Trying out different fire starting methods and I decided to break out my very first container of Lifeboat matches. The container I opened were the Pro Force brand of Lifeboat matches, not the NATO matches.

It was windy that day, but since they were windproof and waterproof, I was undaunted by my experiment...until I lit one.

It flared at first, as I expected, but it burned very quickly and it seemed to die out and then flame again. I would be surprised if each match lasted more than 15 seconds.

IIRC, people talked about 2-3 minutes of burn time with the NATO matches. Maybe I got a bad batch and I just need to try the NATO ones.

Come to think of it, a while back when I was playing with Tinder Quik, I tried a couple of pieces (at different times) and they seemed to burn as quickly as an untreated cotton ball.

I guess I'm glad I've started using these things in my kit so I know what to expect, or what not to expect!

Ideas? Opinions?