Like there aren't fifty quicker, easier, cheaper ways to start a fire???
50? Oh please...
Perhaps the abundance of self-proclaimed experts found on the internet (of course not to imply that you're claiming to be one Susan) has made me cynical, but forgive me for calling BS to that statement.
50?
If I honestly thought that you or anyone else could name even
ten, let alone fifty methods that were quicker, easier, and cheaper ways to start a fire in a wilderness survival scenario, I would be truly humbled and impressed.
For sake of argument, assume for a moment that you were in a survival situation consisting of the following elements:
1). You find yourself alone in the wilderness 40 miles from home. Since you've actually never completed your ETS profile I have no idea where that would be, so for the purposes of this example let's assume that you are somewhere in the Pisgah National Forest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, SW of Asheville, NC.
2). Since you knew you would be secluded in the wilderness for several days and have learned much about preparation over the past four years as an active member of the ETS forum, you have a very well equipped BoB with you. Just to make things really easy let's also assume that regardless of the weight or bulk of the items that you have chosen to carry, your BoB actually contains
anything and everything that you have
ever carried with you into the wilderness at anytime in the past.
3). You are below the treeline, so tinder, kindling, and fuel is plentiful. Nature's bounty has provided you with an abundance of resources to start your fire. Unfortunately the paradox of wilderness fire building is that the most difficult time to build one is when you actually need one the most. Thus the elements have somewhat conspired against you in that the ground is covered with approximately four inches of snow and ice, the sky is densely overcast, darkness is fast approaching, the wind has picked up and begins to swirl from all directions through the canyons and foothills, and although there is no standing water, everything is damp from several previous days of rain.
4). You find yourself suffering from
Stage 2 hypothermia and are
slightly dehydrated since your potable water supply ran out yesterday morning. Without a fire to provide warmth and a means to melt snow, you face the realization that it is unlikely that you will survive through the night.
5). A freak accident earlier in the day has resulted in three broken fingers on your (weak side) hand. Between the pain and the bulk of the splints/bandages, you are limited to the use of your other (strong side) hand only.
With the exception of the broken fingers (and of course the magical BoB that contained anything and everything that I have ever carried into the wilderness) I have actually found myself in a very similar situation at 6,500 feet in the Sierra Nevada's. Thankfully my water supply had not run out the day before and I wasn't suffering from Stage 2 hypothermia, but I was cold and wet and knew that building a shelter and starting a fire was imperative.
For less than $10.00 you can purchase enough potassium permanganate (16 oz), glycerin (8 fl oz), and poly containers to start literally dozens of fires. For 20 cents worth of chemicals weighing less than an ounce (including the poly containers) you could very easily start a fire in less than half a minute, using damp tinder and kindling, one-handed, in the above described scenario.
Between these two non-toxic chemicals, they can be used for numerous other beneficial purposes including drinking water treatment and deodorization, as a disinfectant, to kill germs and prevent bacterial infections, as a gargle, medicinally to treat oral and sinus infections, dermatitis, canker sores, dry skin, chapped lips, athlete's foot, wound cleansing, and as an antidote for phosphorus poisoning. They can also be used to make soap, as a bleach, a solvent, a thickening agent, a laxative, or even as a food sweetener.
So please bring the tech, and outline for me the quicker/easier/cheaper methods of starting a fire in the above scenario for less than 20 cents, in less than 30 seconds, using only one hand. I'll even start the list:
1). Use a mini Bic lighter to ignite a handfull of dryer lint
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Jim
just kidding. FYI, there are other chemicals that you can use in place of glycerin, I don't remember all of them but I think sugar and anti-freeze were a couple. So if by chance you were stuck in the wilderness and happened to have a bottle of PP, you could theoretically use the antifreeze you have stored in your trunk to start a fire. Of course, that's assuming your cigarette lighter doesn't work and you have no matches or lighter.
