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I've got what I think is an intersting challenge: How many ways can you start a fire?

While technology can most certainly be incorporated into this challenge, knowing the basics and having something as simple as the mag strip and a piece of steel is nice. I usually have steel wool in my kit just for this purpose and all you need is a spark. Living here in New England it's pretty easy to stoop over and pick up a piece of quartz that will spark on simple steel like an axe head. It's more work but requires less technology. Even the wool can go if you can find a cedar with that nice, dry flaky bark or any of the other tinder sources that are typically available in a forest, even when it's raining. I've done this with a bow and hard wood but I'd prefer something less strenuous! LOL

Rome
 
ASHDUMP said:
I'm gonna get right on that.... just need a thousand bucks worth of tools and I'm good to go!

Interesting though..... thanks for sharing.
Click to expand...

Haha, that's exactly what I thought when I saw the vid! $1 for parts if you want to ruin your lawnmower, have a plastic company nearby, and already have a shop.
 
OK...so just went to the fire pit in the backyard.

Tried to do the magnifier with a full water bottle and was unable to...

Lit a fire with a magnifying glass...that was easy.

Failed with eye glasses. Could not get a narrow enough beam. I will practice that some more.

I did try the 9v battery and steel wool. HOLY CRAP...That is fast.

So as long as I have emergency equipment with me I am good with that. I still plan on trying the plastic wrap with water (not pee).

I am also going to try the ribbing sticks together method. Because that is a more likely scenario without emergency supplies or sunlight.

Need to plan for every contingency whether I have gear or not...

And my daughters have a camp over for GS next month so I am going to teach them and let them impress their friends.
 
BattleSnail said:
When I was young, in boyscouts, I was able to start a fire using flint and steel. We also did it with a bow and string with pocket lint and birch bark. latter method:

http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Fire-With-a-Bow-Drill

it's far from easy though, but doable if it's dry and you're really really determined to get that merit badge or not die in the woods.
Click to expand...

I'll take "not die in the woods" for a thousand Alex....lol

I'm a little old to be seeking a merit badge. But I think that would be cool to learn and master as well. In a video I saw they said you need to use wood from the "same" branch. So I will be trying that this weekend. It will be dry so no worries there....
 
The bow drill method seems like the universal go-to method, but I've seen experts like Survivorman Les Straud spend hours trying to get it to work when conditions were less than ideal. If he has trouble, then I'd be doomed. I'm just going to make sure everything I have has a couple little Bic lighters and maybe a magnesium/flint starter.
 
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robjax said:
OK...so just went to the fire pit in the backyard.

Tried to do the magnifier with a full water bottle and was unable to...

Lit a fire with a magnifying glass...that was easy.

Failed with eye glasses. Could not get a narrow enough beam. I will practice that some more.

I did try the 9v battery and steel wool. HOLY CRAP...That is fast.

So as long as I have emergency equipment with me I am good with that. I still plan on trying the plastic wrap with water (not pee).

I am also going to try the ribbing sticks together method. Because that is a more likely scenario without emergency supplies or sunlight.

Need to plan for every contingency whether I have gear or not...

And my daughters have a camp over for GS next month so I am going to teach them and let them impress their friends.
Click to expand...

As a past certified Girl Scout myself (my wife was their leader and I'm an Eagle and "passed" their test so I could take them camping) I, too, loved showing the girls a lot of tried and true woodsman techniques. They can learn just as well as any guy and they were all very attentive. It got even better when we cooked an entire meal without using any utensils: main courses were hamburg in an orange peel half and steaks right on the hot hardwood coals. They loved it. Have fun!

Rome
 
cockpitbob said:
The bow drill method seems like the universal go-to methog, but I've seen experts like Survivorman Les Straud spend hours trying to get it to work when conditions were less than idea. If he has trouble, I'd be doomed. I'm just going to make sure everything I have has a couple little Bic lighters and maybe a magnesium/flint starter.
Click to expand...

The bow and spinning mandrel or the rubbing of two hardwood sticks is an intense exercise that will eat a lot of calories and create a lot of sweat. It's an alternative but I'd rather try to employ some other technique that wasn't so strenuous and also tenuous. Again, in New England finding a quartz rock that will spark of a piece of steel is one good one. Of course you have to have the steel.

Rome
 
Cabinetman said:
As a past certified Girl Scout myself (my wife was their leader and I'm an Eagle and "passed" their test so I could take them camping) I, too, loved showing the girls a lot of tried and true woodsman techniques. They can learn just as well as any guy and they were all very attentive. It got even better when we cooked an entire meal without using any utensils: main courses were hamburg in an orange peel half and steaks right on the hot hardwood coals. They loved it. Have fun!

Rome
Click to expand...

Absolutely. All I have is girls and they love doing things with me. My wife cringes but they need to learn. So they shoot with me, we have fires on the beach on the cape, we cook on those fires...so this weekend is fire starting weekend. I played with a few methods this morning. I'll show them how to do those and then they can try and make a whole fire from nothing to smores...lol

They get into it so it's good fun for me too.

But if I have to rely on peeing into plastic wrap i am a dead man..lmao.
 
robjax said:
Absolutely. All I have is girls and they love doing things with me. My wife cringes but they need to learn. So they shoot with me, we have fires on the beach on the cape, we cook on those fires...so this weekend is fire starting weekend. I played with a few methods this morning. I'll show them how to do those and then they can try and make a whole fire from nothing to smores...lol

They get into it so it's good fun for me too.

But if I have to rely on peeing into plastic wrap i am a dead man..lmao.
Click to expand...

I'd like to see a girl try to pee into a soda bottle! Another thing only a man can do! (Please don't my wife or your wife read that! LOL)
 
Cabinetman said:
I'd like to see a girl try to pee into a soda bottle! Another thing only a man can do! (Please don't my wife or your wife read that! LOL)
Click to expand...

There are whole sites for that, it is completely possible. I have seen more than one woman manage it with out making a mess.
 
Ok...my daughters came home from school and out to the fire pit we went. Used eye glasses to gety it to smolder....got a fire. Used the lense from a pair of binoculars got huge smolder and made a fire. ( volt on steel wool....no issued. Tat will be a good one for night time or other times when there is no sun. Water bottle and plastic bag no joy. Planning to try it earlier in the day tomorrow to see if the position of the sun in the sky has an affect.

But definately the dark paper works faster then white paper. in some instances I couldn't even get the white paper hot.

I'll be making more fire starters too. The lint and wax in egg cartons. The egg cartons heat up and burn pretty fast with a magnifying glass.

Well, off to the store for some chewing gum and beer.
 
Practice practice practice. Keep you emergency fire starting kit near your Charcoal grill. Instead of using the butane lighter for the family BBQ use one of your emergency methods. If you screw up in your back yard the only issue is that your burgers will be late.

Bow drills work well but need a lot of practice. Making all the materials from scratch in the woods is possible, but not something you are going to do if you are desperate to start a fire, you need to prepare it ahead of time. If you have the mind set and time to prepare a bow and drill and bring it with you, or at least have some cordage with you (hardest part to make in the woods) then you have the time and mind set to prepare other tools as well.

As the saying goes two is one and one is none. I like to multiply that by 10. I keep multiple means of starting fire in all kits, in the car and in anything going into the woods with me. Lighters, flint and steel. . . and plenty of dry fire starting material, either cotton/lint with vaseline, or dry wood shavings from building projects.

Another tip if you are hiking and it is rain gin, or is threatening to rain. Start picking up some tinder along your hike, a bit here a bit there. Tuck it loosely in your clothing so that your body heat and clothing either keep it dry, or dry it off. By the time you get to your campsite you will already have a good head start on getting your fire going.

Left over Altoid tins make good quick grab fire kits. Fill with fire starter of your choice (or 2) (lighter, matches, flint and steel,) add tinder, then vacuum seal or waterproof with wax and tape (you can use it when starting a fire after opening).
 
Two is one and one is none .... Is very annoying.

Seriously , ( I'm not calling out anyone , except the " meme " or the mantra ) but actually , one is one , and two is two.

How many jacks do you have in your car ? How many wallets do you carry , how many personal cell phones ?

I don't carry two 1911's. I carry one. I own more than one , and I appreciate the concept of a back up anything.

The only way the " one is none " crowd can stand by this literally is to have two BoBs of identical nature. No one does. I prefer the accuracy and clarity of saying " critical items should have a back up."
 
fubar said:
Two is one and one is none .... Is very annoying.

Seriously , ( I'm not calling out anyone , except the " meme " or the mantra ) but actually , one is one , and two is two.

How many jacks do you have in your car ? How many wallets do you carry , how many personal cell phones ?

I don't carry two 1911's. I carry one. I own more than one , and I appreciate the concept of a back up anything.

The only way the " one is none " crowd can stand by this literally is to have two BoBs of identical nature. No one does. I prefer the accuracy and clarity of saying " critical items should have a back up."
Click to expand...

My boss used to yell at me for always ordering two of everything, made a Noah joke once. Stopped when we needed a part for a customer demo and first one was bad in the box.

I do keep two knives, two flashlights and several other pairings with me. I do not have two jacks, but I do have two phones, and a AAA account. Not needed or practical for everything, but not a bad idea where possible and affordable. I do have more than one BOB, but they are not all identical. The one at home is different than what is in the car, is different from what is at work.
 
Well , okay fine.

And to be honest , I may have redundant , yet diminishing , items as well.

My camp has 3 foot Cold steel brand monstrous chopping things , my Bob has a full sized Kabar , my web gear has a more than mid sized Gerber LMT , .. And a leatherman , my pocket or pants belt will have a short fixed blade or mid sized folder and I often have a small Boker neck knifed on a neck chain.

... And I might have a head lamp , pocket sized light and a keychain LED on my knock knife chain. ... Plus lanterns and candles ....

But .... I'm not one of those over prepping people like you guys .... Really.
 
fubar said:
Two is one and one is none .... Is very annoying.

Seriously , ( I'm not calling out anyone , except the " meme " or the mantra ) but actually , one is one , and two is two.

How many jacks do you have in your car ? How many wallets do you carry , how many personal cell phones ?

I don't carry two 1911's. I carry one. I own more than one , and I appreciate the concept of a back up anything.

The only way the " one is none " crowd can stand by this literally is to have two BoBs of identical nature. No one does. I prefer the accuracy and clarity of saying " critical items should have a back up."
Click to expand...

I have extra magazines for my firearm.
I carry more than one way to charge my phone (but just 1 phone)
I have more than 1 form of communication (ham radio and phone)
I carry multiple blades, illuminating devices, fire starting methods.
I have 2 back packs with me at almost all times - one is a minimalist GHB, one is full on GHB/BoB
I may only have 1 jack and 1 set of jumper cables but there is AAA/other services to use as backup
Two is one, one is none.
 

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