How to start a fire after rain/snow?

S

SuzukiGS750EZ

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Dec 30, 2008
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How do you start a fire after rain or snow when everything on the ground is wet. Natural tinder that i find after rain/snow is all wet and totally useless. I'm talking no matches or lighters, and if need be then just a lighter. Either way how do you do this. Not while it's raining or snowing, but after. And how do you do it with a few inches on the ground also? I can start a fire with things gathered from a store/house in those conditions with wood outside, but i want to know how to do it with stuff around me in the woods. Thanks :-). If this sound's like it's rambling on, it probably is, i'm extremely tired haha.
 
Look through the past posts on this forum, I am sure you could learn a lot. This is a very common topic here in WSS forum.

Many of us carry firesteels of some sort. Coupled with prepared tinders, or natural sources they are highly effective, even when wet.

The inside of dead, standing wood is usually dry, and there are a variety of ways and tools to get at it.
 
Bolt-action bultema said:
Look through the past posts on this forum, I am sure you could learn a lot. This is a very common topic here in WSS forum.

Many of us carry firesteels of some sort. Coupled with prepared tinders, or natural sources they are highly effective, even when wet.

The inside of dead, standing wood is usually dry, and there are a variety of ways and tools to get at it.
Click to expand...

Sorry, i don't have the search function. I tried looking for topics but i can only go so far before my eyes go crosseyed lol. Thanks for the tips though. My friend got a firesteel from walmart but i'm not too crazy about it. It has magnesium on one side and a striker on the other.
 
Snow provides us with a wonderful link in his post. I was able to find at least one thread on fire-making on each of the past 5 pages.

There is also site specific searching through google, is suggest you google it. :;):
 
[youtube]gqW0lmj6lzA[/youtube]

Works for me :thumbup:

Bear in mind it requires you to have enough knowledge of your local area & be prepared enough to have taken a reliable firestarter with you, if the local area has no other reliable natural tinder in the area you are wanting the fire :D




Kind regards
Mick
 
Just remember that the thinner the stuff that you are trying to get to catch fire the easier it will be for the heat you are using to dry it out and catch it on fire.

And then remember that the more of that thin stuff you have the bigger fire and more heat you will generate quickly once you get it on fire.

And once you have generated more heat and fire the larger chunk of fuel you can dry out and catch fire with your fire you've started.

And THEN remember that the more time you spend leaving the fire after you have started it to get fuel before it has enough coals the more of that heat and fire that could be used is wasted.

So you want to have plenty of really small thin stuff and then several substantial piles of progressively larger stuff ready.
 
Well, i've gotten two fires started so far. The walmart firesteel sucked though, had to light with a lighter.
 
Ok so here a senerio. There are only larger twigs like maybe the thickness of a pencil or more and nothing else as far as tinder. If you cant split them or have limited light time what do you do?
 
What I do is split into wood with a large knife, via batonning. Then make some feathersticks, and split kindling with the knife. Strike the firesteel to the feathersticks and they usually light right up. (Or you can use a squared spine to make fuzz like stuff that will catch a spark even easier.)
 
SuzukiGS750EZ said:
Ok so here a senerio. There are only larger twigs like maybe the thickness of a pencil or more and nothing else as far as tinder. If you cant split them or have limited light time what do you do?
Click to expand...
You take a firestarter like 3 ply cardboard soaked in paraffin wax (basically a cardboard candle) and light it with a lighter :D

......or you could pack in your own tinder :thumbup:.





Kind regards
Mick
 
work that bike lube into a cottonball and it should work for tinder as long as you fluff up the cottonball.
 
Successful fire lighting in any condition is all about preparation in my experience.
Taking time to collect 3 stages of kindling in proper amounts.
1)smaller than a match stick tickness (2 big handfulls)
2) match to pencil thick (2 big handfulls)
3) pencil to thumb

Fuel
thumb to wrist

Once the 3rd stage of kindling is burning the fire is hot enough that you can be much less particular about food..

Most people focus on ignition, or move from ignition to tinder to fuel

the kindling stages are the most vital In my mind..as this is where you have the opportunity to nurture the fire..
 
suzuki has been given some excellent information so far...I would only add that in my experience with wet or rainy conditions, it's really helpful to use some sort of base between the ground and tinder to block the dampness...it could be a piece of bark or even aluminum foil. To reinforce the previous comments, tinder and fuel "size" preparation is essential and then practice, practice.
 
To answer the question on feather sticks, I find them easy, they don't have to be pretty to work.

I start with longer curls and make them shorter and thinner as I work up the wood, after small curls are done I use the spine or blade at 90° to make little shavings that the firesteel will ignite in a couple tries or a lighter will light with just a quick flame.
 
I purposefully went out after a rain last year to do this. Someone here had a knife giveaway contest and this was the task to be done. I quickly found some dead horseweeds. Split them and scraped out the insides. Had a fire in about ten minutes.
 
Cut some wet wood - split them with knife or axe - make feathersticks out of the heartwood - if I can't find any dry anything else - I will simply shave small sections from the heartwood and use a firesteel.

What REALLY helps in this case is to line the bottom of your fire pit with split wood - dry side up!

TF
 
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