Category: Fire

Oft-forgotten Camping Supplies

7/6/2012

Here are a few camping supplies you might not think to include in your regular camping kit, bit they can prove to be incredibly useful...

Extra large, black, trash bags
Not just for trash... can be repurposed as a poncho with a couple of cuts. You can also put your sleeping bag inside them for an extra layer of warm insulation & waterproofing.
100+ feet of Paracord
Hundreds of uses... repairing tent guy lines, constructing lean-to's, hanging lanterns, triplines, snares, alarm systems (with some empty cans), and many more.
Extra tarp
Used as an extra rain barrierr when your tent leaks (The rain fly waterproofing usually is not that good), or to build a lean-to, rain cover for picnic table.
Extra backpack or duffel bag
Bear bag... Use to store food high above ground level to keep bears and other animals out.
Road flares
Auxilliary fire starters (Will dry out and ignite even wet wood), also for signalling if you run into trouble.
Solar powered / crank powered weather radio / gadget charger
Obvious
Flint & Steel
What happens when you fall & crack the case on your Bic lighter or lose your Zippo?
9V battery & fine steel wool
Touching the battery to the steel wool causes it to become hot enough to ignite your fire tinder. (A cell phone battery & steel wool may be used in an emergency)

Any to add? Let me know in the comments.

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Survival Fire Building

6/14/2012

Following up on today's earlier Tweet , how would you start a fire in a survival situation were you to be given only a log, a pocketknife, a flint & steel, and a sharp rock?

AREA: Use your hands, feet, and the rock to dig / scrape a shallow fire pit when possible. If the ground is too hard to dig, clear all brush at least 6 feet around the site of your fire. If possible, gather some dry pine needles & leaves to serve as tinder.
KINDLING: trip the bark from one side of the log... this becomes your kindling
TINDER: If you were not able to gather pine needles, dry leaves, or some small dry twigs, you need to make some fuzz sticks...
Using your knife or rock, separate a few lengths of wood from the log, no bigger around than your little finger. Break these sticks into 6-8 inch lengths. Using the pocketknife, whittle these so that the shavings curl outward, but do not separate from the stick. These "Fuzz Sticks" will more easily catch fire than will straight twigs or shavings.
BUILD: Arrange your bark in a loose pattern in the bed of your fire pit. Your fuzz sticks should be interspersed throughout, standing vertically.
IGNITE: Placing your flint at a shallow angle near the edge of your tinder, strike downward repeatedly with the steel, done rapidly, and at the correct angle, sparks will fly into the tinder igniting it, which will then ignite your kindling.
STOKE: Add the log to the top of the now-burning kindling.
MAINTAIN: If windy, you may be able to use your rock, or other rocks found in the area as a wind break.
UTILIZE: Warm up, cook, whatever you need to do.
EXTINGUISH: Make sure your fire is out & cold before leaving the area.

RESOURCES:
Here's a page on Boy Scout fire building, that shows many different fire types.

MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER!!! Pack some of the items below in your Bug Out Bag, and in each of your vehicles..

Oft-forgotten Camping Supplies

Survival Fire Building

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