#209104 - 10/05/10 07:29 PM
Re: Fire Starters in FREEZING CONDITIONS
[Re: ireckon]
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Veteran
Registered: 03/31/06
Posts: 1355
Loc: United Kingdom.
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I need fire starters for when I go off piste snowboarding. Currently, my system includes the following:
1. Peanut Lighter packed with waterproof tinder.
2. Ferro rod packed with waterproof tinder.
3. Sparker or another ferro rod packed with waterproof tinder. (I'm leaning toward another ferro rod for this third position.)
I yet have to practice fire starting in freezing conditions up on the mountain. Do any of you have experience that will help me? Ferro Rod, Bunsen Burner "windproof" type butane lighter,and a Zippo. Pack the Zippo in a ziplock freezer baggie to waterproof it. Reason you need a zippo is because it's great for putting under a pile of wet tinder. Your other consideration is tinder. I prefer a mix of Tinder-Quick, cotton wool balls, ranger bands and either wetfire or esbit. I prefer wetfire. Simply because its not toxic in a confined space. Dont get fixated on using only one type of tinder for your fire. If it's dropped in the pot expect to use, for example, cotton wool balls to catch a spark from your ferro rod and then use the flame from that to ignite something like the wetfire. If every thing is dripping, be prepared to use the whole lot.
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#209105 - 10/05/10 07:37 PM
Re: Fire Starters in FREEZING CONDITIONS
[Re: ireckon]
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Enthusiast
Registered: 05/17/04
Posts: 215
Loc: N.Cal.
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Tinder matches might be nice.
They can be found in many grocery stores and backpak shops.
They are a small compressed sawdust sticks with match material
on one end. You break off one tinder stick and just strike it like a
match, they will burn 6-8 min.
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#209106 - 10/05/10 08:21 PM
Re: Fire Starters in FREEZING CONDITIONS
[Re: Glock-A-Roo]
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Pooh-Bah
Registered: 04/01/10
Posts: 1629
Loc: Northern California
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Thank you for the info, everybody. Experimenting with cotton balls with various types of fuels has been an ongoing project, with PJ being the gold standard for the fuel. PJ balls is in my plan for tinder that's waterproof-ish. Another is bike inner tube, and I'm aware it's not really tinder but more so kindling. The straws with the cotton balls will be another project of mine. ...A key improvement is to put a little "dish" of aluminium foil under the PJ ball. This keeps the liquified PJ on hand for ongoing burning, instead of it dripping into the ground or fire platform. <drumroll please>  OK everybody, I am going to reveal what may be the most durable, leakproof(ish), accessible, and compact container yet for PJ balls: Nalgene vials. I triple up a long strip of wax paper to make a U-shaped sleeve, stack the PJ balls down into the vial in the sleeve, fold the ends of the sleeve on top then pop on the cap. The vial's diameter is perfect for the PJ balls, it is as compact as you can get, it keeps leaks at bay in warm weather (so your other gear doesn't get greasy), and you can use the different sized vials for different sized kits. When needed you just pop out a PJ ball as from a Pez dispenser. I use the smallest vial in my mini kits and the biggest one in my belt-mounted kit. Works great. Great suggestions, thanks. I have ignored the addition of foil around PJ balls, until now. Regarding the Nalgene vials, I'm not totally getting your explanation. If I just get the materials, will it become clear to me? EDIT: I think I get it now.
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#209107 - 10/05/10 08:29 PM
Re: Fire Starters in FREEZING CONDITIONS
[Re: Leigh_Ratcliffe]
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Pooh-Bah
Registered: 04/01/10
Posts: 1629
Loc: Northern California
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Ferro Rod, Bunsen Burner "windproof" type butane lighter,and a Zippo. Good info, thanks...Do you have a suggestion for the butane lighter? The one's I've seen are a bit too bulky and delicate looking for an off-piste snowboard trip, but I don't know much about butane lighters...
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If you're reading this, it's too late.
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#209117 - 10/05/10 10:03 PM
Re: Fire Starters in FREEZING CONDITIONS
[Re: NightHiker]
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Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 04/28/10
Posts: 3164
Loc: Big Sky Country
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Jute twine/cord is a great tinder as well. Just unravel the end and pull the fibres apart and it will take a spark very well. You can use the jute to light something else in bad conditions or smear a bit of PJ on the jute. In any decent conditions the jute will light your kindling just fine. It's somewhat water resistant while its woven tightly, too.
_________________________
“I'd rather have questions that cannot be answered than answers that can't be questioned.” —Richard Feynman
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#209125 - 10/05/10 11:08 PM
Re: Fire Starters in FREEZING CONDITIONS
[Re: ireckon]
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Enthusiast
Registered: 04/05/08
Posts: 288
Loc: Europe
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In addition to some "high-tech" tinder I like to have a small (or bigger) candle and birch bark with me.
My experience is if its too cold, even the fine thin pieces of the birch bark don't catch the sparks from ferrocerium immediately. But it's excellent tinder if you have bigger pieces too. Quite water resistant, non toxic and reliable.
One tip: when you need to make a fire but your hands are already cold and fingers numb, light a candle with your match/lighter first and then warm your hands above the flame whenever you need while gathering wood and preparing the fire. You might need to make a depression in the snow for the candle in order for the wind not to put it down.
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#209128 - 10/05/10 11:22 PM
Re: Fire Starters in FREEZING CONDITIONS
[Re: ireckon]
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Addict
Registered: 03/15/01
Posts: 518
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I find both the peanut lighter and the sparker a little difficult to use if my hands are very cold. Instead of the peanut lighter, I like an old fashioned Zippo lighter (of course, fuel it before each trip). The striker wheel is bigger and easier for cold hands than the peanut.
I haven't found anything I like better than PJ-Cotton balls. I add a few strips of inner tube. Once lit from the lighter... or from a sparked PJ-cotton ball... the rubber burns hot and long...when wet! As in when dropped in the snow.
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#209129 - 10/05/10 11:25 PM
Re: Fire Starters in FREEZING CONDITIONS
[Re: ireckon]
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Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 04/28/10
Posts: 3164
Loc: Big Sky Country
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I do have a really good tea light type candle in my Altoids emergency fire tin. I have a disposable lighter and a box of waterproof matches in a small zip-lock bag plus the candle. Then I wrapped the tin in jute cord, secured with a rubber band. Then the whole thing goes into another zip-lock and into a GI surplus compass/1st aid pouch. The jute is a good tinder and the rubber band would be good emergency kindling. I'd like to put a mini firesteel in there too, maybe a small hunk of a hacksaw to strike it, but at the moment I don't have any more of the tiny steels. Guess that will have to go in my next Firesteel.com order.
_________________________
“I'd rather have questions that cannot be answered than answers that can't be questioned.” —Richard Feynman
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#209130 - 10/05/10 11:30 PM
Re: Fire Starters in FREEZING CONDITIONS
[Re: raptor]
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Pooh-Bah
Registered: 04/01/10
Posts: 1629
Loc: Northern California
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It's good to hear confirmation about the PJ cotton balls. (I like Murray's Beeswax cotton balls slightly more, but they are only useful as tinder.) For those who don't know, I recommend trying to start fire using a ferro rod and paper. Then, try a PJ cotton ball, huge difference! ...One tip: when you need to make a fire but your hands are already cold and fingers numb, light a candle with your match/lighter first and then warm your hands above the flame whenever you need while gathering wood and preparing the fire. You might need to make a depression in the snow for the candle in order for the wind not to put it down. So, you know how it is. I suffer from the condition known as "Hands-Get-Cold-Easily". Starting a fire when it's -10F is a skill I will be improving this winter.
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If you're reading this, it's too late.
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#209132 - 10/05/10 11:33 PM
Re: Fire Starters in FREEZING CONDITIONS
[Re: ireckon]
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Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 04/28/10
Posts: 3164
Loc: Big Sky Country
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It's a challenge to light paper with a ferro rod. You really do have to shred the edges pretty fine to catch a spark, and the first time you try it can be surprisingly difficult. The cottonball, on the other hand, is amazingly easy. Provided it's not compacted tightly the cotton will almost always go up in a large amount of flame on the first strike of the steel. It's amazingly flammable. Tinder-Quik catches almost, but not quite, as easily. Jute catches pretty well but not as effortlessly as cottong (and then only when it's prepared well).
_________________________
“I'd rather have questions that cannot be answered than answers that can't be questioned.” —Richard Feynman
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