Guardian Waterproof Matches

Waterproof matches are a clever innovation which helps solve the problem of weather vs. fire. When you are on an outdoor trip or preparing your disaster survival bags – waterproof matches are a must have. Once wet, regular matches will not ignite and the last thing you want in a time of crisis is a struggle to light a fire.

Fire provides several life saving features including an external heat source, the ability to cook food and boil water as well as increasing your visibility to would-be rescuers.

How Do You Build a Survival Fire?

The first step is to ensure safety. Make sure you have water to douse the flames if necessary or alternatively a shovel to bury the fire. This means you have measures in place to control the fire if it gets out of hand. Be sure to place the fire no closer than 6 feet to your sleeping area, and away from overgrown bush or grass. The next step is to allocate a fire pit. You can build a ring with rocks, or dig a depression into the ground to hold your fire. A small depression of 3-5 inches will also provide some protection from the wind which can cause problems when trying to start your fire.

Now gather your materials – Tinder, Kindling and Logs. Tinder is small materials that will ignite easily from a small spark or flame. Normally this is dry grass, shredded bark or moss. Kindling will take that small flame and grow it. Use materials like leaves, small sticks, and large pieces of bark. Logs or larger pieces of wood are what will sustain your fire. The wood should be dead and dry to catch quickly and burn easily.

There are two popular methods for building a campfire – the Tepee method and the Log Cabin Method.

For the Tepee method, place your tinder into a ball and place into the middle of your fire pit. Stack the kindling into a cone over the top of the tinder and finally lean the logs in a cone over the kindling – so the entire stack looks like a triangle tepee. Leave a small opening so you can reach the tinder with your waterproof matches. Once lit, blow gently on the tinder to encourage the flame and spread it amongst the kindling and logs.

The Log Cabin Method starts out with a small tepee formation with the tinder and kindling. This will make the middle of the cabin. Use your logs to build a square stack around the tepee by placing the logs less than a foot apart, in a alternating pattern. The spaces in between the logs allow for air circulation to encourage a healthy fire.