Hi SBRaider, I knew about it. Thanks for the tip though.

Still fantastic info since a lot of us travel. Great to know if we have to have some items shipped to an in-country hotel (or what have you). Thanks again.

No problem, yelp.

*looks around and whispers*
Uh, dude, you do realize you are saying that on the internet, probably using a computer that has more calculating power than all of pre-1980 world and more storage than the sum total of all printed texts in human history, assuming you optimize the file format.

I sure do which is why I wouldn't rely on it to start a fire in the bush or anywhere else.

And if I were in survival mode a pencil and notebook are more reliable than a laptop

There is no laptop or Blackberry in my BOB - only a cheap phone which uses little power.

I'm sure SparKlites are generally well made but not as reliable as a fire steel or a piece of flint or even bamboo.

Kindly break your arm/wrist and then please demonstrate starting a fire with your fire steel. Please post video for us all to watch the fun...

The point being that "reliable" can mean different things, depending upon the circumstances. A piece of survival gear that does not lend itself to one-handed use may not be "reliable" at all if you only have one hand to use.

Unlike Doug, I'll let you keep both arms, but I still say prove it.

And it by any measure more time and weight efficient. Bushcraft is great if you've got the time, but it is technology developed in an era when the average life span was under 40 years old. I'm stacking the deck- I'd have 52 aces if they'd let me bring my own.

Speaking as someone who has broken his left arm/wrist 6 times and his right 4, (I raced motocross and three-wheelers when I was a kid and fought a lot) I KNOW how hard it is to do even the most mundane tasks with one hand.
Run to the can and try unzipping, do your business and pack everything back up with your off hand only. (Stay Dry,and don't get caught in the zipper!)
Now you were in a comfy cozy environment. Would you want to try that after having walked in the cold all day? How about after taking an unplanned swim in a near frozen pond?

If the SparkLite can best the BlastMatch, USAF Mg bar, Fire Steel, Lifeboat matches and a Bic in the cold hands of my 12 year old daughter (then, now 13) ON THE FIRST TRY to ever light a survival fire I think the "technology" must be OK.

All I did was hand her the DR PSP and told her "Make Fire". I had to train her on the others.

Go figure, A girl of 12, was able to make a tinder bundle from having watched me, open a PSP and spark up a tinder-quick with no help. Might be the best thing going for that one armed bandit now, huh?

Yes, I do carry multiple fire starters. I carry SparkLite, Doan Mg block, REI Matches in a W/P container, Fire Steel, and since I like to stack the deck also I have a "Torch" lighter and my bad habit forces me to have a Bic. The BlastMatch has been relegated to the survival junk drawer. Yes the SparkLite is rarely used, because I save it for the express purpose of fire when I have issues with all the others. (Or break my arm again)

I am not the user "BOD" but decided to take the challenge.

It is actually quite doable. Since I don´t carry Spark-lite I thought about this and came up with this method. Just anchor the firestarter with your shoe and you are good to go. Video demonstration below.




videos:

.avi (DivX 5.1.1 Codec) video file - Rapidshare:
http://rapidshare.com/files/173143357/ferrocerium-starting_fire_using_1_hand-DivX_5-1-1_Codec.avi


alternative multiplatform .swf video file - Rapidshare (in order to play the video load the .swf file into your browser via File > Open):
http://rapidshare.com/files/173149218/ferrocerium-starting_fire_using_1_hand.swf

I congratulate you on your ingenuity. Now I have not yet viewed the video, but how did it work on wet ground (mud) in the rain?