CandleTin

A candle can be a pretty handy thing to have out in the woods. Rather than using up a finite amount of fuel in a lighter, or a finite supply of matches trying to get a fire started, it’s much smarter to use a candle as an intermediary step. It could also be used for warmth or light (a candle can provide enough light and warmth inside an igloo or quinzee) and it can also be used for some rudimentary cooking. 

Many “survival” situations are that by definition because someone has been injured. They fell and broke an arm, or they fell and were knocked unconscious and they come to with a concussion with the light fading, or they broke a leg and have only limited mobility. While a nice roaring fire is the optimal thing to keep someone warm during a cold night, it’s not always possible. Someone with only one usable arm, or someone who is dazed and in the dark, or someone who has to slither on their belly looking for firewood may not have much luck getting a fire going. In that instance a candle can be a really important thing to provide some warmth and be a bit of a morale booster.

Beeswax is preferable to paraffin for a few reasons. It burns about 5 times longer, it burns hotter, it burns brighter, and doesn’t give off the kind of smoke and soot that paraffin does.

Some candles present a problem though of how to burn them. Long tapered candles aren’t a lot of good in an outdoor setting, just due to their not being very stable. Who has anything that they can mount one in? Small tea light candles are much better, but carrying them loose and getting wax all over everything is maybe not so great. 

Small Altoids tins are a great way to carry two (actually two and a bit) candles. They contain the wax so that it can’t get all over everything, and also serve as a stable burner. You could also prop the lid up in some fashion to serve as a bit of a windbreak.

I take the aluminum foil that the candle itself came in and cut a length to put at the back in front of the hinge. This is to  prevent hot wax from seeping out when the candle is actually burning.

I’ve taken two approaches to getting the candles into the tin. One is to simply put the two candles into the tin, take a third one and heat the wax enough to melt it slightly and pour it in to fill the gaps. The other thing I’ve done is heat the wax candles inside the aluminum containers they came in so that the outer parts started to melt, pull the cores out by the wicks with my Leatherman, put them in the tin, and pour the rest of the wax in to the tin. In both instances it takes about two and and a half candles. The melting was done by placing the candles (still in their aluminum holders) in an old pan (use an old junker you don’t care about), a tiny bit of water in the bottom, and bringing the heat up very slightly. I took my time slowly melting the wax and watched it the whole time. 

I haven’t actually burned any of these yet, so I don’t have an accurate report of how long it will burn. 

If I go off on a day hike I’ll slip one in a pocket or a pack for a little added reassurance.