JIM, if the the lid is flat, glue a lenth of striker board to the underside. Easier to use in an emergency. You can reinforce the remaining striker boards by gluing them to stiff card or plastic.

Me too.......... Dang, I'm old! <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Good advice, Leigh. I do the same if I use wax-coated kitchen matches in one of the orange water-resistant plastic match containers (the ones with the O-ring): I cut out a circle of striker surface to size and glue it to the inside of the lid. Works perfect. I clip the matches in half and fit twice as many inside. The only drawback is you have to make sure and get the wax off the match tip (just the very tip) real good before using it on the striker surface to keep that from wearing out too soon. I like to wax coat for the longer burn time, not so much for the waterproofing, but that does help.

Just in case you haven't heard of these commerical match cases, check out the K&M Matchcase at http://kmmatchcase.safeshopper.com/ .

I have both the long length version made to fit REI waterproof matches and the regular length version for regular kitchen matches. They are very VERY well made and easy-to-use. The lids don't screw into the body. Instead they smply push into the main body and then you twist the cap to tighten the cords and lock the cap down to the body. Simplicity at its best! Yes, they are a bit pricey, but you only need one (of each size <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />)

If you do get one, I suggest that you get some silicone gasket grease to apply to the o-rings. This keeps the seal better, makes it easier to insert the cap, and makes the o-rings last longer. I get mine at my local pool store.

Hmmm....

Yoduh really likem matches then, huh? Wait a minute, you forgot yer mini-Bic trick or are you just not using foil this time?

I've never been impressed with using film cans as containers for anything including film. They pop open too easily.

Countycomm has actual screw-top match cases for $1.00 each. I bought a couple and they're very rugged and waterproof (gasketed). I see no point to using film cans. I could even see using one of the match cases to hold a bunch of vaseline/cotton balls. They are well enough sealed to not get vaseline all over the place, I think.

The cheap 96 cent orange O-ringed/gasketed screwtop match cases at Wal-mart have not failed me yet: no water inside on matches, no vaseline on outside from cottonballs. Just ensure the ring is not damaged with regular inspection.

By the way, I started another thread mentioning I had a cheap butane lighter fail under totally no-stress conditions. It had just been sitting in my backpack for a long time (years) since I rarely use the things. But I had occasion to use it and pressing the button wouldn't release any gas, so it wouldn't light. I inspected it carefully and there was nothing obviously wrong causing the problem. It had lots of fuel, no obvious clogs or corrosion, and the spark wheel worked fine. This was indoors in summer, not wet or freezing or any nonsense like that. As mentioned, I should have saved it for further diagnosis by some expert here, but I tossed it instead due to the annoyance of the moment (I was away on a trip at the time). Anyway, those lighters aren't all that reliable.