(SurvivalDaily.com) – Precipitation can be a good thing in a survival situation, as it provides potable water, but it quickly becomes a nightmare if you’re trying to build a fire. Rain will make lighting a match or sparking a lighter nearly impossible, making it far more difficult to get a fire started.
To combat this issue, we will share a few ways to make waterproof matches and fire starters that can make this situation easier to manage. Some of these options don’t even need to be made as they’re available in the wild (depending on your location of course).
At Home
These techniques are simple and could be life-saving if you need a fire in a storm. Making these waterproof fire starters can be as simple as coating a cotton ball, or even drier lint, in a thin layer of wax. Wax is used because it’s waterproof, but not flame resistant, and will melt when heat is applied giving the flame access to the dry material below.
Coating the tip of a match in wax will make it waterproof, as it does with a cotton ball. You can also coat the head of a match in fingernail polish for the same effect.
Another option is to soak matches in turpentine, then dry them out. The turpentine will create a protective barrier around the match giving it a waterproof seal. Make sure you use a glass container to hold the turpentine, as it will eat through plastic.
Once you have your waterproof items prepared, store them in a small container and add them to your survival gear. The extra layer of protection will ensure they stay waterproof so they are ready when you need them.
These are a few very simple ways to make waterproof fire starters and matches. But what if you are in the wild and don’t have these available?
In the Wild
Many don’t know this, but the sap from pine trees is highly flammable. This can be a game-changer out in the woods, as pine sap is impervious to water. Coating fire-starting materials in this sap can be effective, but it a messy and sticky process. Alternately, you can collect pine cones, or the sap itself, for use later on.
What if you already have a fire and it starts to rain? Try to have some pine tree branches on hand and use them to keep the fire going.
There may not always be pine trees around, so you may need to find a way to keep wood dry to throw on the fire. If you have a shelter built, and you should in a survival situation, put your extra wood there to keep it out of the weather. As a last resort, you can store wood next to the active fire to help dry it out, just make sure to keep it far enough away that it doesn’t ignite until you want it to.
The key here is the same as usual… preparation. Don’t wait until the moment is upon you, plan ahead so you’re ready when everyone else is still trying to figure out what to do.
Have you ever tried to create a fireproof match or firestarter? Do you know of any methods we didn’t mention? Reply to your email and let us know, we would love to hear from you!
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