-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Cottonballs + PJ +?
- Thread starter Barrabas
- Start date
David From NC
Gold Member
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2007
- Messages
- 443
Random thoughts...
1. Early in my backpacking hiking days I (and about all my usual hiking buddies) carried the "Pilot Survival Firestarter" (the magnesium bar with striker epoxied to the side) from Brigade Quartermaster. We never tried them in real conditions...we just assumed they would work just like on the BQ VHS tape! One cold wet rainy Sunday in the early 90s, a couple of us were bored and had NOTHING to do and didn't want to go hiking per se but wanted to get into the woods. We decided to go work on our wet-weather fire building. The result was we both decided the pilot survival firestarter was a bust, at least for us. It was cold and damp, and by the time we got our packs off, the bar out, made a decent pile of shavings that would burn longer than 1-2 seconds, and tried to light it, our hands were so cold we had lost lots of dexterity. Many times the fast "flash' burn someone else referred to STILL wouldn't light wet leaves/wood. We decided we needed something faster. If you guys have had better luck then great...but we didn't. I ended up "discovering" cottony dryer lint and mixing with PJ. Also this combination is LIGHT, something that is HUGE to me (now) when packing.
2. My buddy DID try carrying a small pill bottle full of magnesium shavings he got from his work. These helped in some circumstances, but we also found that they "catch the spark" best when freshly shaved or cut...after a few months a layer of corrosion (may not be technically correct but a surface "oxidation"?) tended to make them much harder to light. Bear this in mind when including pre-made shavings...
3. This whole skill area is one of the biggest confidence builders in my outdoor repertoire...considering that most wilderness deaths around my area are from exposure.
4. If going with dryer lint (make sure it's from lots of cottony materials) and PJ you can't make it TOO FAR in advance or it turns into a gummy MESS. Make it on-site or JUST BEFORE you leave on a trip...
1. Early in my backpacking hiking days I (and about all my usual hiking buddies) carried the "Pilot Survival Firestarter" (the magnesium bar with striker epoxied to the side) from Brigade Quartermaster. We never tried them in real conditions...we just assumed they would work just like on the BQ VHS tape! One cold wet rainy Sunday in the early 90s, a couple of us were bored and had NOTHING to do and didn't want to go hiking per se but wanted to get into the woods. We decided to go work on our wet-weather fire building. The result was we both decided the pilot survival firestarter was a bust, at least for us. It was cold and damp, and by the time we got our packs off, the bar out, made a decent pile of shavings that would burn longer than 1-2 seconds, and tried to light it, our hands were so cold we had lost lots of dexterity. Many times the fast "flash' burn someone else referred to STILL wouldn't light wet leaves/wood. We decided we needed something faster. If you guys have had better luck then great...but we didn't. I ended up "discovering" cottony dryer lint and mixing with PJ. Also this combination is LIGHT, something that is HUGE to me (now) when packing.
2. My buddy DID try carrying a small pill bottle full of magnesium shavings he got from his work. These helped in some circumstances, but we also found that they "catch the spark" best when freshly shaved or cut...after a few months a layer of corrosion (may not be technically correct but a surface "oxidation"?) tended to make them much harder to light. Bear this in mind when including pre-made shavings...
3. This whole skill area is one of the biggest confidence builders in my outdoor repertoire...considering that most wilderness deaths around my area are from exposure.
4. If going with dryer lint (make sure it's from lots of cottony materials) and PJ you can't make it TOO FAR in advance or it turns into a gummy MESS. Make it on-site or JUST BEFORE you leave on a trip...