Besides the problem of needing a striker, there are two other common problems with using both safety matches and strike anywhere matches. Both types of matches must be kept dry, to keep them usable. Wet matches might be able to be dried out again and used, but there is no guarantee that the match heads will stay on the matches. They both also have a tendency to burn out quickly, which makes it hard to use them to start a fire.

Both of these problems can be solved by modifying your matches. To do so, you will need some toilet paper, some paraffin (candle wax) and a double boiler to melt the wax in.

Melt the paraffin in the double boiler. You don’t need it to be very hot, merely hot enough to melt. Tear squares of toilet paper in half to make a rectangle that is about two inches by four inches. Carefully wrap one of these around the match stick, starting from just behind the match head. You want to wrap it tightly. Once wrapped, dip the entire match in the paraffin and set aside to dry. To make this dipping process easier, dip one end, allow it to dry and then dip the other end.

The finished match can be immersed in water without it suffering any harm. Before using them, the wax needs to be scraped off the end of the match with a fingernail. These matches will burn considerably longer than standard safety matches or strike anywhere matches, making them much more useful for lighting a fire. While not quite as good as the stormproof matches, they are a close second.