You get your wood, kindling, and maybe even your fire starter out. Then you stack it all into a neat pile after shoring up a nice area free from combustibles. Only to find out that you have soggy, moldy, or just plain useless set of camping matches. Old match boxes fall apart over time and many folks don’t like having something that gets lost or mushed so easily.
Jane C., a reader from Spokane, Washington shared this camping matches container idea (submit an idea you have here!) She had one too many instances where the camping matches let her down due to moisture or the faulty nature of their container. She started digging around and found two separate ideas that allowed her to keep her camping matches stored in containers resistant to nature and more rugged for multiple uses. She also mentioned that these containers are much easier on the eyes than the boring match boxes!
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Camping Matches Container Idea #1: Mason/Glass Jar
This is a bulk storage approach where you can keep hundreds of matches in one place free from the elements. This will also keep them in a container that should last quite a while assuming it isn’t dropped! You can use pretty much any rigid container you would like from spaghetti sauce, to mason jar, to coffee can. All you need to do is glue sandpaper (or the sides of the match boxes) to the lid and you are all set.
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Camping Matches Container Idea #2
Using a baby food jar or any other small container (such as an altoid can), you can create a very portable camping matches container that should last for years if not indefinitely. Much like the jar idea above, simply glue some sand paper to the top of whatever you decide to house your matches in and voila!
If neither of these options are for you, then you might want to give making your own waterproof matches a try! Have any ways you keep matches in your RV? Please share it with us in the comments below!
You could cut a strip of corrugated cardboard slightly smaller than your matches, insert the matches into the corrugation holes in the cardboard tape or glue some striker or fine sandpaper inside the cardboard and/or on the lid of your jar or tin. Melt some candlewax and dip the heads of the matches int the wax and allow to set. Roll the lot up and hold together with an elastic band and pop into a jar or tin. Just peel or rub the wax off when needed. I hope this helps and it is a lot cheaper than buying ready made store bought matches.
If I remember well the lessons of John Wiseman’s SAS Survival Handbook, dripping candlewax on the heads of individual matches makes them waterproof. Just peel the wax before striking them. Never tested the method and is more time consuming than just putting matches in a watertight box but definitely seems the most practical for situations where weight is at a premium.