I got mine in Arlington at the Albertsons at HWY360 and GreenOaks so if you pass by that area you might pop in and take a look. It's only been a couple months since we last bought them there so I don't know why they wouldn't be carrying them anymore. It's still Bar-B-Q season isn't it? <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I discovered the same thing with the REI Stormproof Matches. They come with two striking surfaces on the box, plus a striker sealed in plastic in each box, and you MUST use one of those or you can't get 'em to light. Once lit tho, they are pretty impressive. I stuck a lit match under a running faucet, fire went out. Pulled it out of the stream of water and it re-lit itself. Did that three times before it was too short to re-lite...

Strike anywhere matches aren't so common any more, but you can still find them if you look around. Try a big grocery store. They may be illegal in some places, I think I remember hearing something like that once.

They are not such a great idea. Safety matches are called that for a reason. If you drop a box of strike anywhere matches on the ground, the whole box can go up in flames if you're unlucky.

For PSK purposes I think you're best off with lifeboat matches and striking surface in your match safe, if you want to use matches at all. Those flint wheel thingies seem like a better plan to me. They're more nuisance to use, but pretty much foolproof, nothing to use up (within reason) or damage by soaking.

Everybody remember that TSA won't allow strike-anywhere matches either as carry-on or checked aboard airliners. I just got my answer from them today after 2 weeks. You can carry up to 2 lighters (either BIC or Zippo - type) and 4 books (their wording) of matches. Thanks for all the posts everyone. I will check out the local vendors for strike-anywhere.

If you put both matches and striking surface inside the same box, you may remove the 'safety" part from those matches......
By rubing against each other, during box movement, they can ignite ...... <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

True enough on all points, but the idea of redundant fire-starting capability is still valid. Besides, if I were physically unable to start a fire myself, I would much rather give whoever might be available the option of using whatever medium is most familiar to them - even if special instructions might be required to get those stupid LB safety matches to light. Frankly it appalls me that anyone would market a match as a survival implement without strike-anywhere capability. If anyone can tell me where my logic has derailed here, I would be grateful.

While that possibility does exist, I have a gut feeling about the probability of that ever happening and my feeling is that the chances are pretty slim. Having grown up in the era of strike-anywhere matches, I know of no one personally who has ever had any kind of a mishap such as unintentional ignition. I will acknowledge the possibility that during some forms of motorized transportation of these kinds of matches that there is the possibility of a vibration node being set up in a narrow range of resonant frequencies that could cause sufficient friction between the match and striking surface (they are not guaranteed to be in close enough proximity to make that likely in any event). But carry on one's person would serve to damp any such vibrations during motor transport and the whole vibration thing would never be an issue if the subject was walking or using non-motorized transportation. So how else would they unintentionally ignite within a match safe? In a sealed match safe, the limited amount of oxygen available for combustion would likely limit the amount of damage that could be done outside the match safe. Matches could be packed in the safe with cotton balls for filler so that movement within the safe would be further limited or eliminated altogether.

As we had only access to safety matches I routinely carried a striker in my match container. I simply used two of them with the striking surfaces facing each other. They couldn´t make contact with the match heads.

Frenchy:

I have my Coleman weather proof matches in match safes, and I cut one of the striker surfaces off the box, wrap it in wax paper and put it in the matchsafe. Any left over striking surfaces get warped in wax paper and put in my pack.

If you have strike anywhere matches for your matchsafe, you can lay them on a properly sized length of wax paper and roll them up adding a match as the paper covers the previous match.

It looks like I am going to be getting rid of my Marble's match safe soon as I see them selling for up to $37.00 on Ebay and I already have a $20.00 offer for it.

Bountyhunter

Well, the way to make a matchbox-bomb (yes, an explosion) is to:
1) invert matchbox (so stiking surface is on inside of box)
2)place match heads inside box
3) wrap very tightly in electritions/insulation tape
4) throw very hard on hard surface
5) run away very quickly from angry adults

Yep, I know that making those was very foolish. I am still young and foolish - probably because i run fairly quickly <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />