Tinder as used by Mr Mears?

[billycan]

Does any one know what the grapefruit size fibrous bundles of tinder Ray Mears always seems to use (wherever he is) when friction firelighting. Its sort of light brown and a mass of quite wide strands of somesort of material? Its not bamboo made tinder. I'm pretty sure he uses it in most of the new Bushcraft series, definately in the canoe trip and Yellowstone park episode.

Would appreciate any thoughts

 

[bushtuckerman]

i dunno but that sounds like clematis bark, which i know he uses.

edit: having said that i'm not sure how much you'd find in yellowstone park. maybe it's cedar (or some other softwood) bark.

 

[Ogri the trog]

Its sort of light brown and a mass of quite wide strands of somesort of material? .... I'm pretty sure he uses it in most of the new Bushcraft series, definately in the canoe trip and Yellowstone park episode.

Would appreciate any thoughts

Billy,
I recon its Birch bark. Find yourself a silver birch tree and as sure as eggs is eggs, there'll be some paper thin flakes of it that you can just pull off the tree without harming it. If it is anywhere near dry, it'll light right up.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[bushtuckerman]

i missed the 'wide' part

 

[happy camper]

i dunno but that sounds like clematis bark, which i know he uses.

edit: having said that i'm not sure how much you'd find in yellowstone park. maybe it's cedar (or some other softwood) bark.

think you might be right, in yellowstone park he uses clematis down (which i think he also refers to as "old mans beard") with a bundle if what appears to be clematis bark.

 

[bushtuckerman]

hmm, that's interesting. I've never had much luck with the down, it takes sparks alright but goes out in a flash, literally! mix the two together? sorted!

 

[sodajoe]

Ray uses birch bark on the canoe trip and he uses clematis down when he is with the Native Americans.

I have seem lime bark-type tinder in some of his progs – don't know what that is though.