Reading this forum, and our current squirrely yellow alert (or whichever one it is) situation inspired me to haul my "big" first aid kit out of the car trunk and look through it - for the first time in, ummm, years. It's amazing what being stored in a high-heat, non-temperature-controlled environment can do to things. Bandage packets that were stuck together, pain pills crumbled to dust, latex tourniquent that had melted. Nothing would have been there when I needed it the most. So take heed, periodically examinig your emergency kits is time well spent!

-Amen! [color:"black"] [/color] [email]Maggot[/email]

Along the same lines - a couple of weeks ago I bought myself a "Matchsafe" - similar to the one the US Army issues but international orange instead of OD. I wasn't going to, but it was only a dollar, so I figured "What the heck?"

I took Ranger Rick's advice - instead of putting matches in it, I just crammed it full of cotton balls. (I also put in a ferrocerium rod from Hood's Woods as a backup.)

Yesterday, I was trying out various scraper implements to see which ones would strike a spark. Well, eventually, I ended up trying the blade from a knife (an old one that a friend of mine threw out when he moved) and even that wouldn't work.

I was sure that I had gotten a spark from this "flint sparker" when I bought it, but damned if I can get it to produce a spark now. Maybe I imagined that I got a spark from it and it's just a cheap knockoff; but I'd hate to find out in an emergency survival situation that I'd cleverly left all my matches behind in favour of a flint that didn't spark. <img src="images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

i carry a small FAK with me since i work with the developmentally disabled, and it is good to be prepared (gloves, bandaids, some gauze and such) but i always take it out of my car (it's carried inside my normal work bag within a smaller bag) What i'm getting at is that i don't feel first aid supplies should be kept inside a car...the temperature can change too much (lately in FL we've had fairly cool nights and warm days)...just remeber to always grab it before leaving the house just as you would with your wallet and keys...tools and things of that nature (jumper cables etc) can be kept in the car and periodically inspected. Just a thought. Any other suggestions???

Had a similar experience with one of those orange whistles, compass, mirror, waterproof matchkeepers with a striking rod on it that would allow you to strike and light any match on it.

When I got it home, I tried to strike matches on the striking rod and got diddily squat. I filled it up with matches wrapped in wax paper to protect them from rubbing against each other or either end and the striker from the matchbox was also placed inside wrapped in wax paper.

Bountyhunter

the ferrocirium rods from Hoods woods and alot of others have a bit of a coating on them that need to be scraped off, then it should work fine, you should be able to even use a piece of glass to strike it.
I have one in my wallet it works great now after the coating was scrapped off on one side .
Yukon <img src="images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I've had no real problems getting a spark from the ferrocerium rod, although now that you mention it, it did take two or three tries. I don't know if it's a "coating" as such, or just oxidation, but you're right, it comes off with a good scrape.

But the "flint striker" on the base of my matchsafe has been scraped till it gleams, I still can't get a spark from it. <img src="images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Without exception, all of the orange match safes I've seen have been made in China, and seem to have an endemic problem with the flint. As near as I can tell, the flint is recessed (almost imperceptibly) into the case just far enough to where it's nearly impossible to get a decent spark off of it. The domestically produced OD match safes seem to be all right, and I've as yet had no problem generating useful sparks. They wouldn't be my first fire starting choice, but it's nice to have them as a backup.

As it stands now, I use both types. The OD ones are used for matches (and a striker strip); the orange ones are used for Vaseline soaked cotton ball tinder. I'm not sure this color-coding offers any particular advantage, beyond preventing me from needlessly opening my tinder container, with its inherently messy possibilities.

...is in all likelihood a ferrocerium rod, and is most assuredly *not* designed for use as a match striker. Safety matches are dependant upon a chemical reaction between the match head and striker strip, which is precisely why they are 'safety' matches - the vast majority of surfaces (no matter how abrasive) will not affect them, beyond perhaps wearing the match head down to bare wood.

The striking rod is designed for use with a steel edge of some sort (a knife blade, the side if a hacksaw blade, etc.) to create sparks.

indoorsman: silva makes a nice sturdy matchsafe of brass and also has a compass on top. it has a good rubber seal under the cap and a nylon dummy cord ..i gave one as a gift to my nephew and he likes it alot ...vince