I can usually get a fire started with a bow drill in about 5 minutes if I have all the supplies together and the bow, spindle, board and handhold are ready to go. The problem is gathering supplies, making the kit, getting the tinder bundle, kindling and wood.

The bow drill took me about a half a day to learn initially, which included splitting a piece of wood (that was provided) to make the kit, finding a suitable piece for the bow (cordage was provided), carving a spindle and handhold and gathering tinder and wood. I probably could have shaved a bit of time of of this if I'd left the spindle and handhold in a rougher form. After the first few attempts I was worn out and sweating badly, which would be a problem in the cold. It's tough to figure out the correct position, pressure and signs when a good coal has started initially. I now, through practice, have a couple of kits that I've built over the last few years that will allow me to start a fire quickly.

The hand drill took me weeks before I got a coal good enough to start a fire and though I can do it, I'm not very consistent in the results.