I finally see the light!

M

martino910

Joined
Apr 2, 2006
Messages
91
Recently iv been putting a bic ahead of a firesteel for a number of reasons, one being the fact that i was unable to master the firesteel. Im happy to announce that i think iv finally mastered the firesteel.
producing a flame is somewhat easy...its catching the flame from stage to stage thats just as important...(all this without fatwood or pjc ,qiktinder, mind you)

so, does the firesteel beat the bic in terms of ease of use...no, reliability in all types of weather? yes, cost? no , carry-abilty? yes, longevity? maybe

tonight i made a fire in 20% visibilty using only a firesteel lmf and my trusty vic spirit.thats a huge achievement for me. i still had my trusty bic in my pocket...does it work? i'll bet it does!...
 
martino910 said:
tonight i made a fire in 20% visibilty using only a firesteel lmf and my trusty vic spirit.thats a huge achievement for me. i still had my trusty bic in my pocket...does it work? i'll bet it does!...
Click to expand...

That's the way - keep practising with the tools you carry so that you can always get a fire going with what you have on you.
 
What tinder do you carry? That's at least equally important. Especially when it's wet and windy.
 
A Bic is always my first line fire source. But I like to carry a ferrorod as backup.

Having said that, I usually practice with the ferrorod first.
 
The ignition source is not that important, its the ability to overcome unanticipated weather, cold, fatigue and other things that put blockades between you and achieving success whether it be in fire, shelter, water, navigation or food. Basically, if you always go for the easiest solution in the best of conditions, you might not be able to think out of the box for when the perfect storm comes. Challenging yourself and developing skills that help you look at the problem in different ways is what counts.

Lighters are great, but they give a sense of false confidence when all you ever do is light a cigarette with one. Just think what you can do with that same lighter if you approach your fire with all the due attention as primitive fire requirements. To me, thats the only real benefit of using firesteels or flint and steel or friction fire. You basically learn about how to nurse a tiny ember into flame. If all you ever do is produce flame, you'll never take the time to appreciate the subtitles of building a strong fire from virtually nothing.

About the only thing good about friction fire, is well, all the chicks.....Chicks, chicks, chicks.....(and the odd flying turkey too).
 
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