Product Description from Industrial Revolution
- Windproof and waterproof matches
- Matches are easy to light and will relight after being submerged in water!
- Up to 15 second burn time
- Extended length of match allows for added safety to keep from burning fingertips
- Lights campfires, stoves, gas-barbecues, etc.
- Weight (single pack): 0.8 oz., 22g
Unlike other “waterproof” or “windproof” matches, the UCO Stormproof Matches are easy to light, and will stay lit for up to 15 seconds, even after being submerged in water! Being able to reliably make a fire is vital for cooking, generating warmth, and in survival situations, making signal fires. The UCO Stormproof Matches are perfect for camping, emergency kits, and should be part of every 10 Essentials check list. Each single box contains 25 matches and spare strikers.
I’ve had the opportunity to use the matches on a few occasions, both at home and outdoors. At home, they’ve come in handy lighting the woodstove. I really like the longer burn time, since it sometimes takes me a bit to get the fire going. The match lit easily against the provided striker, and stayed lit until I put it out. I was glad to see how easily they worked, and hoped they would be as easy to use outdoors when it was windy.
The first opportunity to use them outdoors was at a Boy Scout Klondike Derby. If you aren’t familiar – that is where Boy Scouts gather and participate in winter related skills events. My son’s troop was hosting it this year, so they were responsible for making sure everyone stayed safe and knew what events they should be at, at specific times. A group of boys was trying to light a campfire as a ‘warming’ area. They weren’t having much luck, since it was windy and the area was snow covered – and so were they. We were able to quickly light the fire using the Stormproof matches, even though our gloves were wet. The boys and leaders were impressed and most wanted to try the matches out themselves. We explained we needed to save the rest in case we needed them, and for further testing.
Ice Shacks on Frozen Lake
Have you ever been ice fishing? If not, you don’t know what you are missing. Standing out on a frozen lake, on ice that is at least 4″ thick, and more likely 14″. Drilling holes in the ice in order to catch fish – if you are lucky. The best part is getting to see people you only see out on the lakes. We have a good time visiting, cooking, snowshoeing and sometimes ice skating. My kids decided they wanted to enter an ice fishing derby last month, and we all went out on the lake. It was a nice, sunny day – almost 30F, and a brisk wind. The only down side to that is that the snow on top of the ice melts, and makes it very wet and slushy. By noontime, everyone was wet and so was most of the gear. All the fresh air made everyone hungry, so we took out the camp stove and got ready to cook some venison and potatoes. Most of the people around us were having a hard time lighting their stoves, even those using lighters. The wind kept blowing them out. Wet hands and matches don’t work too well together either. My daughter’s friend went to light the stove and dropped the match. He looked a bit nervous and embarrassed. He was going to get a new match, and I told him to try the one he had. He hesitated, but then lit it on the first try. He was surprised, since he didn’t know about the claims of being wind and waterproof. He asked a lot of questions, and then said “I’m getting a HUGE box of these matches!”
As spring arrives in Maine (soon, we hope), we’ll have more opportunities to try out the matches, and see how they work out. Check back in a month to see how they are working out. I am anxious to use them in different conditions and for different uses.
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