Tuesday 1 September 2009

Totally Tubular - Spark’mups

I’ve had this Silva match case (a copy of the K&M Matchcase) for about a dozen years now. For many years I carried strike anywhere matches in it, but decided to carry a SparkLite and TinderQuick tabs in it instead. (The strike anywhere matches of today are nothing like the ones I used to use as a a kid, not to mention that my ability to light fire is limited by the number of matches I have. And invariably a bunch of them fizzle out.) This allows me a far greater chances to light a fire. The TinderQuick tabs are not only a great tinder, but also prevent things from rattling around inside the case.

The compass on top is not a cheap toy, but a piece of quality gear. While not suited to orienteering, it is more than adequate for general way finding.

This gives me two really vital tools in one small container - a compass and a means of starting a fire.

The only drawback to it is that the knurling on the brass tends to chew up pants pockets and damage things carried inside the pocket. To avoid that I decided to make a belt pouch for it.

Using one piece of black 2" tubular webbing, a 1" side release buckle, and some edge binding tape, I constructed this. Done entirely by hand on the daily train commute.

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