Dear RAT, have you ever given thought to....

not trying to change the thread topic,,,,,but I would carry a firesteel as a backup but would it not make more sense to carry a butane windproof/waterproof lighter as a primary firestarter to begin with
 
drew1095hc said:
not trying to change the thread topic,,,,,but I would carry a firesteel as a backup but would it not make more sense to carry a butane windproof/waterproof lighter as a primary firestarter to begin with
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And yet another +1 for you. You be on a roll today in the common sense department! ;)
 
A couple of weeks ago during the survival portion of our Woodland Ops class, we had the students building fire with a ferro rod, no lighters allowed. We wanted them to learn how to build fire using the basics. But in a real situation it is not going to make the first bit of difference if you use the edge of your knife to strike a ferro rod. I carry a Bic lighter with me every day of my life. If I need to start a fire, I use a Bic lighter. I have used a ferro rod and learned how to light fires using them. It's not rocket science, nor something that has to be practiced a million times. The art in building a fire is gathering the right tinder and understanding how to feed a flame. That's where you need experience. Anyone who just whittles away on a ferro rod because it's cool needs another hobby. ;) Would you believe we have people complaining because they cannot order a spare rod for our fire kit? Damn! What do these people do, just sit around and strike it all day?
 
this is just all too funny... if your concerned about your edge carry a striker (you know the one that most likely came with it) or take a file to the back of your knife and there ya go striker on the spine...
 
R.A.T. said:
A couple of weeks ago during the survival portion of our Woodland Ops class, we had the students building fire with a ferro rod, no lighters allowed. We wanted them to learn how to build fire using the basics. But in a real situation it is not going to make the first bit of difference if you use the edge of your knife to strike a ferro rod. I carry a Bic lighter with me every day of my life. If I need to start a fire, I use a Bic lighter. I have used a ferro rod and learned how to light fires using them. It's not rocket science, nor something that has to be practiced a million times. The art in building a fire is gathering the right tinder and understanding how to feed a flame. That's where you need experience.
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Ok, point taken. I do carry a bic also. Normally if I'm starting a fire, it's with my 8 yr old there and he thinks it's cool to do it with a ferro rod. /shrug

Maybe I'll look into getting a dedicated striker and not have to worry about it
.
 
...... well being wet and cold and needing a fire is not a time to figure out your shiny new fire rod technology.... kinda like setting up your tent right before evil dark clouds isnt the right time to read the manual and figure out your new tent.... my fire rods got some marks on it.... lit a few stove fires with it... im comfy carrying it now.... still need practice with simpler methods like bow drills , and lenses.... i seam to have a decent eye for picking out tender and splitting down wood for the right sized chunks....
 
somberbear said:
...... well being wet and cold and needing a fire is not a time to figure out your shiny new fire rod technology.... kinda like setting up your tent right before evil dark clouds isnt the right time to read the manual and figure out your new tent.... my fire rods got some marks on it.... lit a few stove fires with it... im comfy carrying it now.... still need practice with simpler methods like bow drills , and lenses.... i seam to have a decent eye for picking out tender and splitting down wood for the right sized chunks....
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Totally agree. But it doesn't take wearing a 3/8" diameter rod to nothing to figure it out. If it does, then maybe fire steels are not the way to go. Maybe a can of diesel fuel and matches would be a wiser choice. :D
 
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R.A.T. said:
Totally agree. But it doesn't take wearing a 3/8" diameter rod to nothing to figure it out. If it does, then maybe fire steels are not the way to go. Maybe a can of diesel fuel and matches would be a wiser choice. :D
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I was thinking more like a portable torch with Mappe Gas !
 
R.A.T. said:
A couple of weeks ago during the survival portion of our Woodland Ops class, we had the students building fire with a ferro rod, no lighters allowed. We wanted them to learn how to build fire using the basics. But in a real situation it is not going to make the first bit of difference if you use the edge of your knife to strike a ferro rod. I carry a Bic lighter with me every day of my life. If I need to start a fire, I use a Bic lighter. I have used a ferro rod and learned how to light fires using them. It's not rocket science, nor something that has to be practiced a million times. The art in building a fire is gathering the right tinder and understanding how to feed a flame. That's where you need experience. Anyone who just whittles away on a ferro rod because it's cool needs another hobby. ;) Would you believe we have people complaining because they cannot order a spare rod for our fire kit? Damn! What do these people do, just sit around and strike it all day?
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I'm one of these folks. I don't take any offense at what you wrote, but making fire the difficult way is one of my hobbies. I love primitive methods of firestarting and find it both rewarding and fun to build a fire using flint and steel or bow drill. I started my little odyssey beginning with firesteels and then progressing to other methods.

I find that today I rarely start a fire up with matches or a lighter. I usually have a mini-bic in my fire kit but almost never gets used. Again, I look at fire building as part of the fun, as much fun as sitting there and enjoying it afterwards. I love the activity of gathering natural tinder and kindling and seeing what works and what doesn't. I love finding new striker rocks to see what sparks with my carbon steel striker. I love preparing my tinder and using my knives to do so. Its all good too me. I like the challenges of trying to do so in the wet.

I'd rather not be the guy who didn't start the fire, I'd rather be the one who did start the fire. Again, part of the fun. BTW windproof butane lighters work horribly in the cold (-20oC or below). Bics are much better under those conditions I find.
 
BTW windproof butane lighters work horribly in the cold (-20oC or below). Bics are much better under those conditions I find.[/QUOTE]



I am a smoker so I tend to have a bic any way but in my firstaid/psk i keep a butane lighter.....But I live in Texas so I think i am good On that whole 20 below situation....But thanks that is good to know if I am traveling north.:thumbup:
 
If I really need to be using a firesteel, the last thing I care about is a mirror polished edge. And considering if I'm making a fire, I just used that knife to chop, pound and split logs, using the edge is a small issue. As far as the cleanup, a small rod cleans up the edge in seconds.

If you made a striker into a knife, I'd just delete the choil and put it there. But I find that kinda silly
 
R.A.T. said:
So, if we made say the RC-4 with the edge stopping about a 1/2" from the choil then making a step up so there's a second edge that catches the fire steel, what about that? Of course we could put this edge on the spine also but when I'm using a knife my fingers are usually all over the spine in different grip configurations depending on what I'm doing.
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I'd just as soon have no striker edge...as I find in much easier to use a very small portion of the blade as a striker than vice-versa.
 
As for cold weather lighters, nothing beats a zippo. You get around 0 F and even bics crap out. Vapor pressure, metal shrink, idk. But when we snowboard were out all day, and either keep butanes on body(under insulating layer) or zippos in jackets (over insulting layer).

In extreme cold, I usually carry a small bag with heat sensative items under my fleece layer. Batteries, flashlight, butane, phone, etc
 
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