Whats in your fire Kit

[Petey]

I'm with Red & g4ghb - I have a firesteel in my lock-knife and one on my sheath. seldom bother using them, despite obvious ability. usually just need a bloomin' fire lit pronto, so carry a turboflame jobby. If I take anything to help it get going then I use those self striking BBQ matches (cardboard & wax). they work.

Regarding my like for quick fire - I'm as able as any of the rest of you to get a fire going (given time, desperation and not a lot else), but I'd much rather the gap between "I'll light a fire" and "cor, that's a nice fire" was as close to zero as possible.

And when it comes to getting a brew on - I'm a Jetboil man (top tip - only boil half the water you need, top up with cold and get your brew down your neck immediately)

 

[FerlasDave]

Just a firesteel and a jet lighter for me. I keep a couple of maya sticks in my pack though.

 

[The Big Lebowski]

Firesteel, Striker...

Fatwood, Char Cloth, Cramp balls... and if all else fails, tumble-dyrer fluff with ground up birch bark although i'm getting along with fatwood nicely. Amadous next on list.

Would like to get some Tinder Fungus, but i've only found one, and it was well past usable.

Always have a lighter in my pocket anyway's and ethanol in the pack, but i like the challange (sometimes).

TBL.

 

[Twodogs]

The need for fire outweighs how you get it, so its all modern for me ,
cotton wool
mag block
lighter
inner tube
US heater block

Twodogs

 

[lannyman8]

the challange is what its all about, any person can go to the shop and get a lighter.

its even better when its wet or raining.........

awesome thing to know you lit a fire with minimal kit when its soaking but your now warm with your clothes drying and hot food on the go...........

i miss my 1500 acres........bo hooo.....

 

[Laurentius]

In a Swan Vestas tin (very appropriate graphic) swedish firesteel and striker, cotton wool balls, tub of vaseline, candle stub, prices calorette tea light, a couple of hexy blocks. I also have a 35mm film canister stuffed full of compressed cotton wool and meths. But then on top of that there is the Zippo lighter and fuel canister

 

[British Red]

the challange is what its all about, any person can go to the shop and get a lighter.

its even better when its wet or raining.........

awesome thing to know you lit a fire with minimal kit when its soaking but your now warm with your clothes drying and hot food on the go...........

Agreed - but what has this to do with wetfire tinder...or inner tube....or vaseline.....or cotton wool.....or even bought over the counter fat sticks?

My point is - forage for natural tinders and light them....sure.

Take tinder with you....sure

But thinking that a bit of synthetic material (like vaseline) is any more "real" than a pint of petrol is....daft. Both are synthesised hydrocarbons.

Red

 

[The Big Lebowski]

I think it just depends on your need at the time... i cant say i've managed to light a fire every time as a beginner, so out comes the lighter as a last resort! always a plan B (or sometimes 'C' LoL)

Its personal choice what you use i guess, if it does the job, so be it!

I do like to find my own though. The char cloth i made, the fatwood took three weeks and some trial and error to find and the cramp-balls where a gift as i've not seen any locally yet. The amadou will also be form a local source.

I guess you could say, i want to learn the hard way

TBL.

 

[British Red]

Did exactly the same for a long time TBL. No problem with that. These days though I'll generally leave a lot of tinder behind. Cramp balls I have in profusion - from felling ash trees covered in them. I used to use travellers joy a lot - because it is absurdly pervasive. Given though that all I need with a ferro rod is a feathered stick to start a fire, I tend to leave the true tinder and horse hoof alone. Flint and steel is great, but a charred tea towel and some straw is all thats needed to master the technique.

Not really making a point here, just saying that understanding the techniques is great, as is experimenting. But feeling the need to construct esoteric artificial tinders (more than once or twice) escaped me

Red

 

[Sabot]

My fire kit consists of;

In aluminium tin,
birch bark
tissues.

In decon pot 1,
disposable lighter
lifeboat matches
magnesium powder
small spark stick (this is a backup to my fero rod which is kept on my belt kit)
9 volt battery (well insulated from everything else obviously)
some fine wire wool

In decon pot 2,
several sachets of greenheat.

There is a third decon pot for collecting other tinders as I find them.


All this fits into a modified 58 pattern canteen pouch along with a mora (clipped to the outside) and a small sharpening stone. There is plenty of room for more items and more techniques as I learn them. I intend to add some rubber as soon as I find an old bike inner tube. With the different pots I can separate and take a different pot with me depending on what methods I wish to use. The larger kit is mostly for consolidation and demonstration purposes but can be fitted to any belt or pack should I wish.

 

[Man of Tanith]

Fire kit for me
two spark sticks one on sheath one in possibles pouch. several zippo's for smokes which work just as well for firelighting.
bit of birch bark and/or some tindercard
i've done the charcloth and so on but if i want a fire i want it now.

 

[The Big Lebowski]

I'm with you on that red..!

I guess i left it a bit late in the season to go down the fire from ember route, as its contantly eather raining, or very, very damp (high altitude here)... i look forwards to char cloth and straw, i think when you can take the smallest of embers and watch it grow into a flame that takes is something very special. My grandfather tought me at a very young age, fire is a living thing, sometimes you have to feed it, sometimes you have to starve it.

I guess i've alyways liked things the harder way, but there's alot to be said for ethanol and a bic when you are really 'in it'

Regards, TBL.

 

[Tracer1969]

 

[georann]

Agreed. I love watching that tiny coal at the end of my char cloth burst my tinder in to flames

I'm with you on that red..!

I guess i left it a bit late in the season to go down the fire from ember route, as its contantly eather raining, or very, very damp (high altitude here)... i look forwards to char cloth and straw, i think when you can take the smallest of embers and watch it grow into a flame that takes is something very special. My grandfather tought me at a very young age, fire is a living thing, sometimes you have to feed it, sometimes you have to starve it.

I guess i've alyways liked things the harder way, but there's alot to be said for ethanol and a bic when you are really 'in it'

Regards, TBL.

 

[SMARTY]

2 Bic lighters and a candle. Works any where any time.

 

[georann]

Except in the wind

2 Bic lighters and a candle. Works any where any time.

 

[ged]

Oh, I do like that. That's started me thinkering again!

 

[Martyn]

I'm with Red all the way on this one, I don't like to mess about. I don't see what's wrong with petrol.

...usually just need a bloomin' fire lit pronto ...but I'd much rather the gap between "I'll light a fire" and "cor, that's a nice fire" was as close to zero as possible.

The need for fire outweighs how you get it, so its all modern for me ,

i've done the charcloth and so on but if i want a fire i want it now.

..there's alot to be said for ethanol and a bic when you are really 'in it'

Gentlemen, may I introduce you to.....


Thermite!

[video=youtube;b-QhHy2iDj4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-QhHy2iDj4[/video]

...bout as "bushcraft" as a ferro rod, but my goodness, does it get the job done. Ice cold, to mature fire in 30 seconds.

 

[silentpaddler]

I've never created a friction fire before, such as with a bow drill, but it sure looks like a lot of effort. All these various methods are interesting to see and probably a good
thing to know, but I have to admit I don't really have a fire kit per se...I just take half a dozen disposable lighters and throw them into various dry bags and pockets...even if we
capsize the canoe, we can always get at least one of the lighters to go. Birch bark is plentiful almost everywhere we travel; I just make sure there's always a handful in a
pocket somewhere. Priorities are strange, aren't they? I've noticed that I put more effort toward keeping my tobacco dry while on a bush trip than keeping my fire source dry..

 

[rik_uk3]

Zip firelighters with bic/turbo lighters most times. I've done the bow drill etc and its fun but its not for me. Firelighter, bit of tinder and away you go.