I covered the strike anywheres in a heavy coat of clear nail polish (imagine the jokes I got for that - I live in a barracks) stick and all, to keep them waterproof. After such treatment, I have dunked them in water for a few seconds, pulled it out and then lit it - I used both a real striker and my zipper. It takes an extra strike or two sometimes to work through the heavy coat of polish, but with patience you can get a solid blaze going. I also have a small "re-light" birthday candle to help combat the wind, all I need to do is get an easy to light candle to catch, then use the candle to light the tinder. What if Murphy is lurking around the corner and you lose the strike strip, or the stike strip gets wet, then those NATO matches are deadweight IMHO.