Sometimes I get off the beatin trail to hunt. The thought has crossed my mind, what if I get lost and wanted to build a fire. So today I went in the woods behind my house with nothing but the will to build a fire. I came out of the woods with 3 big blisters and the same will to build a fire. I came really close. It's alot Harder than survivor man makes it look. Has anyone tried this? If not you should. It's kinda fun minus the blisters.
I always carry a suvial pack with me and have read and practiced suvial techniques, you just dont know when you will need these skills.
I can start a fire with flint and steel
USMC JEST(jungle environmental survival training)been there done that. Now I carry matches in a waterproof container...LOL
I have made friction fire. That is why I now carry a lighter, firesteel, and matches. Fire can be life saving and it can be very tough when you need it most. Great topic.
I have tried and failed. I had to spend a night in a Colorado mountain in 2000 by myself and no fire. I took a medical survivor course with a guy named Peter Kumberfeldt (sp) after that and learned a lot. I learned that backcountry hunting and camping can be tough :) I also learned that 3 cotton balls soaked with vasolene and a piece of flint or steel is a helluva a lot easier than 2 sticks. I now carry a small cell phone case sans phone and the following:
1. Extra compass
2. Small signal mirror
3. Plastic whistle
4. 6-10 iodine tablets
5. Matches
6. Steel for fire in case matches don't work
7. cotton balls greased with vasolene in a sandwich bag.
8. 20 feet of cord
9. 4 zips ties for building shelter
10. 1000 mg Tylenol for pain.
Goes where I go in my pack or on my person if I am doing a day hike or any overnight hunt.
I try to always have a lighter in my pocket and matches in a waterproof case in my pack. As well as a compass and other safety supplies. Tjhogh I am not as well prepared as Mike.
I use a striker, magnesium and dryer lint. works great.
Well later I went back to the house and got a string and an old cedar arrow that was broke. I thought we'll maybe I would have this stuff with me if I were hunting. So first I made a friction bow to try to spin the arrow fast enough to get an ember. With this method I got a little smoke but the string kept slipping and not spinning the arrow. Next I cut a notch in the top of the arrow, then made two thump loops in the string. The put the middle of the string on the top of the arrow in the notch. This way I could pull downward with the string using my thumbs while I twisted the arrow between my hands. This method created the most smoke, but tore my hands up. It's not over, after my hands heal I will make fire.
I have built fire with a bow-drill and good oldfashioned flint&steel, many times over the 52 years I've been on this good earth. Spent many nights in the woods (due to my own better judgement) while hunting in the Adirondacks & Maine. Mostly because I was "back in" and not really sure how far I was from the road when it got dark. Spending the night, is a whole lot easier than breaking a leg in the dark!!! (or worse!)
All that being said... I always have one of those magnezium block & firesteel gadjets in my pocket. They are suprizingly easy to use and very inexpensive!!!!! I probly have a dozen of them around the house. Pick one up next time you go to the store and take it on a few camping trips. Or, use it to start a few backyard campfires... You'll be amazed at how well they work, and you will soon probly have a few around the house as well!!!
Just one old woodchucker's thoughts.....
Very nice Wapiti792. I need to put something like that together.
My system may be a bit primitive for some, but I carry a tin with char cloth, flint and steel and tinder. Its old school, but it gets a fire made in short order.
In an emergency, rubbing sticks together may be to little to late.
Dont get me wrong, its a great skill to learn, but if hypothermia rears its ugly head, time plays a serious factor.
If you carry a few matches and a few fritos in a 35mm film canister you can get a fire going. Fritos when hit with a match will burn nicely. Steel wool also will burn nice when hit with a match.
Make sure you test all your fire lighting tools ahead of time to be sure you can do it.
Another trick is a nine volt battery and steel wool, just make sure the battery is not dead.
I got a BG survival kit for a present one year and modified/upgraded it. Amazingly it all fits. carry it in my haversack, matches and knife in my quiver, and a fero rod on my belt knife.
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Good topic and something to think about before hunting season. I'd like to see more of what everyone puts in their emergency kits. I made one up using a Sucrets throat lozenges tin. It seems a little small.
Ive done it once with nothing but a couple sticks. It is an amazing.rush when you get it. Probably as satisfying as that first trad kill. The trick is not all sticks are created equal.
I carry a small kit with matches a lighter and some solid fuel sticks. had to build a fire once to get warm on a cold day when a wet snow storm blew through without warning. It came in handy for sure
My brother and I backpacked up the Ptarmigan Trail (AK) in 1975. When we got to our campsite by a lake, all wood, sticks etc were soaking wet. The only thing we got a small fire going with was pringles. They burnt really well.
Outstanding Rob!
I like to carry some small candles too. They come in handy for fire starting.
Google up altoid survival and see the myriad of things people use. Tailor yours to yourvsituation.
Agree JEST made me a believer in mstches, lighters ot steel!
QuoteOriginally posted by wapiti792:
Outstanding Rob!
Thanks Mike. I'm going to add some water tabs in there. Usually have some in camping pack but overlooked it for that kit. Thanks!
I made a bunch of char-cloth and it works great ...but... if I'm going to carry char-cloth and flint I decided to carry 2 or 3 lighters and cotton balls/petroleum jelly instead.(or should I say also)
Lots of great ideas above. I taught this is scouts for a lot of years, Never thought I would need to use it myself. I got turned around in the Anaconda Wilderness area in Montana, I was told to hike out to the saddle in the mountains. They failed to tell me which saddle.It is always good to carry several different fire starters from matches lighters and several of the ones mentioned. A fuzz stick which is insulation board soaked in parffin. Candle, survival blanket,cordage. There is more one can carry. Depends on how comfortable you want to be.
I made a shelter quick before it got too dark and gathered wood. Was resting by the fire when I heard the guide calling. So I did not have to spend the whole night, but was prepared to.
I have an Altoid tin that has char cloth, steel wool, lighter, cotton balls, and matches, and my belt knife has a fero rod attached to it. I use the tin to make more char cloth if I ever need to. I try to keep all my bases covered in the fire starting area. lol. My hunting watch has a compass on the band so its always with me. I also carry a whistle and some other survival stuff just in case.
Good thread.
I made/successfully used a bow/drill just to see if I could. But if you're in a place where there isn't suitable wood I'd have a hard time.
Dropped in the woods with nothing I can normally still get a fire going and get something to eat. However, planning makes the process a lot better.
I make firestarters from pine rosin and sawdust, and keep a few in the back of the Durango for trips. I also keep waterproof matches in there. Generally my wife and I camp together, so we'll even bring in wood in case the local wood is wet-you can always dry it by putting it around your fire, and then you have a source of dry wood to keep it going. Paraffin tea lights are also excellent for it-the paraffin coats and soaks into the wood, making it burn for 30-45 minutes.
Alone I keep flint and steel, waterproof matches and a lighter. But often I'm carrying a rifle or shotgun when camping like that, and if you are you can pull a cartridge, empty the thing and use the primer to get a fire going. Just don't dump the powder on it. Shotgun shells with paper or cloth wadding are the best for that. A 00 shell can be broken down into a firestarter, material for a signal fire (that powder I said not to blast,) a whistle (often the shot cup can make one) and enough ammo for a sling or slingshot to hopefully take one animal. Learned that on reservation.
Got tons more tricks, I might come back and post some more. The way I grew up made Ranger training look tame. I know my brother came out weighing the same as when he went in.
Anyone carry a road flare? I've heard they burn hot enough to get just about any wood burning, and they're handy for signaling help.
I have tried the wood drill without very much success. I know the basics, but it would be a struggle for me in a true survival situation.
I second trying all the different methods and go with what you are most comfortable with.
My boys and I did just that a couple winters ago in our fireplace. From those trials, I no longer carry steel wool, and the battery thing is a waste of weight. I was not impressed with that method.
Dryer lint is very flammable, but the Vaseline soaked cotton is better. You can also use cotton make up pads. They are easier to coat with Vaseline and then fray them out when needed to start the fire.
I like to carry a lighter, waterproof matches, and Vaseline soaked cotton pads. I am confident that I can get a fire started with those tools.
I carry my tin with my char-cloth and flint and steel. I also carry a lighter and some other materials too.
In Western Washington it's always wet, even when it's dry (I know sounds stupid) so we always pack "Magnesium Fire Starter" of one variety or another. If it's wet, it sparks, if it's cold it sparks... if you get the kind that you can shave magnesium into your kindling, that will make most things catch fire.
I have had lighters get picky about starting in the cold, but I still carry one (mostly for the cigar).
Dryer lint makes great firestarter with matches or lighter.
Most Pine cones have plenty of pitch in them also and make a great back up item to help keep a fire burning once you have it lite.
Hi.
First post. Been hunting few years with a recurve and self-made bows. Couple deer taken. No expert, in other words.
However, I can bust a fire with sticks. Worked for Alternative Youth Adventures and the kids had to make friction fire to graduate. I have made hundreds. I have taught many to do it. So can you, LOL. Seriously, I have seen teenagers race each other, and 30 seconds from start to flame is possible.
Key points: type of wood matters. Sage and cottonwood trump juniper. All beat Gambel oak, but it can be done. Little details like the notch size, esp. on the bottom are key. Technique matters. Get that position comfortable. Get into position, close your eyes. Can you hold the fireboard down easily. If not, all falls apart on the final strokes.
Practice. We taught bow-drill as a tool for learning about frustration, and ultimately perserverance.
I'm thinking the original question was about being able to make fire from what you find in the woods if you were to ever get into a situation where you were lost or stranded. Having dryer lint, Vaseline soaked cotton balls, magnesium strikers...etc with you is all well and good, that means you thought ahead and were well prepared. But can you do it with out all the stuff if you had to.
I'm with the flint and steel, tinder and char cloth gang. It's a good skill to have. But a magnesium stick is more practical and the waterproof matches and lighter would be for some serious backup.
I too have tried and failed at friction fire making. I carry 4 lighters. 1 in my pants pocket, one in my jacket and a couple in my pack. And I always have a knife to make some tinder even out of wet wood. It's usually dry on the inside.