Simple, cheap, and EFFECTIVE firestarters.

Lots of good methods and advice here, the best being to practice plenty before you have to experiment while cold and hungry in the rain. The next tool to add to the kit is being able to find tinder and kindling in the wilds during heavy rain/snow/winds and still getting a good fire going.
Physical preps and kit are great, but are always trumped by experience, technique and versatility.

BTW, if all else fails, lighter knots. I keep a few around the house on the back porch for "show" but if SHTF it'll start a fire faster than thinking "piro" at it. Even in a rain.

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by winofiend

 

Still, if you're as inept as me at getting the magnesium flint to actually make a spark that ignites anything, you'll still freeze to death in the cold cold wilderness, or be eaten by the dire wolves.

Steel wool and a 9v battery. Don't burn your fingers.

Darned right. This is also a primo way to make triggers for self-defense packages: A clothespin with a chunk of wood or paper in the jaws tied to a tripwire, with wires wrapped around each open jaw. Someone hits the tripwire, the chunk is pulled out and the clothespin snaps shut completing the circuit - BOOM.


SIDE NOTE: It's a real pleasure reading all you folk's ideas. Great thoughtful material here in the Survival Forum, and very real-world, I think this is my favorite forum here on ATS and it's because of all you folks posting here. THANK YOU ATSers.

Originally posted by clay2 baraka
A small bag of Fritos corn chips, no joke.

Napalm in a bag. and a high energy snack if you find yourself lost in the woods.

Cheetos work well too.

Also, a cheap box of crayons. One crayon will burn for about 20-30 minutes. Petrolium based chapstick, too.

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by winofiend

 

Still, if you're as inept as me at getting the magnesium flint to actually make a spark that ignites anything, you'll still freeze to death in the cold cold wilderness, or be eaten by the dire wolves.

Steel wool and a 9v battery. Don't burn your fingers.

If I was going to get a battery and flint I might as well do what we did, we bought a ton of strike anywhere matches...they were really cheep at Ace hardware 1$ for huge box.

We collect all the branches that fall from our trees each time it gets wind (every day ha!) put them in rubbermaid containers and stack them I use one handful and one cotton ball with vaseline each time I start the fire.

ive also got a sandwich bag with strips of cedar siding i pulled off a house( we were residing), So yeah, I got my kindling. lol.

reply to post by Char-Lee

If I was going to get a battery and flint I might as well do what we did, we bought a ton of strike anywhere matches...they were really cheep at Ace hardware 1$ for huge box.

Matches are good too. Not as much fun though.

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by Char-Lee

 

If I was going to get a battery and flint I might as well do what we did, we bought a ton of strike anywhere matches...they were really cheep at Ace hardware 1$ for huge box.

Matches are good too. Not as much fun though.

edit on 6/21/2013 by Phage because: (no reason given)

If you're going to use matches, at least use those survival matches that are a bit more aggressive than kitchen matches.

How to make a fire using only an orange...
www.youtube.com...
enjoy