emergency fire starter

[SPARKYICE]

probably a good idea to have along.
how many of you carry one, and what do you use?
ever been glad you had it?
i used to carry a zippo, when i smoked. they work good if they are dry. bics are useless in the cold.
i realized i don't normally have a source of flame with me now.
what is a compact, idiot proof way of starting a fire when you need it the worst?

[iluvcrappie]

carry one of the windproof torches............the y are in the same style holder as a Zippo.........if you want something that is really good for starting fires corn chips work really well because they are so greasy...........I have done this a few times and it really helps when you have no gas or any type of starting fluid.............

[miket.]

put a book of matches in your wallet. they come in real handy!

[iluvcrappie]

the thing is with a book of matches if you dont use them up they will get wet from you sweating or them even being in your wallet................ ...and then when you need them the most they arent there for you.........I ahve had this stupid problem as well........used to carry them to the deerstand with me and they got wet so I get no heat..............I like having the torch style lighters........just my .02

[Trooper Bri]

I keep my Jon-E handwarmer and a bottle of Ronsonol fluid in my ice fishing bag at all times, along with a Bic.

And while i was at Cabela's last month doing some Christmas shopping, i had to have one of these guys. A magnesium and flint bar. Only 7 or 8 bucks.



We don't get a whole lot of emergency situations (other than the unintentional Polar Bear Club swim) in CT, but i think i have most of the bases covered. 

[ToeCheese]

A dry erase marker works great as an emergency starter. The are full of alcohol. Just light the tip and they will get any fire going. I do realize that you still need a lighter or matches to get it lit. But once you light it it wont go out.

[Wyoming_Ice]

 I cut cardboard into strips 1" or 1 1/2" X 4 or 5"s long. Melt some paraffin wax in a pie tin. Soak the strips in the wax, let them dry and then put them in a Ziploc baggy.
You have a cheap fire starter. They work very well !!!   
 
 Wyo Ice

[Bellybuster]

when hunting or back woods fishing I have always carried steel wool and a 9v battery. The battery is still effective after a few years but I change it out at the beginning of every season. Just touch the battery leads to the steel wool and voila, extreme heat fire.
    We also make fire starters for camping out of dryer lint and wax, in an egg carton. One egg hole filled with lint and wax will burn for 20 minutes

[thewoodall]

I am a kayak fisherman all the way up to ice out, I keep a water proof box in the back hatch(bought at wal-mart in camping section) a blow torch lighter, and a fire starter thats in the chimney section, I buy the one that is in a small package and its a gel. With those 3 items I dont have to worry about tping into the water and freezing before i get back to civilzation. I alson bring that small box with me when out on the ice incase the heater goes out. This was a great topic to bring up, you never know when you may get stuck out in the wilderness, in my case I take trips down creeks and streams where i am miles from any help. always pack like you may have to stay the night for any adventure.

[gasman707]

I always carry a bic lighter. They are cheap, and doesn't take much to dry them out if the flint gets wet, if its cold and doesn't want to light place it under your arm pit or another warm body part for a min . Butane gas in these lighters do not create a burnable vapor if the temp is below 30 degree F. That's why waterproof matches (wood stick matches dipped completely in wax) are probably the best bet.
 As for fire starting material take or old cooking oil from your last fish fry and soak wood shavings in it . Keep in a small container or double ziplock bag (due to the oil). If that is not available and you have a pocket knife find a cedar or similar tree. Scrape the blade against the bark it will create a hair ball that is a fantastic fire starter. I've even used this method after a 4hr downpour a got a fire going

[IceTroll]

All you need is a magnesium flint bar and a pocket knife (leatherman will work) and you can start a fire just about anyplace or anytime. Most run less than $10.00 and will save your butt. Carrying fire sticks, lint or anything else to get your fire going is a good plan but to rely on a lighter of anykind is foolhardy. If you take a dip through the ice and get your lighter or matches wet, your hosed. A magnesium flint bar will start a fire seconds after being submerged with no problem. You just need a little bit of grass and/or twigs for kindling and your in business. No serious outdoorsman should be without one.

[littlesturgeonguy]

take cotton balls and work petroleum jelly into them and keep them in an empty film container. still need something to light them with but they light easy and burn like a sterno heat. they burn for a while plenty long to get a fire started.

[Bellybuster]

I've used the cotton balls in vaseline before, they really do work good

[pooley]

waterproof, and windproof matches can be found in any camping/hiking store, as can a waterproof container. i carry these when i hike remote mountains.

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Home_

[bryan62]

I read an article (I think in Outdoor Life) on this heater. They recommended keeping in your car in case you got stranded in the winter:

A little bit of warming heat can go a long way in the outdoors, particularly when it comes to warming cold hands. You can always solve the problem by gathering up wood and building a fire, but in some cases the wood may be wet, or maybe you don't like the idea of generating a lot of smoke. There may be a better solution. With a little bit of planning ahead of time you can easily make a simple, basic heater with very little effort. All you need are three simple items:

1. An empty metal coffee can (3 lb./ a little taller than toilet paper roll) with replaceable lid.

2. A bottle of rubbing alcohol rubbing alcohol
n.
A mixture usually consisting of 70 percent isopropyl or absolute alcohol, applied externally to relieve muscle and joint pain. 

3. A roll of toilet paper

Unlike some other forms of fuel, rubbing alcohol doesn't generate a great deal of BTUs, but the intended purpose of this heater is not to produce a great deal of heat. Its application is suited to simply take the chill off your hands in an easy, economical manner.

The first step is to place the roll of toilet paper inside the coffee can. (You have to remove the cardboard tube by pressing it out with your thumbs.) The toilet paper should form a fairly snug fit. Next, simply pour the rubbing alcohol evenly over the toilet paper. Use enough to thoroughly saturate the paper, but not so much that any liquid is visible in the bottom of the can. After the alcohol has been absorbed into the toilet paper, the coffee can may be sealed until the heater is needed (this will help slow any evaporation evaporation, change of a liquid into vapor at any temperature below its boiling point. For example, water, when placed in a shallow open container exposed to air, gradually disappears, evaporating at a rate that depends on the amount of surface exposed, the humidity  of the alcohol). In all likelihood the lid won't fit tight enough to keep the alcohol from leaking out if the can is tipped over, so your heater should be stored upright.

When your heater is needed, simply light the toilet paper with a match or cigarette lighter. The alcohol burns very clean with virtually no visible smoke, making it great for use in duck blinds.

Once your hands are warmed, simply smother the fire. After the can has cooled down, you can replace the lid and store until it's needed again. I like to carry an extra bottle of rubbing alcohol with me in order to replenish. Make sure the heater is completely cooled down before adding more alcohol.

It is important that this heater, or any combustion-type process for that matter, be used only in a well-ventilated area. Even though no visible smoke can be seen when the heater is burning, poisonous
 carbon monoxide gas is being produced and emitted into the surrounding air.

[akdg]

A couple cans of sterno and a lighter/sparker of some sort are the easiest way of starting an emergency fire I have come across. 

[fiesty]

I smoke, so I've always got at least two lighters, and usually a pocket full of matches...I carry an extra mini-bic lighter in my zippered inside pocket, inside of a little ziploc...never had a problem starting anything....

[Scientist]

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___82728 A smaller version of a magnesium block and the plus side is you don't dull your knife

[BOOBSS]

I started  using those small bottles of hand sanatizer 60% alcohol . Tested it out one day starting a fire in my pellet stove. Works like a charm.

[Litchfield Fisher]

I always carry the kershaw brand magneseum stick around with me that and a pocket knife work just fine in fact mix in a little drier lint or in pinch lint scrapped off of your pants with a knife and you can get a fire going almost anywhere with very little practice in fact I never use a litgher any more simply carry the stick and a little lint it takes a year or more for one to run out with constant use and can obvioulsy start when soaking wet 

[mako003]

                    I   all ways carry a road flares   in my gear I carry flares set in my gear  2 years ago I was out on the ice they flew a guy off the ice he had sliped fell on the auger cut bad they saw us by the flares in a triangle setup

 he back on the ice again but till this day wont  go near the auger

[FishingNy03]

my dad has a small coffie can 1/4 full of gas, 1/4 full of oil, and then packed full of wood pellets, and he wrapped the whole thing in tape so it dont leak

[james]

I always carry a bic lighter. They are cheap, and doesn't take much to dry them out if the flint gets wet, if its cold and doesn't want to light place it under your arm pit or another warm body part for a min . Butane gas in these lighters do not create a burnable vapor if the temp is below 30 degree F. That's why waterproof matches (wood stick matches dipped completely in wax) are probably the best bet.
 As for fire starting material take or old cooking oil from your last fish fry and soak wood shavings in it . Keep in a small container or double ziplock bag (due to the oil). If that is not available and you have a pocket knife find a cedar or similar tree. Scrape the blade against the bark it will create a hair ball that is a fantastic fire starter. I've even used this method after a 4hr downpour a got a fire going

Just a word to the wise, if you drop a bic lighter in saltwater one time it will destroy the flint in the lighter, and will render the lighter useless.

[jjc155]

windproof lighter and a zip lock baggy of dry lint for kindling, rides in my backpack while hunting/backpacking.

Cotton balls soaked in nail polish remover work great too.

J-

[holedriller]

I take dixie cups and fill them with wood shaving used for animal bedding and then fill them with wax and let the wax harden when you light them they burn about 15 min.  I also take one of the starters and a bic lighter or a book of matches and vacuum seal them with my food saver and keep 1 in my truck and one in my tackle bag. 0000 sttel wool also works very good just put any spark to it and it will glow red if you bloww on it it will instantly light the fire cup the steel wool also will work when wet just shake the water off it. We are involved in cub scouts and have tried these things many times. The magnesium fire starters can be a little work but the will light a fire very wll

[Madpuppy]

Gas can and a lighter. If I'm ice fishing I have auger gas and if I'm boat fishing I have boat gas. I keep a lighter on me at all times and a  couple lighters in different locales to be sure one of them will work given the conditions. I also keep an old peanut butter jar in the sled and in the boat with matches and other emergency items.

[toddyrotten]

When I was in Boy Scouts, we made some mini survival kits. Use a plastic 35mm plastic film canister. They are water tight, small and light. Glue a section of a match strike to the inside of the lid. Put some matches, a band-aide or two in there, a couple feet of of fishing line, a small hook, a razor blade, and some lint, cotton, or a small chunk of a firestarter log in there. It's water proof, it floats, it fits in your pocket and the canisters are black, so they show up well in the snow if you drop it.

[icewagon]

I take a handfull of dryer lint,and a couple wooden matches with the striker put it in a small vacuum seal bag,vacuum seal it, water proof and very study .I keep a few everywhere.  

[james]

In an emergency use birch bark for a good fire starter. that stuff will burn even wet.

[oletimer]

Always carry my fire starter, flint and steel, with a vacuum packed cotton balls with petroleum jelly and some dry with hand sanitizer.