For the most part I'll go on record as not really being a "match guy". Most of the membership of ETS will know why, even if you don't fully agree. The first reason is that matches are pretty limiting, and at best you get one fire per match, not good compared to a lighter or firesteel. I also don't consider matches very reliable. Their main enemy is moisture. Even the best matches (eg UCO Stormproof, REI Storm match) won't light on a wet striker.

That said, I think matches do have a place, especially if you take care to keep them dry. One of the most practical ways to do this is a good quality match safe. I've been doing some research and the Exotac MatchCap looked good but a bit small for my tastes. My preferred match is the UCO and only about a dozen will fit. Relatively recently Exotac came out with a larger, redesigned version called the MatchCap XL. Unfortunately it's sold out at Exotac's own site and pretty hard to find. But recently I found them at an eBay vendor that I've had great luck with in the past. I placed my order for the XL in orange since I intend them to be primarily a survival item. When I can I always choose orange or yellow for survival stuff.

Here are a few pictures from Exotac's web site:







Overall this is a very slickly designed case! It weighs only an ounce and a half and is pretty compact. Testing has shown it to be water tight. It has a disc of sandpaper as well as knurling that can both be used to strike "strike-anywhere" type matches. But the best feature to me is the (replaceable) phosphorus strip glued to the inside of the case. Very nice! It's inside of the O-ring sealer portion where it can't get wet. This means it should be good to go when you need it. Exotac includes a spare o-ring as well as replacement strikers of both types. And they sell refill kits as well. One last touch that I like is the cap which has a loop for clipping to a carabiner or wearing on a lanyard.

I can easily fit 25 UCO Stormproof matches in the case, with a bit of room on top. Exotac says the intentionally make it slightly taller than UCO matches (which they recommend) to accommodate cotton balls or limited bits of survival gear. Very nice.

The only thing I might have preferred would be two striker panels. They wisely made the striker significantly larger than on the smaller MatchCap to address the main complaint of users. It seems that as each match uses some of the phosphorus, most people ran out of usuable striker before running out of matches. The larger striker addresses this but better still would be to have two cut-outs to minimize weight but leave two "columns" for strikers. One would probably be wise to tuck a sealed extra striker inside the safe even if that means carrying a couple less matches. Better, say, 23 that you know will light than 26 and a dead striker.

So far this is just a kitchen table review. When I make out next time I'll see how it holds up to use. I'm pretty confident given the build quality and design that it will be a great match safe.

One quick comment; I repacked the case a bit. I took one of the full sized strikers that are packaged in the 25 count boxes of the UCO matches and sealed it in plastic with my vacuum sealer. I really got the dimensions down to just 1 mm bigger than the striker. By carefully packing matches around the sealed striker and staggering them head up and head down I got 23 matches plus the extra striker.

I also sealed the included stick-on striker the same way. I slid it down against the full sized one with no loss of match capacity. Maybe I'll pull the full sized one out and see if that buys me space for a few more matches but for now I'm leaning towards maximum striking redundancy vs firepower.

Thank you for the review. It is indeed a good looking case. My premium match case has been a K&M match case, but it has a significant flaw. The double O-ring cap on the K&M is very difficult to remove. This could be a real problem in adverse conditions when you might well be cold and shivering, etc. It is, however, probably better than the reverse situation, where the cap can come off too easily. I have done that, too, and it certainly isn't any fun.

I would not agree with your "one match means one fire" comment. Particularly in a survival situation, where a person would be staying put, or at least stopping overnight, you would build a fire that would result in a bed of coals that could easily be rekindled the following morning. You can keep this up for days...

Phaedrus,

Thanks for the review, let us know how it turns out. I like the looks of everything except the screw on top. In many locations the threads get dirty and it is difficult to unscrew. I would also like to see a loop on the lower part so that nothing can be left behind.

hikermor,

I also use the K&M case for both regular and REI/UCO matches. I am very happy with them - especially the ease of opening. Do you know what is causing yours to be difficult? I have 8 and none of them are any problem at all (I use silicone O ring grease).

Respectfully,

Jerry

Oh, lubrication!! I am using mine just as it came and indeed the o-rings are rather dry. Would a silicone grease be appropriate? Aside from this issue, I am very happy with the K&M - nice size, good capacity, etc.

Mineral oil should work well, but I am happy with a VERY light coating of silicone O ring grease. I also keep the ring and mating surface clean (much easier than cleaning threads).

I also agree with your statment on multiple fires. If I am lost or stuck I am only going to light one fire. The object is to keep it going until rescued. I carry working matches (enough for several a day for the trip, both penny boxes and strike anywhere in a K&M case), emergency matches (1 K&M case full of REI matches) and several rods, strikers, etc. But I expect to only use the every day ones more than for one fire.

Respectfully,

Jerry

Thanks for the review Phaedrus. I'm also a match fan. Right now I'm using the UCO Stormproof match case. The only problem is the striker on the outside can get wet/damaged. Looks like the Exotac solves that problem.

I use Nyogel 760G to lube the threads and O-rings of my flashlights. It works quite well, and I'd use the same on a metal match case.

Suggestion followed. Worked wonderfully - problem solved.

I use the orange cases like you find at wal-Mart. Never had a problem with them. My first one is almost 30 years old and still serves as a mini kit. Recently I bought one by Coleman and was pleasantly suprised to find that it came with waterproof matches and a sizable striker strip inside a tiny zip-lock. I rut the matches in the zip-lock and tossed them in general gear for "just in case". Have any of you tried the brass Siva case with a compass on it? I have been considering it, but no one has one to examine. Thanks