/Russian manufacture with 40mm nozzle fittings) and discarded the hose material so I had just the fittings. I used the extra fittings to receive the hoses on both the mask and the canister. The fittings are designed to rotate, so that the hose can be loosened or tightened at either end without twisting the hose. This is critical, if you want to free yourself from the mask and back-worn canister.
I cut holes in the tin plate and attached the extra hose fittings so that they would functionally rotate. I then used JB Weld to epoxy the new plate over the old. The hole that I had cut in the original canister was large enough to accommodate the fittings. This still left the interior of the canister -- with its nasty smell -- open, so I put a bead of JB Weld around the edge of the new plate and sealed the nozzles by epoxying two round tin plates over each nozzles' opening. I was careful not to let epoxy keep the nozzles from rotating. Now, the nasty smell is sealed inside.
After painting and weathering the canister, it will be ready to go. I painted the canister in Ordnance Tan, which is standard for all German military equipment. It also appears to be what the zombies' canisters were painted in the movie. 1944 Militaria sells Ordnance Tan in spray cans; otherwise, you can get the colour in bottles at any hobby store.
I am thinking of building a leather carrying harness that will be riveted directly to the Y-straps (I bought a pair of cheap, post-war Austrian Y-straps on eBay, which can be easily modified), so that the canister won't move around on my back and be easily removable.
Parks