Batoning vs Feathersticks?

Shotgun

Shotgun

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Feb 3, 2006
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Just wondering what you guys do to start a fire when you only have a small knife on you of say 3.5-5" blade. For the sake of argument let's say that there's no risk of breakage and just stick to what's more efficient.

Do you find batoning small kindling to be faster and lights easier then making feathersticks or do you find the opposite to be true? Or do you do a little of both?
 
Depending on size I baton, split wood with the tip of the knife that's too small to baton (split wood fire?) and use feather sticks.
 
I just walk around the woods and grab the appropriate tinder, twigs, and sticks.
Especially considering efficiency, I see no reason to create things I can simply find.
 
I like the super tiny, dry twigs that hang on the underside of pine trees, they're about the size of toothpicks or matchsticks and burn like nothing else (except birch bark :D) a big handful of those and a match and you're in bidness! If those aren't available, holly bark thats been dead standing will light with a spark if it's super papery and dry...acts just like birch bark.
 
The Australian bush is basically a layer of kindling with a few trees sticking out of it. So I agree, just pick it up. When it's wet, you have to look under fallen logs or in trees with hollow bases to find dry stuff, or get the small dead sticks that are still attached to tree trunks and so are up off the damp ground.
 
Currawong said:
The Australian bush is basically a layer of kindling with a few trees sticking out of it. So I agree, just pick it up. When it's wet, you have to look under fallen logs or in trees with hollow bases to find dry stuff, or get the small dead sticks that are still attached to tree trunks and so are up off the damp ground.
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OK I was with you till the fallen logs part and the bit about trees

I found australia has a lot of this:
234.jpg

between all the patches with actual trees

I have driven /hiked over a reasonable chunk of the country and I find at least as many places there is nothing much to burn as places here is abundant fire wood

I personally batton , when I need to , I make feather sticks when I want to , they are fun , and essentially do what it taks for where we are to be comfortable .

Youre experiences differ to mine , we are lucky to have enough country that we can roam around in and enjoy to have that happen :)
 
I have never found batoning to be necessary since where there are logs there are sticks, twigs, and moss, usually still on the trees up in the canopy and dry enough to light. I have done it just for the heck of it because you never know when it might come in handy but I've never needed to. I have done feather sticks a few times. They don't seem to be all that necessary either but sometimes it's easier to whip out the Mora and make some shavings rather than hunt down enough tinder.
 
This is not an "either/or" question. They are different things, and serve different purposes. I may do one, or both, or neither, depending on the situation and need.
 
I agree with liamstrain. I do both. Sometimes I do feather sticks for fun some times we don't find good tender and need to make a feather stick.
 
There's also the "in-between" type of thing.
Ground is wet...trees are wet...sticks are in abundance...
You take your knife (even a pocketknife) and split the stick with steady pressure.
No batonning or impact, just splitting a stick to expose the dry innards. :)
 
Both, neither, it depends.

Around here, cedars are plentiful and that bark lights very easily. Cedars also tend to have plentiful dry dead twigs hanging off the base of the trunk.

It just really depends on my mood and what is available, but I view foraging and feathers ticks as the most elegant. Busting out a club is fine, but I feel it lacks style (but if its the best choice for the conditions, style be damned;))
 
Pick up everything I can find of appropriate size and if more is needed start whittling the larger stuff to make smaller stuff. I have lost the desire to baton unless I have the right tool with me to complete the task.
 
Shotgun said:
Just wondering what you guys do to start a fire when you only have a small knife on you of say 3.5-5" blade. For the sake of argument let's say that there's no risk of breakage and just stick to what's more efficient.

Do you find batoning small kindling to be faster and lights easier then making feathersticks or do you find the opposite to be true? Or do you do a little of both?
Click to expand...

Both. Also, I have meant to experiment more with smashing kindling with the back of a hatchet, but never remember to. Temperature is a major factor in my decision because of dexterity loss.
 
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Both and neither

In Scouts many years ago, we were taugh how to pick up kindling and fire wood for fires
How to gather all the wood you needed for the fire
Then set it up and light it
As long as the wood is dry there is no need for batoning and feathersticks

Batoning and feathersticks, I find a 3 1/2" blade to be plenty big enough and a saw to section wood
I work with logs no bigger than 2", as this is either a very good fast cook fire, or the basis for a large fire
when there is wet ground, no dry wood
Use a saw to cut up small 2" rounds of wood
Take two logs and split it into 1/4s
Take another 'log' and split it by battoning
Keep splitting them, till you can go no smaller
Then feather stick these small sticks
One match these feather sticks and burn baby burn
This is good enough to start a fire with larger wood

I live where almost all the foresty is 'tended' against forest fires
So crews come thru and clear the ground from dead wood as a fire hazard
I find my cutting dead branches off a tree 4pieces 9" lengths of 2" round
Using the batoning and feathering is enough wood to quickly cook a meal and move on
I am teaching this to my youngest daughter for prep in when she walks the Israel Trail (2 1/2 months endevour)
 
I can easily do both with a 3.5" - 5" knife. It's interesting that this is considered a "small" knife. I don't own a single knife with more than a 5" blade, and have never found a need for one.
 
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