Good quality, Stormproof and waterproof matches

[Mr_Sheesh]

Reason matches are going "strike on box" is the crack folks, Phosphorous is in match strikers and the crack folks can use it for a precursor to make their crud.

One OK trick is to wrap a strike anywhere match with toilet paper (or paper towel) then soak that with wax; Sisal twine would also work. Gives you more of a fire starter, but also more volume of the match. Still, a single thicker match that starts your fire in nasty weather is a DARN nice thing!

My family did a lot of primitive fire making etc. training, when hunting / car camping in horrid weather I have to admit that we often got tired of the tough way & just used a propane weed burner; Works in most any weather, but it IS cheating! Pacific NorthWet will make one want to cheat tho LOL

[GhostHawk]

If you did a survey of the knives hanging around my house. You would pretty quickly discern that I am a fan of both

A firesteel/Ferrocerrium rods.

B Fatwood.

We were camped out in a South Dakota State park, wind was 25 mph from the south off the lake, we'd had a shot of rain in the night, there was no dry anything for a fire.

I needed coffee, bad.

A paper plate, a piece of paper towel, and my firesteel created fire where my zippo failed, my butane lighter failed, kitchen match's failed.

I pinned the paper towel with the firesteel to the paper plate. After 2 strikes saw brown forming, speeded up, and after 4 I had flame.

That is why I trust what I trust. YMMV. Your experiences may be different than mine.
But that is what worked for me.

Of the friction fire methods I have had extremely poor luck with all but one.
The cotton ball fire roll with wood ashes also works, and is easy.

If interested check out the David West channel on youtube.

[Hickory]

Roger the Ohio Blue Tips. Dang the meddlesome federal regulators.

And then there are people who think if the government were to run the internet, that would be good.

[Petrol & Powder]

Mr. Sheesh, the red phosphorous used on the striker (on the box) is used in one of the illicit methamphetamine (not crack) manufacturing processes; but I get what you were saying.

As for dipping strike anywhere matches in wax, that is a time tested method that works well. The wax helps to waterproof the match and helps to give it more fuel once it lights. I did it many years ago in scouting and still use that method to waterproof strike anywhere type matches.

"Lifeboat" matches have enormous heads on them and are coated with some type of shellac (or some other waterproofing). They will burn in heavy wind and burn longer than standard matches.

A good match safe is probably as important as the matches themselves. K & M makes the best one I've been able to find : https://www.kmmatchcase.com/
The brass case is heavier than it needs to be but the quality is unbeatable.


Despite all of the great old school match tech, I've yet find something that's as bomb-proof as BIC lighter with a section of bicycle inner tube slipped over it. The rubber inner tube is slipped off and a piece is cut from it (or not in an emergency) and the lighter is used to set the rubber on fire. It will start regardless of how wet it is. The rubber will burn for a few minutes and give you the time needed to light your cooking or camp fire. The BIC lighters are unbelievably reliable and lightweight.

I will still carry matches in a match safe but the primary tool is the cheap, ubiquitous $0.99 BIC lighter !

[Mr_Sheesh]

Petrol & Powder - True, I just call them all sorta the same thing as they're not exactly legal drug manufacturers. Lots of regulations / laws put on the books to stop the meth labs folks, and the main effects are just to raise the price of their crud, and as a "bonus", inconvenience honest people who want to just live their lives without idiocy or complications.

A few times in the past I've even used "waste" gunpowder (spilled powder or unknown powder I've "pulled" from rounds I don't trust), dissolved it with acetone into a thick paste, then made a small "Ice Cube" sized blob of it, to use as a fire starter; It's really too hot & too fast for a good fire starter, though. Waterproof and windproof though.

My usual suspect for fire starter lately has been a tea light, remove the wax, put in a curled up strip of corrugated cardboard to fill it, add a few cotton or sisal strings as wicks, pour wax back over it. It's enough for most conditions (where a tuna can or cat food can is too much and you waste wax.)

I always carry at least one lighter but usually also some book matches in the city & strike-anywhere's in the woods; Backup plan is always smart, as Engineers say, "Avoid single point of failure situations" (Military's way of saying the same thing is "Two is one and one is none")