Spotlight: K&M Match Case

Living on a 1,400 acre farm, the amount of time that I’m off wandering around by myself is pretty extreme. Shortly after my wife and I moved here in the fall of 2012, I was exploring the cliffs down by Lake Champlain and stumbled upon a cave. Not a big one, or a particularly impressive one, but a cave nonetheless. Needless to say, I felt like a kid building a tree fort again.

The rest of that fall, winter and spring I spent a lot of time down in that cave: watching the waves, hiding from the snow and feeling that sense of peace that I can only really achieve when I feel sure that I’m alone. This was a time for reading and writing and feeling that the world continued to go by without me. 

While we’ve since moved to a different place on the property, one thing hasn’t changed: that sense of exploration and adventure that finds me with a bag of supplies and a good pair of boots and an intense sense of curiosity. And on a primitive level, one item seems vastly more important than others: a way to make fire. 

Enter: The K&M Match Case. 

When I first came across these brass, waterproof match cases, I was amazed at how beautifully made they are. The brass, the lanyard, the knurling, the compass on the top…To me, a product like this communicates the amount of time and consideration that was put into the design. It has everything you need, nothing that you don’t need, and it looks beautiful and is built like an absolute tank. 

exterior knurling for grip

compass on the cap

As I researched further, I only came to appreciate these match cases more and more. First, they’re made by a husband and wife team who have been producing them since the 1980’s. I love the fact that these are made by two people, by hand, as they put in the time and care that are immediately apparent when you pick one of these up. 

Secondly, I found that these tubes seal in matches without a screw top. Instead, two o-rings ensure a water-proof fit, and the included lanyard locks the lid down even tighter with a little twist. A brilliant, and highly effective design. 

double o-rings for a waterproof seal

cap on without the lanyard tightened  

lanyard twisted and tightened for a more secure fit

K&M makes these in brass and aluminum, and in two sizes. The shorter size fits your typical household matches, and the longer size is big enough to fit stormproof style matches. I received mine, as a gift from my brother, in the long brass version, as I wanted to fill it with stormproof matches. I can fit about 10 matches in the tube, as well as two of the included strikers (which you need in order to light them). 

While I take this out into the woods with me, I’ve even started using it at home to light our wood stove, just because I love using this thing so much. It’s compact enough that I don’t even notice the weight or presence in my bag, but it’s also substantial and confidence inspiring in the hand. 

I justify the purchase of a lot of things by just saying “oh, it’ll last forever!”, which often times isn’t really true. While my boots may last “forever”, they’ll eventually fall apart on me, and I know that. However, I have no problem claiming that this match case will last for generations. Included with the case, too, are extra o-rings and an extra lanyard incase you wear out those that came attached.

Perhaps best of all is the price: 28 dollars for the shorter version, and 30 dollars for the longer version. For something built so well, so beautifully and so functionally, that price seems insanely reasonable to me. Plus, you’ll know that you’re supporting a wonderful husband and wife team making these wonderfully functional works of art. 

If you’r interested in reading more or ordering one for yourself, head over to kmmatchcase.com and take a look. Unfortunately, Keith (the owner) recently suffered a heart attack, and therefore requests that customers exercise their patience as he continues to fill orders. But I can say with confidence that these are 100% worth the wait. 

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next time. 

Spotlight: Red Wing Iron Rangers

Just as we’ve seen with my quest to find the perfect bag, or the perfect pen, I’ve come to hold a good pair of boots in very high regard. Over the years I’ve accumulated a few different pairs: some for snow, some for dressier occasions…but one pair has truly lasted the test of time and become my go-to, all-purpose pair. And that is my pair of Iron Rangers, by Redwing. 

I’ve had these boots for over two years now, and while they’re certainly broken in, I think they’ve handled that time on my feet with durability and grace. The leather has stretched and conformed to my foot after so many wears, as has the leather footbed. At first, standing and walking on a plain, hard leather footbed was a little painful. But, just like a pair of Birkenstocks, that pain and break in period only resulted in a level of comfort that could only be achieved by such a process. 

These boots originated in the iron mines of Minnesota, where the miners were known as, you guessed it, “Iron Rangers”. I’m sure these boots have evolved since then, but certain features remain. They still sport oil resistant cork soles and a double leather toe, which I think is their most defining feature. This hearkens back to the days before steel toed boots, when the double layer was intended to provide an extra bit of protection. 

cork sole

double-stitched toes

One of my other favorite things about these bad boys is the material. Instead of a typical brown or black smooth leather, I went with what is often referred to as “rough-out” leather, where the smooth side is on the inside of the boot, and the roughened texture is outside (the reverse of typical leather boots). This differs from suede, which is “split hide”, meaning that one piece of full grain leather is split, giving you double the yield from one piece. 

Rough-out is, instead, an inside out piece of full grain leather. This makes it far more durable than suede. In fact, I’ve worn these all year, for two years, and besides going over them with a suede brush every few months, I’ve never conditioned them. Sure, they have some matted and worn areas, but overall they’ve held up incredibly well. I also have a soft spot in my heart for all of the indigo stains on them from my jeans. 

rough-out leather detail

matted leather on toe

indigo stains from jeans

I wear these boots all the time. Because of the rough out leather, I don’t really dress them up, but on any given day I throw these on with a dark pair of jeans and I’m good to go. I’ve scaled rocks down by the lake, hiked around in the woods, mucked through the rain and fluffed through the snow. You name it and I’ve put these boots through it. And, just as with last week’s pen spotlight, there’s something beautiful to me about something that is so well made and can take such a beating. The more durable a thing is, the longer I’ll have it. And the longer I have it, the more worn and personalized that thing becomes. If you put together a line up of 20 different pairs of this same boot, I’d be able to pick mine out no problem. That’s how fully mine they’ve become over the years. 

lace indentations

Coming in at around 250 dollars, they’re certainly not cheap. But I’ve already had them for 2 years and counting, so if you think about it as only 10 dollars per month for a great pair of boots…no contest. Plus, since the boots use welt construction, I can send them back to Redwing anytime and have them resoled for 90 bucks. I love the confidence that this inspires. 

Over the past two years, putting these boots on has started to feel like coming home. My feet slip into their own impressions in the leather insoles, and the laces slip into their own dents in the tongue, and it feels like these were made just for me. And that’s the kind of personalization that only comes from truly using something until it fills that space. 

If you’re interested, take look at Redwing’s “Heritage Collection” here: redwingheritage.com

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next time with another spotlight.