Quick Tips - One Handed Fire Starting:

https://youtu.be/mtjXE2Ww2I8

having had a broken wrist for the last 7 weeks i'm oddly interested in this now! my conclusion is; if you have to do anything much to survive; you probably aren't going to.

oh how wise dougs' one handed fire starter and mirror suddenly seem!

note; he's only showing you how to use it one handed, he doesn't actually have a broken arm. unscrewing the match box as he does won't be possible. anything screwed securely, will still be like that when they find your body.

something to bear in mind; try using your techniques and gear one handed.


qjs

Test you stormproof matches, not all are created equally. The REI and UCO have always worked well for me, and I demonstrate them for people by dipping them in water and showing how they still burn when pulled out. There are other companies that sell an imitation of them, and they do not work as well. Water does extinguish them. Some major retailers are selling these other brands, just try them before you go out into the wild and need to depend on them.

Question: Do stormproof matches age?

Should I be replacing them on a regular basis?

There seems to an agreement of sorts developing around a three device array - lighter (usually a Bic or Mini-Bic), matches(usually storm proof of some variety) and a steel/striking rod combo (various types here). All three are relatively light and compact, and fairly cheap,
especially when compared to their potential benefit.

KenK proposed the Storm Candle Lighter - unfortunately, the link he provides states that REI no longer carries the item. I think I have seen it for sale just a few months ago, so it might still be available.

What to do if you are disabled or impaired and a fire is imperative? Definitely a question worth considering and practicing a bit before hand..

Esbit, cotton balls, Tinder Quik, and Tinder Cards are most frequently mentioned for tinder, just as important as the lighting device. With luck, good tinder can be found, but don't count on that completely....

I'm not sure how long they last but certainly over five years. I've used plenty that were older than that and they worked fine.

Has anyone tried super fine #0000 steel wool? I haven't tried it myself, but have read that it will catch a spark from a ferro rod, can be lit with a magnifying glass, or with the battery out of some device you might be carrying. Are these true claims, or internet fantasy?

Sounds intriguing. I'm a little skeptical (does steel really burn?), but I'm also a little hopeful. Some day I'll get around to remembering to try it.

Well it glows, so i guess it's burning. It's fast, so i would much rather prefer the good old petroleum jelly and cottonwol.

Tricks with solar never seens to work great and with batteries, you either don't want to short them (because it's your phone battery and you kind of want to be able to still call for help) or you just don't carry them with you?>

My semi-educated guess is that it depends mostly on the humidity of where they're stored. Kept in a waterproof container sealed tight I wouldn't be surprised to have them work after twenty years. However I haven't tested it.

I've seen it done successfully on tv, does that count? I Mike and Ruth Hawk used it on an episode of Man, Woman, Wild, and she was quite delighted with it.

Here's a little video clip because I know that at least one of you fellas used to have a crush on her.



My son and I did try using steel wool but I'm no Ruth England. I couldn't get our other tinder to light from it. Turning an ember into flame was (and still is) a skill we're working on, but this just didn't seem worth the effort. As Tjin says, in most scenarios I can imagine, I'd be torn to ruin a perfectly good battery.

It certainly will catch a spark, etc. HOWEVER, it very quickly oxidizes (actually rusts away)in your kit, into a brown powder. I have found NO way to store it in a kit and prevent this: vac. packing, smearing with petroleum jelly, etc. So I don't recommend it.