Coghlans Watertight Match Container FIX

[workinwifdakids]

I bought several Coghlans Watertight Match Boxes; realistically, the name is a misnomer, as the product is a cylinder. You’ll recall from the product picture below that Coghlans is the manufacturer of ubiquitous discount family camping supplies that populate the outdoor sections of places like WalMart and Target.

The Scouts taught me wilderness survival and backpacking, so typically I don’t buy or trust anything from the outdoor ‘section’ of stores, as typically the shelves are lined with heavy, cumbersome products that don’t work, or break, or both. However, for some reason the allegedly waterproof cylinder spoke to me, probably because of the size, weight, and questionable product description. “Besides,” I thought, “if it leaks I’m only out a couple of bucks.”

Upon opening, I found the product light yet resistant to pressure and striking. (I’d like to subject it to measured stress, but don’t have that equipment available.) Anyway, next I put dry toilet paper inside the cylinder, closed it to normal tightness, and then submerged it in the bathroom sink. No bubbles rose to the surface at all; convinced it just had to leak, I pounded the cylinder against the side of the sink under water to see if I could get some bubbles to come up, but no joy.

Huh.

So, after several minutes, I pulled up the cylinder, dried it and my hands, and took out the toilet paper which was dry as a bone. Having established the watertightosity of the product, I endeavored to fill it with matches to determine capacity. I chose the kitchen matches with the largest heads from the box, and consistently filled to 22 matches, +/- 1. Then, I realized a potentially big problem: kitchen matches not being “strike anywhere” (I don’t care what they say), I thought about how I could figure out a decent way to carry a striking surface and keep it dry, too. After some fooling around with sandpaper, which of course doesn’t work, I settled on cutting out a small square from the striking surface of the matchbox the matches came in. After some more fooling around, I decided to cut the striking surface to fit inside the bottom of the lid of the cylinder. Voila!

I tried the surface; not only did it strike immediately, that strike didn’t seem to render that same spot any less effective, so - in this case - size is not important.

Speaking of size not being important, I asked what would happen if the matches were cut in half. I always light a match and then wait what seems like an eternity before tossing it into the fire or blowing it out. So, could I use half a match for as long as I always do without burning my fingers? I lit about a dozen matches and saw that I could - I could do whatever I wanted and still blow it out in plenty of time before my fingers ever got warm. That decided, I took forty-four matches and cut the bottom half of the stem off. By being precise, I was able to fit forty-four of these short matches into the cannister with zero perceptible increase in weight and double the capacity (read: double the firestarting capability).

The skeptic may ask about lighters, but I don’t know that you could throw a lighter in the trunk for several years and still have it produce a flame afterwards. Having tested the product and modified it somewhat, I’m going to put one in my work desk, one in my bugout bag, and one in each of my cars. I hope this was useful to you, and I welcome comments, questions, and indeed criticism.

EDIT:
You can find these in OD Green but may have to search for them. I’m sure spraypaint would do just fine if you hesitate to carry Shoot Me Orange.

[HTRN]

Have you thought about cutting a strip to slide into the match box? I think that would work better than the small circle stuffed into the lid..


HTRN