I was thinking about making an altoids size tin exclusively for fire starting. In it would be 75 strike on box matches in their original box with extra strikers inside (I cannot find strike anywhere matches), a mini bic lighter, a BSA fire starter, and several straws packed with vaseline impregnated cotton. Does this seem like a good idea, does anyone have anything better? I already made one for medical that I carry in my Camelbak in the event I crash on the mountain bike. I also filled a round Altoids tin with sterno and sealed it with electrical tape. I was wondering if this is a good idea or should I look for something better? My next project is to make a kit for water procurement. Any ideas about that?

If you're going to have multiple fire starting sources, I'd want to separate them all into different kits. That way, if you lose a kit, or only have one kit, you still have something.

www.lehmans.com is Kidron Ohio close enough? They don't state if they're strike anywheres, but the illustration shows the white tip. $2.95 a box, I get 3 for the same price <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />. They also list Diamond as imported <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I second that idea!! My medical kit even has a fire kit included inside. To me it seems to spread the liability out a little bit.
Last time I looked I was able to get strike anywhere matches at Ace Hardware and at least one or two grocery stores in my area. I would keep looking be for I went with something else or ordered some.

I carry a BSA firestarter on my keyring, a mini bic in my Camelbak, a ferro(?) rod and 6 matches in my mini psk, and I also have a lighter in my pocket. I was looking more along the lines of the bug out bag. I forgot to mention that in my post. I was thinking about getting something like an M1 ammo belt to hold stuff or making a money belt with pouches for them. Thanks for the reply.

A little more "search specific" for Lehman's matches:

http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/product/...keyword=matches

<img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

The WWII rifleman's belt is an... interesting choice. I tried it once, when I was in high school.

It was great for lots of little stuff. But... it broke down quickly if you wanted to add something more than just a canteen and a fixed blade to it. And the canteen carrier, at least to me, is not that comfortable. I also put a jungle first aid pouch over the adjustment area.

You might be able to improve on it if a long malice clip will go over the magazine pouches, but if it does, you probably won't get much into the pouch it is around.

I think they are ok for a versital first aid kit, especially with the jungle first aid pouch. You can fit a number of 4x4s in the jungle pouch and the smaller sam splint, along with some nice bits and pieces. Been a while since I took that kit out usage, though, don't remember what all I had in it.

Oh, and expect to have it called a "batbelt".

You can probably get a larger firesteel than a BSA Hotspark in an Altoids kit, if the kit is firestarting stuff only. Don't forget to put some kind of scraper in the kit, even if you normally carry a knife an plan to use that. Add some " can't blow 'em out" trick birthday candles as well. A small fresnal lens is probably of limited utility in firestarting, but why not put one in anyway? I found one cheap in a bookstore - it was in with the other paper bookmarks - I chopped out the center of it to make the fresnel lens for my kit. How about one of those very small tubes of bicycle tube repair glue? Burns like crazy. A small hand pencil sharpener (like schoolkids have in their notebooks) can be used to shave tinder flakes off of sticks. Cut up an old bicycle inner tube into wide bands, and stretch a bunch of these over the outside of the tin. They also burn like crazy and will keep the tin closed. Strike Anywhere matches are in all the grocery stores in my area. Dip the heads in melted candle wax to help water resistance. For sure the Bic lighter. Probably the most subject to failure of all things in your kit, but if it works it would be fastest/easiest. An Exacto Blade might be useful for shaving tinder since a regular sized knife won't fit in an Altoids tin (might even work as a firesteel scraper as well). I would cut down on the quantity of matches that you are planning ... to make room for other alternative firestarting items. I'd rather have a lesser quantity of each item, but more choices. A second form of ready to go tinder to suppliment your vasoline/cotton would be nice as well. Check sports/camping/surplus stores for other waterproof tinder options. A Spark-Light might be useful as an alternate to your firesteel (also comes with tinder - there's your backup for the vaso/cotton).

p.s. - Does anybody know why this thread is so wide in my Firefox browser window? Is it that long URL in one of the posts? I hate left/right scrolling!

Haertig, I deleted the long URL. I was having to scroll also so that must have been the problem. Live and learn. Sorry. <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

No problem! I wasn't complaining ... just wondering! I've seen that behavior before on this and other forums, but never asked about it. Since tons of forums seem to use the "ubbthreads" software that is used here, it would be neat if the software designers could put in some option to "automatically insert a SPACE character every XXX chars in a long word". And we could set/disable this option in our individual profiles. Wait ... maybe I should go look at my profile. This setting may ALREADY be there and I've been too stupid to notice it!!!

It also happens when people post really wide pictures.

You can use long URL's, but hide them by using the URL tag below. Just click the "URL" button under "Instant UBB Code", fill in the blanks, and it pops the URL in a format that won't make us have to scroll.

BAMMMMMMMMMMM. That's what I am talking about. I got a whole bunch of 'I forgot about that' out of this post. I love this place.

I'm using Firefox and it looks normal to me. I dunno! <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />