UCO is a company that has been bringing innovation to the outdoor products market for nearly half a century. While the titular acronym stands for Utility, Comfort and Originality, the company’s products also feature another aspect, simplicity. So it was with the Behemoth Sweetfire match kit.
Why Behemoth? Well, these are essentially massive matches with stormproof strike tips. Each of these is about the same size as a medium length/girth cigar and should burn for around 15 minutes. Why Sweetfire? That name seems to originate from the materials used in the construction of these matches, a sugarcane byproduct name bagasse.
Bagasse is not only a renewable fuel source, it is commonly used as such in other parts of the world. Given that I was going to be cooking over the campfire with my wife and kids, I definitely felt a lot better burning a natural fibrous material than some toxic, diesel-soaked crap.
As for the 15 minute advertised time limit, that was right on course. The first one I burned came in a bit longer than that, probably because I kept spitting beer and water on it to see if I could put it out. While the burning slowed, it kept on going until the liquid was burned then kicked back up again. Nearby, another family man was having a heck of a time getting his fire going. It was a picture perfect boy scout fire, but his tinder was a little damp, the kindling unseasoned and his lighter uncooperative. It wouldn’t have been so bad if his failure didn’t come in front of his wife and daughter, who in their desire to help were wandering to nearby campsites asking to borrow some burning papers. I ran up and discreetly tossed the guy a Behemoth Sweetfire stick, within minutes he had a roaring fire for the family. I’d call that a win.
The tin comes with 9 Sweetfire matches, each 5.5″ inches long. Used right, there’s no reason you shouldn’t have 9 roaring fires, even in inclement conditions. At $14.99, the Behemoth Sweetfire match kit is an inexpensive addition to your camping kit and an essential addition to an outdoor survival kit. Check it out!
