Oh...such LOVELY CALM MUSIC! The insane jangling that accompanies most videos is enough to break anybody's head!

wish we could see some newer ones from Ray. He is such an awesome teacher!

Rays a beast. You can tell by looking at his rough hands he's been doing stuff like this for awhile.

That popping sound when he removes the cap is so satisfying.

its about the skill sets you accumulate when you do those "crafts", particulary, your knife skills, thinking skills, an putting together a kit from just your surroundings.

Great video, added to our Birch trees playlist, thanks.

talking of birch bark,as you do, i found an old rotting birch tree waste high,i pushed it over, hit the outside with a stick, the rotting wood fell out, and i was left with a birch bark tube which you can easily make a bucket or container out of ! ahaaa enjoy! i must get out more! thanks ray great channel!

Great video Ray. Keep them coming, I love the little knick knacks you know how to make.

I love what you've taught me! Thanks so much! I'm inspired now!

Ray's skill with wood and carving is so awesome, just love to see him doing his thing.

So relaxing watching this.

You one of the best Ray many thanks.

Always an inspiration. Thanks a lot for all you've done in these years for Bushcraft and adventure enthusiast. Take Care. :)

Great video, beautiful little project piece. Thanks for sharing. Take care, friend.

Why isn't ray putting out content on here? ?? What a missed opportunity. .. I absolutely adore the man

You know, there are all sorts of uses for something like that. not to mention it looks cool

if someone rocked up to camp with their own handmade matchbox i'd be thoroughly impressed. Anything you make yourself you will have more respect for it and the materials it took to make. Yes he uses store bought glue, but in other videos he's shown us how to make glue in the field. He also mentions that glue it not needed, he's just giving an outline of what we can achieve with our surroundings. I hate it when people complain about people who aren't using bone axes and making a fire with just flint and their pubes. 99% of people go hiking and camping with equipment that was store bought or synthetic, bags, knives etc. If you're so anal about being completely 'wild' then next time, just go to the forest with your wits and nothing else and see how far you'll get.

He really is a talent. I love his calm manner. If i were marooned anywhere in the world i would want Ray with me.

Pretty sure making this matchbox is bushcraft, and that is what the video is about. A debate about whether or not matches is "ok" for bushcrafters is also pretty moot to anyone that has tried to make fire using only bushcraft. Besides Ray Mears is one of the worlds experts when it comes to fire making, since that is what he has focused on throughout his career.

could be used to store any number of small items, a fishing kit, a needle kit etc, not just matches. Very cool little box. Pity not many birch tree's grow in Australia and not sure if we have a similar or tree that I could substitute for the birch bark.

Awesome, like yourself. Thank you for great childhood and adulthood legend. Wish I had your job but most of all your knowledge.

If I were RayMearsBushcraft, I'd cut a circle off of the side of the match box and glue it on the inside of the lid. Then it's just a matter of remembering to put the safety matches with the action end downwards, and make sure to make the birch matchbox thin enough that the matches can't flip inside. Even if I was using strike-anywhere matches, I'd glue a piece of coarse sand paper on the flip side of the lid.

ray is really formal about the way he carries the way he does things.

5:10 I love that pop

Back at home you have access to PVC glue, string and a tescos where they also sell water proof matches.

Quality stuff.. great vids matey ...&I’ve got try one of these .. 👍🏻👍🏻

that was great well done ray

Is birch bark sort of like crispy leather? It's amazing how many uses it has.

This man is brilliant

Just remember to stuff some match striker in it as well. You could stick a round one to the inside of the bung for example.

If in the wilderness you can always use pine sap for an adhesive.

I love the spa background music. So relaxed....

Cool vid! I love observing earth, explore and meditate...

Nice, I think I'd add glueing a strike pad to the underside of the lid, just need to remember to ensure the matches are stored head down always 😂

Doesn't anyone enjoy simple crafts anymore? This is a great project for teen boy scouts. Time to encourage more skills and crafts instead of all of the negative posts.

Quite simple to make and practical ..thats what I need!

Love his shows

as beautiful as it is functional. perfectly sums up Ray Mears.

There is a wonderful book that teaches that...its one of our early bushcraft fathers in french canada called Paul Provancher. Is book is called: Vivre en foret (I live in the woods) 1953

Figured out how to deal with the rain problem. Glue the striker to the bottom side of the removable cap. Be sure to place the match-heads facing the sealed end of the "matchbox".

I'm sure you could use some sort of pine/spruce pitch adhesive instead when in the woods? Might be worth a shot.

If you don't have glue, use the wet rice as a glue make sure the rice is sticky, or you can use some tree blood, the tree blood should be white and really sticky like jackfruit trees.

@HollowForm222 It´s sure a great video man, like you said! Thanks for the link to this video and thanks for your great work Ray!!!

glueing music is very good...so good that i took two pieces of park ,touched them together ...played the gluing music...then could not get the pieces apart again...good glue music..lol...cheers...cool vid..thanks for vid...smart guy..

What's the song and artist near the middle of the video? It sounds like something from Jon Hopkins' album 'Opalescent.'

Birchbark... very flammable... with strike anywhere matches in it... known for sometimes igniting off each other when dropped or jostled. Could be fun.

Great stuff!

@flamedrag18 what would you use on metal to preserve it from rust?

Notice the sneaky cut at 2:02 because Ray couldn't get the tab in.

And how are you going to light those matches without the friction strip on the birchbark matchbox?

thats some trippy gluing music. Far out man.

what knife is that with which you prepare the bungs?

can u do a tutorial on how to harvest birch bark properly. Im extremely new to this stuff =)

Stunning, but could I make the glue as well?

Anyone know the song starting around 1 minute? Very relaxing.

This is great, I recently became the owner of a fallen birch tree that I was fortunate enough to have. I’ve been carving kuksas and spoons with the wood but I have been at a loss of what to do with all the bark. Luckily I was smart enough to save it. Can anyone tell me how long the bark stays malleable, should I store it in a particular way?

what oil did you use on the wood?

The skills used in making the matchbox could also be used in other ways, so for anyo0ne saying that this is pointless, I say you are wrong. Plus fire and ensuring that one has matches is one of the most important aspects of bushcraft, so it could be life or death, hypothetically, in some survival situation, created by going to the woods and trying to simulate a survival situation. #self-fulfilling prophesy.

What brand or model is that pocket knife shown in the very begining?

next time i go to the shop and buy a hand full of matches ill definitely make one of these

Just a suggestion... You could make this even better by glueing the striker from the original matchbox to either the side of the new matchbox or the bottom cap of the new matchbox.

Mears ur a "Bad Ass" I have learned a lot from your videos. Thanks

Great vids sir! I subed ya

so the pull ring is also made from birch bark?

where do you strike the matches now?

I hope the Time comes back soon where Handicraft counts all. This time with all the Machines and Computers is so sad, so poor...I hate that. Shit off that comfort, it makes us all sick and weird.

This is amazing! This will help to put my fatwood match sticks in that I foraged.... it’ll be like carrying around a mini bomb 😂✌🏼

that little pocket knife is made by grohmann knives as my dad carries one, good knife! gonna get one soon too, hard to get a look at the other one he's using. nice little vid but yah, the gluing music is hilarious lol

Why the hell was I not already subscribed to this? o.O

thats a point:) ...but its a bit like making vids about offroad-racing and then showing how to clean the steeringwheel to make it more shiny:)

Cheers dude, I shall check them out! Regards, Daz.

as a chef I can say with complete confidence.... those knives are FUCKING sharp :D

so how you going to light the matches ??

I use a 35mm Film container and strike anywhere matches (Swan Vesta) having said that I would like to make one of these just for the fun of it. I now need a beech Tree..!

They are strike anywhere matches. You don't need a striker, just use any rough surface.

i wish we had birch trees where i live this looks like a fun project

where would you strike those?

ray is simply AMAZING. he would be the best boy scout leader(except BP, of course). wish he used somekind of "natural" glue made from sap or something....

How do you strike them

Jungle style Smarties tube, lovely.

cool idea but where can i strike the matches?

the dark/black area to light up the matches???

Thanks, I was able to your method

Thnx, I didn't look at it like that. Maybe I'll actually make one this summer.

Ray is a naturalist not a survivalist, he's making a matchbox out of bark because its beautiful and he can.

I have one too. They are just great knives.

I wish I had a pound for every time I found myself in the birch woods with all my cutting tools but with a need for an impromptu matchbox. Only kidding, love you Ray.

Ray, do I imagine, if its watertight, we could use it to store spices and dried herbs?

It's like blue peter with added nature !

Do you sell these I would love to buy one

and how you gonna light the matches?

Anyone an idea what type of oil he uses at 5:05? ;)

Come on Ray make some more videos please.

Awesome! :D but how to ignite the matches ..(on the bark ??!)

matchbox or any other container, it shows what can be done with birch bark.

Nice vid

Where's the striking paper for the matches?

i really like your videos and learned from it, but i see no use for a matchbox in a survival situation so that i have to make one from birch bark?!?!? can someone plz explain?:)

it is waterproof ?

beautiful