I have a quick question regarding the strap for the canteen. Was it more commonly white or would a leather brown be more proper, or perhaps a mix?
That's a good question. It was part of the 1871 valise equipment, which in its pristine condition was white for most regiments, including the leather strap on the canteen. Period photos show white, but such photos are invariably of immaculately turned out soldiers in Home Service kit. I have yet to see a photo taken in Zululand that even shows the water bottle. To a man nobody who posed for a photo seems to have had any consideration for future war gamers as they all seem to have discarded their bottle for the photographer.
One would conclude that either bright white for newly-arrived troops or a light sandy brown for troops that had stained their gear to reduce their visibility would be the way to go. At any rate I think it would be the same colour as the rest of the leather parts of the equipment. They would either stain all of it or none of it, one would think.
I don't think the darker brown leather like your chap has on the left is quite right, but I wouldn't swear by it. I have seen it depicted that way in some of the older Ospreys, for example, but I don't know what they are basing that on. Not sure. We need an expert with a really nerdish fetish for infantry equipments to settle this one for us.