That’s right. Fire Tubes. These little guys are a great backup to keep with you camping or on the run from zombies. Keep in your bag or pocket. Currently, I am making these with two matches, a cottonball in petroleum jelly and a bit of strikepaper/sandpaper for striking. But these can be hacked to store anything you want to keep dry.

Step 1: Gather Your Materials

plastic straw (I prefer clear)

cotton ball (any tinder)

petroleum jelly

waterproof matches (Strike Anywhere)

sandpaper strips

pliers

lighter

small stick or rod that fits inside straw

Step 2: Tinder First

Tear each cotton ball in half and coat each with petroleum jelly. It shouldn't be gobbed on there, a little will do.

Seal one end of the straw by holding the end to be sealed with pliers, leaving little plastic to melt with the lighter. The pliers pinch the ends while you melt them together and it acts as a shield to the rest of the straw.

Step 3: Add the Ingredients

Using your rod or stick, push the petroleum cotton ball in the straw and pack near the sealed end. (Not too hard or you might break your seal).

Now drop in matches and striker/sandpaper strip (cut to size). I like to keep the match heads away from petroleum cotton balls to prevent too much moisture absorption. This is also why you don’t want to soak the cotton balls in petroleum jelly.

If you plan to store these, it might be wise not to use any petroleum on the cotton.

Step 4:

Cut straw above the matches leaving enough space to grab with pliers and seal the end as before.

If do it correctly, you have a little waterproof fire starter to take with you. A pretty handy little item for very cheap! And you can use these for other things. I have made some for just tinder (dryer lint), salt, pepper, and sugar. I think the sugar is a great one to have a few in case you need the calories.

Hope you enjoyed. Good luck survivors!